Unfiltered

The next time you’re steeping grains on the stove and dreaming of opening your own brewery, think of Scott Hovey. He too was once a passionate home brewer, doing it all for the love of the ale. But in 2011, Hovey traded his day job as an engineer for the life of a brewmaster, founding Adelbert’s Brewery in Austin, Texas.

That decision helped shape the Texas craft beer scene.

Over the last five years, Adelbert’s has rolled out a string of distinctive, award-winning ales. According to Adelbert’s General Manager Sarah Haney, it all starts on a very basic level: what sounds good.

“We don't have a standard process,” says Haney, regarding how they decide on what beer to brew next. “We aren't sitting around saying, ‘We need an imperial IPA by March or else.’ Instead, we'll chat and decide what sounds good to us. The Hibiscus Saison was inspired by a beer I had out in California and couldn't stop talking about, so Scott and I started pilot batching recipes.”

The process isn’t always perfect, and that’s actually part of the process.

Their Lemon Rye, for example, was the result of a miscalculation during a brew that ended in extra rye wort that had "good bones.” They added lemon peel and dry hopped it with Mosaic for kicks. It’s now one of their most popular taproom beers.

Each of the brewery’s main offerings is named in honor of the brewmaster’s older brother George Adelbert “Del” Hovey.

“Del lived an adventurous life, always coming home with wild and crazy stories,” says Haney. “Scott thought naming the brewery after him would be a great way to pay homage to his brother. Then we named our year-round beers after his crazy stories.”

Dancin’ Monks? Named after the Colombian Monks who used to dance the night away at Del’s annual retreat at his home near Navaisha Lake in Kenya. Sundowner commemorates Del’s habit of rounding up friends for long hikes that often ended in picnics at sunset.

In an effort to keep the stories authentic, special and limited releases are named more traditionally, rather than stretching one of Del’s tales too far from the truth.

As the brewery’s offerings grow, the Texas craft beer scene has done the same.

“Texas as a whole is behind other states due to restrictive beer laws. Those laws have changed a lot in the last five years, opening up a lot more opportunity for craft brewers to be successful,” says Haney. “Austin has grown exponentially. Just 10 years ago, there were really only a couple players in the craft beer game. Now it has grown to approximately 25 breweries/brewpubs and 10 more are in the works.”

Inspired by Belgian-style ales and fueled by a deep love of beer, the folks at Adelbert’s aren’t pretentious about the state of beer in general.

“Every beer has its place. In college, I drank Miller Lite and Dos XX,” says Haney. “As I got older, my preferences changed. There’s a beer for everyone and every occasion. Drinking a 9.3% Tripel B to float the river in San Marcos isn't a wise choice. I don't hate on someone if they want to drink a Lone Star, but I've found if I'm going to spend my money, I want it to go towards a more flavorful product and a business owner dedicated to the craft part of this industry.”

And who should be drinking Adelbert’s? At any given time, they’re cranking 8+ styles.

“We have something for everyone,” says Haney. “From the person just dipping their toe into craft for the first time to someone who has traveled around the world drinking beer.”

If you’d like to discover more about Adelbert’s, you can either grab a few bottles, or visit the brewery and learn about their multi-temperature decoction mash, super stacks that are about 6-ft tall and 4-ft wide, and where the grain comes from (Belgium, the UK and the Czech Republic).

Tour Information
Adelbert’s At Retail

This is the first in our Brewery Spotlight series. Over the next year, we’ll be featuring microbreweries from across the nation. To suggest a brewery near you, send an email to info@threadbrew.com.

This article pairs well with our Hopped Up collection.

Craft beer has really been making its mark in the beer market in the United States. People love the idea of trying new and interesting beers and so the industry continues to keep growing to satisfy this desire. All over the country, you'll find tons of breweries, some extremely popular and some that are small and not as well-known. Many of the breweries love to have visitors, and at some you'll even get a chance to talk to the brewers themselves. There are way too many breweries worth a visit to name them all, but these spots around the U.S. should definitely be on your Beer Bucket List.

Dogfish Head Brewery

Even if you don't know a lot about beer, you've probably at least heard of Dogfish Head and their slogan "Off-centered ales for off-centered people." Since it was founded in 1995, the company has grown immensely, so much so that in order to accommodate the growth the brewery had to be moved to Milton, from its original home of Rehoboth Beach. Over in Milton they also added a distillery, so there's something for everyone's taste. When visiting there's plenty to do, including tours, tastings, and even some games like cornhole and bocce ball. Dogfish Head Brewery also has something that makes them truly unique, besides their Steampunk Treehouse, which in my opinion makes for a pretty cool feature on their grounds. The brewery encourages everyone who visits to bring something to add to their Off-Centered Wall, whether it be a work of art, a phrase, a craft -- anything -- to showcase the personalities of their fans and the spirit of the company.

Jester King Brewery

In the Hill Country just a half hour outside of downtown Austin, you'll find Jester King Brewery, a farmhouse brewery dedicated to making awesome wild ales. Visit the brewery and you can get a free tour and also have the option to purchase some of their many beers to take home with you. One of the coolest things about Jester King is their beer labels, which are each a unique work of art created by Josh Cockrell. Aside from the great beer, these labels really make Jester King Brewery stand out.

Stone Brewing Co.

Stone Brewing Co. is a great place to visit because they not only have amazing beers, but it's also an all around beautiful brewery. The brewery includes a bistro which serves delicious food cooked with locally grown ingredients, and gorgeous gardens, creating a great atmosphere for all of its visitors. Stone Brewing Co. also boasts being environmentally responsible and was built with sustainability as a priority.

Cigar City Brewing

What's so special about Cigar City? Well to start, they have a cigar roller from Tabanero Cigars rolling fresh cigars in the tasting room from Tuesday to Saturday every week. This perk combined with the delicious beers crafted with flavors that reflect the ingredients in Florida makes Cigar City a must visit for beer and cigar lovers everywhere. Sample some beers on the brewery tour and relax in the tasting room, and you'll have yourself a pretty great day.

New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing Company was inspired by co-founder Jeff Lebesch's bike trip to different breweries in Belgium. The brewery has become increasingly popular since it started, especially with the creation of Fat Tire, their most famous beer. While they now have a brewery located in Asheville as well, their home is in Fort Collins, Colorado, and it's worth making a trip. The brewery hosts ton of events, including a bike-in cinema, and just is an all around fun place for people to visit. New Belgium places a high importance on sustainability, including placing a priority on clean water, diverting waste from landfills, and reducing their carbon footprint.

Church Brew Works

On the list of things you're probably not supposed to do in a church, you'd think that getting drunk is probably pretty close to the top. However, this brewery certainly doesn't think so. Church Brew Works was created by renovating an old unused church and now hosts tons of visitors coming to try new brews. Though there were many changes made, the architecture of the church gives the place a completely different feel than any other brewery, allowing guests to have a unique experience while enjoying some delicious beer.

Pelican Pub & Brewery

Part of the allure of Pelican Pub & Brewery is definitely its location; its ocean-front view and family friendly environment makes it a popular destination in Oregon. The brewery places just as high a priority on their food as they do their beer so you're bound to get everything you're looking for when you visit. They've won national and international awards for their brews so make sure you get a taste of all they have to offer!

Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse

What goes better with America's favorite past-time than a beer? Located at Louisville Slugger Field, Against the Grain is able to combine two huge loves of America, beer and baseball. This gem in Kentucky was created from a former train station, giving it a pretty cool look. The brewery has a large selection of many different types of beers, so you'll definitely be able to find one you like, and in case you happen to bring a non-beer lover along with you, Against the Grain also offers a variety of different cocktails to choose from.

Asheville Brewing Company

If you're big on beer, Asheville, North Carolina is the place to visit, with more breweries per capita than any other city in the United States. Located up in the mountains, Asheville is a truly beautiful place that just happens to know a thing or two about creating delicious local beers. While you'll probably get a great experience at all of the breweries, Asheville Brewing Company is a unique place to visit. Their original location on Merrimon Avenue is also known as the Brew N' View, and is home to a brewery, full-service restaurant, gameroom, and movie theater. Plus if you're in Asheville, they'll even deliver 6-packs and half-gallon growlers of their beer to you! That's pretty awesome if you ask me.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is one of the largest craft breweries in the United States. Something cool they offer at their brewery are different tour options you can take depending on your interests, including your typical Brewhouse Tour, a Sustainability Tour on the grounds, an extensive Brew Geek tour, and many other options. The tours can range from 90 minutes to 3 hours so whether you just want to see the sights or if you're looking to learn a lot more about making craft beer, Sierra Nevada has something for you.

This article pairs well with our Classic Threads.

If you’re reading this, there’s about an 80% chance you’re either supporting a college football team that isn’t going to be more relevant than “Little Caesar’s Bowl participant” or you’re obnoxious to everyone around you (looking at you, Alabama and Ohio State fans).

But it doesn’t matter!

The beauty of college football is that even when your team sucks, they’re still fun to watch. Because you got drunk at the tailgate! However, not all tailgates are created equal. That’s why we went ahead and found five college tailgates around the nation that really take things to the next level.

Ohio State Mirror Lake Jump

Each year, Ohio State students get ready for their annual rivalry game against Michigan by talking a lot of trash about Michigan fans and not having a sense of humor when they return the favor. Wait, no, well, they do that too, but they also take the Tuesday before the game to hold a midnight party/tailgate session and leap into Mirror Lake. Considering that the game takes place in November, it’s a pretty jarring and cold experience. Of course, if you drink enough, you’ll probably hardly even feel it.

Cal’s Tightwad Hill

Usually tailgating and watching the game take place at two separate times, since tailgates occur in parking lots, and colleges still think it’s a good idea to not let you drink during their games. That’s why University of California, Berkeley’s 90-year tradition of Tightwad Hill is a relief for daydrinkers and cheap football fans alike. The hill offers a free view of the California Memorial Stadium for all who want to climb it (with beer coolers in tow, no doubt).

University of South Carolina’s Cockaboose Railroad

In 1990, a developer decided to buy some land outside the stadium of the South Carolina Gamecocks, where he set up 22 private train cabooses and sold them off to fans as a tailgate space. They sold out almost instantly, and the last time one of these luxury train cars went on sale was 2013, with an asking price of $300,000. Still, for those lucky to know the right people, it’s just about the most unique and classy way to get drunk before a football game.

FSU’s Gator Roast

Good food is an integral part of a great tailgate, but Florida State University manages to mix food with, well, mascot desecration. Whenever they play in-state rivals Florida, fans of FSU kill and roast a gator of their own, in the hopes that their team will roast the gators on the field. It’s a great way to get into your opponents’ heads, and a tasty one to boot.

Harvard’s Wine and Cheese Tailgate

Harvard and Yale might not matter much to most football fans, but among students and alumni, the annual battle between snobby football teams is the biggest game of the year. Harvard uses this game as an opportunity to embrace every Harvard stereotype imaginable, replacing the standard beer-and-brat fare of a traditional tailgate with cheese and wine. Just because it’s snotty doesn’t mean it’s not delicious.

ThreadBrew Campus Ambassadors

Apply today to be a College Ambassador for ThreadBrew. As an Ambassador you will spread the ThreadBrew brand through campus events, social media outlets and of course get first access and receive free ThreadBrew apparel and swag.

Ambassadors will also be first in line for consideration for future positions within the company. We like to have fun while working hard, and, as a part of our team, you'll be doing the same. To learn more about our ThreadBrew College Ambassador Program, apply here.

You ever sit back with a can (or bottle) of your favorite brew and wonder just what beer you would be? No? Only Us? Fine, don’t judge. Anyways, we were kicking around the idea of what certain countries would be, if they were beers. This is what we came up with, and some might surprise you.

Russia: Arrogant Bastard Ale –

A creepy little character on the bottle, but with a surprisingly delightful brew on the inside, Arrogant Bastard Ale is pretty popular, so you should be able to find it at your local distributor. Be warned: the creepy little fella on the bottle looks like Putin.

America: Budweiser –

Even though InBev is a German company, you can’t deny that Budweiser is America in a can (or bottle). Easily the most popular beer in the United States, Bud Heavy has maintained a stranglehold on the beer industry for ages. They even rebranded as “America,” after all, so...

England: Brooklyn Brown Ale –

Sure, we could’ve gone with a traditional British import, but we decided to get crazy. We’re big fans of Brooklyn’s brews around here, so, we wanted to show them some love on this list. The Brooklyn Brown Ale takes English brewing tradition and melds two different styles to create a flavor and beer that’s wholly original.

Germany: Weihenstephaner –

This one is a bit on-the- nose, but it’s a damn good German brew. Oddly enough, it’s got a pretty tight banana flavor, which isn’t something you’d expect from a German beer, but whatever, it’s there. If you’re looking for a surprisingly delicious, fun beer, definitely give Weihenstephaner a try if your local distributor stocks it, which, honestly, they should, it’s delicious.

Mexico: Victoria –

If you don’t typically dive into Mexican-style beers, because "they’re too light" or you "don't like the taste" then it's time to check out Victoria - Victoria is where it’s at. A refreshing, spirited brew that isn’t watered down and goes down smooth... like a night partying across the border.

All in all, these are just a handful of beers that we thought connected pretty obviously (or subtly, we suppose in some cases) with a few countries. We hope you have a chance to try them all!

Weightlifting is a fun twist on flip cup. It’s played the same way except for one difference, the amount of beer in each cup.

Have a favorite drinking game to share? Tell us about it at info@threadbrew.com!