Brenner’s 2012 Fall Beer Fest – Recap With Pics
Our Texas Intern Andy recaps Brenner’s Fall Beer Festival with accompanying pictures below. If you are interested in becoming an intern at The Full Pint, please check out this link. Cheers.
This past weekend in usually hot, humid Houston, featured fantastic weather and one of the few beer festivals we’re priveleged to: Brenner’s Fest. Located in and around Brenner’s on the Bayou, an upscale steakhouse adjacent to Memorial Park, Brenner’s Fest showcased the best craft beer Texas has to offer.
I dragged my drinking buddy along for the ride, which of course didn’t take much persuading. After making our way through the entrance and picking up our generously sized tasting glass, we went right to work. The festival area was small, with several booths set up right outside of the restaurant. As people filed in I did feel a bit constricted, but one look at the bright blue sky and the placid Buffalo Bayou fixed me right up.
The breweries in attendance were all Texas based – that’s never a complaint. These included Shiner, Saint Arnold, Karbach, Southern Star, Real Ale, Independence, Rahr, No Label, Jester King, and Texas Homebrewers. Unfortunately (512) Brewing, home of the fantastic Pecan Porter, was absent. The beers poured were the staples of each brewery, with no special or limited release offerings available, but that’s not a complaint either; they’re some of the best.
Standouts included Southern Star’s Pro Am, a big and flavorful DIPA that won’t be around again (confirmed at the booth, sadly) until next year; Jester King’s Wytchmaker Rye IPA, a beer that I’ve struggled to find fresh in the Houston area; and Independence Brewing’s Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout, no doubt their best year-round offering.
As if the beer wasn’t enough, the food was beyond my expectations. Strategically spaced between the brewery booths were a number of food stations loaded with plate after plate of braised pork sliders, Guiness soaked ice cream sandwiches, and bacon-wrapped shrimp. The servers seemed plenty able to talk about what they were serving, an ability that’s always a plus.
Although it’s hard to imagine anything more important than good beer and delicious food, the atmosphere is always a factor. Brenner’s delivered on that, as well. While a local band cranked out covers of some of the most well-known classic rock songs written, I lounged alongside the bayou accompanied by the sounds of my fellow festival goers enjoying (and hopefully learning more about) the best craft beer in the Lone Star state.
