Archive for the 'Here’s What’s Brewing' Category

That’s Jen in the middle! - Photo courtesy of Jennifer Litz

“We’re gals into grolsch. Ladies into lagers. Princesses into pilsners. Angels of ale. You get the idea.” That’s the what greets visitors to the website for the Texas chapter of Girls Pint Out, a group dedicated to the exploration of craft beer and educating women about it. The group began in Indianapolis and has quickly spread to covering multiple cities in the U.S. One of those cities happens to be Houston, Texas and the chapter is headed up by the infamous Jennifer Litz.

Now Jen is a Texas native, having grown up in San Antonio. After a cross-country sojourn for a few years, she’s back in Texas. I won’t spoil all the fun for Jen, as she definitely knows how to tell a tale better than I. I will say this, my exposure to Jen has been great. I first met her on Twitter. Yes, I said Twitter, that 140 character social medium that you either love or hate. Since then I have met up with her in person several times and she lives up to the billing. I was able to hang a bit with her at The Great American Beer Festival in Denver this year as well and let me tell you, she knows her beer and is passionate about it!

So, without further a due, I give you…..Jennifer Litz!

Continue reading ‘Girls Pint Out, Texas Style’

Today, Freetail Brewing released Ananke, an Ale aged in wine barrels. This is certainly not the first Sour or American Wild Ale that Freetail has produced, the Solara series being the most notable. This was however, the first Sour they have bottled. The release was scheduled for 11:30 AM, however aficionados and fans alike began lining up as early as 9:00 AM. When I arrived at 11:00, there was already a good sized crowd waiting for this delectable liquid.

What’s great about events like these, is that there is a great camaraderie with lovers of craft beer. In fact, many people brought rare and popular beers to share on the patio with the crowd. I even brought a bottle of my homebrew to share. After a while Brewer Jason Davis and Assistant Brewer John came to join the crowd before the release.

Continue reading ‘Wild Ales, The Funky Side Of Beer’

What’s in a name you ask? Quite a lot with this one! Ashley Rouston, aka The Beer Wench, is a bold, brash, charismatic whirlwind that nearly bowls you over when exposed to her. She loves Ohio State football, hops and high gravity beers.

Ashely is definitely a female craft beer evangelist. She makes the rounds throughout the country to craft beer festivals and conferences. In fact, I recently ran into her at The Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. She’s all over twitter, Facebook and the Internet too!

Photo courtesy of Ashley V Rouston

Ashley was kind enough to answer me a few questions prior to the trip to GABF in Denver

Continue reading ‘The Beer Wench’

At the moment I’m sitting in the terminal at the San Antonio Airport. My purpose for being here? I’m heading out to my home state of Colorado and the city of Denver to attend the Great American Beer Festival, the largest beer festival in the world..and the best one. Over 400 breweries are represented here each year over a course of 3 days with many events spread throughout the week.

GABF is a Mecca of beer events and one that seems to bring pretty much everyone involved with craft beer together in one convenient spot. I confess though, this is my first visit to this wonderful event. I grew up in Colorado, lived in Denver for many years and come back each year to visit, yet I have not attend the one event should be attended. At least I’ve made this year and what a blast it will be. My family is here and my sister is coming to town as well. Fun, family and beer.

What is absolutely amazing is that many attending already know each other well, but have never met, or at least not often. This phenomenon can be explained with two words: Social Media. Social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have done a lot for many, and this certainly is true of the craft beer world. Many talk daily, trading information on beers they’ve had, homebrewing tips and recipes, places to go and cultivating friendships. Without this connection, the world of craft beer would be much smaller. What a great opportunity for all of us to meet up! A great group of people with a common mission: to learn about and educate others about the world of craft beer.

Sarah Huska lives in the Chicago area. An area known for the 1893 World’s Fair that spawned the first Ferris Wheel and also brought Chicago back from the dead after fires nearly destroyed the city in 1871. But why stop there? Chicago is home of the Cubbies, the White Sox, Blackhawks and Bears. Mike Ditka, Al Capone, Wrigley Field and Chicago style deep dish pizza. For me, it’s one of the cleanest metropolitan cities in the United States. Chicago has had quite a history the last 150 years. But Chicago is also becoming known for other things. Sure the allure of Michigan Ave. is hard to resist. Lake Michigan is gorgeous to look at, but Chicago is also known for its involvement in craft beer. It also home to Ray Daniels and the Cicerone Certification Program.

What has this to do with Sarah Huska? Quite a lot actually. She is the sole employee for the Cicerone Program and responsible for most of the administrative duties. Don’t et that fool you though. Sarah knows a hell of a lot about beer. Not just the styles, how to pour, or what the 3-tier distribution system means to beer in the U.S., no she knows what is needed in a particular style, how it should look and feel and taste. She’s seemingly taken what was an interest and turned it into a passion. Oh, and she’s only 24.

Continue reading ‘The incomparable Ms. Sarah Huska.’