Dallas Craft Beer Examiner

The best thing about this space is being able to introduce new beers to readers, something they might have overlooked or has just arrived. Even better than that is introducing new brewers, especially when they are home-grown right here in Texas. They may not be local, but Austin’s Jester King Craft Brewery has arrived in North Texas.

Jester King is the venture of brothers Michael and Jeffrey Stuffings and their associate Ron Extract. They spent this past summer building a brewhouse in the Hill Country right outside of Austin (complete with an 8000-square-foot beer hall for events and parties) and began brewing beers about six weeks ago.

The Brothers Stuffing are starting out bold and big, not only putting a lot of money into facilities but they are already producing enough beer to push product across the state. Far from conventional or even “safe” beers most new brewers follow, their initial lineup just months after opening includes Franco-Belgian inspired farmhouse ales, an English mild, a rye IPA and liberal applications of various products aging in whiskey barrels.

Already, Jester King beers have begun appearing at selected craft beer-friendly establishments such as The Common Table, the Meddlesome Moth, Flying Saucer (Fort Worth and Garland) and the Ginger Man (Fort Worth). This list is certain to grow, especially when bottling operations are set up and running.

Two beers are to be found locally: Commercial Suicide, a 3.3% ABV English-inspired dark mild ale, and Wytchmaker, a 9% ABV rye IPA that is as bitter as a witch’s tongue. I am especially fond of the Commercial Suicide, a style much overlooked by craft brewers, with a full-bodied roasty flavor that has faint hints of cocoa and provides the best session beer one could ever want.

Availability: Draft only right now, limited to the accounts listed above but that list should grow quickly. Bottles of 750-ml barrel-aged beers should follow soon, also destined for North Texas, as well as 12-oz bottles of their other products.

PS: The brewery website seems to be having some trouble lately, but they can still be found through their Facebook page.

Cheers!

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Originally published November 14, 2010, at Examiner.com