My Hop-Bringing in Austin

In case you missed it, Patrick Beach at the Austin-American Statesman mentioned Moonlight Tower in his latest article. It’s an honor to be included with these great breweries:

• Jester King
• Circle Brewing Co
• Hops and Grain
• Black Star Coop (if you aren’t already a member, check it out)

The Foam-ative Years

When I first moved to Austin in the summer of 1997, my friends introduced me to the Austin beer scene by taking me downtown to Waterloo Brewing Company. I fondly remember my first taste of O’Henry’s Porter. Sitting outside on the top floor of Waterloo overlooking 4th and Guadalupe before any condos or lofts muddled the landscape is a memory I hold onto to this day. I still have some of those old white plastic cups that don the Waterloo Brewing Company logo.

Then it was onto the Texas Craft Brewers Festival that same year, held at 4th and Colorado in November. Yes, November is one of the best months to hold an outdoor beer festival in Central Texas. The weather is mild, and I believe I even had to wear gloves. Drinking beer outside with gloves on is an experience to cherish. I’m simple that way. It was at that festival that I got to sample St. Arnold’s Christmas Ale. I remember the server said, “Careful with this one. It’s a doozie.” I used every one of my remaining wooden tokens on that ale.

From that point on, I aggressively sought out flavorful beers. I would often visit the Bitter End and drink (by the gallon) the Austin Pale Ale. That was my first lesson on what hops can bring to a beer. Sure, I had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but never had I sampled a beer that was so fresh and so local with hops. I didn’t quite understand why I liked it so much, but like it I did.

Celis brewery was one of my favorites. The Celis White was unparalleled. Thanks to Kevin Brand at (512) for bringing the wit back to Austin and adding his own twist to this exquisite brew by using local grapefruit instead of the more common orange peel.

And who can forget their first experience with Live Oak’s Hefeweizen? I had never tried this style before so when my future wife ordered it, I looked at the lemon wedge on the side of the glass and scoffed. But the moment the first few clovey notes danced across my tongue, I was sold.

Continuing the Tradition

Austin has been many “firsts” for me—my first porter, IPA, hefeweizen, wit, and many others. For that, I am eternally grateful. Austin truly has sculpted my beer knowledge and appreciation for the craft. I hope to one day express my gratitude and be a part of the craft brewing renaissance that is taking place in Central Texas and beyond.

Photo by gregoryjameswalsh.

100% Organic…Hops Too?

Being 100% organic is something I believe strongly in. Varieties of organic malt have never really been a hurdle when I brew. With all the organic malts out there, you can pretty much brew any beer style. Hops, on the other hand, are a different story.

The majority of the world’s organic hops come from New Zealand. The ideal growing climate and virtual lack of pests make New Zealand a hot bed (or hop bed) for growing my favorite ingredient in beer. However, our goal with Moonlight Tower Brewing Company is not only to use 100% organic ingredients, but also to reduce the carbon footprint all throughout the brewing process. It’s one of the core values of Moonlight Tower Brewing Company. So importing hops from New Zealand is not an option. While they do grow some amazing, high-quality hops, we cannot justify the amount of fuel needed to transport those hops from down under to the Lone Star State.

So we look to the United States for our hops. And it’s great to see small, independent hop farmers growing organic domestic hop varieties. This is just one farm of many. There are other organic hop farmers in America that are growing some great, pesticide-free hops. For example, small Washington and Colorado hop farmers are growing organic cascade and centennial hops, which are some of our favorite.

We believe this is the start of a great organic beer revolution in America. When you have the farmers growing just as many varieties of organic hops and malt as other farmers are growing conventionally, it’s easier for brewers everywhere to choose all organic ingredients. That benefits the farmers, brewers, and most of all, the American beer drinkers. I’ll raise a pint to that!

Photo by michaelstyne.

So It Begins…

Welcome to the Moonlight Tower Brewing Company blog! Here, we hope to share our progress in starting a 100% organic microbrewery in Austin, Texas. We are still very early in the planning stages. Don’t forget to subscribe to get the latest Moonlight Tower Brewing news.

Cheers!