Saint Arnold – GABF Medals, Fresh Hop Now & Pumpkinator 10/13

Our Brew Crew has returned from the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, and we are proud and humbled to be bringing two more medals back to Houston. For the second year in a row, Summer Pils won a Silver Medal (its sixth GABF medal) and Weedwacker won a Bronze Medal (its second). 

Overall, our beers have now garnered 20 GABF medals in 20 years.

Fresh Hop Ale 2014 is Now Available
When hops are harvested, there is a 48 hour period when they can be used fresh in the brewing process. This year, we had 420 lbs of fresh Centennial hops air-shipped to us. We used these hops to brew Fresh Hop Ale 2014 – our first Session IPA.

This single-hop beer comes in at 5.25% ABV and 69 IBUs. In addition to the typical hop additions of an IPA, we added the freshly harvested Centennial hops towards the end of the boil to create a very hoppy, but very drinkable IPA. The fresh hops create a slightly softer bitter than dried hops do.

Fresh Hop Ale 2014 is now on tap at the brewery and select accounts around town (we did not bottle any). This is a very limited release – when it’s gone, it’s gone. Until 2015.

Current Seasonal:

Originally released in 2009 as Divine Reserve No. 9, Pumpkinator is our answer to how a pumpkin beer ought to taste. It is brewed with a combination of pale two row, caramel and black malts, Cascade and Liberty hops for a background hop flavor, pumpkin for a rich mouthfeel, molasses and brown sugar, and spiced and dry-spiced to make it feel like you just walked into your mom’s kitchen while she was cooking 37 pumpkin pies.

Though the official release date is Monday, some stores may not receive it until a couple of days later. You can find Pumpkinator in 22 oz bottles and on tap at select bars and restaurants (see below). Some places will hold onto their kegs to tap them at a later date. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter feeds to find about about these events.

Originally released in 2009 as Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 9, Saint Arnold Pumpkinator is an Imperial Stout Pumpkin Ale. It was added to Saint Arnold’s rotation of seasonals in October 2011. The original concept was to brew the best pumpkin beer in the world, incorporating large quantities of pureed pumpkin in the beer along with the spices that are associated with pumpkin beers. In fact, Saint Arnold’s Pumpkinator recipe used 800 lbs of pumpkin, which is enough to make over 900 pumpkin pies.

"Pumpkinator began as an experiment to see if we could make a pumpkin beer that we really liked since I’m not a fan of most pumpkin beers," said Saint Arnold founder/brewer Brock Wagner. "We have ended up not only with a delicious beer, but one that can be aged for several years to allow all of the spices to mellow and evolve."

Numerous historical sources confirm that pumpkin beer was popular in colonial America in the 18th century and into the 19th century. George Washington was among the homebrewers who used pumpkin as a substitute for malt – because of the flavor and the fact that pumpkins were plentiful while quality malts were scarce. Resurrected by craft brewers in the 1980s, the Brewer’s Association says pumpkin beers now outsell all other seasonal styles. Market research from Nielsen finds sales of pumpkin-flavored beers have grown by more than 1,500 percent during the past 10 years.

Saint Arnold Pumpkinator should be allowed to warm to at least 50 degrees before enjoying. The beer will be available in 22-ounce bombers sold separately or in 12-bomber cases and in limited draft throughout Texas, Louisiana and select markets along the Gulf Coast of Florida.