Wednesday, May 27, 2020

False Idol's opening week puts wolf pack on the prowl

False Idol debuted with six beers in cans (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

In March 2019, founders Dominique Van Ausdall and Brandon Pitzer debuted the False Idol brand with the first in a series of beers released under license at another local brewery. Since then, they've held to a vision of opening day at the company's permanent home in North Richland Hills, with beers flowing inside a packed taproom and overflow crowds spilling out into the parking lot.

Images of a grand gathering had to be put on hold, however, thanks to the pandemic. So, with a thirsty wolf pack waiting, False Idol chose to persevere through the pause by shifting all efforts to full-scale production. This, even knowing options might be limited when it came time for delivery due to the economic shutdown. Thankfully, though, the company hit on a stroke of luck right when the initial run was ready.

"The loss of taproom sales for an opener is a big hit, but kegs sales were better than expected," says Van Ausdall. "We were fortunate to have sold out kegs to FullClip Craft Distributors for Dallas-Fort Worth distribution the week before most places seemed to open back up as normal."

Thus began an opening week Van Ausdall's describes as "interesting to say the least." In addition to kegs, False Idol packaged six beers (two IPAs, two stouts, a hefeweizen and a blonde ale) for sale in four-packs in time for its premier. These, in turn, were doled out by way of beer drops occurring across the area.

Among the beers, one of the better hazy IPAs I've enjoyed of late, Cut the Red Tape, has been the brewery's best seller so far. Fans of the beer will be happy to know it's set to return, but in general stouts and IPAs will rotate at False Idol (in terms of both style and strength), with alternatives like a pilsner and a mango passionfruit Berliner weisse added to the mix as well.

"We have a lot in store, and balanced offerings is the plan," explains Van Ausdall. "We want to make sure we can provide beer for all walks of life when people come to the taproom, drink our beer around Texas, or buy our cans to-go."

As for what's ahead, False Idol intends to resume work on the hospitality side of the business, with production continuing to ensure a consistent supply of kegs and cans remains in the market. 

"We put all our money and focus on getting beer brewed and canned, so the next step is getting our taproom ready for guests in the next month or two," says Van Ausdall. "One bright spot is Covid allowed us to focus on one thing and get the process down. So, when we add the taproom to the mix we should be ready to roll."

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