"Bear Republic ⁄ Fat Head’s ⁄ Stone TBA" Stone Collaboration Beer Revisits Texas Brown Ale

Hopefully this is good. Some of the recent collabs have been pretty meh.

 

I had the Texas Brown Ale at Fathead's in December and actually took and saved the beer menu from that day. Yes I am a geek.

Biscuit, Caramel, &Chocolate Malts
Chinook and Cascade Hops
ABV: 7.3
IBU:60

So its a pretty different beer. Fathead's original was outstanding. It was my favorite beer of the night and they had a great lineup.

The collaboration should be stellar.

 

Most likely never going to see it since the last release I even saw was the cherry stout and even that was kind of jacked up at more than 4+ dollars a bottle. Love how some places will charge 7-9 dollars just because it's a limited collab.

 

Interesting. The collabs run around $2.99 here.

 

Here is the official press release:

Escondido, CA (February 27th, 2012) - Stone Brewing Co. is releasing its first collaboration beer of 2012—dubbed “Bear Republic ⁄ Fat Head’s ⁄ Stone TBA”—which begins rolling out to select regions today.

This particular beer pays homage to a relatively little–known beer style called Texas Brown Ale, which, strangely enough, has its roots in California. It originated as a hopped up version of a brown ale recipe, and it got pretty popular with a group of NorCal homebrewers in the early 1980s.

“These California guys were tweaking an English-style brown,” explains Matt Cole, Head Brewer of Fat Head’s Brewery. “They added some Crystal and Chocolate malts, and supercharged it with a bunch of Cascade hops to get a bigger version with more hop forward aromas and flavors.”

While delicious, these beers failed to fare well in homebrew competitions, since there was no recognized category they could be entered in. They were far too hoppy and bitter to be considered a traditional brown ale. But when a competition in Houston, TX, accepted entries for what they named the “California Dark” category, the American Homebrewers Association followed suit soon after, though they perplexingly changed the name to Texas Brown Ale.

“Bear Republic ⁄ Fat Head’s ⁄ Stone TBA” revisits this uncommon style, incorporating a few new twists. “Everyone got to add elements that they feel are special to them for that style of beer,” notes Richard Norgrove, Jr., Brewmaster at Bear Republic Brewing Co., who added brown sugar and molasses to the recipe for added complexity. “That’s what’s cool about collaborations. You get to work with two other brewers you respect, and you all have different thoughts and ideas on how to make a great beer together.”

“Collaborations give us a chance to get really creative,” adds Mitch Steele, Brewmaster at Stone Brewing Co. “We get to make a beer that we otherwise wouldn’t normally brew.”

​

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Bear Republic ⁄ Fat Head’s ⁄ Stone TBA​

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Stats: 7.1% abv, 81 IBUs​

Availability: Limited 12oz bottles & draft, beginning February 27th​

Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, MA, NC, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, VT, WA​

Malts: Pale 2–Row, Crystal 60, Toasted Wheat, Victory, and Chocolate Malt​

Hops: Bravo, Brewer’s Gold, Cascade, and Columbus​

Brewers:​

• Richard Norgrove, Jr. (Brewmaster, Bear Republic Brewing Co. | Healdsburg, CA | @brbcbrew)
• Matt Cole (Head Brewer, Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon | Cleveland, OH |@FatHeadsBeer)
• Mitch Steele (Brewmaster, Stone Brewing Co. | Escondido, CA |@StoneBrewingCo)

Twitter hashtag: #stonecollab​

Our other Collaboration Beers: Stone Collaborations​

 

Cant wait to try and get my hands on this!

Is it going to be widely available in the states it is available in? Or is it going to be very limited?


And does anyone know where to get a glass from the video? (9seconds in) Their Old Guardian glass looks like it but i dont want branded glass (unless it said TBA on it )

 

These collabs are usually plentiful in California to the point that they sit on the shelf for months. I am not too sure how other states are.

 

Thanks man!

I am optimistic now. There are some 2011 Guardians chillin at one of my stores still

 

Anyone know if its in Houston yet?

 

It is really good, get it while it is fresh. Hop aroma is great in this beer.

 

Called two places in Illinois. One place was out already and the other hasnt gotten any in yet.


How wide is distribution to the states they are shipping to? Usual places that they ship to or is it limited?

 

http://www.stonebrew.com/collab/tba/

 

Texas might get this, if it does, it will be in a few months... had the more black than brown in SC in Oct. or Nov. got to texas in what January, Feb?

 

^^Thanks. But is it a limited release to only certain stores in those states? Or all their stores they distribute to?


Im guessing im f*cked lol

 

Just checked a couple places near me. Ill have to grab one. Gotten all the others.

Cheers!

 

Anyone know if it will hit Houston?

 

Yeah the MO Stone rep says no go. I guess everything doesn't mean everything....

 

It's listed to be distributed in texas. We just have to wait for tabc to approve the label.

 

Did anyone ever see this in Chicago? I have been looking since I got the release email form Stone in February and have not seen one bottle. Strange thing is I saw others like Celeste and More Brown Than Black in abundance for months after their release. Weird.