Turning Point to tap its take on Etzel IPA recipe

Image credit: Turning Point Beer.

Thus far, Tarrant County breweries have covered a variety of different styles while brewing beers in honor of Fort Worth homebrewer, Greg Etzel. However, an IPA recipe sourced from Etzel's archives has yet to be explored. That changes this week, as Turning Point Beer will release KevIKE the Crusher, its take on an IPA by Etzel featuring a strain of Norwegian kveik yeast.

Turning Point, of course, is known for its ability to harness the hop, so it's not surprising to learn that series organizer Nigel Curtis had the Bedford brewery in mind when it came to deciding who'd be asked to re-create an Etzel IPA.

"We're a hazy IPA brewery, and Nigel though we could execute it best," says James Herrington, production manager at Turning Point. "We brewed it using all the ingredients Greg used, but we brewed it to our process."

As for Herrington and the Turning Point team's connection to Greg, it's another story of bonds being formed through the local homebrewing community.

"I knew Greg through Cap and Hare Homebrew Club when I first started homebrewing about nine years ago, and everyone at the brewery knew Greg from Texas Brewing, Inc.," explains Herrington. "Greg was a genuinely great person who helped everybody. We all loved him and just want to return all the help he gave us."

KevIKE the Crusher will be available at Turning Point beginning on Wednesday, December 2, with 100% of proceeds from sales benefiting charities chosen by the Etzel family.

Panther Island to tap Etzel's next BIG thing

Image credit: Panther Island Brewing.

Continuing the tour of Tarrant County breweries who have signed on to create beers in honor of Fort Worth homebrewer, Greg Etzel, Panther Island Brewing has announced the release of the sixth entry in the series, Greg's BIG Chocolate Stout (7.0% ABV).

Panther Island's assistant brewer, Sandra DiPretore, led the effort at Panther Island, after learning about the project from organizer Nigel Curtis. Both were acquainted with Etzel by way of a mutual association with area homebrew supplier, Texas Brewing, Inc. of Haltom City.

"I wanted to be a part of this project as soon as Nigel started putting it together," says DiPretore. "I came to know Greg through the Come and Brew It Radio Podcast, and as my editor for Stubby's Texas Brewing Homebrew Blogs. He was the kind of guy who was insanely talented but absolutely humble and I think that has been showcased brilliantly with every brewery release."

As for the beer, DiPretore honored Etzel's recipe for a chocolate rye oatmeal stout and brewed it exactly as he wrote it. That goes for the beer's name as well, since "Greg's BIG Chocolate Stout" is what Etzel called the recipe, and as DiPretore puts it, "he called it like it is."

Greg's BIG Chocolate Stout goes on tap at Panther Island on Wednesday, November 18 at 4p.m. The beer is a taproom-only release and supplies will be limited, with a portion of proceeds benefiting charities chosen by the Etzel family.

HopFusion picks Baltic porter for honorary Etzel beer

Image courtesy of HopFusion Ale Works.

For the fifth release in the series of beers being made to honor local homebrewer Greg Etzel, HopFusion Ale Works of Fort Worth will delve into a darker color spectrum with its chosen recipe.

Simply entitled Etzel, the eponymous offering is a Baltic-style porter with an ABV of 8.7% and 36 IBU.

"We chose Greg's Baltic porter because it was one of his favorite beers to brew and he had won many awards with this recipe," says Matt Hill, co-founder of HopFusion.

With that in mind, Hill and fellow HopFusion owner Macy Moore plan to enter Etzel in several upcoming competitions. The hope, of course, being to build upon the recipe's heritage by winning a few additional awards.

"Greg was a great person, great brewer, and a great friend," adds Hill. "It was a no-brainer to be involved with this project, and I felt honored that we were chosen to brew one of his beers."

Etzel Baltic Porter will available on tap at HopFusion beginning Thursday, September 10. As with other beers in the series, a portion of the proceeds from sales will go to charities selected by the Etzel family.

Funky Picnic goes big with Greg's Big Honey Lager

Image: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Funky Picnic Brewery & Café represents the latest entity to access the rolodex of recipes created by local homebrewer Greg Etzel, with the Fort Worth brewpub set to tap its contribution to the series of beers honoring his memory later this week.

Greg's Big Honey Lager, an imperial honey lager boasting an ABV of 11%, will debut at Funky Picnic this Thursday, June 25. Like previous memorial beers, proceeds from sales will benefit charities chosen by the Etzel family, including ACH Child & Family Services, Direct Relief (Covid-19 Relief), Team Conner Childhood Cancer Foundation and Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation.

"We decided to pick the honey lager because it allowed us to brew a unique and big beer, much like Greg himself," says Collin Zreet, co-founder of Funky Picnic.

According to Zreet, those at the brewpub had never tried the beer, so they relied on the recommendation of friend, fellow homebrewer and organizer of the tribute series, Nigel Curtis. And, it seems everyone is pleased with the choice, considering Funky Picnic plans to enter Greg's Big Honey Lager in the National Honey Board's 2020 Honey Beer Competition.

As for how Funky Picnic approached its interpretation of the recipe, the commercial description for Greg's Big Honey Lager says it all:

"A tribute to Greg. His recipe, his idea, we just tried to do it justice. An 11% lager with generous amounts of honey and citrus aroma, and a clean, sharp finish.

"Drink it for Greg."

Wild Acre honors Etzel with Greg's Key Lime Pie Sour

Image: Wild Acre Brewing Co.

If you've yet to visit one of the area's newest brewing locales, head to Wild Acre Brewing Co.'s new Camp Bowie location in Fort Worth this weekend to sample the latest beer crafted in memory of renowned homebrewer Greg Etzel.

Continuing a tradition started in March, Wild Acre brewers Jerrod Womack and Ryan Hoffman drew a recipe from Etzel's own archives in order to create Greg's Key Lime Pie Sour (5% ABV, 6 IBU), a beer brewed with lactose, vanilla beans and key lime juice.

As for what inspired them to participate in the effort, Womack, who last saw Etzel at a birthday party he threw for one of his youngest kids, pointed to personal connections both he and Hoffman shared with Greg.

"I got involved with this project because Greg was a solid dude," says Womack. "I'd known him from hanging out at homebrew events, and I worked with him at Texas Brewing, Inc. [in Haltom City].

"It turned out that Ryan went to high school with Greg in Stephenville. We both met up at Cowtown Brewing Co. to choose a beer to brew, and Ryan chose Key Lime. He has the same feelings about Greg as I do. Greg was a really awesome guy to know and be around."

Look for Greg's Key Lime Pie Sour on tap at Wild Acre Camp Bowie beginning on Friday, May 22. The brewery will donate $1 from every pint served to a fund established to support the Etzel family.

Second Greg Etzel memorial beer to benefit Direct Relief

Image courtesy of Brutal Beerworks.

The newest entry in an ongoing series of beers honoring the memory of Fort Worth homebrewer Greg Etzel is set to debut this week, with the release of Etzelbock (5.8% ABV) by Brutal Beerworks of North Richland Hills.

Etzelbock follows the beer that kicked-off the series, Wetzelbock, a weizenbock brewed by Cowtown Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. Like the first beer, Etzelbock is based on one of Etzel's own homebrew recipes, but as the name implies, Etzelbock adheres to the standards of a traditional German bock beer. The style selection being a purposeful departure from the everyday lineup at Brutal Beerworks, which tends to feature a variety of IPAs, sour beers and stouts.

"We wanted to do a beer style that we typically don't do, and Greg's Tic Tok Bock was a perfect choice for us," says Eric Johnson, co-founder at Brutal Beerworks.

As for why he thought it was important for the team at Brutal Beerworks to get involved in the project, Johnson's reasoning was simple and succinct as he added, "We did a beer in Greg's honor because he was an all-around great person to everyone."

Sixteen-ounce cans of Etzelbock will go on sale at Brutal Beerworks beginning on Wednesday, May 6. A portion of proceeds from sales of the beer will be donated to Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization providing targeted assistance to communities recovering from disasters like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Series of beers to honor prominent Fort Worth homebrewer

Greg Etzel poses with awards won at the 2015 Bluebonnet Brew-Off (Brian Schoolcraft).

In the coming months, the North Texas craft beer community will come together to honor the memory of one of their own, while also raising money for a great cause.

Greg Etzel, a Fort Worth resident and well-known figure in the local brewing scene, passed away in November of 2019 after a brave fight with stomach cancer. Greg was not only an accomplished and award-winning homebrewer, he also worked on weekends at Texas Brewing Inc., a homebrew supply store in Haltom City, and was a primary host of the shop's Come & Brew It Radio podcast.

Surviving Greg are his wife, Trish, and two newly-adopted sons. They were joined by over 250 people at Greg's celebration of life, where a plan was conceived to help the family going forward. Appropriately enough, the idea developed as those in attendance raised a glass of Greg's homebrew in tribute.

Working from Greg's own recipes, seven area breweries will produce beers in remembrance of him, with proceeds from sales going to ACH Child & Family Services. Chosen by Trish, the Etzel's worked with this agency on the adoption of their two boys - both of whom are still under three years old.

The first beer in the series will be a German-style weizenbock, crafted by Cowtown Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. It's set to debut on Greg's birthday, which falls on Thursday, March 12. Ahead of the release, Cowtown co-founder Shawn Kidwell shared his thoughts on what it means to be a part of the project, as well as how he and Greg bonded over more than just beer.

"Greg was one of those special people you felt like you had known your entire life, no matter how long you had actually known him.  Although we bonded over beer, our conversations often covered a lot of topics that had nothing to do with beer.

"One thing we talked about most frequently was our kids. He and Trish had adopted two sons, and my wife and I were in the process of adopting our son, who was born the same day Cowtown opened for business. One thing I will never forget is the day Greg and Trish walked into Cowtown for the first time after we opened with a trunk full of baby clothes and baby gear that their sons had outgrown. That is just one example of the incredible kindness and generosity I think everyone that came into contact with him experienced.

"So, when the idea for this project started to form, there was no question that we wanted to be involved.  We're honored to be releasing the first beer in this series, but we're really looking forward to the rest of the releases this year as we continue to celebrate Greg's life."

As for future beers in the series, the list of recipes and release dates is as follows (subject to change):

• March: Cowtown Brewing Co., Fort Worth - Weizenbock.
• April: Brutal Beerworks, North Richland Hills - Bock.
• May: Wild Acre Brewing Co., Fort Worth - IPA, Key Lime Pie Golden Sour
• June: Funky Picnic Brewery & Café, Fort Worth - Honey Lager.
• July: HopFusion Ale Works, Fort Worth - Baltic Porter, Czech Dark Lager.
• August: Panther Island Brewing Co., Fort Worth - Chocolate Rye Stout.
• September: Turning Point Beer, Bedford - TBA.

Other breweries wishing to participate may reach out to Nigel Curtis of Texas Brewing Inc. via email at nigelcurtis@att.net.

Readers can also donate directly to ACH Child & Family Services by way of the company's website at achservices.org.