EllisTX
Well-Known Member
Anyone know what's in the tap room right now?
St Arnold Brewery tour
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thezepster
Well-Known Member
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EllisTX
Well-Known Member
Lol. I wasn't too clear but I was wondering if they have anything on tap that is solely in the tap room. A bit more rare than their usual.
I'd love to go to St. Arnold's! That sounds like a great time. Bob hates Houston, though, and will NOT go. In fact, when we came home from S. Texas this year, we drove out of our way (to Austin!) to avoid Houston. So, please do it and post pictures so I can visit it vicariously through you!
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EllisTX
Well-Known Member
You bet Yoop. I'm going to try my damnest to go next weekend. A local pub had a cask of their Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout a few weeks ago. It was the best beer I've ever had. It was a stout/chocolate milk/bourbon combo from heaven above. I'm kinda hoping they have one there. I either want to go ther or to the Real Ale brewery. They claim on their website that they do quite a bit of cask conditioning and one of their favorites to age is their ESB. Decisions
calebawilson
Well-Known Member
St arnolds has just the regular stuff on tap in the tasting room which is the Lawnmower, amber, brown, weedwacker, Elissa ipa, and there seasonal which right now it's there summer pils. The burbon cask stuff is usually only served there during special occasions like St pattys day.
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EllisTX
Well-Known Member
Thanks. That's got me leaning towards the Real Ale tour. They've actually got an anniversary party going next weekend I think.
Where's Real Ale? I thought it was by San Antonio.
That's what I thought. Well, I thought "San Antonio". I think that in February, I'm going to go for a visit. I'll stay in Hondo overnight, so that should be pretty close I assume. I have a friend in Hondo that I can stay with, and I'm pretty sure he'll let me bring my dog!
Homebrewtastic
Well-Known Member
Yooper said:
Can't say I blame him. I spent a month in Houston one night.
That said the St. Arnold brewery is pretty awesome. Also when you come visit Texas again make sure you visit Jester King brewery. Their beers are great. And the brewery is really cool.
Ravenshead
Well-Known Member
Houston's actually not that bad traffic-wise. More importantly, in one of the "burb's" is a new brewery worth trying. No-Label brewing is in Katy and they have a great Hefe.
St. Arnold's doesn't suck either. :rockin:
St. Arnold's doesn't suck either. :rockin:
Yeah, it's a long drive but I think we'll do that and stay with our friend in Hondo. I think it's about a 3 hour drive to San Antonio from the house we rent on the coast.
If... you're ever near the Dallas area I would highly recommend the Franconia brewery tour, or the Rahr tour. Both aim to please the people on the tour. Franconia is $5 for the tour and $5 for a their pint glass, and you will get at least 4 to 5 refills during the tour. The owner used to be the regional brewmaster for two rows restaurant.
calebawilson
Well-Known Member
No label brewing in Katy is awesome!
thegerm
Well-Known Member
Don't hate on houston. It's nothing fancy, but it's certainly not terrible. It's just a big sprawl of strip centers and suburbs. We can't all come from some ubercool place cool like austin, the northwest or NYC I suppose.
I attended a company christmas party at st arnold's way back in like 2002. That was well before I gained an appreciation for good beer though. Wish I could do that party over with the proper respect for beer that I have now.
-A Texan in New Jersey
I attended a company christmas party at st arnold's way back in like 2002. That was well before I gained an appreciation for good beer though. Wish I could do that party over with the proper respect for beer that I have now.
-A Texan in New Jersey
Homebrewtastic
Well-Known Member
thegerm said:
Actually for me it's just the humidity... And the strip malls.
MyNameIsPaul
Well-Known Member
Yoop! Don't hate on Houston! Sure, the traffic is pretty gnarly and the zoning laws leave a little to be desired, but it's a great place with a few good breweries and tons of awesome restaurants. I travel Tx for work, and drove right through Blanco last week, but Real Ale wasn't open. I'll be in Dallas/Ft. Worth all next week, hopefully I'll get to swing by Rahr!
I don't hate Houston! It's Bob- he hates the stripmalls and traffic beyond belief. He will NOT go near it, through it, or even around it, any more. He also drives miles out of his way to avoid St. Louis and Chicago whenever we travel. So, it's not personal against Houston!
Anyway, I'll check out Real Ale next spring for a fun weekend trip to San Antonio. Thanks!
Whats with all the stripmall hate, it has never even occurred to me that there was something wrong with them.
Also I've never been on a st. arnolds tour but all the beer they have in stores is really...boring and bland.
Also I've never been on a st. arnolds tour but all the beer they have in stores is really...boring and bland.
Come on, St Arnolds has some really drinkable beers. Favorite right now is Weedwacker, but their Lawnmower is a great kolsch. They also have some really solid seasonals (my wife loves their Christmas Ale). The more "interesting" beers are done in small batches through their Divine Reserve series, which are hard to find (these are more of the stronger-hopped beers, otherwise a lot of the regular SA beers have pretty mild hops with some obvious exceptions).
More than anything they do a great job getting the Houston community into craft brews. The tours are a lot of fun, very classic bierhall atmosphere with everyone hanging out at long tables talking, playing board games, etc. Kids running around sometimes. Their founder is pretty into supporting craft brewing in Texas, and unfortunately the bill he was pushing to allow craft brewers to sell their beer on-site got killed (I think in the Tx Senate).
As a local Houstonian... yeah, the strip malls suck, but all in all Houston is a pretty cool place to live. Give us a break!
More than anything they do a great job getting the Houston community into craft brews. The tours are a lot of fun, very classic bierhall atmosphere with everyone hanging out at long tables talking, playing board games, etc. Kids running around sometimes. Their founder is pretty into supporting craft brewing in Texas, and unfortunately the bill he was pushing to allow craft brewers to sell their beer on-site got killed (I think in the Tx Senate).
As a local Houstonian... yeah, the strip malls suck, but all in all Houston is a pretty cool place to live. Give us a break!
I haven't had that many of St. Arnold's brews (just what I picked up at the local H.E.B) but every one I had was a solid beer. The Lawnmower beer was pretty good, especially out fishing. I liked the amber, although I'd like to see more hops in it! I thought the IPA was good, too.
BTW, I just checked out their website to see if I had any other beers I forgot about, and I see they're looking for a brewer! Anybody in Houston looking for a brewing job? :cross:
El Pistolero
Well-Known Member
If by boring and bland you mean not over-hopped to the point of being undrinkable, then yes, I'd have to agree with you. St Arnold's doesn't seem to push any limits, but they do make very good, extremely drinkable beers...this years Summer Pils is the best Czech Pilsner I've had outside of Prague.
g-love
Well-Known Member
I lived in Houston for a few years. Actually their first brewery was like 2 miles from my house 
their tour was free at one point and always gathered a fun crowd. I think a lot of their beers and the owner/s were really cool to talk to. I think it's only one of the two original owners now, but if my memory serves correctly I believe they were investment bankers turned brewers. Pretty cool jump if you ask me.... all in all, I'm a St. Arnold's fan.
their tour was free at one point and always gathered a fun crowd. I think a lot of their beers and the owner/s were really cool to talk to. I think it's only one of the two original owners now, but if my memory serves correctly I believe they were investment bankers turned brewers. Pretty cool jump if you ask me.... all in all, I'm a St. Arnold's fan.I've never had pliny the elder or hopslam, the only stupidly hopped beer I've had was the majarajah. I actually didn't really like it. By boring and bland I mean their regular line that's in all the grocery stores around here tastes like eating something that hasn't been seasoned properly. I'm not sure if I'm making sense. It's like eating a steak that hasn't been salted.
I took their lawnmower and my kolsch and drank them two fisted one sip after another. The overall taste was the same but my beer tasted like a steak that had gotten the salt if you know what I mean. Was theirs drinkable? Sure but so is water. I just did the same with their weedwhacker and my hefeweizen that I'm not so sure came out right. (fermentation temps got a little crazy) The result was the same, same background flavor theirs just had very little.
What I really wanted to know however was why everyone hated stripmalls, seriously. I don't even know what the alternative is.
El Pistolero
Well-Known Member
I don't think it's the strip malls themselves, just the fact that Houston appears to be 2500 sq. mi. of solid stripmall, floating in a sea of sticky gooey traffic jam.
It really isn't like that, but it does seem that way when you're driving thru. Heck, in my neighborhood alone we've got three or four vacant lots with no strip mall on them (yet) and the traffic really isn't that bad (from 2:55 am to 4:15 am on weekdays).
Oh, and run over to Ginger Man and try some Summer Pilz on tap, or the cask conditioned Elissa...might make you change your mind about St. Arnold's.
thegerm
Well-Known Member
Houston traffic is tame. I went to college in austin... austin traffic was way worse... there were just fewer roads.
and now i'm living in northern new jersey and I miss dealing with houston drivers and traffic.
and now i'm living in northern new jersey and I miss dealing with houston drivers and traffic.
Homebrewtastic
Well-Known Member
You know that weedwacker isn't a hefe, right? It's their kolsch fermented with hefe yeast.
slawre5
Well-Known Member
I went yesterday for the tour actually. They had brown, amber, elissa IPA, weedwhacker, and lawnmower.
If you go, bring something to eat and some friends and a board game to play in the beer hall.
If you go, bring something to eat and some friends and a board game to play in the beer hall.
thegerm said:
Maybe you are mixing up Austin traffic with I-35. I have lived in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston... And Austin had the easiest to avoid traffic.
....
On the topic of St. Arnolds - definitely seek out the owner if he is around... Seriously cool guy.
bja
Well-Known Member
My wife and I were in Houston last week visiting her sister. The house next to them was for sale and I said that if I could find a job, I may be interested in moving there. Anyone have any idea what a job as a brewer might pay?
donquixbrote
Member
St. Arnolds is awesome. I went down to visit my sister in Houston a few years ago and went to the brewery because a friend of ours was working there tapping kegs (he still works there but I'm not sure what exactly he's doing now) so we got the "real" tour of the place. It was awesome for me because at the time I wasn't 21 yet but he still got me a few pints to try. I highly recommend going, especially if you know someone on the inside.
Their summer pils is VERY good, Sierra Nevada Summerfest still edges is out slightly in my book though.
El Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Up until this year I agree, Summerfest hands down. But this years Summer Pilz seems to have a little extra something. But don't take my word for it...run over to the Ginger Man and have a taste test: draft Summerfest, Summer Pilz, and Pilsner Urquell side by side.
I'd head over there now, but I'd need someone to drive me home.
Up until this year I agree, Summerfest hands down. But this years Summer Pilz seems to have a little extra something. But don't take my word for it...run over to the Ginger Man and have a taste test: draft Summerfest, Summer Pilz, and Pilsner Urquell side by side.
I'd head over there now, but I'd need someone to drive me home.
Haha, I have had this years Summerfest and Summer Pils on tap. Libertine had both of those on tap at one point, although their out now. Never had Pilsner Urquell on tap though, wasn't a huge fan in the bottle, but I think it was because of skunking and storage in the transport
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