Guest article by James Lipari
The collaborative spirit of the craft beer industry is part of what draws so many of us to it. While individual breweries are direct competitors, they’re also often friends that regularly help each other out. And when you’re two of the newest breweries in town, joining forces to announce your presence is a strong move. Actually, you might go ahead and dub your collaboration beer “New Kids on the Block.”
New Kids on the Block is a real thing, a collaboration celebrating the 2019 openings of two Austin brewhouses. Central District Brewing marked its grand opening in May 2019, and Nomadic Beerworks subsequently opened in June. Both breweries have won accolades and fans in a short amount of time.
Thank you to Central District Brewing and Nomadic Beerworks for providing complimentary samples for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.
The Rustic Texas Amber Lager
The two breweries decided they wanted to brew a style of beer that isn’t necessarily found everywhere. California Common is a unique beer style for a couple reasons. It takes a hybrid yeast strain that bridges the gap between ale and lager, so it’s kind of both. But it’s based off only one classic example, Anchor Steam. That leaves a very narrow band to work with, and brewers are often creative types who work outside of standardized norms. So that’s when you use a majority of Texas malts and create your own version…enter The Rustic Texas Amber Lager!
“The Rustic Texas Amber Lager is a fantastic representation of a California Common with a Texas twang to it,” said Bryce Tyranski, co-founder of Nomadic Beerworks. “We were beyond excited to collaborate with Central District Brewing on this beer, especially as it acknowledges both of our emergence onto the Austin beer scene. This is a release that is very special to the both of us.”
Pushing 6% ABV, New Kids on the Block has been prepared at each brewery using the same re-harvested yeast originally pitched at Nomadic Beerworks. Although Central District Brewing and Nomadic Beerworks have used the same recipe, Central District Brewing’s co-owner and Master Brewer Adam Duley is expecting each one will have subtle but noticeable differences.
I enjoyed both versions of New Kids on the Block. The Central District interpretation is the more rustic of the two, with more hop presence and a hazy appearance. The Nomadic version is clearer with a cleaner finish. Both versions are malt-balanced and delicious. I recommend trying each at the respective breweries and comparing them for yourself.
Central District Brewing is located at 417 Red River St. – Website
Nomadic Beerworks is located at 3804 Woodbury Dr. Suite A – Website
@theAustinot wants to know:
Have you tried California Common before?
James Lipari is a Certified Cicerone®, an avid homebrewer, and lover of all things beer. You can find him in brewery taprooms and beer bars around Austin, and across the country.
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