Over the past decade, Treaty Oak Brewing & Distilling has made a name for itself through its renowned line of spirits. This month the business unveiled three craft beers, which Master Brewer Chris Lamb described as an embodiment of the brand’s commitment to high-quality ingredients at a lower alcohol content.
“You can only drink so much rum,” he said. “We needed something that was more sessionable.”
Lamb started as a distiller with Treaty Oak eight years ago, so when the company’s founder, Daniel Barnes, asked him in 2014 if he wanted to install a brew system inside the distillery barn on the business’s 28-acre ranch in Dripping Springs, he said he would give it his best shot.
Beers are brewed on-site.[/caption]“It took us about 18 months to build the system out,” he said. “We learned a lot, but that’s good because when something goes wrong, we built it, so we can fix it.”
One 30-barrel system and 930 gallons of beer later, Treaty Oak Brewing introduced the Brightside Blonde, the Fitzhugh British Mild and the Lil’ Hop Session IPA—now available at restaurants and bars throughout Southwest Austin, including Little Woodrow’s and Jack Allen’s Kitchen.
“Our focus is on quality,” Lamb said. “Our beers will not walk out of this distillery without being fantastic.”
Lamb said he also plans to experiment with seasonal brews as well as distilling some of the beers into whiskey or brandy.
Self-taught Master Brewer Chris Lamb learned the process of brewing beer through reading books and listening to podcasts.[/caption]“We like to distill our [beer] at a lower alcohol content, which enables us to get a lot of flavor out of the distillate,” Lamb said. “That flavor works really well in the barrel, which we will probably let age for about 18 months to two and a half years.”
Retailers will not begin carrying the beers until March 2017; however, visitors to the Treaty Oak ranch bar will have access to Lamb’s experiments before they hit store shelves.
“I can do a small 30-gallon batch and put it on tap, and just look at numbers,” he said. “Whatever goes quick, that will possibly be a mainstay.”
Treaty Oak Brewing & Distilling
16604 Fitzhugh Road, Dripping Springs
512-599-0335 • www.treatyoakdistilling.com
Hours: Fri. 3-9 p.m., Sat. noon-9 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m., Closed Mon.-Thurs.
