Craft Beer News

Texas craft brewery doubles down with new spicy pickle beer

If you liked the original Sour Pickle Beer, have we got a beer for you.

Photo by Shugg Cole

A Fort Worth brewery is doubling down on the pickles: Martin House Brewing Co., which saw unprecedented success in August 2019 with the release of a pickle-flavored beer, is following up with a new spicy version.

Like the original Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer, this new one represents a partnership with Fort Worth-based pickle company Best Maid.

This spicy version was first introduced on a sampling basis when Martin House launched the original.

"It was a hit when we sampled it at the original pickle beer launch party so we’re bring[ing] it back in cans for a very limited time," the brewery says in a release. By "limited time," they mean that the spicy version will be available until March 2020.

If this one follows the path of the original, you can expect a frenzy of interest and difficulty in tracking it down.

But you'll definitely be able to find it when they'll throw (another) big party at the brewery on Saturday, March 7, from 12-5 pm.

It promises to be a real pickle-fest. In addition to the original Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer and this new Spicy Pickle Beer — which will be on tap at all beer stations that day — they'll also be serving four pickle beer variants on tap:

Xtreme Sour
Xtreme Hot
Bloody Mary (a fan favorite)
Jalapeno Bread N Butter

And the Spicy Pickle Beer will be available to-go in 4-packs for $10. Tickets are $15. That includes one pint glass with the Best Maid/Martin House logos, and four 8-ounce pours of beer.

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WHOM THE BELL SOTOLS

Poolside sotol bar splashes into high-end downtown Austin hotel

Photo by Jade Hammer

Cantero Austin.

Austin's thirst for desert spirits may not be precisely quantifiable, but there's no doubt it is on the rise. Over the last decade, several mezcal and tequila bars have popped up throughout the city. No wonder the Line Austin is eager to enter the game with its newest nightlife offering, Cantero.

Officially open as of November 12, it's the Capital City's first bar emphasizing sotol, a sibling spirit of mezcal made with the desert spoon plant instead of agave. The chic space, decorated with Mexican modernist neutrals, opens up to the downtown property's pool.

"When planning Cantero, we knew we wanted to highlight local ingredients and Texas spirits," explained Line head of creative Stefan Merriweather in a release. "Sotol, a regional gem, stood out as something we hadn't yet encountered in a dedicated bar, and we saw an opportunity to introduce our guests to something fresh and unexpected."

Although the bar stocks other spirits, it has one of the broadest sotol collections in the region. While Mexican brands like Flor del Desierto are featured, Cantero stocks Texan trailblazers like Desert Door and Marfa Spirit Co.

Guests can enjoy sotol via standalone tastings or mixed in signature cocktails like the Yucca with Aperol, lemon cordial, habanero bitters, and soda; or the Strelitzia with ginger, lemon, and lavender-honey soda. Other liquors anchor more sippers, like the Dahlia with mezcal, green pepper, sweet corn, and smoked chili bitters.

The lounge also enjoys proximity to the Line's outpost of Veracruz All Natural. Guests can soak up the booze with the entire taco and appetizer menu from the Austin favorite, located adjacent to Cantero.

Cantero is now open from noon to 10 pm Monday through Thursday, 10 am to midnight Friday through Saturday, and 10 am to 10 pm on Sunday.

Photo by Jade Hammer

Cantero is dedicated specifically to sotol.

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