Union Bear shares first details of Denton expansion

Logo: 33 Restaurant Group.
Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

A former Denton brewery is getting a new lease on life, as the building that once housed Armadillo Ale Works is now the property of 33 Restaurant Group. The Frisco-based company, and parent of Union Bear Brewing Co. in Plano, purchased the facility late last year.

This acquisition fits into an overall expansion strategy for the Union Bear brand, which includes already-revealed plans to open a restaurant-only outlet in McKinney. In Denton, though, locals will be able to enjoy everything Union Bear is about, according to Coty Bell, who hired-on as director of brewing operations in 2022. That means a full kitchen and dining experience will be paired with Union Bear beers brewed in house.

Located at 221 S. Bell Ave., the site has been TABC-approved since last November, but construction on the 17,000+ square foot space has just recently gotten underway in earnest. And, at least in terms of the public areas, crews essentially wiped the previous slate clean.

A completely new bar is being installed alongside what will be the main dining room, where booths and high-top tables will be positioned for the comfort of Union Bear patrons. Then, adjacent to this section, a raised lounge area will set the stage for entertainment options consisting of a pool table, dart boards, arcade games and more.

On the beer production side, operations will be led by Nick Stolz, who arrived at Union Bear after working as head brewer at Cowtown Brewing Co. of Fort Worth since its inception in 2018. Stolz will be producing Union Bear recipes on a 30-barrel system, an upgrade compared to what Armadillo Ale Works originally used on site.

The brewhouse also exceeds the 10-barrel capacity setup at Union Bear in Plano. Small-batch runs will continue there, with high-volume movers like the brewpub's amber and blonde ales shifting to the queue in Denton. Some distribution will come with the expansion as well, a primary point of delivery being other members of the 33 Restaurant family.

As for timelines, Bell says they hope to begin brewing in a few weeks, while the ultimate opening of Union Bear Denton is likely to occur in early 2024.

Armadillo Ale Works closing its doors in Denton

Image © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

After nearly a decade of "Representin' Denton", Armadillo Ale Works has announced today, Sunday March 27, will be the last day of operations "for a while, if not forever."

Bobby Mullins and Yianni Arestis launched the brand with a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2011. It would take until 2018 for Armadillo to secure a permanent location on Bell Ave. in Denton, but in the interim the company operated under production agreements at breweries in Dallas and Grapevine.

Armadillo's first commercial beers, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale and Quakertown Stout, hit the market in early 2013. As was the case with many of the brewery's products, the names called attention to elements of Armadillo's hometown - in these instances, Greenbelt Trail, and the Quakertown community of the late 1800s (today commemorated by Quakertown Park).

Brunch Money, a pioneering imperial golden stout originally released in 2014, was arguably the brewery's most popular beer, but Honey Please received the most notoriety at national competitions. A mesquite bean blonde ale, Honey Please accomplished the rare feat of winning gold medals at both the Great American Beer Festival (2018) and World Beer Cup (2020). These accolades effectively recognized Honey Please as the best honey beer in America, and also the world.

A social media post cited financial impacts due to Covid-19 restrictions as a contributing factor to the closure.

North Texas breweries nab three medals at 2020 GABF

Image courtesy of the Brewers Association.

In a year that has been anything but ordinary, the persistence of the pandemic forced the Brewers Association to move the 2020 Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony to a virtual format for the first time in its history. Once the pivot was made, 8,806 beers from 1,720 breweries were judged across 91 different categories. From those entries, 272 medals were awarded to 240 breweries, with a trio of North Texas brewers landing among the winners.

Surveying the locals, it's worth noting Armadillo Ale Works has achieved a rare double with the beer Honey Please. The brewery's mesquite bean blonde ale is the second North Texas beer to win a gold medal at both the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. In other words, Honey Please has now been recognized as the best honey beer in America, and also the world.

As for the area's other honorees, Panther Island Brewing upgraded its 2015 GABF silver for Allergeez with gold in 2020, while White Rock Alehouse & Brewery brought home its first ever GABF medal for White Rocktoberfest.

Armadillo Ale Works, Denton

• Gold for Honey Please in the Honey Beer category.

Panther Island Brewing Co., Fort Worth

• Gold for Allergeez in the Herb and Spice Beer category.

White Rock Alehouse & Brewery, Dallas

• Silver for White Rocktoberfest in the German-Style Maerzen category.

Cheers and congratulations to all!

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For more on the 2020 GABF and the historical performance of breweries from North Texas, click the links below:

• Official press release from the Brewers Association, with a summary of 2020 festival statistics.
• Download a complete list of 2020 winners in PDF format.
• View a historical chronicle of awards won by North Texas breweries at GABF and the World Beer Cup.

Honors pour in for North Texas at the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championship

Image credit: U.S. Open Beer Championship.

In recent times, North Texas has made a habit of winning at the U.S. Open Beer Championship, and the local industry has done it again with 13 awards at this year's competition. Combine that with numbers from 2017 and 2018, and North Texas breweries have brought home 40 medals from the U.S. Open over the past three years.

As for the 2019 event, over 7000 entries were received from breweries around the world, with beers broken down and judged across more than 130 categories. Emerging from that group, eight North Texas breweries were honored. Among them, five represent repeat winners, while three collected wins for the first time (Armadillo Ale Works, Bitter Sisters Brewery, White Rock Alehouse & Brewery).

Below is a rundown of recognized beers from North Texas. For others, click here for a complete list of winners.


903 Brewers, Sherman

• Gold for Sasquatch Reserve in the Aged Beer category.

Armadillo Ale Works, Denton

• Silver for Greenbelt in the American Specialty Wheat category.

Bitter Sisters Brewery, Addison

• Bronze for Sisters Quad in the Belgian Quadrupel category.

Lakewood Brewing Co., Dallas

• Gold for Bourbon Barrel Temptress in the Barrel-Aged Strong Stout/Porter category.
• Silver for Sin Mint Temptress in the Experimental Beer category.

Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas

• Gold for Bourbon Barrel-Aged Vanilla Porter with Tart Cherries in the Wood/Barrel-Aged Fruit Beer category. 
• Silver for Charity in the German Altbier category.

Peticolas Brewing Co., Dallas

• Gold for Great Scot! in the Scottish Ale category.
• Bronze for Royal Scandal in the English Pale Ale category.
• Bronze for Same Time Next Year in the Märzen/Oktoberfest category.
• Bronze for Velvet Hammer in the Imperial Red Ale category. 

Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., Fort Worth

• Bronze for Paleta de Mango in the Chili Pepper Beer category.

White Rock Alehouse & Brewery, Dallas

• Silver for IPO IPA in the New England/Juicy/Hazy IPA category.

Cheers and congratulations to all!

Armadillo finds path to TRVE enlightenment

Image credit: Armadillo Ale Works.

If you need help summoning a Serpent, who better to call upon than Colorado's most metal brewery? Indeed, Armadillo Ale Works of Denton has done just that in collaborating on a new beer with Denver-based TRVE Brewing Co.

TRVE, for those that don't know, is a small brewery located south of Downtown Denver. Inside it's dark (in more ways than one) and generally crowded, with most patrons attired in obsidian tones. This, of course, all set to a soundtrack of brutal beats streaming from the sound system.

Then, there's the beer. With selections like Seitan, Scorn, Cursed and Exhumation, TRVE's lineup reads like a dark passage delivered from the depths of hell.

Not exactly a natural fit next to Armadillo-named brews like Brunch Money, Honey Please and Quakertown, but that didn't stand in the way of co-founders Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins when the opportunity arose for Armadillo to explore a different direction.

So, how did such a night and day coupling come together?

"I met TRVE's head brewer and Denton native Zach Coleman in the early days of Armadillo," says Mullins. "We recently reconnected while Zach was in town visiting family and agreed to do a collaboration."

Enter the Serpent. Seven Serpent, that is, a golden ale brewed with 700 pounds of corn tortillas, lemon and lime peel, and salt. On top of that, the beer is fermented with a Scandinavian kveik yeast - because, Mullins declares, it's metal AF. And while the metal pedigree might be a bit off-brand, Seven Serpent stays true to Armadillo's longstanding commitment to the use of new and innovative ingredients.

"This beer highlights masa, which originates back to the Aztecs," explains Arestis. "They worshiped corn and thought it to be the source of life (they believed man was created from corn). Based on that, we are calling the beer 'Seven Serpent,' which is the English translation for Chicomecōātl, the Aztec goddess of corn, food, and drink."

With respect to the beer's sensory experience, Arestis describes it as sessionable with the flavor of corn tortillas backed by a little salt and lime. As for the aroma...

"When we were making Seven Serpent, the brewery smelled like tacos and beer," adds Arestis. "It was the best-smelling brew day ever!"

Seven Serpent will debut on Saturday, June 1, as part of Armadillo's Brewery and Taproom One Year Anniversary Party. After that, look for the beer to be available at retail in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.

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The two parties also brewed a beer at TRVE using Colorado corn (instead of tortillas). That version is currently undergoing a mixed fermentation in oak barrels with kveik yeast and TRVE's house strain. It will be available in Denver later this year.

How local breweries compete in a crowded market

Data taken from production reports published by the Brewers Association. Breweries quoting estimates or choosing not 
to report may cause actual breakdown of small/mid-size/large breweries to vary slightly compared to what is shown (click to enlarge).

At no time in history has there been as many breweries operating in the U.S. as there are today. Over 6000 are currently on record, and with still more in planning, an already crowded market promises to get even more challenging.

Competition is fierce and breweries are experiencing slower growth. Just brewing good beer isn't enough to get by, which brings about the question of how best to navigate the now choppy brewing waters.

Locally, the playing field consists of over 70 brewing companies (based on openings in 2018 not accounted for in the graphic above). Operations vary in size and scope, ranging from small-batch nanobreweries selling primarily on site, to large production breweries supporting multi-state distribution channels.

With that in mind, founders from breweries big and small were asked what they are doing to stay competitive in the current business environment. Not surprisingly, strategies differ slightly for each, but the common thread among them is the belief that quality is job one.


Erin Rahr, co-founder and president of Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., Fort Worth (large brewery).

• "Focusing on quality is going to be key for breweries to survive. There is a lot of beer out there now and people are becoming more educated every day on what tastes good and bad in the market."
  
  "At Rahr & Sons, we focus on the quality of our products and don't look to much into what others are doing. We have chosen to be very innovative with our lab, and have invested in three employees that work on quality control daily. This has also helped us keep consistency while expanding to other states."

Brad Mall, co-founder of Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas (mid-size brewery).

• "Obviously, quality is the number one aspect in staying competitive. Consistency is also key. I see those as one in the same - consistency is part of quality."
  
  "As a small, self-distributed brewery, we try to distinguish ourselves with exceptional customer service. It's important our accounts know they can get an immediate response from the brewery and they have the ability to speak directly with the decision makers. Because we self-distribute, we are able to be nimble and do things other distributed breweries may not be able to do. This enhances our relationship with accounts and helps us stand out."

Yianni Arestis, co-founder and CEO of Armadillo Ale Works, Denton (mid-size brewery).

• "One important aspect is maintaining the highest quality, and that's why we made sure to have a QA/QC lab from day one at our facility."
  
  "We focus on creating truly unique beers and utilizing new and innovative ingredients. For Brunch Money, we called it an 'Imperial Golden Stout,' and now that's a style name you see from other breweries across the country. Another example would be brewing with mesquite beans or purple corn nectar - to our knowledge we were the first to use either ingredient on a commercial scale.”
  
  “Our goal is to have beers that are both fully flavored and accessible to all, and we feel we are able to accomplish that and stand out with our innovative brewing methods."

Jacob Sloan, co-founder of On Rotation, Dallas (small brewery).

• "We insist on producing a high-quality product with the finest ingredients, but we are just as obsessed with offering the best craft beer drinking experience in the market. We have the ability to control the entire experience of consuming our beers, and we consider all parts of that process -- the taproom, the branding, the staff, and the glass -- as part of the product itself."
  
  "As a small-batch brewery, our quick-churning brew schedule allows us to branch out and take chances on more obscure, expensive, or experimental styles that may not seem viable to the larger breweries. We're able to introduce new beers on a weekly basis, and we are forever evolving the beers we make based on what is on the market and what people enjoy. That keeps us current and keeps things exciting for us and our customers in a way that allows us to stay competitive and relevant no matter how many breweries enter the market."

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Originally published as part of a special section on NTX Beer Week in the November 1, 2018 edition of the Dallas Observer. An online copy of the complete newspaper is available by clicking here.

Armadillo Ale Works makes Denton debut

Available as a taproom exclusive, the initial batch of Armadillo's experimental
New England IPA squeezes out a fair amount of juice (Photo: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D)

Sometimes a simple statement says it all, and if you've followed the journey of founders Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins, then the phrase 'Armadillo Ale Works is open in Denton' likely tells you all you need to know.

Surely, most are aware of how Armadillo got started, stopped, and got started again. A Kickstarter campaign effectively launched the brand in 2011, but securing a location took longer than expected, forcing the company to pursue interim production agreements at breweries in Dallas and Grapevine. All along, though, the goal was to get back to Denton, a city Armadillo has always called home.

Now, that dream has been realized. An on-site coffee shop, Cryptozoology, began service in mid-April, but the brewery poured beer from its own taproom for the first time on Friday. And, as it turns out, the combined operation is something Arestis and Mullins had in mind from the start. All the better that Armadillo ended up at 221 S. Bell Ave., a spot that is arguably at the epicenter of Denton's daily grind.

"This was always the plan," explains Arestis. "Bell Ave. is busy all-day, every day, with a stream of cars going both ways all the time. Now that we're here, people can come by for coffee in the morning on their way to work, and then swing by for a beer on the way home."

Speaking of beer, Friday's tap list consisted of three familiar offerings, Honey Please (gold medal winner at the 2018 World Beer Cup), Land Yacht IPA and Greenbelt Farmhouse Wheat, while the fourth represented something new. The debut beer being the first batch of an experimental New England IPA that's currently on draft as a taproom exclusive.

Left: Production/office space occupies more than two-thirds of the available 18,000 square feet that make up Armadillo's facility.
Right: With 5000 square feet and a seating capacity of nearly 300, Armadillo's taproom epitomizes the beer hall atmosphere and experience.
(Photos: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D)

There's more to come, of course, as Armadillo works to build up its day-to-day portfolio.

"We're hoping to start off with around six beers for the official grand opening, adding Brunch Money and WunderMelon to what's on tap now," says Arestis. "Eventually we'll work our way up to 12, so Bobby is finally going to be able to brew some recipes he's been sitting on for quite a while."

In terms of pricing, patrons can expect to pay a flat rate. All beers are $5, with standards served in a 16-ounce glass and specialty brews arriving in a 10-ounce size. Flights are on the menu as well, priced at $10 for a lineup of four five-ounce pours.

On top of that, other beverage options will include tea and soda, the latter coming as welcome news for those who recall drinking Bee's Knees Lemonade Soda Pop and Clawfoot Ginger Cream Ale early in Armadillo's history.

As for the aforementioned grand opening, that event will occur over two weekends early next month (June 1-3, June 8-10). In the meantime, the brewery side of the business will operate on a soft basis with hours as follows: Mon-Thu 2-10 p.m. and Fri-Sat 2 p.m. - midnight. Combine that with Cryptozoology's hours, Mon-Sat 7 a.m. - 2 p.m., and that means Armadillo's facility is open morning, noon and night.

Or as Arestis put it, "We're going to be running this thing from 7 a.m. to the late hours, pretty much every day of the year."

Banner night for North Texas at the 2018 World Beer Cup

Image credit: Brewers Association.

This evening in Nashville, Tennessee, four breweries from North Texas were called to the podium to receive medals at the 2018 World Beer Cup (WBC). It was a banner year for the region, since four medals represents the most North Texas has won in a single year since the advent of the WBC.

Known as the most prestigious beer competition in the world, this year's WBC recognized beer excellence in 101 different categories. Styles were judged based on the 2018 World Beer Cup Style Guidelines, with a total of 8234 entries submitted by 2515 breweries from 66 countries.

Surveying local honorees, all four of the breweries listed below medaled at the WBC for the first time, though it's worth noting that Armadillo and Revolver have previously won medals for Honey Please (bronze, 2017) and Anodyne (gold, 2016), respectively, at the Great American Beer Festival.

Armadillo Ale Works

• Gold for Honey Please in the Honey Beer category.

Revolver Brewing

• Gold for Anodyne in the Other Strong Beer category.

Twin Peaks Brewing Co.

• Silver for Double Barrel Knotty in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer category.

Wild Acre Brewing Co.

• Gold for Thunder Hug in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category.

Cheers and congratulations to all!

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For more on the 2018 World Beer Cup, click the following links to view the Winners List and 2018 WBC Fact Sheet.

Armadillo Ale Works springs Hibiscus Zinger

Hibiscus Zinger is brewed with wheat and barley malt, along with a mix of
hibiscus, ginger root, lemon and orange peel (Armadillo Ale Works). 

Expecting the unexpected is now the norm with respect to Armadillo Ale Works of Denton, as the company continues to embrace the unusual when it comes to the creativity behind its beers. Whether it be in the ingredients or the approach, products like Honey Please (mesquite beans), Dapper Apple (apple juice, apple pie spice), Royal Champ (purple corn, champagne yeast) and Brunch Money (lactose, maple syrup, cacao nibs, vanilla, coffee) have demonstrated the willingness of founders Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins to brew outside the box.

The latest case in point is Armadillo's new spring seasonal, Hibiscus Zinger. The name alone may conjure up images of a certain herbal tea producer, but that just makes for a fitting parallel, considering this particular Zinger is being billed as a botanical ale. Or as its tagline artfully alliterates, "it's a wheat beer brewed with a bodacious blend of botanicals to create a zippy pink drink that'll add some zing to your spring."

Recipe components for Hibiscus Zinger consist of hibiscus, ginger root, lemon and orange peel. It's surely a distinctive set of ingredients, and as Mullins implies, any overuse could easily alter the course of a beer.

"It's a bit of a balancing act to blend the traditional aspects of a beer style with unorthodox ingredients or processes and still have a something resembling beer at the end," explains Mullins. "But, we're a brewery and what we make still has to taste like a beer. With that in mind, I try to draw inspiration from traditional styles and/or the BJCP guidelines, then I bend them innovatively to create something that's both familiar and unique."

A unique pilsner-like glass will be available during Hibiscus Zinger
pint nights during February and March (Armadillo Ale Works). 

At the same time, a good foundation is key no matter what elements are added to a beer, which means what's underlying the innovation has to be good as well.

"If you order a steak with a fancy truffle butter sauce, and the steak itself isn't any good, then all the sauce in the world wont fix it," says Arestis. "It's the same way with beer, and it's something we've been mindful of since day one. We are our own biggest critics, so we always want to make sure we have the fundamentals covered before we put our own spin on things."

Judging by a pre-release sample of the beer, Armadillo has hit the nail on the head in both regards with Hibiscus Zinger. A notable backbone of bready malt (i.e. the base beer) sets the tone for a brew that's been infused with the ideal amount of ginger, fresh florals and citrus peel (i.e. the botanicals). And, it's that tasteful touch that makes Hibiscus Zinger a delicate and drinkable blend that strikes a near perfect balance between botanicals and beer.

As for how best to enjoy it, Hibiscus Zinger is a great refresher on its own at a serving temperature of around 45°. Arestis also likes the idea of adding an orange garnish (gasp!) or even using Hibiscus Zinger as part of a spring-themed beer cocktail.

Either way, look for Hibiscus Zinger to debut Friday, February 23, at East Side Denton. After that, the beer will appear on tap at various pint nights set to occur across North Texas.


Friday, February 23

• Release Party at East Side, Denton: 6-10 p.m.

Saturday, February 24

• Pint Day at Craft Beer Cellar, Dallas: 2-5 p.m.

Wednesday, February 28

• Pint Night at Bluffview Growler, Dallas: 5-8 p.m.

Thursday, March 1

• Pint Night at Dallas Craft Co., The Colony: 4:45-8:45 p.m.

Friday, March 2

• Special tapping at Craft and Growler, Dallas: 6-7 p.m.

Saturday, March 3

• Food and Flight Pairing with Dallas Grilled Cheese Co. at Lakewood Growler, Dallas: 4-6 p.m.

Tuesday, March 6

• Pint Night at On Tap, Arlington: 5-8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 7

• Pint Night at Ron's Corner Tavern, Bedford: 6-9 p.m.

All aboard for Armadillo's new Land Yacht IPA

Image courtesty of Armadillo Ale Works.

After more than four years of being one of the few North Texas brewing operations to eschew the IPA, Armadillo Ale Works of Denton has altered course to produce a version of craft beer's most popular style.

Land Yacht IPA (7.3% ABV, 75 IBU) is set to embark on an introductory tour of the Metroplex, after which it will join Armadillo's core lineup alongside Honey Please, Royal Champ and Greenbelt Farmhouse Wheat. The beer is an American IPA that's been brewed to style, featuring a copious amount of Azacca, Mosaic, Citra, Columbus, and Centennial hops.

But why, you may ask, would a company that's known for its uniqueness decide to release a stylistic IPA at this point in its evolution? According to co-founder Yianni Arestis, it's all about doing the unexpected, which up to now has been a hallmark of Armadillo's approach.

"Normally, we cross style boundaries and use special ingredients in our beers to offer the consumer something tasty, interesting and truly different," says Arestis. "After coming out with seven beers like that, though, we felt it would be cool to show people we can brew to style with the best of them."

Special Land Yacht IPA glassware will be available at launch events occurring this weekend (Armadillo Ale Works).

Along those lines, you won't find any additives in Land Yacht IPA. With so many different takes on the IPA in the market these days, many falling in line with the current trend of adding fruit infusions, Arestis and co-founder Bobby Mullins chose to go against the grain in sticking to style. Accordingly, their first IPA foray is all about the hops, a characteristic that's been subtly built into the Land Yacht name.

"We wanted a name that hinted at the beer using 'a boatload of hops,' as well as something that alluded to going on a 'tropical flavor trip,'" says Arestis. "Since it's an American IPA, we figured a big, classic American car, a land yacht if you will, would make sense. Plus, the longhorns on the hood are an obvious tie-in to our Texas roots."

As for how it turned out, an early sample of Land Yacht IPA shows it to be a beer that gives off notes of sharp citrus and pine initially, with a ripe pineapple and tropical fruit character developing as it opens up. It's a little dank and a little musky with not a lot of bitterness, the latter meaning more emphasis was put on highlighting hop flavor and aroma. The beer is neither east coast or west in terms of a regional designation, but rather something that falls somewhere in the middle. Given that, instead of trying to pin it down, maybe just call Land Yacht IPA what it is...a really good, easy-drinking Armadillo-style IPA.

Land Yacht IPA will be available as a draft-only offering. Look for it on tap beginning this weekend at launch parties planned at the following locations.


Friday, June 30

• East Side, Denton: 7-10 p.m.

Saturday, July 1

• Lakewood Growler, Dallas: 4-7 p.m.
• Brewed, Fort Worth: 6-9 p.m.

Two cans coming soon from Armadillo

Image credits: Armadillo Ale Works, Collin Lewis.

Followers of Armadillo Ale Works have reason to celebrate, as cans of a fan favorite are set to return to local shelves alongside a brand new brewery offering. Greenbelt Farmhouse Wheat and Royal Champ Texas-Style Champagne Ale will ship to distribution on Friday, April 7, otherwise known as National Beer Day, with retail deliveries expected to commence the following week.

The beer returning to packaged form is Greenbelt Farmhouse Wheat, one of Armadillo's original products, though consumers may notice a slight alteration in its branding. What was once Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale is now Greenbelt Farmhouse Wheat, a change founders Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins say was made to better set expectations for consumers.

"Greenbelt is still the same beer, we just decided to re-brand it," says Arestis. "Since it's a saison/hefeweizen hybrid, putting 'wheat' in the name will better communicate the beer's primary ingredient."

Greenbelt and Royal Champ both fall in on
the lower end of the strength scale with
ABVs of 5.2% (Armadillo Ale Works).

As for what's new, that would be Royal Champ Texas-Style Champagne Ale. Brewed with purple corn and fermented with champagne yeast, the choice of the beer's off-the-wall ingredients was driven by a desire to add more complexity to a classic cream ale.

"Royal Champ started out as a cream ale, but Bobby wanted to make it more interesting and flavorful while keeping the easy-drinking qualities of the style," explains Arestis. "The purple corn works with the champagne yeast to achieve the desired body, mouthfeel and ABV. These ingredients also combine to give the beer a unique and slightly fruity aroma, along with a hint of rose gold appearance and a dry finish."

The fact that both beers are seen as highly quaffable makes each an ideal fit in cans enjoyed by craft beer drinkers on the go. That made for an easy decision as to which of the company's current and future offerings would be picked for a packaging re-launch. Of course, in the case of Greenbelt, demand was a consideration as well.

"Since our return to the market, people have been asking when they could get Greenbelt in cans again, so we knew it had to be one of the beers chosen for the launch," says Arestis. "As for Royal Champ, we think it's going to be our most accessible beer, meaning someone who likes craft beer can take it to a BBQ or pool party and know that their 'non-craft' friends can also enjoy it. So, like Greenbelt, we feel like Royal Champ is a sessionable go-to beer that will appeal to craft and non-craft beer drinkers alike."

Look for six-packs of both beers to reach most retail outlets by April 14 (a list of stores planning to carry Greenbelt and Royal Champ in cans is given below). Official launch parties for Royal Champ will also be held, with celebrations scheduled at the following locations:

Friday, April 7

• Oak St. Drafthouse, Denton - 6-10 p.m.

Saturday, April 8

• Dot's Hop House, Dallas - 12-4 p.m.
• Brewed, Fort Worth - 6-9 p.m.

List of retailers: The Bearded Monk, Central Market, Choice Beverage, Eskimo Hut Denton, Lone Star Beverages, Lone Star Taps & Caps, Metzler's BBQ, Midway Craft House, Midway Mart, Paradise Liquor, Spec's, Total Wine and Whole Foods.

Armadillo re-ups originals for NTX Beer Week

Images courtesy of Armadillo Ale Works.

Since Armadillo Ale Works re-appeared on the North Texas Beer Scene in August, hardly a day has gone by without a question as to when the Denton-based brewing company would be bringing back some of its original brews.

"Soon" is what founders Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins would say when asked about the status of Brunch Money, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale and the award-winning Quakertown Stout (gold medal, 2014 Great American Beer Festival). The pair chose to kick-start Armadillo's comeback with new recipes like Honey Please, a honey-forward blond ale brewed with mesquite beans, and Dapper Apple, a beer you might say drinks like a bowl of apple cinnamon Cheerios. But now the time has come for the return of the brewery's first three recipes.

"People are really digging both of our new beers, but of course they keep asking us when their old favorites are coming back," says Arestis, "so we thought North Texas Beer Week was the perfect time for a limited draft-only release."

Some will no doubt wonder about the "limited release," tag, but that simply has to do with the fact that Armadillo is currently brewing its products on a part-time basis at North Texas Brewing Co. in Grapevine. Once the brewery's permanent home in Denton is up and running, though, fans can expect these beers to be back in the fold on a more regular basis.

"Construction at the brewery is in full swing and we are aiming to open early next year," explains Arestis. "When that occurs, we plan on bringing them all back in various capacities, but we really wanted to make this happen now for everyone who misses the old beers like we do."

As for where and when you'll be able to enjoy a pint of an Armadillo original, a schedule of special tappings is provided below. However, take note that additional events are still being added, so be sure to follow the brewery's social media channels for the most up-to-date details.


Friday, November 11

• Oak St. Drafthouse, Denton - 6-10 p.m. - Brunch Money Release Party, with glassware while supplies last*. Dapper Apple, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout will also be available.

Saturday, November 12

• Untapped Dallas, Fair Park - 2:30 p.m. - 12 a.m. - Sampling Brunch Money, Dapper Apple, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout.
• Thirsty Growler, The Colony - 2-10 p.m. - Snapchat Takeover (24 hour session) featuring Brunch Money, Dapper Apple, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout.

Monday, November 14

• Midway Craft House, Denton - 8-11 p.m. - Pint Night/Tap Takeover featuring Brunch Money, Dapper Apple, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout.

Tuesday, November 15

• East Side, Denton - 1-4 p.m. - USBG Denton (members only) Presents Armadillo Ale Works featuring Brunch Money, Dapper Apple, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout.
• East Side, Denton - 6-9 p.m. - Tap Takeover (public event) featuring Brunch Money, Dapper Apple, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout.

Wednesday, November 16

• Taps & Caps, Denton - 7 p.m. - Hip Hop and Brews featuring Brunch Money, Dapper Apple, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout.

Thursday, November 17

• Drunken Donkey, Denton 7 p.m. - Tap Takeover featuring Brunch Money, Dapper Apple, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout.

Friday, November 18

• Omni Hotel, Dallas - 7-10 p.m. - North Texas Beer Week Brewer's Ball featuring samples of Brunch Money and Honey Please.

Saturday, November 19

• The Bearded Monk, Denton - 8 p.m. - A Night of Armadillos, with glassware while supplies last*. Brunch Money, Dapper Apple, Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Honey Please and Quakertown Stout will be on tap.

An historical foray for Stout Day

Copyright © 2016 The Beer Goddess.

Today, it's all about the stout. That's because it's International Stout Day, a celebration of dark, decadent brews that got its start in 2011. So, in the spirit of that, I offer up a short synopsis of stouts that have been available at different times in North Texas history. Hey, it's what I do...I read old books and newspapers to learn how our scene has evolved. Sometimes such explorations also involve the consumption of beer...and more often than not, what I'm drinking is exactly the kind of rich, roasty and/or chocolately brew that inspired the creation of the day.

Cheers!

Drinking stout in pre-Prohibition Dallas

North Texans were drinking stout, or at least a kind of beer that would evolve into what was called a stout (more on that in a moment) as early as 1873. "Brown Stout Porter" could be found for sale at area grocers alongside imported lagers and Scotch ales. Many early listings don't credit the brewer, but C.G. Hibbert of London was likely the bottler of the stout porter advertised, since regular shipments from the firm were arriving at the Port of Galveston during the same period of time.

Dallas Daily Herald (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 42, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 30, 1873, newspaper, Dallas, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth279736/: accessed November 2, 2016), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu.

With regards to that other famous stout, Guinness was being sold early on by locals as well (purportedly for medicinal purposes), though it doesn't appear in Dallas newspaper ads until around 1881. Shipments to Galveston show Guinness being sent to Texas by 1865, but it's not clear when it was first stocked in North Texas. Many times the beer was billed as Burke's Guinness Dublin Stout, due to the fact that Guinness didn't bottle its own products until well after Prohibition. Back then, they used a network of bottlers to package and ship their beer to America. Edward and John Burke, who were grandsons of Arthur Guinness, owned one such distribution company and the U.S. was their largest market.

The Dallas Daily Herald. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. XXIVII, No. 132, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 30, 1881, newspaper, Dallas, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth286467/: accessed November 2, 2016), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu

"Imperial" is the new "stout"

It's true! Well, sort of. During the 1800s, stouts actually grew out of a stronger version of porter usually referred to as "stout porter." Nowadays, whenever a brewery releases a stronger version of a particular style, they add the imperial tag (imperial IPA, imperial saison, imperial brown ale, etc.). So, if you think about it, given the seemingly similar style guidelines between porters and stouts, in today's lingo a stout could also be called an imperial porter. Looking at things in those terms, you might say "imperial" is the new "stout."


Big beers were a part of the '90s boom

In the mid-to-late 1990s, when brewpubs dominated the local beer scene after being legalized in 1993, stouts were actually relatively common. Yegua Creek Brewing Co., the area's first brewpub, was probably the first local spot to brew a stout, but at least a half-dozen other brewpubs offered a stout at one time or another. A couple of them were even award winners:

• Copper Tank - Mocha Madness Coffee Stout, gold medal in the Herb/Spice Beers category at the 1998 Great American Beer Festival.
• Two Rows - Imperial Stout, bronze medal in the Imperial Stout category at the 2000 Great American Beer Festival.

Something worth noting about these two beers is that the brewers involved in their creation are still active in the brew scene today. Jon Sims, formerly of Four Corners, Oak Highlands and Texas Ale Project (but, now working at Wynkoop in Colorado), was an assistant brewer at Copper Tank in 1998, while Mike Kraft, currently the director of brewing operations at Wild Acre, was running the brewhouse at Two Rows in 2000.

The first locally-crafted stout beer and whiskey blend?

Speaking of Two Rows, that brewpub might have been considered ahead of its time based on one beer it produced. Years before barrel-aged beers would become commonplace, Two Rows whipped up a beer and bourbon blend called Wild Turkey Stout. If memory serves, it hit taps sometime around 2003, and much like the stronger beers of today, it was served in a smaller vessel due to its higher ABV.

Moving past the new Millennium

After the year 2000, Fort Worth's Healthy Brew included a stout in its organic lineup, while Great Grains of Dallas was brewing Wildcatter's Crude Stout, a recipe they licensed from the by-then defunct Yellow Rose Brewing Co. of San Antonio. The Covey in Fort Worth had one as well, called Smokestack Stout. That beer won a silver medal in the Smoke-Flavored Beer category at the 2009 Los Angeles International Beer Competition. Then, of course, came Snowmageddon, an imperial oatmeal stout that commemorates the great roof collapse that occurred at Rahr & Sons in 2010.

While still being brewed by Yellow Rose Brewing of San Antonio, Wildcatter's Crude Stout

was singled out as a Gold Medal winner by the Beverage Tasting Institute.

Left: Armadillo's Quakertown Stout won gold in the Imperial Stout category at GABF in 2014.

Right: Sasquatch from 903 Brewers won silver in the Aged Beer category at GABF in 2015.

As for the here and now, North Texas currently has a plethora of obsidian offerings. Most are familiar with names like Community Legion, The Temptress from Lakewood and others, but let's not forget about the two locally-brewed stouts that have brought home major awards during the current craft beer renaissance (see details in the caption above). One, that being Sasquatch from 903 Brewers , is likely stalking your local store shelves as we speak. And, the other? That would be Quakertown Stout, the product of Denton-based Armadillo Ale Works...a beer that will re-appear soon.

On Armadillo's hip new 'Honey' beer

Image courtesy of Armadillo Ale Works.

It's been roughly 18 months since Armadillo Ale Works sold its last keg of beer, but after signing on with Andrews Distributing in April, the company is officially back in action and ready to release a brand new brew as it re-introduces itself to the North Texas market.

Honey Please (~5.2% ABV) is in the tanks and fermenting away after being brewed last week at North Texas Brewing Co. of Grapevine. Made with honey malt, wildflower honey and mesquite beans, it follows the lead of other Armadillo products like Brunch Money, Quakertown and WunderMelon in being a beer that incorporates a unique set of ingredients.

Of course, reading over the list of what goes into the beer, you may also be asking yourself, "What in the world are mesquite beans?" It turns out founders Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins weren't all that familiar with the beans either, prior to creating the beer's recipe.

"My dad just happened to mention the beans in passing one day," said Mullins. "He asked if I'd ever heard of mesquite bean wine, since it was something that my great grandmother used to make back in the day. I was like, I don't even know what mesquite beans are!"

The beans themselves grow in pods on mesquite trees, but most Texans are probably more familiar with the wood of the tree and how it's used to smoke meat. Were you to crack open a bean, though, Arestis and Mullins say you'd be met with the "crazy good" smell of fresh-baked cookies made with a mix of cinnamon and spice. Based on that, the pair knew it was something they wanted to try and use in making a beer.

Honey Please is a dark amber brew with notes of honey and cinnamon spice

that finishes with a faint bitterness (© Brian Brown/Beer In Big D).

"Once I started looking into the beans, I found out that the lining of the bean pod is mostly made up of sugar," explained Mullins. "I thought if I could get that converted so the yeast would feed on it, I might have something to work with."

Judging by a test batch I sampled, the flavor elements in the beer come together quite well. Honey leads in both flavor and aroma, but there's a nice balance between the sweetness and the spice that maintains from start to finish. Honey Please is an easy drinker as well, with its lighter body and refreshing nature seeming to fit right in with Armadillo's long-term vision for the beer.

"We originally designed the recipe to be a bigger, high-ABV beer that was going to be a one-off limited release," said Arestis. "Eventually, though, our thinking changed and we decided we wanted it to be one of our core beers, so we dialed down the ABV and made it more sessionable. Based on that, while the beer will be draft only at first, our goal with Honey Please is to have it be the kind of beer you'd want to pick up in a six-pack when you go to the grocery store every week."

As for when you'll have a chance to try it, a complete schedule of launch events is provided below. From there, look for Honey Please to be available on tap at select bars and restaurants throughout the Metroplex.

Friday, August 19

• East Side Denton - 6 p.m. - Official launch party.
• The Bearded Monk - 6 p.m. - Special tapping for growler fills only (no on-premise pours).

Saturday, August 20

• Craft and Growler - 6 p.m. - Dallas Launch Party.

Sunday, August 21

• The Bearded Lady - 6 p.m. - Ft. Worth Launch Party.

Armadillo Ale Works joins up with Andrews

Image courtesy of Armadillo Ale Works.

Following recent news of plans to re-introduce itself into the market, Armadillo Ale Works revealed today that it will partner with Andrews for the distribution of its beers once production starts back up this summer.

Founded by Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins, Armadillo Ale Works began "representin' Denton" with a lineup of beers inspired by the history and culture of that city in January 2013. Since then, the pair has gone on to produce Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Quakertown Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Brunch Money Imperial Golden Stout and Wundermelon Watermelon Kölsch. Of those, Quakertown was the first to be recognized with a major award after the beer won a gold medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival.

Arestis, who is also Armadillo's chief executive officer, said the team is looking forward to learning from Andrews and collaborating with them to expand the brewery's reach and vision.

"We are looking forward to working more closely with the people from Andrews," Arestis said. "We've been impressed with the caliber of team members we've met thus far and we think there is a lot of knowledge for us to gain in the future. We were very glad to find a company that understands our vision and concept so well and is excited to help us achieve our goals."

Kelli Hopson, Andrews brand manager for Armadillo, said the new partnership will create exciting opportunities to share great local beers with Dallas-Fort Worth craft beer lovers.

"We have been so impressed by the story of Armadillo Ale Works since our first encounter with Bobby and Yianni," Hopson said. "They are developing a portfolio of unique beer styles that incorporate local, and some unexpected, ingredients. Andrews is honored to be the partner that will get Armadillo beer back in the hands of local beer drinkers."

According to a press release, Andrews will kick-off the launch of Armadillo Ale Works this summer with a new draft offering to be called Honey Please. Billed as a beer with deep roots, Honey Please is a blonde ale brewed with Texas wildflower honey and mesquite beans. The addition of mesquite beans in alcohol production dates back to the early 20th century, and it's said their use will give the new beer a complexity of flavors unmatched by any other.

For the time being, Armadillo's beers will be brewed under an agreement signed with North Texas Brewing Co. of Grapevine. That is, until construction of its new brewery is completed in Downtown Denton, something which is expected to happen in time for a grand opening in the fall.

Armadillo crafting 'Wunder'ous new brew

Image credit: Armadillo Ale Works (click to enlarge)

Armadillo Ale Works generated a fair bit of buzz back in May, when they announced plans had been finalized to build a brewery of their own in Denton. While a spring 2015 opening is still a ways off on the calendar, founders Bobby Mullins and Yianni Arestis are hoping to give fans of the brewery an idea of what they can expect once the new facility debuts next year.

The pair admits that the success of Brunch Money had a lot to do with their decision to release a line of limited-edition brews with the aforementioned goal in mind. As Arestis explains, when "customers tell you it's their favorite beer of the year...that gives you the confidence to keep taking risks." Statements like that have reinforced their vision of what they want the brewery to be known for, which is one capable of producing quality brews that are both innovative and unique.

Those are words that will most certainly describe the beer they're brewing this weekend, but just in case you'd prefer a different turn of phrase, allow me to suggest 'summertime refresher.' In fact, that was the goal for Armadillo's newest beer from the start. With seasonal temperatures in mind, they decided their next release "would have to be a combination of the most refreshing fruit and the most refreshing type of beer." What instantly came to mind was the idea of making a watermelon kölsch.

Due out in mid-August, WunderMelon will be a traditional German-style kölsch brewed with malted barley and a touch of wheat. Real watermelon juice will be used to provide the supplemental flavor, and plans are to add it directly to the fermenter. Mullins says that incorporating the fruit later in the brewing cycle should help maintain freshness and make the beer really pop. Test batches, he reveals, have resulted in a "dry and crisp beer, with a slightly tart fruitiness." The fruit juice, moreso than the hops used, lends a hint of bitterness on the back end to help balance the sweetness upfront.

Finishing out with a 5.2% ABV and 26 IBU, WunderMelon promises to be a light, easy-drinker, which should make it a great choice for the sure to be sweltering days ahead. At least that's the impression one gets when Arestis says, "I can't think of anything I'd want to drink more on a hot Texas summer day."

WunderMelon will be available on tap and in 22 oz bombers. Launch parties are scheduled at venues across the Metroplex, with special edition WunderMelon pint glasses expected to be available at each location:

August 15 at 7 p.m. - Oak St. Drafthouse, Denton
August 16 at 7 p.m. - Craft and Growler, Dallas
August 16 at 7 p.m. - Brewed, Fort Worth

Also take note that a batch of Brunch Money is rolling out to retail as we speak. As before, though, quantities are limited, meaning stores may sell out quickly.

Armadillo shows us the 'Money'

Image credit: Armadillo Ale Works

If you've had a chance to try Brunch Money, the latest release from Armadillo Ale Works being billed as an imperial golden stout, you might be asking a question that's on the minds of many. How can a stout be gold?

The "art and science of brewing" has a lot to do with it, according to co-founders Bobby Mullins and Yianni Arestis. At least, that's how they responded to a follower who posed that very question after plans for the beer were revealed in early March. Still, any artist has to have a palette, and in this case it took the form of a "crazy recipe" consisting of no fewer than thirteen ingredients.

To get the taste of a stout, golden or otherwise, you have to consider that these types of beers typically employ dark specialty malts to achieve flavor profiles rich in roasted grain and dark chocolate. Naturally, similar flavors can also be obtained in beer by using varying amounts of coffee and cacao nibs, but like the aforementioned malt varieties, these items don't exactly fall into the lighter side of the color spectrum. Here's where that art and science thing kicks in. Getting the desired flavors minus the color involves a cold-brew process where cracked coffee beans and cacao nibs are steeped in the beer for a set period of time. How long you choose to "dry-hop" the beer in this manner becomes a trade-off between how much flavor you wish to impart versus how much color gets infused in the beer.

Of course, brewing a stout isn't just about flavor. Beers in this style category are also generally full-bodied and of greater strength. A closer look at Brunch Money's recipe reveals how Mullins, Armadillo's Chief Brewing Officer, went about obtaining these remaining characteristics of the style.

Like Quakertown Stout, one of Armadillo's two year-round offerings, Brunch Money contains maple syrup. Its presence contributes additional fermentable sugars to the wort, which provides extra food for the yeast. After conversion, this translates to a higher alcohol concentration in the beer. As for body and mouthfeel, getting the beer to drink like a stout involves the addition of flaked barley and oats in the grain bill. Flaked barley leaves behind proteins which provide some of a stout's trademark heft, while also helping to sustain head retention. Oats, on the other hand, are used in a variety of dark beers to lend creaminess or a silky texture.

So, does it work? Has Armadillo legitimately created a golden "stout"? While Brunch Money isn't exactly golden (it's more of a ruddy amber), it's certainly paler than an ordinary stout, and it hits on fundamental flavors in being coffee-forward with a noticeable dark chocolate element. Beyond that, further additives give off notes of caramel, vanilla, Coffee-mate, honey and maple syrup. In terms of mouthfeel, the beer has a medium-full body, and finishes smooth with what you might call a teasing bitterness.

Were I to drink it blind, I'd probably classify Brunch Money as a flavored coffee stout. It's a good, well-executed beer that Arestis described best when he said it "sounds overwhelming and intense, but is surprisingly balanced and nuanced." It's in that statement where I think this beer stands out. Think about how some breweries struggle to make a good beer with even one specialty ingredient (that is, anything other than water, malt, hops and yeast). Counting coffee beans, cacao nibs, lactose sugar, maple syrup and vanilla...Brunch Money is a good beer with five.

Look for Brunch Money on tap for a limited time only. A bottle release is being considered, but a decision on that has yet to be finalized.

Deep Ellum's not yet two, but it's year three for the 'Q'

Image credit: Deep Ellum Brewing Company

Back before the Deep Ellum Brewing Company (DEBC) became the first Dallas craft brewery to open in almost 15 years, they made themselves known to the world by way of BrewBQ. It turned out to be symbolic, since in the two years that have followed DEBC has worked to bring attention to other soon-to-be brewers by inviting them to sample their suds at this now annual event. Martin House and Armadillo Ale Works were introduced during the last go around, with Armadillo's appearance being a foreshadowing of a budding partnership. Both returned this past Sunday, setting up alongside a new brewery unearthed from down the Rabbit Hole.

DEBC also showed that size really does matter, at least when it comes to housing hundreds of people under one roof. Having upped their square footage considerably compared to a year ago, previous grumbles about cramped space were literally a thing of the past. It was almost too easy to move around, at least for those of us who may have inadvertently stumbled upon an impromptu meeting of the minds in the bowels of the place. In any case, bigger was definitely better.

Food was provided by Pecan Lodge of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives fame, and then later by Dickey's due to some unforeseen supply issues. I'd be willing to bet this was more a result of gluttony than anything else, which likely means we'll see a return to controlled portions in the future. Other than that, the beer was good and atmosphere electric, thanks in part to some newly powered circular signage.

As for the beer, we'll go the usual route and present the themes of the day:


Farmhouse here, farmhouse there, farmhouse, farmhouse everywhere

Maybe it's just me, but apparently the soon-to-be rising mercury has inspired local brewers to come together for a sort of craft beer barn raising. I mean, how else to explain the sudden abundance of brews of the farmhouse variety? BrewBQ featured a foursome of these frothy fermentations, which in no particular order included Deep Ellum Farmhouse Wit, Armadillo Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale, Martin House River House Saison and Rabbit Hole Wonderlust. Of these, River House and Wonderlust seem to be the most stylistic, with Farmhouse Wit (saison/witbier) and Greenbelt (saison/weizen) being of the hybrid variety. Which is good, better or best? As with any beer, it all comes down to personal taste. If I'm going by the book, though, River House has been at the top of my list since day one.

Coming out of their 'Hole'

On the topic of Rabbit Hole, in addition to Wonderlust they served up 10/6, an earthy and herbal English-style IPA with a saltiness that had me thinking water treatment, along with Deuce, a more malty than bitter take on a Düsseldorf altbier. Anyone having spent time in their own little wonderland will recognize the Mad Hatter reference in the first, it having to do with a sign attached to that character's topper indicating the price of a hat to be 10 shillings and 6 pence.

What's so creamy about cream ale?

If there was ever a single beer style that defies its own description it has to be the cream ale. Most are corny not creamy, something that results from the use of corn or flaked maize in the mash. On this point, the guys from Armadillo shared some thoughts as to how to give this type of beer a bit more of its namesake character. Imagine a cream ale, like the one they were serving on Sunday, with added vanilla and a hint of caramel. Should they follow through on this idea, I dare say the resulting beer might actually be true to its name.

Sometimes you feel like a nut

Armadillo also brought out a new version of their brown ale. Attendees from last year's BrewBQ may remember Pinckneyville Stump, a pecan-infused brown ale named after what's left of a grove of trees that once served as Denton's first county seat. Pecans don't make it into this incarnation, but what remains is a solid brown, complete with caramel malt, nutty undertones and a touch of roasted bitterness.

That's just peachy

Brand and Sales Ninja Tait Lifto swears the hop bill of the brewery's flagship IPA wasn't any different prior to being given the bourbon barrel treatment. That may be true, but all I know is that what emerged in the form of DEBC's Bourbon Barrel IPA was über fresh, bright and intensely peachy. Whatever happened in that barrel worked, since in my mind this was by far the best small-batch beer of the day.

Cheers!