Amber Ale
Saint Arnold's first brew, which I sampled initially at the Texas Brewers Festival (which dates both me and the beer!). Happily, the
beer is now widely available around the state. In my opinion it's the best beer
in the Saint Arnold line, especially when sampled as a cask-conditioned ale (see below). Medium copper in color, the beer presents a pleasantly balanced
nose of malt and hops. The taste is hoppy (Cascades), but with a good maltyness you rarely find in your run of the mill Ambers.
George Fix says (via HBD): that it's an all malt ale featuring Belgian color malts (what else is there!)
The wort SG was 1.054 (13.5 P), and this fermented down to 1.011 (2.7 P). Copious amounts of
Cascades were added at the middle and late portions of the boil, and equally copious amounts of
Liberty hops were added to the whirlpool. The final beer IBU is expected to be in the mid 30s,
although we haven't had the time measure it yet.
Brown Ale
This is a dark brown ale with a pleasant maltiness, mouthfeel, which I faulted as being low in the past seems to have benefited greatly
from the switch to RO water (as a base; minerals are added back on a per-recipe basis). Naturally, little hop expression, in keeping with the style. Still not
the world's definitive brown, but quite tasty and very drinkable.
Elissa IPA
The fifth addition to the year-round line is this hoppy IPA. Brewed in the decidedly American style,
the beer is a deep copper to amber brew with good clarity. Hop dominated nose with strongly hoppy
flavors, veering to the citric/grapefruit overtones so common to this style.
According to the brewery, the beer is named for ELISSA, the floating National Historic Landmark
that makes its home at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston. A portion of proceeds from the
sale of Saint Arnold Elissa IPA will be donated to the Galveston Historical Foundation for
ELISSA's preservation.
The OG is reported as 1.061 with an estimated IBU of around 60 (I'd say both these figures are pretty
accurate based on the pre-production "tester" that I sampled).
Fancy Lawnmower Beer
Saint Arnold's take on Kolsch is this light and airy beer. Straw color and more or less clear. Crisp
nose reminiscent of sweeter wheat beers. Light flavor with hints of sweetness in behind the dry and
ever so slightly start. As the name implies, a wonderful quaffing beer on those hot days. Available on tap and
bottle all around the state, I believe this is now Saint Arnold's best selling beer.
Kristall Weizen
Another foray into the style of American Wheat (everybody seems to be brewing one these days!)
but somewhat misleadingly labeled in the German manner. First a word about the term 'Kristall',
which typically refers to a filtered wheat, as opposed to 'Hefe' which means yeast is still present
in the drinking product. While the beer is filtered in this case, the Germanic name lead me to expect a classic German wheat, complete
with fruity (bananna) phenolics, but none were present. This is a fine and drinkable golden colored (and
clear, of course) product. Wheat dominates all aspects giving it that preternatural crispness found in
the better examples of this style, and this beer is a very well executed version of the style (if you like American Wheats, this is
one of the best you'll find from Texas).
- Cask Conditioned Ale
Sadly, this great brew is available in very limited quantities around Houston and
select other Texas cities (most Gingerman outlets carry the beer). For those of you unfamiliar with the "cask conditioned"
moniker, it simply denotes that the beer is served directly out of the secondary
fermentor, and has generally been dry-hopped. Cask ales have low carbonation due
to this fact, and the kegs have to be carefully tended to avoid spoillage. At any
rate, this is a British style which seems to be gaining in polularity among American
craft brewers. Saint Arnold's version is quite well made, having a nice malty
character, and sporting a fine, earthy hop aspect (E. Kent Goldings dominated. if I recall
correctly). It also sports those great minty flavors (with hints of pink soap) you get from hops in the serving tank.
So, if your local bar serves this tap only beverage be sure to give it a try.
Oktoberfest
The fall specialty offering (turning up about the time you'd expect it to...) is an appropriately strong ale. Auburn and clear, the
beer is generally sweet tasting with a mellow alcoholic dryness. The slightest hint of bitterness creeps in at the very finsih of the taste,
setting off the caramel notes that dominate. The faintest fruit flavors start to come out when the beer warms. Overall, a nice (if not completely orthodox) interpretation
of the style.
Special Christmas Ale
Big, alcoholic beer with a profile dominated by malty character, but still maintaining a nice
hop overtone. Sort of a less hoppy version of Sierra Nevada's Christmas ale. It's ruby in color
and has a nose shared by alcohol and hops.
Around Houston and a very few other locales, this beer is offered in dropper-quantities as a cask-conditioned ale. If you happen to see it, drop
everything and try it. The beer is definitely at its best on cask.
Saint Arnold's describes it thusly:
A rich, full-flavored copper-colored ale. This beer is perfect for
the holiday season with its malty sweetness and spicy, flowery hop character.
Its high alcohol level should help put even a Scrooge in the Christmas spirit.
The generous addition of five different malts is responsible for the hearty
flavor of this beer. It has a rich, creamy head with a fine lace. The light
fruitiness, characteristic of ales, is derived from a proprietary yeast strain.
Saint Arnold Christmas Ale is best consumed at 45¡ to 50¡ Fahrenheit, preferably
in front of a roaring fireplace.
Ingredients: Malt: We use five different types of malted barley in the
Christmas Ale, no other grains or cereals such as corn or rice. The large
quantity of malts is responsible for the sweetness and high alcohol content.
Hops: We use two different Pacific Northwest hop varieties in the Christmas
Ale. The resulting hop character is a spicy bitterness and a flowery hop
bouquet.
Our ale is pure, with no additives or preservatives. In order to maintain the
freshest flavor possible, we do not pasteurize our ale. Many of its subtle
flavors are delicate and would not stand up to the heat of pasteurization. We
recommend that this product be stored cold to avoid any degradation in flavor.
Specifications: Original Gravity: 1.066 (16.8¡ Plato)
Color: Copper
Bitterness: 35 IBU
Alcohol Content
By Weight: 5.5%
By Volume: 6.8%
Spring Bock
Amber with rosy highlights and a thin head. Carmel nose with hints of apple and some roasty overtones.
Starts fruity on the tongue but then goes roasty and into an alcoholic finish with just a hint
of bitterness. As the beer warms, it becomes more coatingly alcoholic and vaporous. Overall a nice (real) bock.
Summer Pils
Formerly known as Summerfest (a name that a certain Chico-based brewery took exception to). Clear and bright yellow to golden with a effervescent nature. Sweet nose with cherry hints. Taste
starts out light but quickly slides into an almost metallic bitterness. As the beer warms the sweetness
returns to the finish, and some wheat flavors begin to express themselves. Ultimately a refreshing beer
that sports a lingering hop bitterness.
Winter Stout
A seasonal beer available generally from early January to late February, however it generally appears only
after the Chistmas beer supply has been exhausted and stays around until sold out itself; so the dates
are flexible. It's also sports the lowest volume of the seasonals and thus sees little distribution outside of Houston. They've tinkered with putting this
beer on cask, but I've not ever seen it offered away from the brewery. Maybe one day...
Deep ruby in color with golden highlights, and not quite opaque. Sports a sweet, caramel nose that has hints of toffee. These aromas continue
as flavors in the beer, with the added note of roasted barley. The slightest sense of bitterness emerges
as the beer warms, though the malt flavors continue to dominate.
- Miscelaneous Information:
SABC is now the largest independent brewery in Texas.
Tours are held every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. For information, call (713) 686-9494. Tours are conducted
by the brewmaster (and co-owner) Brock Wagner, who has made an extensive study of beers and brewing.)
Saint Arnold also has its own official web page here.
