Like a ton of hops
Craft beer takes over Houston: Your guide to the very best week of the year
As both the local food and handcrafted beer movements continue to grow, Houston brewers have found themselves in a bit of a perfect storm . . . and a lucrative one at that. With American Craft Beer Week upon us, Bayou City hop-slingers are pulling out the stops from now until Sunday with a array of events to promote their trade.
"The state of craft beer in Houston right now is awesome," says David Graham, who heads marketing and promotions for Karbach Brewery, which, if you can believe it, only opened last September.
"During the past few years, there's been this phenomenal change in the way people view beer and they're always looking for more varieties and styles," he notes. "This city's always been a huge beer town, but it's really coming into its own from a brewer's standpoint."
"I seriously don't mean to sound cliché, but every week is Craft Beer Week for us," laughs Saint Arnold marketing director Lennie Ambrose. "Getting people excited about drinking good beer is something that's very important to us as brewers." Saint Arnold has scheduled a series of New Orleans events to celebrate the company's new presence in Louisiana.
Here's a rundown of events in Houston through the weekend.
Wednesday
- The Petrol Station hosts Jeremy Cowan, founder of San Francisco's Schmaltz Brewing. Look for free glassware and a chance to taste a bar/bat mitzvah-themed brew of 13 malts, 13 hops and 13 percent alcohol.
- Flying Saucer will have a launch party for Fort Worth's Rarh & Sons and kick off a week-long sale on canned beer.
- Accepting a dare from BRC Gastropub, Buffalo Bayou Brewing will serve up a strange-but-true bacon chili jam beer at the resto-bar around 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
- The Schmaltz team will stop by Whole Foods Montrose at 4 p.m. before hitting Onion Creek at 7 p.m. and Hay Merchant later in the evening
- Saint Arnold hits up Discovery Green Thursday Concert Series. Bring your empty six-pack cartons for a special promo.
- The Gingerman will crack open a brand new Indian pale ale by North Coast Brewery from California.
Friday
- Karbach visits Firkin & Phoenix at 7 p.m. for a meet-and-greet and celebratory tapping of its new Hop Barran American Stout.
- Hay Merchant, meanwhile, will be offering a special dry-hopped cask of Karbach's popular Weisse Versa wheat beer.
Saturday
- Karbach brewmaster Eric Warner visits BRC Gastropub for a late brunch from 2 to 5 p.m.
- The Big Batch Brew Bash lands at Saint Arnold HQ (2000 Lyons) for the 17th annual homebrewers competition.
Sunday
- Hay Merchant caps off American Craft Beer Week with the tapping of a rare cask of Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron, a dark ale aged in a brewing vessel handcrafted from an exotic Paraguayan wood.
