A taste of what's to come from Tallgrass

The Tallgrass year-round lineup (logo property of Tallgrass Brewing Co., all can images © Brian Brown/Beer In Big D)

By now, you've probably heard about the pending arrival of products from Tallgrass Brewing Co. of Manhattan, Kansas. The brewery has signed on with Favorite Brands for the delivery of its beers to Texas, and with label approvals now starting to appear, marketing manager Andrew Zender says it'll just be a matter of weeks before Tallgrass officially launches in the Lone Star State. Once that happens, consumers can expect to find the brewery's year-round lineup, current seasonal and selections from its Explorer Series on tap and on local retail shelves.

For those looking to learn a little more about the brewery itself, Tallgrass was founded in 2007 by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff and Tricia Gill. The company gets its name from being surrounded by the Tallgrass Prairie, based on where it's located in the Flint Hills of Eastern Kansas.

A move to a new facility in 2015 led the way to further expansion of the brand which, once you add Texas, will now be sold in 17 states. Supplying that footprint, Tallgrass operates a 50-barrel brewhouse set up in a 60,000 square foot building, with a 3000 square-foot portion of the space devoted to the development of the brewery's sour beer program. In terms of capacity, Tallgrass has the ability to brew up to 100,000 barrels per year (production in 2015 was 22,000 barrels), making it the largest craft brewery in Kansas, and one that has aspirations of nationwide distribution in the future.

As for what North Texans can expect in initial shipments, Tallgrass sent along a sample package consisting of the following beers, so I've taken the time to provide a taste of what's to come below.

Year-round:

Spring/summer selections from the
Tallgrass portfolio.

• 8-Bit Pale Ale: a balanced and flavorful pale ale of moderate strength, with mostly tropical fruit hop tones.
• Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout: easy-drinking stout with a smooth texture and plenty of body, featuring notes of coffee, oats and bittersweet chocolate.
• Pub Ale: with flavors of caramel, toasted malt and an earthy underbelly, this simple, but satisfying English nut brown ale is a session beer worthy of fridge staple status.
• Songbird Saison: light and refreshing farmhouse ale with a lively effervescence that mixes subtle fruit with a pinch of peppery spice.
• Top Rope IPA: true to form as an American IPA, this beer is bright, bitter, punchy and pithy, with classic flavors of pine and fresh citrus.

Seasonal:

• Half Pipe Sour Pale Ale: tart, but not puckering pale ale that harmonizes the sour component with a bright citrusy hop character.

Explorer Series:

• Raspberry Jam: tasty fruited Berliner weisse that is mildly tart and not too sweet.

According to Zender, all of the aforementioned beers will be made available on draft in 1/2 and 1/6-barrel kegs, as well as in packaged form as follows (minus a few noted exceptions):

Standards and seasonal beers will ship in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans. Differences from that include 8-Bit Pale Ale, which also comes in 12 and 24 packs of 12-ounce cans, and Buffalo Sweat, which is slated for a fall release in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans. In addition, since its nearing the end of its seasonal cycle, Half Pipe Tart Pale Ale will be draft only this time around.

Regarding the Explorer Series, those beers are offered in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans, with the only exception there being Bourbon Barrel Buffalo Sweat, which is draft only.

Looking ahead, keep an eye on the brewery's social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter) for details on the coming launch. Once details are set, plans are for Tallgrass representatives to travel to Texas to help introduce the brand, with events expected to occur throughout the Metroplex.

Evil Twin and Stillwater Artisanal headed to Texas

Image credits: Evil Twin Brewing, Stillwater Artisanal.

After entering into an agreement with 12 Percent Imports, Favorite Brands has revealed that they are in the process of bringing the products of Evil Twin Brewing and Stillwater Artisanal to Texas.

Evil Twin and Stillwater make for a rather unique pair, in that each company's founder is a gypsy brewer. Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø founded Evil Twin in 2010 and since then he's released over 100 beers commercially. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, he's conjured up recipes that have been brewed both in the United States and abroad. Texans have been privy to some of his work in the form of Bible Belt, a collaborative brew created with Prairie Artisan Ales, yet another brewery in the Favorite Brands portfolio.

As for Stillwater, Brian Strumke is the mastermind behind the Baltimore, Maryland-based outfit that began operations in 2009. He too has traveled the world seeking inspiration in order to craft beverages that meet the brewery's goal of representing "living art." Together the two breweries should add a new level of depth to the roster of craft beers available to local consumers.

According to John Maestas, who oversees National Chain Accounts for Favorite Brands, the firm's parent company L&F Distributors will handle deliveries to the Rio Grande Valley, while Favorite Brands will supply other areas throughout Texas. There's no word yet on what might be included in initial shipments, as the ink is just now dry on the contracts and both brewery's are still awaiting TABC label approvals.

For more on Evil Twin Brewing, visit eviltwin.dk, and for Stillwater Artisanal, visit www.stillwater-artisanal.com.

Favorite Brands set to deliver Wild Beer, along with classics from De Glazen Toren

Image credit (banner and product): Wild Beer Co., Brouwerij De Glazen Toren

News comes today that Favorite Brands is prepping the release of two new brands to the North Texas market. Coming by way a B. United's world class portfolio of ales and lagers are brews from the Wild Beer Company and Brouwerij De Glazen Toren.

The beers listed below are in stock at distribution and expected to begin arriving at retail this week.


"Drink WILDLY Different" is the slogan of the Wild Beer Co., based in Somerset, United Kingdom. Described as "spectacularly and utterly unique", the brewery produces a range of beers brewed with various fruits and spices, some of which are barrel aged and/or fermented with wild yeasts.

• Bliss: Belgian-style saison brewed with roasted apricots and spices, then fermented with Brettanomyces yeast.
• Iduna Cru: Belgian-style saison brewed with Somerset apples and New Zealand hops. It's initially fermented with a wild yeast, but then undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle with champagne yeast.
• Modus Vivendi: English-style old ale aged in single-use whiskey barrels with Brettanomyces.
• Somerset Saison: Farmhouse ale brewed with Sorachi Ace hops.
• Somerset Wild: Sour English-style ale fermented with wild yeast and bacteria from local orchards.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Brouwerij De Glazen Toren is a Belgian brewery focused primarily on brewing classic styles in a time-honored, traditional manner. Though located in Erpe-Mere, Belgium, many of their beers take their names from historical references related to the neighboring city of Aalst.

• Canaster Winter Scotch:  A modern-day revival of a beer produced centuries ago in the Carmelite convent of Aalst, this ale is brewed with locally-grown Hallertau hops.
• Jan De Lichte: Imperial witbier brewed with barley, wheat, oats and buckwheat.  It's named after the leader of an infamous gang of robbers in Aalst.
• Ondineke: Classic tripel brewed with all natural ingredients and no spices. The name Ondineke comes from the main character of De Kapellekensbaan (Chapel Road is the English translation), a book written by Aalst native Louis Paul Boon.
• Saison de Erpe-Mere: Classic saison brewed according to the traditional methods of the province of Hainaut.
• Cuvee Angelique (coming soon): A stronger (dubbel) version of an beer known as "Spéciale Belge", a style created for a contest in 1904 organized to help improve the quality of Belgian beer.