Texas Ale Project wants to add your name to the next great craft beer

Image courtesy of Texas Ale Project (click to enlarge).

Looking to break new ground in the search for the next craft beer, Texas Ale Project of Dallas has announced a research and development project built on the idea that innovation can come from anywhere. The R&D Series, as it's being called, will be a rotating line of beers developed from ideas collected from both inside and outside the brewery.

“We’re encouraging our staff, our distributors, and customers alike to send in their creative ideas for future beers in this series,” says Kat Thompson, co-founder and CEO of Texas Ale Project.

The first R&D beer is Hawaiian Roadrunner (5.0% ABV, 28 IBU), a tropical blonde ale that draws inspiration from free-range chickens that roam the Hawaiian Islands. Brewed with guava, pineapple and Simcoe hops, the beer exudes a fresh tropical fruit aroma that "will sweep you away to the Hawaiian Islands for a virtual summer vacation."

Cans of Hawaiian Roadrunner will feature the signature of Texas Ale Project co-founder and brewer, Brent Thompson, but the name on the next can could be yours.

“The signature represents someone that made a major contribution to the creative development of an R&D Series beer," adds Kat. "We want this to be a fun, collaborative effort.”

Concepts for the series can be submitted via the contact page on the brewery's website. Ideas will be vetted for not just innovation, but also taste, appearance, aroma, and overall genuine quality. Selected beers will be representative of Texas Ale Project’s mission to provide high quality, great tasting craft beers that the brewery takes pride in.

As for when consumers can get their hands on Hawaiian Roadrunner, the beer will be available on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce cans beginning May 28. Launch events are also on the bill, with a Reveal Party set to occur Friday, June 1 from 4-9 p.m., at Texas Ale Project's facility in the Dallas Design District. Following that, the Official Release Party for Hawaiian Roadrunner will be held at Truck Yard Dallas on Friday, June 8 starting at 4 pm.

Lakewood launches 21 days of giveaways for Zomer Pils fans

Image courtesy of Lakewood Brewing Co. (click to enlarge).

Hot on the heels of the annual release of its summer seasonal, Zomer Pils, Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland is launching a new text-to-win "How I Zummer" program for fans of the beer and brewery.

From May 21-June 11, Zomer (Flemish for summer) lovers that text "Zummer" to 99888 will be entered to win special prizes. A total of 21 daily winners will receive a Lakewood Brewing summer swag bag including a beach towel, koozie, sunglasses, lip balm & stickers. Plus, 10 grand prize winners will win a custom Adirondack Lounge Chair, perfect for relaxing poolside with a cold Zomer Pils.

“We always look forward to Zomer season around the brewery,” says Lakewood founder Wim Bens. “It’s such a crushable, easy-drinking beer that we can’t get enough of it. And since we started dry hopping it last year, it’s now even more enjoyable, if that’s such a thing.”

Brewed with Belgian pilsner malt and dry-hopped with a combination of Lemondrop and noble hop varieties, Zomer Pils is described as a light, crisp, and refreshing beer, with a slight, citrus peel zing.

“We like having that go-to summer beer that helps our fans cool off,” adds Bens. “When you think summer beer, we want you to think zummer beer.”

Look for Zomer Pils on tap and in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.

Books on beer: Exploring the realm of Eclectic IPA

Image courtesy of Brewers Publications.

Dick Cantwell likes to say every beer has a story. So here, in his fourth book for Brewers Publications, is the story of Eclectic IPA. Though, truth be told, it's not so much a narrative as it is an idea book, focusing less on the "how to" and more on the "what to try" when pushing the boundaries of the IPA.

Calling it an idea book has to do with style specifics and Cantwell's repeated reminders to not worry about taxonomy. Eclectic IPAs, incorporating the flavors of fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, or coffee and chocolate, don't meet a defined style guideline. Well, other than the fact that they are all just American IPAs - albeit with a bit of augmentation. In other words, there isn't just one way to do things when working in this medium. Moreover, when crafting this type of beer, it doesn't matter what a recipe ingredient is called or how you classify it...what matters is whether you have the makings of a delicious IPA.

Now, that's not to say you should throw caution to the wind with regards to eclectic IPAs and their ingredients. Naturally, there are things to consider. For example, is that exotic herb you've discovered safe and palatable? Or, worse yet, will it be a key ingredient in your new hemlock IPA?

Indeed, the choice of ingredients is one thing, but deciding how (e.g. raw versus cooked, whole versus processed) and when to use them (e.g. hot side or cold side) is quite another. Oh, and let's not forget about balance, and how it's best not to approach flavor presence "through the metaphoric use of a Tom & Jerry mallet."

Those topics and more are examined in the book, as Cantwell offers a wide range of ideas in both text and tabular form that encourage experimentation. Of course, there are an abundance of recipes as well, which serve as a jumping-off point to kick-start your explorations.

As for going beyond that, Cantwell says it's entirely up to you. His ideas are just that, and Eclectic IPA is a book that's meant to be built on. For it's you, the reader/brewer, that will assume the role of "interpretive opportunist," as you seek to add your own personal touch to craft beer's most popular style.

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Eclectic IPA is published by Brewers Publications (pre-release copy provided for review). It's available for purchase now on the publisher's website, with copies expected to be on sale at retail in early June.

Dick Cantwell co-founded Elysian Brewing Co. of Seattle, Washington, in 1996. He is currently the director of brewing operations at Magnolia Brewing Co. in San Francisco, California. His writing credits include Barley Wine: History, Brewing Techniques, Recipes (1998), The Brewers Association's Guide to Staring Your Own Brewery, Second Edition (2013) and Wood & Beer: A Brewers Guide (2016).

Notes from Nashville, Part 2: A taste of Music City

Image: Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Following up Tuesday's article on the business aspects of this year's Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, here's a look at what Music City has to offer in terms of its beer.

All together, I visited six different breweries between time sitting in on economic, political and even historical seminars during the conference. I wasn't able to get to all the spots on my list, but I did manage to hit roughly a third of the breweries that exist in and around the immediate Downtown Nashville area. Thoughts on each are presented below, in no particular order.

As for recommendations, if you're looking to grab a bite to eat in an area with a number of breweries nearby, I'd suggest heading to an urban neighborhood called The Gulch. The district is home to restaurants like Peg Leg Porker, for the BBQ fiends, and Party Fowl, for those who've got a hankerin' for hot chicken. From there, three breweries are within easy walking distance - Yazoo Brewing Co., Jackalope Brewing Co., Tennessee Brew Works, with two more just a few blocks away - New Heights Brewing Co., Czann's Brewing Co..

Cheers!


Bearded Iris Brewing

To be clear, Bearded Iris does make other types of beer, but it was a little ironic to be ordering from a menu with the heading "Cultivate Variety," when every item on it (at the time) was some type of IPA. In any case, I worked my way through four beers of varying haze and juice content, eventually settling on DDH Chief of Chiefs as my choice for the leader of the tribe.

Left: Foeders for thought at Bearded Iris Brewing.
Right: Overlooking the framework of Black Abbey's brewing operation.
(Photos: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D)

Black Abbey Brewing Co.

With beers of American, Belgian, English, German and Scottish influence, Black Abbey's portfolio was a melting pot of styles. Some were crafted by the book, while others featured a slight twist (The Champion is an American pale ale with smoked malt). Regardless of recipe, balance was a common descriptor across the board, which made for an array of well-executed, approachable beers. The place gets points for having a cask engine as well, from which I sampled The 5 Points, a West Coast IPA conditioned with licorice root.

Smith & Lentz Brewing Co.

Set up east of Downtown Nashville, Smith & Lentz was the only brewery in this survey where I drank a lager. Actually, I drank two, a Vienna lager and a pilsner. Both were solid, but the German Pils was the star of the show at this particular taproom. Parliamentary Mild, an English mild ale infused with coffee, came in a close second.

Tennessee Brew Works

With its multi-level indoor/outdoor setup, the taproom at Tennessee Brew Works was probably the most unique one I encountered on this trip. It was also the only brewhouse to employ a mash filter (at least that I noticed), which ended up being the centerpiece of conversation as I drank a pint of Country Roots, a smooth stout brewed with sweet potatoes.

Left: A musical theme permeates the place at Tennessee Brew Works.

Middle: Barrels reaching New Heights are sourced from a variety of Tennessee distilleries.

Right: Yazoo gets its name from a river in the founder's hometown.

(Photos: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D)

New Heights Brewing Co.

It may have been the smallest taproom of those I visited, but New Heights certainly wasn't short on beer. A dozen house brews were supplemented by a quartet of special releases, all of which were barrel-aged takes on the brewery's imperial stout, Navel Gazer. Of those, I took a shot (pun intended) of a version aged for 15 months in Eagle Rare barrels. Nothing wrong with a little pick me up, but were I to return my first pour would be a pint of Coffee & Cream, a coffee and vanilla cream ale.

Yazoo Brewing Co.

Recommendations for Yazoo seemed to center around brewery's Embrace the Funk series, but this place is no slouch when it comes to its year-round selections. Along those lines, my top picks from Yazoo's everyday lineup would be Dos Perros, an American brown ale, and Gerst Amber. The latter is an homage to the original Nashville Brewing Co., which was renamed the William Gerst Brewing Co. in 1893.