Are you feeling like the saddest little baby in the room? Need something a little extra fun to pick ya up? Well, we’ve been REAL bumpin’ this last week and have got ALL KINDS of new beverages for ya to give a try. No need to get a grey hair for every scare you share.
Since our last chat we’ve added 11 new draft options!!! On the lighter side of things we’ve got a solid all arounder with Brewtorium’s Skee-Ball cream ale. Modern Time’s ICE Pilsner is a touch brighter, drier, and crisper… but both options are up for an easy going time. For some added malt and fruit notes, we have Willard’s Amber Ale and Bluebonnet’s Hefeweizen respectively. The latter of which is only made in and around Bluebonnet’s Oktoberfest… a real treat for us to have on draft. For those hop heads out there, this week has a smattering of new options- Symbol’s Hazy Red (its soooo good I had to bring it back!), the rich & velvety Tuxedo T-Shirt Black IPA from Circle, and a fresh new Hazy, Sleep Drifter, from Family Business. Finally, for those ready to get their pumpkin on we’ve tapped two gems- Tupps Full Grown Jack Imperial Stout and Save the World’s Jonah’s Relief Imperial Pumpkin ale. You’ll be hard pressed not to gourd yourself on these brews. And rumor has it, we may or may not be tapping a 2019 Pumpkinator in the not so distant future. But it’s just a rumor I’ve heard.
Here’s some killer news: ADVENT BOX PRE-SALES ARE LIVE!!! We’re very excited to bring back this crowd favorite holiday box of joy. And guess what? This year we’re making even more boxes available! With that in mind, we did sell out last year & y’all are making fast work of our stock… so don’t end up with just coal in your stocking and buy one soon. Boxes will be available for pick up by Friday, November 19th.
We’ve got some fun things happening on the package side of things this week. First off, I’m very excited to have Holidaily Brewing stocked. They’re super serious about making exceptional beer that just happens to be seriously gluten free. I believe everyone deserves good beer and these fine folks help to deliver on that idea. For something fun, try the new raft of smoothie sours from wild mind. Roughhouse just released their coffee stout collaboration with Shakey Graves. Peanut Butter Pretzel Stout and Black Forest Cake pastry ale are this week’s new releases from Martin House.
I’m so excited y’all! We’re getting into the thick of red wine season. My personal jam at the moment has to be the Sylvian Bock Neck. This blend of Gamay and Grenache sees extended carbonic maceration which yields a wine that is fresh, fruity, but still well structured with a touch of spice. (l)Equinox wines Find Your Happy Place is a South African take on Beaujolais. This wine is so light and fresh. It’s label art of a person floating in a pool hints at the lighthearted relaxing things you should be doing while enjoying it. For something on the adventurous side of things give Absentee PINK Rose a try. This 100% Carignan barrel aged rose will have you pondering it from the first sip to well long after the last. I’ve really not had anything like it before. Curious about the others? Well come on into the store for a chat or slide in our Insta DMs.
New month, new brewery. Folks, we’re stoked to have our friends at Willard’s Brewing in Pflugerville as our brewery of the month. For JUST $8.99 a six pack we have their Fistful of Fury Hazy IPA and Forbidden Helles Lager.
Later, y’all.
New & Returning Beers & Seltzers This Week
Back in Stock – Original Sin Black Widow, Left Hand White Russian Nitro, Saison Dupont Farmhouse, Stone Let’s Bee Homies, Blue Owl Mexican Martini Seltzer, Tucher Dunkles Hefe Weizen.
903 The Great Brewery Bake – This imperial stout is loaded with confectionary inspiration from our favorite amateur baking adventures. Flavors of buttery rich toffee meld into creamy toasted hazelnuts, resulting in a sweet and nutty swirl that complements the rich and roasty notes of dark chocolate. We baked this batch just for you! 12.3%ABV
903 Dank Hill IPA – This beers name is Dank Hill and it sells IPA and IPA accessories. This beer is set in its ways, boasting forward hoppiness and tempered yet meaningful sweetness. An early introduction of Citra and Azacca hops give Dank Hill punchy citrus flavor, laid back floral notes and lovable bitterness. Late additions of El Dorado and Amarillo lend notes of stone fruit, hoppy spiciness and juicy tropical fruit. Dank Hill is awfully nice, I tell ya what! 7.3%ABV
Roughhouse Shakey Graves Stout – Our imperial stout collaboration with the band Shakey Graves is rich and full-bodied with big chocolate notes, hints of toffee and candied figs, and balanced with roasted Cosmic coffee on the finish. 4-pack sales benefit the Central Texas Food Bank! 9.3%ABV
Spindletap Frostbite – IPA brewed with Cyro Columbus, Centennial, Cascade and Simcoe. Frostbite; our take on a West Coast-Style IPA. 7%ABV
Ranch Water Rio Red Grapefruit – Ranch Water with a Texas-sized squeeze of Rio Red Grapefruit juice. Our Rio Red hard seltzer is made with 100% organic agave, natural lime & Rio Red grapefruit juice. 4% ABV
Lone River Spicy Ranch Water – Ranch Water with a Texas kick. Our Spicy hard seltzer is made with 100% organic agave, natural lime juice & jalapeño flavors. 4% ABV
Blue Owl Kühlbox – There’s a new standard for your go-to cooler beer – Kühlbox Tart Kölsch. Oh-so-refreshing with a crushability that’s accompanied by noble hop flavors from a medley of German Saphir and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops. This German-style Kölsch is crisp, social, and sessionable. 4.5% ABV
Odd Side Ales Stratapus -IPA dip-hopped with strata hops, blast your taste buds with refreshing notes of passionfruit and grapefruit. 6.8%
Wild Mind Atmosphere of Chaos – Smoothie-style Sour Ale with watermelon and strawberry. 4.5%
Wild Mind Apex of the Vortex – There is an absurd amount of cream of coconut in this beer – some cans, when the beer is chilled, the coconut will show up in your glass. Smoothie-style sour ale with pineapple, orange and coconut. 4.5%
Wild Mind Eternal Optimist– It’s wondrous, the delicate and delicious balance of spicy and fruity esters in Wonder Boy Hefeweizen. This smooth, rich yet
Wild Mind Sultry Mythical Creatures – It’s wondrous, the delicate and delicious balance of spicy and fruity esters in Wonder Boy Hefeweizen. This smooth, rich yet
Zilker 6 Year Beer – Our 6 year anniversary IPA 6.6%ABV
Martin House PB Pretzel Stout – Pretzel stout with peanut butter added. 6.5% ABV
Martin House Black Forest Cake – Black forest cake inspired ale. 10%ABV
Circle Tuxedo T-Shirt – Rolling five deep, with its friends Mosaic, Simcoe, Cascade, Columbus, and Zythos, Tuxedo T Shirt won’t hesitate to hop burst all over your taste buds…but in a classy way. 6.5%ABV
Martin House Cherry Cobbler – Cherry Sour Ale with Graham Crackers and Lactose. 8% ABV
Austin Beerworks Wet Hop IPA – Strata is described as having characters of “Passion Fruit, Strawberry, Grapefruit, and Sweet Cannabis”. We gotta agree. 6.8% ABV
Celis Juicy IPA – Kissed with citrus forward hops. A hazy IPA that will transport you to a tropical paradise with its accentuated aroma and sensational mouthfeel. Floral and fun, this approachable IPA brings hop lovers a juicy satisfaction as well as helping new-to-IPA fans ease into their hop palate. Each sip will keep you thirsting for more. Pours hazy pale orange with frothy, paper-white head and a thick white lacing throughout
New Wines This Week
(On-Premise Consumption or Off-Premise To Go)
The Marigny Piquette – When wine is too much, and water is too little, there is Piquette. This “Wine Like Beverage” is made by re-fermenting the grape skins and stems after they are pressed, resulting in a highly-drinkable low-alcohol beverage that has been around since the dawn of time, but is experiencing a revival in the states in large part due to the efforts of our friends Wild Arc Farm in NY.
Our take on Piquette was made by filling closed top stainless steel tanks with pressed pomace (the leftover grape stuff I mentioned above) + water and giving that combo several days of maceration on skins and stems. After the liquid seemed to taste about right, it was drained to a new tank and sometimes, but not always, the pomace is re-pressed into that same tank. A small amount of underripe Pinot Noir juice was added to help adjust the acidity and general chemistry. This liquid was racked once, crossflow filtered and professionally bottled with CO2 added. The result is a crisp, clean drink that straddles the line of many of our favorite things (flavored fizzy water, beer, hard seltzer), while being completely unique and unto itself. Open at lunch, at the park, in the sun, by the river, or wherever you’d like a drink but don’t want to imbibe too much. 4.2% ABV
La Grange aux Belles La Chausee Rouge – La Grange aux Belles is a classic story of a young winemaker, Marc Houtin, finding inspiration in the natural wine movement and searching out some vines of his own. In 2004, Houtin landed 9 hectares in Anjou and began making light, wines with short macerations, organically, with minimal sulfur… everything we want in natural Loire wine. Julien Bresteau now joins Marc in the production.
La Chausse Rouge is a light, chillable red made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Grolleau. 12.5% ABV
Sylvain Bock Neck 2019 – Grenache and Gamay. From Super Glou…”[This is] a tribute to the neck of Screatures, a huge volcanic rock looming over this special geological pocket of basalt, suited to grow both Grenache and Gamay. Harvested by hand in small boxes, the Grenache is picked at perfect ripeness, two weeks after the Gamay, before undergoing 2-3 weeks of carbonic maceration and 8 months in tank together. Fruity and structured with a spicy, savory burst.” 12.5% ABV
(l)Equinox Winery Find Your Happy Place Red 2020 – Find Your Happy Place is the story of a spaceman that has travel the universe to find his happy place! This beaujolais style wine is made from Pinotage as a base varietal blended with Carignan & Grenache Noir. This is the second in the pool series, meaning it is very fun with light extractions of color and an easy fresh fruit flavor; whole bunches, partial carbonic maceration. A fresh and fun red wine for a transition into fall. 11.5% ABV
Absentee PINK Rose 2019 – From one of the most celebrated California natural wine producers. 100% Carignan grown organically in Mendocino. Vinified naturally. Fermented with native yeasts, no additives, no added sulfites. Only pristine, hand-harvested grapes. 14.5% alc
Il Folicello – Rosso Lambrusco NV – A rustic, dry Lambrusco with a mix of the grape’s signature fruity-floral and earthy funk. Refermentation is done in bottle, the old fashioned col fondo way, and left unfiltered. Grapes are organic and yeasts are all indigenous. This bottling is entirely comprised on the Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro variety.
Farming is entirely organic, no artificial fertilizers or sprays. Fermented with native yeasts to dryness, yet still bearing the aromatic levity of the varietal. This is bottle conditioned Lambrusco. Despite being traditional this is now a rarity as most Lambrusco is made with the bulk charmat method, a technique of fermenting in a tank that has been widely adopted as more economical. This fermentation in the bottle really add the the texture and complexity of the wine (think of Champagne versus Prosecco). The bottles are disgorged to remove the large sediment but not filtered or fined and without additives. – Tristen Gild
Sportoletti Assisi Grechetto Bianco 2019 – The Sportoletti family has been passionately dedicated to producing wine in Umbria for generations. In the late 1970s, brothers Ernesto and Remo turned their attention exclusively to winemaking. With great reverence for the teachings of their father Vittorio, they began to bottle wines under their own label. From that point on, they began a long journey in pursuit of the perfect balance between innovation and tradition, endeavoring to unleash the full potential of their terroir – situated on the hills between Spello and Assisi – where they now own 20 hectares of vineyards from which they produce an average of 200,000 bottles per year.
Intense straw yellow color, with scents of jasmine, white-fleshed peach and golden apple. Smooth and warm in the mouth, closing with a delicate mineral note
New Draft Beers This Week
(On-Premise Consumption or Off-Premise Crowlers)
Brewtorium Skee-Ball Champ –Light, thirst-quenching, lawnmower ale. 5.3% ABV
Modern Times Ice – The flavor: cold. The crushability: maximum. Ice is our very first pils, and it brings the noise. Hopped with Czech Saaz and Australian Summer hops, before, like, so many weeks of lagering, Ice packs the flavor of the mighty San Diego mountains into a compact 4.8% ABV package.
Bluebonnet Hefeweizen–Brewed exclusively for the Oktoberfest celebration at the brewery, this classic German ale is cloudy and light golden in color capped with a thick white head. Subtle and well balanced clove and banana flavors play nicely with the acidic tartness of this beer that is refreshing sip after sip. 5% ABV
Isastegi Basque Cider–Isastegi is a refreshing, dry natural cider from the verdant mountains of the Basque Country, high above the Bay of Biscay along Spain’s rugged and green northern coast. Innovation meets 500 years of tradition, making the authentic San Sebastián cider experience portable. 6% ABV
Willard’s Brewing Bill’s Amber– Amber/Altbier. 4.7% ABV
Family Business Lupilin Sleep Drifter– Our newest hazy New England IPA 5.8%ABV
Circle Tuxedo Tshirt Black IPA– Mosaic, Simcoe, Cascade, Columbus, and Zythos, Tuxedo 6.5% ABV
Symbol Lammas Red Hazy IPA-Brewed with Vienna and Munich malts and dry hopped with Citra, Ekuanot, Amarillo, Simco and Mosaic hops 7.5%ABV
Aqua Brew Pineapple Gose– Pineapple Gose 4.5%ABV
Save The World Jonahs Relief– Light caramel malt with hints of fruit and spice. 8.2% ABV
Tupps Full Grown Jack– With the addition of pumpkin spices, this huge, full-flavored imperial stout just grew a little bigger. Crack it open before he takes your head. 12.1%ABV
Parking at WhichCraft Mueller? The garage behind us on McBee is free to use.
