Austin-based beers from Meanwhile making their way to the Metroplex

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Recently, a new box of beer mail appeared at my door, this time courtesy of Meanwhile Brewing Co. of Austin. The premise was an introduction to the brand, with the catalyst being a collaboration beer the company made with Celestial Beerworks of Dallas.

If you were not already aware, Meanwhile's products have shown up here in the past, but fresh shipments are now making their way to the Metroplex. Cans began appearing on shelves of select retailers in mid-November, with draft selections following close behind.

Three of the beers contained in my sample pack have been among those delivered to area locales. Each represents a year-round offering from Meanwhile, with two having been awarded medals at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

• Secret Beach - San Diego Style IPA (6.2% ABV): My favorite beer of the bunch, this West Coast-inspired IPA is kind of a throwback in being dank and slightly bitter with notes of tropical fruit and orange marmalade. Secret Beach brought home a silver medal in the American-Style Strong Pale Ale category at the 2022 GABF.
• Tender Robot - Hazy IPA (6.2% ABV): A recipe featuring four types of malt and four hop varieties produces a pleasing hazy IPA with a mix of citrus and tropical fruit flavors and a mild finishing bitterness.
• Meanwhile Pilsner - German-Style Pilsner (4.8% ABV): Light, easy to drink and refreshing while displaying a range of subtle complexities including elements of grain, bread dough and lemon zest set against a floral and grassy background. Meanwhile Pilsner won a gold medal for German-Style Pilsener at the 2021 GABF.

Now, just to be complete, beer number four was the aforementioned collaboration and an Austin exclusive. For that one, a partnership was formed to create Celestial Flirtation (10.5% ABV), a huge triple hazy IPA which debuted at Meanwhile's recent third anniversary celebration.

As for the distribution plan, reps at Meanwhile say new beers will drop locally roughly once a month. Locations receiving stock up to now are listed below, but consumers can also click here to view the most up-to-date listings by way of the Beer Locator on the brewery's website.

• Addison: Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar.
• Dallas: Craft Beer Cellar, Flying Saucer Cypress Waters, Goodfriend, Katy Trail Ice House, Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar, Meddlesome Moth, Strangeways.

Oskar Blues now brewing Dale's Pale Ale with Texas-made malt

Tim Matthews, Brandon Ade and Michael Harris
at Blacklands Malt in Leander, Texas (Oskar Blues Brewery).

Oskar Blues Brewery in Austin, Texas, has announced a change to the company's flagship beer, Dale's Pale Ale. The beer is now being brewed with locally-crafted malt developed by Leander-based Blacklands Malt.

Up until now, Dale's had been brewed with commercial Munich malt, but a move to Blacklands allows the brewery to incorporate sustainable, locally-sourced ingredients, while supporting the community and calling attention to the art of craft malting. As for how the change came about, the idea started germinating when Tim Mathews, Oskar Blues' head of brewing operations, met Blacklands' founder, Brandon Ade, in 2016.

After that, Ade and Michael Harris, Oskar Blues’ head brewer in Austin and malt enthusiast, started working together by incorporating Blacklands malt into specialty beers. Then, in the fall of 2017, they started talking about a larger project.

“I approached Tim and Michael and asked, ‘how can we get this malt out there and capture something unique and authentic going on in Austin?,'" says Ade. "The conversation evolved and we started looking at the Munich malts used in Dale’s.”

What followed were months of research, development and collaboration between the two teams, including the Oskar Blues’ lab headed by Brian Roye. Eventually the kiln schedule and recipe were dialed in to develop Brown Field 10 Texas Munich, which meets the color and toasty flavor profile required to brew Dale’s Pale Ale.

“I don’t know of any other iconic flagships doing something like this,” says Matthews. “We hope people will start coming into the taproom and saying, ‘I want something with Texas malt in it.’ It’s sustainable, and contributing back to a sustainable world is definitely important to us. This is a major way we can illustrate that.”

Harris has an equally compelling reason for pursuing craft malt – it’s part of supporting the community.

“I’ve been interested in where ingredients come from since I started professionally brewing," says Harris. "It’s important to use local ingredients and to be involved in the community.”

Ade also makes the point that it’s important to raise awareness around the connection between the consumer and the supply chain, and to call attention to the farmers that grow the barley that ends up in beer. Blacklands has worked with Texas A&M University since 2012 on research that aims to empower farmers to grow barley.

"It’s about supporting farm families outside of hops - hops get a lot of limelight," says Ade. "Malting is equally important."

According to a press release, Dale’s Pale Ale brewed with Blackland's Brown Field 10 Texas Munich is now available in Texas and surrounding states.