Thanksgasm at Ranger Creek

Texas Girls’ Pint Out (self-described as “Gals into grolsch. Ladies into lagers. Princesses into pilsners. Angels of ale,” etc.) and Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling Co. have teamed up for a second year to give thanks for beer and food ... and food made with beer.

Thanksgasm 2 (7pm Sat, Nov 19) is being held at the brewer (4834 Whirlwind Dr) and a portion of the proceeds will go to support area food banks.

“It’s basically going to roll as a regular Thanksgiving dinner, starting with a small portion of the food and the beer so attendees can taste and understand the pairings,” says head brewer Rob Landerman. “And then at the end, they’ll enjoy a flight of beers with a full plate of the food.”

The tentative menu includes turkey brined in La Bestia Aimable Belgian dark strong ale, roasted garlic mashed potatoes made with Oatmeal Pale Ale, saison and savory pumpkin soup, and bourbon pecan pie with Mesquite Smoked Porter whipped cream.

Tickets are $55 and must be purchased by November 14 by cash or check at the brewery or by mail. You can e-mail Landerman at Rob@DrinkRangerCreek.com for more information.

Want to try this at home? We’ve posted the recipe for the turkey and Mission Trail Kolsch stuffing at the Bottle & Tap blog at blogs.sacurrent.com.

New brewery updates

You’ve read about several new breweries coming to the area in Bottle & Tap, but where are they now? Here’s a roundup:

Filling Station Brewing Co. in Southtown has filled out reams of paperwork for the federal and state government and is awaiting approval to start making beer in the state’s tiniest brewpub of 300 square feet.

Pedernales Brewing Co. in Fredericksburg is tightening the nuts and bolts on its microbrewery, and the original early November date to have beer ready has now moved to mid-December.

New Braunfels Brewing Co. is finishing out its space in downtown New Braunfels and frequently publicizes test-batch tastings on its Facebook page to give everyone a chance to try the hefeweissen and dunkelweissen.

Guadalupe Brewing Co. in New Braunfels is close to finishing out its microbrewery space and is already brewing on a small pilot system. We should be seeing beers from Guadalupe in early 2012.

Are you thinking of starting a brewery in Texas? Drop me a line and tell me about your plans. Thirsty minds want to know.

Travis E. Poling is beer writer for the Current, conducts tutored tastings, beer knowledge training, 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.