Texas craft breweries team up for Liquid Bake Sale

Image courtesy of Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

This spring, over 25 Texas breweries are joining forces to throw an old school community bake sale in support of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild (TCBG). Only, instead of baking up brownies and lemon bars, they’re brewing handcrafted beers with a foundation of Texas-grown malt, and releasing them from their taprooms across the state.

The collaboration comes after an immensely challenging year for Texas craft brewers, including for the TCBG, which works to advance the brewing industry through advocacy and education. The 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association relies heavily on in-person events like the annual Texas Craft Brewers Festival, which pivoted to a smaller virtual experience in 2020. Purchasing a Liquid Bake Sale beer is a way beer enthusiasts can patronize a local brewery and help support the TCBG’s mission.

“Sometimes we feel like the PTA for breweries, but in the best way possible," says Charles Vallhonrat, executive director of the TCBG. “When the idea came up to throw a fundraiser for the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, a bake sale seemed like a natural thing to do. When we found out we could partner with our friends at TexMalt, we knew for certain it was something we had to do. We simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to feature Texas-grown malt in some of the most creative ways possible with breweries across the state, while at the same time ensuring the on-going operations of the non-profit trade association that advocates, educates, and promotes Texas craft breweries.”

Liquid Bake Sale beers are not limited to a single recipe or specific style. From pastry stouts, to double IPAs, to farmhouse saisons, each brewery’s creation will showcase Texas-grown malt from Fort Worth-based TexMalt in a different, unique way.

“We cannot tell you how excited we are to see our malt in the hands of so many talented Texas Brewers!” says Chase Leftwich, co-founder of TexMalt. “The Liquid Bake Sale collaboration left the door wide open for creativity at the participating breweries, and the crew here at TexMalt are dying to try the different variations!” 

Breweries began brewing their Liquid Bake Sale beers in early March. Locals joining the effort include Funky Picnic Brewery & Café and Wild Acre Brewing Co. of Fort Worth, as well as Vector Brewing of Dallas. Funky Picnic's variation, Apple Cobbler Golden Pastry Stout, is available now, while details on offerings from Wild Acre and Vector Brewing are pending.

Liquid Bake Sale beers will be released in bottles and cans featuring retro, bake sale-inspired label art from Austin-based designer Lauren Dickens. For those looking to further support the initiative, Liquid Bake Sale T-shirts and stickers are also available in the TCBG’s online store.

To learn more about Liquid Bake Sale, visit https://texascraftbrewersguild.org/liquidbakesale.