jacklesnet:

After the tour, it’s time to taste. Jensen sets me up with a flight
that includes the Hamilton Pale Ale, the Fox Rye Lager (named after a
wild fox that roams the property), and the Hall and Oats Brown. All are
to my liking, with the pale ale standing out for its bright flavor.
Jensen also has me sample the barrel-aged Grackle, an imperial stout
stored in a Garrison Brothers whiskey barrel. Its finish knocks my socks
off.

As I sip my beers, Jensen tells me the brewery’s origin story. He and
his brother-in-law were making “terrible, terrible beers” when he was
asked to store a friend’s more advanced brewing kit. “Gino and I started
tinkering with it,” he says, “and just the joy of getting your hands
dirty and seeing the result and being able to share it with your
friends—”

“And they’re not getting sick,” Danneel interjects, laughing.

“Yeah, you’re not killing your friends—I think that whole process is really what bit Gino and me, as far as the bug.”

They considered opening a brewery in California, but then the
Ackleses moved to Austin three years ago. They thought about calling
their new venture the Grackle—a combination of Graul and Ackles—but then
learned a bar in East Austin was already called that. [📄]