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| Rodeo Clown Double IPA Karbach Brewing Co. Houston, Texas |
It serves me right. Just as soon as I defiantly declare Texas beer unable to stand up to my much beloved Great Lakes, the universe sends me straight to Karbach Brewing Co. and I stand pleasantly humbled, beer in hand. I won't mourn the loss of Shiner once back north given the greater access to craft brews (more on that later), but Karbach's Rodeo Clown Double IPA and Hopadillo? An enthusiastic "YES! Must I be forced to live without this?!" from this little lady.
Karbach Brewing Co. is a year-old Houston craft brewery whose construction wrapped up and doors opened for brewing on August 8, 2011. The company took the name Karbach thanks to its address -- 2032 Karbach Street -- but also due to the history of the warehouse, the location of the owner's former distribution company he had to close to follow his dream of operating a craft brewery.
Let's talk Texas law.
Under the 21st Amendment, regulation of alcohol sales is given to individual states. Since the repeal of Prohibition, alcohol is sold through a three-tier distribution system (manufacturers, distributors and retailers), intended to prevent breweries from controlling or unfairly influencing retailers and therefore limiting consumer choice. The cost of these precautionary measures include a 20-25% mark-up and undue influence on distributors given to big-business-beer companies, making it a challenging system for small, craft breweries to break into in a place like Texas.
How has this affected the craft beer industry here? Craft beer sales account for only 0.4% of the Texas beer industry, compared to 4% nationwide. I'm not claiming to know more than the above, but it's pretty clear Texas isn't a craft-friendly state. (Each time I mention hailing from Ohio to a bartender or Karbach tour guide, I'm met with envy over the freedom Ohio distributors and craft brewers have). Which brings us back to Karbach, which opened after "Mr. Karbach" chose to give up his successful distribution company to follow his tasty, hoppy dreams.
Back to the beer.
Visiting the brewery for a tour has got to be one of the best deals in town. For $7 you're given an 8 oz. "Drink Beer and Carry On" glass and four (4) tokens for the Karbach brew of your choosing. Even better? You can upgrade to one of their specialty glasses for $12 - $15, including a pilsner, Karbach pint glass, snifter (see mine pictured above), or weizen glass and take advantage of those same four tokens/person. (If you're going to conquer the tokens, bring someone along to get you home).
Their canning/kegging operation.
Karbach's distribution doesn't extend outside of Houston - currently, what you see is what you get.
Cyclists cooling off in their storage room.
Like many craft breweries, Karbach is busy experimenting with finishing their beer
in wine and bourbon barrels, to no doubt yummy results.
Food truck time.
In addition to beating Texas temps and enjoying cold craft beer, my true mission of the day was accomplished: eat at StickIt Food Truck, conveniently parked next to the entrance of the brewery. Score.
Food trucks are all the rage these days, from reality TV shows on FoodNetwork and the Cooking Channel to a veritable fleet roaming the streets of every major city, selling everything from barbecue, tacos and fresh sushi to cake balls and waffles.
StickIt didn't disappoint. Their menu featured the following, with each entree served with fries or rice:
GRILLED BEEF TENDERLOIN - chimi aioli, grilled zucchini, roasted peppers, and fresh chimichurri
KOREAN BBQ PORK BeLLY - marinated veggies, sweet chili crema, sesame, scallions
BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN - white pepper gravy, cheddar cheese, and sweet/spicy corn salad
BEER BATTERED FISH - hand cut fries and malt vinegar aioli
FUNNEL CAKE BATTERED BRIE CHEESE - blackberry compote and powdered sugar
We opted for the Korean BBQ Pork Belly -- because who can say no to pork belly, really? -- and the Beer Battered Fish.
Surprisingly, the fish won. Maybe I haven't tried enough fish n' chips in my day, but it was THE BEST beer battered fish I've ever had. Seriously! Hot. Flaky. Fresh. Moist. Flavorful. Look at it! It's gorgeous! There wasn't enough malt vinegar aioli to go around (probably because it tasted good on everything), and the fries weren't anything special, but that delightful fish on a stick still crosses my mind now and then.
The pork belly was disappointingly tough but still had that fatty, porky flavor we all love. The rice was the perfect accompaniment to the marinated veggies, sweet chili crema, sesame, and scallions.
Overall, another winning weekend on the growing list of the Texas culinary adventures. Eat up!
Interested in reading more about the companies and products mentioned above?
Shiner Beer: http://www.shiner.com/main.php
Karbach Brewing Co.: http://www.karbachbrewing.com/home
StickIt Food Truck: http://stickitfoodtruck.com/
Great Lakes Brewing Company: http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/home
Texas beer laws: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2011/05/hophead-itorial_why_the_craft.php
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