San Antonio Beer Zine

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TABLE of CONTENTS MAP

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PAIRING BEER WITH SPIRITS

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THE CRAFT OUTING

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WINTER BEER ST YLES

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THE GROWLER EXCHANGE

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RANGER CREEK

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Founded by a group of beer drinkers with too much time on their > `Ã] -> Ƃ Ì iiÀ < i à > VÀ>vÌ LiiÀ «ÕL V>Ì Ü Ì Ìà w }iÀ on the pulse of the local scene. Our mission? Inform and educate the great people of San Antonio on both the beer trends and beer events brewing in the Alamo City.

Cheers! THE TEAM Harrison Civick

| JoMando Cruz | Nathan Martinez | Collette Orquiz Jennifer Alejos | Alexandria Rutledge Cover art: Shelby Criswell

Contact us: INFO@SANANTONIOBEERZINE.COM

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Issue #4

LOCATIONS A. ALAMO BEER CO.

M. THE COVE

B. BIG HOPS BITTERS

N. FREETAIL BREWING CO.

C. BIG HOPS THE BRIDGE

O. FREETAIL BREWPUB

D. BIG HOPS HUEBNER

P. THE FRIENDLY SPOT

E. BLUE STAR BREWING CO.

Q. THE GROWLER EXCHANGE

415 Burnet St San Antonio, TX 78202 226 W Bitters Rd #108 San Antonio, TX 78216 306 Austin St San Antonio, TX 78215

11224 Huebner Rd #204 San Antonio, TX 78230 1414 S Alamo St San Antonio, TX 78210

2000 S Presa St San Antonio, TX 78210

4035 North Loop 1604 W #105 San Antonio, TX 78257 943 S Alamo St San Antonio, TX 78205 8313 Broadway St San Antonio, TX 78209

F. BRANCHLINE BREWING CO.

R. THE HOPPY MONK

G. BRAND LIQUORS

S. HOP & VINE

H. THE BRASS TAP

T. MAD PECKER BREWING CO.

I. CACTUS LAND BREWING CO.

U. RANGER CREEK BREWING & DISTILLING

3633 Metro Pkwy San Antonio, TX 78247

29202 Ralph Fair Rd Fair Oaks Ranch, TX 78015 17619 La Cantera Pkwy #2-208 San Antonio, TX 78257 368 County Rd 325 Adkins, TX 78101

J. CIBOLO CREEK BREWING CO. 448 South Main St Boerne, TX 78006

K. CIGAR POINTE

19186 Blanco Rd #101 San Antonio, TX 78258

L. THE CORNER

8839 Culebra Rd #101 San Antonio, TX 78251

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606 W Cypress St San Antonio, TX 78212

1010 N Loop 1604 E San Antonio, TX 78232 5619 W Loop 1604 N #109 San Antonio, TX 78250 6025 Tezel Rd #122 San Antonio, TX 78250

4834 Whirlwind Dr San Antonio, TX 78217

V. SOUTHERLEIGH FINE FOOD & BREWERY 136 E Grayson St San Antonio, TX 78215

W. STELLA PUBLIC HOUSE 1414 S Alamo St San Antonio, TX 78210

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STELLA PUBLIC HOUSE DRINK • 20 Craft Beers on Tap • 20+ Craft Bottles

EAT • Locally Sourced Brunch, Lunch,

and Dinner Menus • Wood-fired Pizza w/

House-pulled Mozzarella!

CONNECT Find our ever changing menus on Untapped

1414 S Alamo St • (210) 277-7047

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PAIRING BEER with SPIRITS By J ennifer Alejos | Photos by Jo Mando Cruz The holidays and colder months often leave us wanting something a bit more warming than a cold craft beer. While we would never forsake a hearty beer on a cool night, we invite you to explore the idea of pairing your craft beer with spirits. With that in mind, we’ve enlisted the help of Ricardo Ruiz from The Hoppy Monk to get you started. Pairing beer with spirits initially served a function. About a century ago, when it was common for day laborers to indulge in a drink both on as well as off the clock, beer was necessary to chase the stiff sips of whiskey. As Ricardo noted, “back then, whiskeys were great, but at the same time, you had these distillers creating poor man’s whiskey and moonshine. They weren’t really aging a lot of their whiskeys so they needed something to chase it. Basically, they would chase it down with a beer to mask the intense burn.” Today, pairing no longer primarily eases the burn of a poorly distilled spirit. *> À } i } Ìi Ã Ì i Ãi Ã>Ì Ã > ` y>Û Àà v Ì i LiiÀ > ` ë À Ì° Ƃ ` «iÀ >«Ã ̽à ÃÕÀ«À ÃiÆ LÀiÜ } LiiÀ > ` ` ÃÌ } Ü Ã iÞ] v À iÝ> « i] `iw Ìi Þ experiences overlap. When brewing beer, “you’re going through the same process as distillers do,” noted Ricardo.

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BEER

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“You have this sugary, dense liquid called wort. And just as you make the wort in brewing beer, you make a wort in distilling.� For beer, you balance the wort with yeast and hops. For whiskey, you throw the wort into a still and heat

it to create whiskey. A perfect and local example of this parallel can be found at Ranger Creek where they brew their La Bestia Aimable and distill their La Bestia De Favorable from the same recipe.

9JGP RCKTKPI CP[ URKTKV YKVJ C ETCHV DGGT [QWT IQCN UJQWNF DG VQ Ć‚PF EQORNGOGPVCT[ QT EQPVTCUVKPI ĆƒCXQTU 4KECTFQ QHHGTGF VJG HQNNQYKPI suggestions for pairing spirits with common craft beer styles:

PILSNE R /KoLSCH

PALE ALE

The pilsner and kĂślsch styles pair well ĂœÂˆĂŒÂ… ĂƒVÂœĂŒVÂ… ĂœÂ…ÂˆĂƒÂŽĂž° /Â…i ÂŤÂˆÂ?ĂƒÂ˜iĂ€ y>Ă›ÂœĂ€ ÂŤĂ€ÂœwÂ?i ˆ˜ ÂŤ>Ă€ĂŒÂˆVĂ•Â?>Ă€ ÂŤĂ€ÂœĂ›Âˆ`iĂƒ > œ˜iÂ‡Â˜ÂœĂŒi slate that complements the complexity of a peaty Islay scotch.

The pale ale is a balanced beer with citrusy notes that often pairs well with the caramel notes found in spirits such as rye whiskey or oat whiskey. Similarly, reposado tequilas naturally complement pale ales.

IPA

P O RTE R /STOUT

The bitter and grassy flavors of IPAs and double IPAs are aggressive, but pair well with the botanical and herbal flavors of gin.

/Â…i LÂœÂ?`] Ă€Âœ>ĂƒĂŒĂž y>Ă›ÂœĂ€Ăƒ Âœv ĂƒĂŒÂœĂ•ĂŒĂƒ >˜` porters (and especially imperial stouts) pair wonderfully with the smokey, vĂ€Ă•ÂˆĂŒĂž y>Ă›ÂœĂ€Ăƒ Âœv “iâV>Â?° /Â…ÂˆĂƒ ĂƒÂŤÂˆĂ€ÂˆĂŒ “>Ăž be the most uncommon spirit on this list, but we urge you to experiment with the imperial stout/mezcal pairing.

Ricardo Ruiz 6

Ricardo serves as the bar director/Bar Kahn at The Hoppy Monk. When he's not drinking good beer, he's brewing it.

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CRAFT OUTING by Nathan Martinez

(COKN[ QWVKPIU CTG QHVGP FKHƂEWNV YJGP CVVGORVKPI VQ DCNCPEG food preferences, restless children, and (arguably above all else) identifying a place with a good craft beer selection to accompany your meal. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of family-friendly venues that go a long way in appeasing everybody’s tastes!

THE COVE

THE FRIENDLY SPOT

The Cove can satisfy all your entertainment needs with great food, great beer, and even live music (not to mention the nearby laundry and car wash establishments where you can vÕ w >`` Ì > «iÃ Þ iÀÀ> `î° / i plus for your family? The Cove offers a gated playground in the center of the restaurant where you can leisurely supervise your children. Texas craft beer (and especially San Antonio craft beer) occupies a large portion of the tap wall.

The Friendly Spot is a true crowd « i>ÃiÀt / Ã ` vÀ i ` Þ Vi ÕÃi showcases an accessible menu ranging from burgers to nachos and boasts a large beer garden and playground to keep the children from getting restless. The Friendly Spot offers over 50 national and local beers to choose from (with the occasional rarity or hidden gem) and makes sure to accommodate both VÀ>vÌ > ` VÀ>vÌ `À iÀÃ > i° / i Friendly Spot truly lives up to its name.

CIBOLO CREEK BREWING CO.

ALAMO BEER COMPANY

7 Ì > v VÕà «À Û ` } vÀià v>À Ì Ì>L i v ` ­ V Õ` } Ì i `à i Õ®] this brewpub hardly feels like a typical bar. Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. is a great, v> Þ vÀ i ` Þ iÃV>«i ÕÃÌ ÕÌà `i the San Antonio city limits in Boerne. Beyond their great house beers and food, their location makes a stroll and shopping excursion through the historic downtown area of Boerne and nearby Cibolo Creek nearly inevitable.

With a large beer garden and the option to play cornhole, Alamo Beer Company is the perfect destination for the kids to stretch their legs and for you to enjoy local craft beer. The brewery is so perfectly architected that it’s sure to catch the eye of both beer lovers and LiiÀ ÛiÀð 7 i Ì Ã LÀiÜiÀÞ does not serve food, they usually host food trucks on the grounds. Finally, being situated under the historic Hays Street Bridge provides your family with a unique vantage point to appreciate the San Antonio skyline. 9

Winter

BEER STYLES

by Forrest Hyde | Photos by J oMando Cruz #U 5QWVJ 6GZCU RTGRCTGU HQT KVU QYP INKORUG QH YKPVGT YG Ć‚PF ourselves looking for warmth in the beer aisle, where shelves begin to bend under the sheer gravity of the many darker, heavier seasonal brews. However, not all winter releases are pitch black or contain roasted malts and warming alcohol— FGNKECE[ TGOCKPU CU TGĆƒGEVGF D[ VJGUG UV[NGU *QNKFC[ CNGU TGECNN a time where hops weren’t the primary spice in beer and brewers found themselves performing a different sort of balancing act with seasonal ingredients.

BIĂˆRE DE GARDE Widely regarded by the contemporary beer enthusiast as France’s biggest (and perhaps only) contribution to specialty brewing, this style has versatility that can span the entire calendar. The traditional French producers exhaust a lot of effort to ensure that the personality of their own locally malted barley comes through. Only a touch of 10

hop spice is allowed to shine and the ale yeast frequently works at much lower lager temperatures, keeping ester production at a minimum. i˜iĂ€>Â?Â?Ăž >“LiĂ€ ĂŒÂœ Ă€i``ÂˆĂƒÂ…Â‡LĂ€ÂœĂœÂ˜] aromas meander through a tunnel of ĂƒÂŤÂˆVi] Â…iĂ€LĂƒ] “ˆÂ?` >Â?i‡Â?ˆŽi vĂ€Ă•ÂˆĂŒÂˆÂ˜iĂƒĂƒ] >˜` a dash of musty earth, fooling the drinker

into believing the beer was cellared or barrel aged. Modern equivalents never spend time in a barrel, but this style did garner its moniker because French farmhands brewed them at the Ì> i ` v Ü ÌiÀ Ì >ÃÌ Ì i Ì À Õ} the summer months (which don’t offer good brewing weather).

So why is this a winter style? In short, this style pairs remarkably with food, making it perfect for holiday gatherings. Whether you’re enjoying turkey, tangy cranberry sauces, or even pungent cheeses after dinner, Bière de Garde beers pair naturally with limitless y>Û À «À w ið

STOUT Originally, the word "stout" was an adjective identifying the strongest porters in British pubs. However, during the peak of the Industrial Revolution, England’s working class demanded a heartier brew. Stout porters became the preferred pint due to their alcoholic strength and apparent nutritional value and eventually were simply called stouts. The stout is an impressive beer style containing roasted malts often reminiscent of chocolate, coffee, dark fruit aromas, and sometimes tar— >À}Õ>L Þ Ì i Þ V Ã ÃÌi Ì y>Û ÀÃ throughout the diverse stout family. For example, milk stouts get their name from the addition of lactose or

milk sugars, which the yeast refuse to consume, leaving the beer with a creamy sweetness. The oatmeal stout style contains a round, silky texture with a hint of nuttiness and > à } Ì ÃÜiiÌ iÃð 9 Õ½` w ` >à > Þ differences while pitting the Irish stout against the English stout, with dozens of other comparisons in between. But what’s clear is that American palates demand a lot more heft. The American favorite is very clearly the imperial stout style. These stouts are stronger in every way, including in their maltiness and bitterness levels. The notes of dark cocoa, espresso, tar, burnt fruit and, frankly, booze make this beer as complex as it is intense.

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W I N T ER ST Y LE S

BARLEYWINE Commonly recognized as the pinnacle of the brewer’s art, the barleywine ÃÌÞ i À>Ài Þ iÝ«iÀ i Vi` >À}i ÃV> i production until a handful of fearless American craft brewers revived the ÃÌÞ i Ì i ` £ Çä½Ã° >À iÞÜ ià >Ài iÝ«i à Ûi Ì «À `ÕVi] ` vwVÕ Ì Ì > i] > ` } « Ãà L i Ì «iÀviVÌ >VV À`> Vi Ü Ì Ì i ëiV wV>Ì Ã of their highly respected English counterparts—ales that literally stand the test of time and can have decades of life (when properly cellared).

This is not to belittle the American barleywine style; quite the opposite, in fact. I personally favor American versions because you don’t have to wait nearly as long for the beer to be palatable thanks in part to the > « wi` ÕV i>À « «ÀiÃi Vi Ì i American style, which fades relatively quickly. Apart from this hop presence, the alcohol often slightly burns the nose on fresh batches, but offers a V >}i v vÀÕ ÌÞ] Ü i i iÃÌiÀÃ vÀ the exhausted yeast. These beers require time and a patient palate to properly savor and appreciate.

HOLIDAY ALE A quick note on this style—while it has roots in English wassailing traditions (and some of the earliest recipes are based on the aforementioned French Bière de Garde style), the holiday ale style has seen its warmest welcome in the United States. While it remains > Ì v VÕÃi`] vÌi Ü Ì > > }> Þ hue and dark fruit aromas, holiday ales utilize a variety of spices to warm the palate. Brewers enlist nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and whatever else they didn’t put in their holiday pie to enhance this style. One can’t help but look forward to the winter

season for the food. Thankfully, there’s always a beer to pair with whatever’s on the table because Ì iÃi ÃÌÞ ià « >Vi > ÞÀ >` v y>Û Àà at your disposal. Brewers consider this season as a time to give and say thanks to the beer enthusiast for a fruitful year. Whether we, as drinkers, >Ài ÀiÜ>À`i` Ü Ì > Vi > Þi>À Ü > i À > Ãi>à > Ã Ý «>V ] Üi V> and are happy to return the gratitude by appreciating (and indulging) in their brewed rewed offerings.

Forrest Hyde ÀÀiÃÌ Þ`i à > iÀÌ wi` ViÀ iÁ VÕÀÀi Ì Þ Ìi ` } ` } bar for Big Hops at the Huebner location. He also works in the Branchline Brewing Company brew house and d taproom throughout the week.

by Collette Orquiz Photos by Jo Mando Cruz A lot happens when you share a few beers with your dad, like scheming about opening your own place with great craft beer. But that’s just a dream, right? Not to the father and son duo of Joe and Joey O’Hare. O’Hare and son recently took over the spot vacated by the original Big Hops Growler Station and transformed it into The Growler Exchange. “The timing was right, the location was ideal—we just jumped in with both feet,” Joey said. Joe added that they gave the space a new identity by extending Ì i L>À > ` w } Ì i ë>Vi Ü Ì Ü `i Ì>L ià > ` Li V ið “We wanted to give that warm, homey feeling when customers come in, kind of like it’s your man cave or living room where you can just hang out,” Joey said. It’s taken some time to evolve the customer base, but they’ve already developed a loyal group of beer enthusiasts in the short time they’ve been open. The O’Hare’s were already big beer fans prior to opening The Growler Exchange, but they quickly encountered a different side of the craft. “We’ve learned so much. It opens your eyes to so many styles, recipes...how brewers are running their business… small batch, large format,” Joey said. “We probably only knew 5% of beer prior to opening,” Joe said. “We knew that we liked it,” Joey joked.

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CRAFT BEER | WINE | FOOD | SPIRITS

60 TAPS & 300 + BOTTLES

BRASS TAP AT THE RIM - VETERAN OWNED

17619 LA CANTERA PKWY, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78257 | (210) 670-7090 | TheBrassTap.com

NEW HAPPY HOUR

4 PM – 7 PM

DRINK SPECIALS

FOOD SPECIALS

$3 Shots $4 Select Pints, House Wines

$4 Chicken Tacos, Angry Onion Straws,

& Sangria $5 Premium Wells

$6 Drink of the Week $7 Select Draught Flights

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EVERY DAY

5 Cheese or Pepperoni Flatbread $5 Beer-Battered Avocado, Tots or Pretzel Pieces with Beer Cheese $6 Mac & Cheese, Bruschetta or Boom Boom Shrimp $7 Short Rib Biscuit, Wings, Prime Rib Sliders or Chicken Nachos

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THERE ARE PARTS OF TOWN THAT ARE UNDERSERVED, SO FOR CRAFT BEER TO GROW IN SAN ANTONIO...WE NEED MORE PLACES THAT ARE CR AFT BEER-CENTRIC.

Located at 8318 Broadway St., The Growler Exchange is the only beerbased bar in their area and boasts 25 taps. At least three or four are dedicated to local breweries and one is always reserved for ciders. Their website lists a live draught, can, and bottle list. And as their name suggests, they also offer }À Ü iÀ w ð 9 Õ V> «ÕÀV >Ãi i v Ì i À }À Ü iÀà À w i v Þ ÕÀ own with almost anything on tap. Rare beers are the exception. “It’s another way for people to enjoy craft beer. They don’t have to sit at

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the bar, they can always take it togo,” Joey said. -Õ `>Þ Ã«iV > à V Õ`i i w v À 10% off, two for 15% off, three for 20% off, and four for 25% off. The rest of the week’s specials include all-day happy hour on Mondays and 20% off cans and bottles (including wine) on Wednesdays. There is usually an event at least once a week that ranges from a brewery pint night to live music and they host a live jazz band and swing dancers once a month.

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Customers can also join their Mug Club, > œ˜i‡Þi>Ă€ Â?ÂœĂž>Â?ĂŒĂž ÂŤĂ€Âœ}Ă€>“ ĂœÂˆĂŒÂ… ÂŤiĂ€ÂŽĂƒ and VIP service consisting of all pints Liˆ˜} ĂƒiÀÛi` ˆ˜ Ă“äÂ‡ÂœĂ•Â˜Vi “Õ}Ăƒ] £ä¯ Âœvv ĂŒÂ…i VÂ…iVÂŽ] > ĂŒÂ‡ĂƒÂ…ÂˆĂ€ĂŒ] VÂœÂ“ÂŤÂ?ˆ“iÂ˜ĂŒ>ÀÞ growler, and a yearly appreciation party. The Mug Club is the best way to take advantage of discounts on a few extra ounces of beer.

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While Joe recently retired from working as an electronic and communications ĂŒiV…˜ˆVˆ>˜] ÂœiĂž ĂƒĂŒÂˆÂ?Â? ĂœÂœĂ€ÂŽĂƒ ˆ˜ w˜>˜Vi vÂœĂ€ the oil and gas industry. “Beer starts as a hobby and kind of turns into business ĂƒÂœÂ“iĂŒÂˆÂ“iĂƒ° v ĂžÂœĂ• w˜` ĂƒÂœÂ“iĂŒÂ…ÂˆÂ˜} ĂžÂœĂ• really enjoy and you’re passionate about and you can do it, there’s an opportunity for it,â€? Joey said.

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GRAND OPENING EVENT FEATURING GREAT BEER, COUSIN’S MAINE LOBSTER & LIVE MUSIC

www.CACTUSLANDBREWING .com 368 COUNTY ROAD 325, ADKINS, TX 78101

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FOLLOW US ON:

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One thing that the O’Hare’s have adapted to is that the beers they have on tap won’t always appeal to their own respective palates. “If we were just to put on what we like, then we would probably be out of business already,” Joe said. “It’d be 25 IPAs and some sours,” added Joey. They maintain a balanced list of local and national options and crossover styles for those who might not drink craft beer, but Þ Õ½ iÛiÀ w ` > Þ LiiÀ vÀ Ƃ Bev or other big beer conglomerates. Joe has been drinking craft beer for over 35 years and turned it into a bonding experience with his son. “If I ever gave him a Bud Light or anything like that, he’d say no,” Joey said. “He kind of showed me the way, showed me the ropes, showed me what good beer is.” The Growler Exchange is constantly trying to expand their offerings and is

currently growing their bottle selection so that customers can purchase rare bombers to drink at the bar or at home. “We really try to get stuff that you can’t w ` iÛiÀÞÜ iÀi i Ãi° 7i «Õà ÕÀ distributors, we push our sales reps to really get us some rare cool beers that are hard to get,” Joey said. “We’re striving to keep it interesting and just give our customers something different that they’ve never had before. I think they enjoy new things but at the same time, human nature, you’re used to having that consistency.” The future will hopefully bring a few more The Growler Exchange locations. “I think we’d like to expand our footprint. I think there are parts of town that are underserved, so for craft beer to grow in San Antonio, as a whole, we ii` Ài « >ViÃ Ì >Ì >Ài VÀ>vÌ LiiÀ centric,” Joey said. 21

by J ennifer Alejos Photos by Jo Mando Cruz Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling’s co-founders, Mark McDavid, TJ Miller, and Dennis Rylander, all had a common goal — to provide a local craft beer experience for San Antonio. “It all started back in 2010,” says Mark. “The landscape in San Antonio was different; we had Blue Star, which had been around for a little while, and Freetail, which was maybe a year or two old, but no production breweries.” While working their corporate day jobs, the trio would meet at their closest watering hole, The Flying Saucer, after work. “The Flying Saucer was one of the only places to get craft beer at the time. We tried to drink locally made stuff and there was nothing. You could not get beer that was brewed in San Antonio at The Flying Saucer. You could get Shiner, maybe an Austin brewery or two, but there was nothing that was San Antonio made and we thought that was ridiculous,” said Mark. In their spare time, they homebrewed various recipes. Initially, homebrewing was a hobby; however, they eventually started experimenting and creating more intricate recipes, brewing small test batches, and sampling them with close friends. “We started winning some homebrew awards, but we didn’t know a ton about the business. So we went through the process of creating a business plan so we could get quotes from vendors and understand pricing and do that diligent sort of stuff. It was really helpful. I encourage anyone who is looking to start a brewery to go through that process because it’s super important if you don’t have the industry experience. And it was through that process that we started learning more about the whiskey side and the craft whiskey market. Because it’s similar to craft beer, but it’s 20 years behind,” Mark explained.

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During this time, the craft whiskey market, while developed in other states, was almost nonexistent in South Texas. As the crew learned more about the movement, they had a “eurekaâ€? moment — combining their two passions to create a brewstillery. After completing the business plan and with a wÀ“ Ă•Â˜`iĂ€ĂƒĂŒ>˜`ˆ˜} Âœv ĂŒÂ…i LĂ€iĂœÂˆÂ˜} >˜` distilling process, raising money became the next priority. Raising a little under a million dollars, let alone even considering opening a brewstillery, was a challenging feat, especially after a recession. But upon achieving their goal, they were able to

the two places that were here before anyone else was trying to start a craft beer scene (if there was one), and they deserve a lot of credit. They were here when it was hard, and they helped build what Freetail and Ranger Creek inherited and built, and it has been growing and growing,â€? said Mark. Once Ranger Creek began bottling their beer, they encountered a new set of problems. “One of the biggest, most frustrating things we experienced Ăœ>Ăƒ ÂœĂ•Ă€ ÂŤÂ?>˜ ĂŒÂœ ÂŤ>VÂŽ>}i ÂŁĂ“ œⰠLÂœĂŒĂŒÂ?iĂƒ from the get go. We found a good used bottling line from another brewery and `ÂˆĂƒVÂœĂ›iĂ€i` ĂŒÂ…>ĂŒ ÂˆĂŒ Ăœ>Ăƒ Ă•Ăƒi` ĂƒÂŤiVˆwV>Â?Â?Ăž

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WE ARE PART OF A COMMUNITY. WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO CONVERT MACROBREWERY DRINKERS INTO DRINKING LOCAL. AND THEN WE HAVE TO COMPETE TO BE YOUR FAVORITE.

�

ÂŤĂ•Ă€VÂ…>Ăƒi iÂľĂ•ÂˆÂŤÂ“iÂ˜ĂŒ LĂž >Â˜Ă•>ÀÞ Ă“ä£ä] receive it that summer, and by November Ă“ä£ä] ĂƒiÂ?Â? ĂŒÂ…iÂˆĂ€ wĂ€ĂƒĂŒ ÂŽi} Âœv ,>˜}iĂ€ Ă€iiÂŽ beer to the The Friendly Spot—a batch of their OPA (Oatmeal Pale Ale). Ranger Creek beer was beginning to enter the market. “But we still considered The Flying Saucer as our home because that’s where we got drunk and decided to start a brewery,â€? Mark emphasized. “That’s where our plates are on the wall, that’s where we had lots of meetings to talk about the brewery and I think between them and Blue Star, those were

vÂœĂ€ ÂŁĂ“ œⰠ…iĂ€ÂˆĂŒ>}i LÂœĂŒĂŒÂ?iĂƒ] ĂœÂ…ÂˆVÂ… >Ă€i ĂŒÂ…i shorter, heftier bottles. Our whole thing is about Texas and having that longneck bottle and those bottling lines isn’t easy to adjust. So we sold it for what we paid for it, but then it took us a couple of years to have the money to buy another bottling line. That was a crazy curveball that totally changed our packaging strategy and business plan. Being draft only was not part of our original plan. You just have to adapt to stuff like that,â€? said Mark.

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Another unanticipated revelation was OPA’s success. “We had four core beers when we started. The idea was that we’d have a lighter offering that was called our South Texas Lager that would be more like our gateway offering, and then we’d have more experimental craft stuff with the Mesquite Smoked Porter,” explained Mark. “Then we had La Bestia, and the OPA. We put OPA in our lineup just because we thought it was a fun beer and we had a connection to it. We thought the South Texas Lager was going to be the thing that everyone gravitated toward and then OPA became the thing that everyone gravitated toward so we ran with that and I think it’s still the beer that we’re known for, at least in San Antonio. It becomes a very philosophical thing, like what do you want your four beers to be in your core lineup?” Mark continued. “How many beers do you want in your core lineup? The way we viewed it then and the way we view it today is the beers that we brew are unique variations of styles that people know.”

Ranger Creek is currently working on a canning line, along with some other changes. “We have a couple of fun things up our sleeve for special releases, nothing we can talk too much about yet. In April we’ll have a bunch of barrels become mature and that’s another huge milestone for us. We’ve been waiting patiently for them to mature,” said Mark. Beyond the great things Ranger Creek offers the local scene, their attitude and approach is the most refreshing. “Come talk to us, we’re a very collaborative community,” offered Mark. “We like when people that are serious talk to us. You’re going to have questions that you can’t get answered any other way than to go talk to another brewery. We are part of a community. We have to work together to convert macrobrewery drinkers into drinking local. And then we have to compete to be your favorite— but let’s work together to convert «i « i wÀÃÌ°»

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