Ranger Creek Hefe

Ranger Creek Hefe

After a bit of a delay to get things right, Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling Co. has released its German-style hefeweizen. It will be available on draft only in September and into October at select locations.

While people watching on South Alamo at The Friendly Spot, a pint of the beer went down smoothly. It served as the perfect transitioning beer as the temperatures briefly dropped from 103 to 81 degrees after a rare rain shower.

That’s the beauty of hefeweizens. With the wheat and German pilsner malts and special yeast, there is something both summery and fall-like in one drink that provides hints of banana, clove, and other spices (without adding any).

Keep an eye out for some new Ranger Creek specialty beers like a double IPA and a dark saison. Head brewer Rob Landerman is doing a lot of barrel aging of beers for some interesting flavors and experimenting with some additional infusions from mesquite bean pods, prickly pear cactus, juniper berries, and arbol and ancho chiles.

You can also get a taste of most of Ranger Creek’s lineup at the monthly open house. The next one is scheduled for Sept. 10. Five bucks for the Ranger Creek glass gets you in the door, but you have to get on the guest list early by signing up and getting a confirmation at drinkrangercreek.com.

Real Ale Canned

Real Ale Brewing Co., a South and Central Texas favorite, is getting on the bandwagon for canning micro-brewed beers.

A major expansion at the Blanco brewery is at the slab stage now, but when fully operational they’ll have a new bottling and a canning line, said head brewer Erik Ogershok.

Canning of craft beer was made popular by Oskar Blues Brewing Co. in Colorado beginning with their Dale’s Pale Ale. Since then, it has become a major consideration for existing and startup craft breweries.

Southern Star Brewing Co. of Conroe launched with tallboys of its Pine Belt Pale Ale from the beginning. Austin Beerworks is canning its core styles including a pilsner, pale ale, and IPA. And Uncle Billy’s Brewing Co.’s second location on Lake Travis is looking at canning its beers for the picnic and water-recreation crowds.

Darkside of Sour

Darkside Fermentation at the Root Cellar Café in San Marcos has just put out its first bottles of Flanders Red Sour, a Belgian style of beer with a lot of funkiness gained from three months conditioning in the bottle and even more tartness as it ages.

Darkside is a small-batch brewpub, so brewer Silas Parker’s creations can only be obtained on site.

Travis E. Poling writes about beer weekly for the Current and is author of Beer Across Texas: A Guide to Brews and Brewmasters of the Lone Star State. You can reach him at travis@beeracrosstexas.com.