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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Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.