It’s been awhile since there has been an update - but there is in fact quite a bit of news to pass on.

As you can see from the picture, the exterior of our building is complete. 

Inside of the building, all of the dry wall is up, most of our HVAC duct work is up and things are really starting to take shape.

Our gas-fired steam boiler will be delivered and installed on Tuesday, and shortly after we’ll be moving the brewery into its new home.  After that, the real fun begins as we mash in for the first time to get ready for opening.  Stay tuned for photos and (hopefully) videos of the install.

Speaking of which - we are targeting mid-November for our Grand Opening, but do not have a set date yet as there are still a couple of scheduling items that are up in the air. 

One question I often get from people when I tell them about Freetail is “now where are you guys exactly?”  A landmark I like to refer people to is the windmill that sits just off our patio, seen in the photo below.

Lastly, our website is currently under development by a fantastic local firm, The Montopolis Group.  Keep an eye out for our new home on the web.  We have some great new merchandise in that will be available via our online store when the site launches.

Cheers!

Scott

The shell of our building is almost complete, as you can see in the picture below.  Interior finish out starts this week, so in 75-90 days you’ll be able to enjoy fresh Freetail beer.

In other news, this weekend’s Alamo City Cerveza Fest was a huge hit and included the awarding of the Freetail Lava Lamp to Kerry Martin of Austin, TX as the first ever Funkiest of Show award winner with his delicious “Ancho Lite”, a helles brewed with ancho chile peppers.  We’ll proudly serve Kerry’s beer when we open our doors to the public.

Cheers,

Scott

A press release issued today regarding a category we are sponsoring at this year’s Alamo City Cerveza Fest.

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(July 23, 2008) SAN ANTONIO, TX – The Alamo City Cerveza Fest (ACCF) homebrew competition and Freetail Brewing Co. announces the creation of the Funkiest of Show award to be presented at the 2008 ACCF. The ACCF will take place August 15-16 at a variety of San Antonio locations including Blue Star Brewery Co. and The Cove. The winning entry will be brewed by Freetail Brewing Co., scheduled to open at the corner of 1604 and NW Military in the Hill Country Plaza in October 2008.

“Brewers can get bogged down with style guidelines and lose sight of the beer. That’s not the Freetail way,” says Freetail Brewing Co. Founder and CEO Scott Metzger. “We wanted to loosen it up a bit, throw the guidelines out and have some fun.” 

Beers do not have to be entered in a special category for consideration, as all beers in the ACCF will be eligible for the award. Beers in the Best of Show round will be judged along with a number of “funky” entries nominated from across the contest. Blue Star Brewing Co. has brewed the Best of Show winner since the ACCF began in 2006.

While generally funk is referenced to as a bad word in relation with beer, Freetail Brewing Co. representatives argue against that stereotype insisting that if you “free your mind, your tail will follow.”

“When brewers use the term funky to describe beer, they are usually referring to either a sour beer, an infected beer, or a particularly interesting, but difficult-to-describe flavor like those found in Belgian beers,” says Freetail brewer, Jason Davis. “While of course, the funkiest of beers can be found in certain styles, we are looking to expand brewers’ concepts of what funk is. It may be a maple porter with smoked poblanos, an incredibly hoppy doppelbock, a lemongrass-infused lager, or a hamhock in your cornflakes. Bottom line, the Funkiest of Show will strike the best balance across the funkiest of extremes.” 

The Funkiest of Show gives brewers “a chance to brew your way–out of your constriction,” says Davis, paraphrasing an old funkadelic riff. “Oftentimes in competition, really good beers are entered in the wrong category and it may not fit the guidelines precisely and won’t advance. Funkiest of Show cuts through the formality of competition and gets to the soul of beer.”

For more information or to submit an online entry through July 26 please visit www.sabeergroup.org. Look for the 2008 Funkiest of Show winner at www.freetailbrewing.com and on tap at Freetail Brewing Co. when the funk ripens.

It may look a little messy at the moment, but things are moving along.  Here’s an interior photo from a few weeks ago.  Underfloor plumbing gets wrapped up this week, and finish-out is scheduled to begin in a few weeks.