Karbach Beers Arrive

Houston keeps improving as a beer town. With Karbach Brewing Co. releasing its first beers at the start of September, there are now four breweries on line in the greater Houston area, including Saint Arnold, Southern Star (in Conroe) and 8^th Wonder Brewery. Actually, make that five breweries if we include Anheuser-Busch.

Based on the first tastes – several short poured pints at The Flying Saucer (705 Main) – Karbach is a very welcome addition. The two beers initially available were the Hopadillo IPA and the Weisse Versa Wheat. A third beer, a relatively hoppy lager called Sympathy for the Lager, is slated for future release.

At 70 IBUs, the Hopadillo is indeed a hoppy beer like the name implies. It had a pleasant bitterness on the nose and initially on the palate, which blended well both the maltiness and carbonation. It ended with a pleasingly long finish. For all of the notable hops, I found it well-balanced. To me, it is more nuanced and enjoyable than the Saint Arnold Elissa IPA that is extremely similar in outline (original gravity, bitterness level and alcohol content). The difference seems mostly due to the greater array of hop varieties used in the Hopadillo – Magnum, Chinook, Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe and Goldings – in comparison to the Elissa, which employs the aromatic Cascade hops solely.

The other selection, the Weisse Versa Wheat, is an odd beer. I had to sample it on successive days to make sure of what I was drinking. It is intended to taste like a combination of a Bavarian hefe-weizen and a Belgium white beer. It succeeds in that goal. Medium-bodied and a pale yellow in color, it is a well-made beer with none of the off-aromas or -tastes you still find with some of the smallest breweries. Given the styles involved, the beer is on the dry side and features a fairly lengthy, if muted, aftertaste, possibly due to the coriander used. I did not taste much fruit; no notes of apples or bananas that are often present in the hefe-weizens, or really any citrus, either. This beer might not tempt dedicated fans of the traditional hefe– and kristall weizens or many of the Belgian white beers who enjoy their sweetness. However, it could appeal to those that do not drink those styles for that very reason. It is a unique beer.

Karbach Brewing Co. is located on Karbach Street, hence the name, in northwest Houston near Northwest Mall. Propitiously, it is less than a mile from the original home of Saint Arnold.

KARBACH BREWING CO., 2032 Karbach St., karbachbrewing.com