Breweries "in-planning" around Texas

Again, good list @aschwab, and I think highlights the gist of what I am saying. I am thinking of one that was even older and started from the old BA site, before it crashed. There was a big, long drawn out...friendly discussion, lets say. The type that typically happens on this forum, and we are still basically having that same discussion.

 

While I do agree that the amount of craft drinkers in TX very small but there is also rapid growth in that sector. We don't always notice it here on this website (although there are a lot of new members), but you really notice it when you go to buy a beer that used to sit on the shelf. I also agree with you that there has been an influx of new beers to the TX market but those breweries are not always known to new craft drinkers who tend to gravitate to local breweries. I think the competition in the end is a good thing and we should welcome it because it pushes TX breweries to create better beers. We may also have more options now then we used to but we still lag behind many states when it comes to selection, many of which have a much smaller population then TX.

The only real objection I have to your post is that we have a better chance of converting wine drinkers to craft drinkers then we have to convert BMC drinkers. Every person I have ever converted into a full time craft drinker was a BMC drinker. What to you think most of the people on this site started with? I've never been able to convert a wine drinker, maybe to drink sours, but those are so limited its hard to keep them drinking beer. Even if you get a BMC drinker to only drink Bombshell Blond they are at least still drinking craft. I got my Dad, who used to only drink Heineken, to drink craft, even if he generally only drinks Hefeweizens. Wine drinkers I feel are very hard to convert, whereas a BMC drinker at least drinks beer and is open to trying a different beer because it's beer.

The numbers in TX are so large that even a small percentage of craft drinkers is a large number. Think about this Oregon has less then 4 million people in the entire state. If TX as an entire state had 5% consumption of craft, which is not inconceivable since nationally its closer to 10% if not over, that's 1.3 million craft drinkers.

 

I think it depends on the type of wine drinker. People seriously into wine tend to be snobby and close-minded, the type of person you don't want in your bar anyway! Personally, I used to be a wine drinker...I liked wine because a bottle of wine has a story and the vineyard a history, and making wine is a delicate process, etc. I never drank wine as a status marker or a "hey look at me, I'm drinking a $200 Bordeux". I guess I started drinking craft because it has the same type of artisanal aspect to it, where there is usually a story behind the product. And beer tastes damn good. Just my thoughts, though. Cheers!

 

My girlfriend is a wine drinker. I introduced her to craft brew early in our relationship and she loves IPAs/IIPAs. Doesn't like sours. Granted, she was more likely to try craft brew due to willingness to have us do things together, but I've met people at beer/food pairings who were basically wine snobs. They were invited by someone who was a craft brew aficionado and they admitted to being impressed by some of the brews.

Oregon is a bunch of fruits & nuts crowd who'll try anything. Texas is full of bubbas and poor folk who drink what is cheap. Craft brew ain't cheap. Now, I concede that you will be more likely to convert your frat bros from BMC to craft since college kids are like the Oregon crowd in their willingness to try anything.

 

I think the problem is that you're stereotyping specific groups of people and writing them off. I like to think that everyone can be a craft drinker, maybe not at the volume that we drink it at or spend money on it, but that isn't to say that drinking craft every now and then is just as bad as not drinking it. Oregon has just been doing it longer then in TX and the availability is much higher. TX is also full of people with disposable income to buy craft in excess, but a lot of them do not do it because they don't know any better. My real question for the wine people that were impressed by the beers is: Do they continue to drink craft beer after that or do they go back to wine because those beers were pretty good for "beer"? That's my experience with wine people. Not that I have anything against wine, just closed minded people.

 

there's a beer for everybody....

 

There's a difference between having a beverage preference (be it wine, beer, bourbon, etc) and being closed minded. You're conflating the two.

 

I'm referring to people that are not willing to try new things because they tried something once and didn't like it. I have a preference to beer and will buy it over other beverages, but I will still try them from time to time. ie if I'm at a winery or wine specific place I will drink wine. I completely understand some people no matter what will not like beer, but they've at least tried. I think you're thinking I'm calling wine drinkers close minded, I'm not.

 

weird. i can say the same about the craft beer crowd. hahaha!

pretty much one of the reasons i respect Jester King so much. these guys are thinking it through. unlike some breweries, where the brewers are just like..."HEY WE MADE A WATERMELON PECAN BROWN ALE, DRY HOPPED WITH SUNFLOWER PETALS...BARREL AGED IN VIN SANTO BARRELS (please someone, make a vin santo barrel aged barley wine, i will love you long time) BECAUSE CRAFT BEER, YO!"

Jester King has a story for every beer they brew and wild fermentation is definitely a delicate process. i applaud those guys...they are trying to form a close relationship with bipolar mother nature. its like the crazy hot girl with daddy issues. sometimes mother nature works with you, sometimes mother nature says "f*ck yo couch, Jester King, im not working with you on this blueberry sour." and after all the disagreements they've had between each other...they keep pushing on, cherishing those great moments they had.

 

I'm not one to worry too much about names, but there are some really good ones in there. 1 or 2 really bad ones...but mostly really cool names. Old Omen, Bull Creek, Pecan Point, Strange Land, Last Stand, Brash.

 

I'm friends with the guy behind Steam theory. His plan is to open next summerish. People should be excited about this one, his home brews are amazing. His triple IPA was inspired by younger, and it's ridiculous. I believe the plan is to open in the lower Greenville area.

 

What appears to be a home brewer opening up a Brick and Mortar brewery in Austin (proposed 2015 opening) called Boozehound just followed me on instagram. Another for the list...

 

http://i.instagram.com/boozehoundbrewing/

 

IronSight Brewers should be in production around March and SpindleTop is not going to open due to financial issues

 

So there was a Spindletop and a Spindletap both being planned in Houston? Sucks one didn't make it but that would have been very confusing