Independence Brewing Co releases Native Texan

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Native Texan is now available in stores.  Photo: Independence Brewing Co., used with permission.

Independence Brewing Co., an Austin-based brewing company, announces the release of Native Texan, a brand-new addition to the brewery’s seasonal roster of craft beer. The Independence brewing team sought to create a beer original in taste and style and one that would satisfy the taste buds of the German and Czech immigrants who settled in Central Texas over 180 years ago. The brew’s flavor profile is reflected in the use of 100% German pilsner malt, famed Augustiner yeast and a carefully proportioned selection of both German and Czech noble hops. (Independence Brewing Co., 2018)

Native Texan is a beer made by and for the people of the Lone Star State. It is a pilsner as German as the heritage of the Hill Country, as bright as the state’s “Friday Night Lights,” as clear as the West Texas sky and as smooth as an East Texan drawl. As it has been picked up by several Texas-born brands: Whole Foods Market, Buc-ee’s, HEB and Central Market, it is now available in stores across Texas. Native Texan is a versatile brew that can be enjoyed with a carefully curated cheese plate or a handful of Beaver Nuggets. Beer enthusiasts will soon find large displays of Native Texan in grocery stores and gas stations as Independence Day approaches.

Perfect for the summer season, Native Texan has an ABV of 5% making it highly sessionable during the scorching heat. Drinking the beer will bring back memories of days spent on the water and evenings spent on the porch swing, watching the bluebonnets bloom and the sun set, all reminders of why people fall in love with the Lone Star State in the first place.

“With this beer we wanted to give a big shout out to all Texans, near and far, who are proud to be from here—or who got here as fast as they could,” – Amy Cartwright, co-founder of Independence.

Cinco De Mayo Cocktails

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‘Batman of Mexico’ at Downstairs at Esquire. Photo: Kody Melton, used with permission.

With Cinco De Mayo right around the corner, some cocktail bars choose to celebrate the holiday by incorporating the rich influence of Mexican spirits into their cocktail menus. Three of those are in San Antonio, a city known for its Mexican influence in food and drinks, and include Downstairs at Esquire, Esquire Tavern and El Mirador. Beverage Director Houston Eaves helps lead a beverage program that thoughtfully creates cocktails in ways that both utilize Mexican ingredients in a playful way while others reflect and pay homage to the rich Mexican history associated with San Antonio. In honor of Cinco De Mayo, here are some recipes, each with a clever story or character inspiring them. (Downstairs at Esquire, Esquire Tavern, El Mirador, 2018)

‘BATMAN OF MEXICO’ AT DOWNSTAIRS AT ESQUIRE
Named for Dr. Rodrigo Medellín, a Mexican Conservationist and Ecologist known as the ‘Batman of Mexico’ for his academic work studying bats. Dr. Medellín is co-founder of the Bat-Friendly Tequila & Mezcal Program, which is studying the relationship between agaves and their main pollinator, bats. This program looks at how the Tequila industry can help impact populations of migrating bats by allowing a portion of their plants to flower each year.

Ingredients:
2 oz. Siembra Valles High Proof Blanco Tequila
.75 oz. Fresh corn/chile syrup
.75 oz. Key Lime juice
Shake ingredients well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with sal de chapulín. Garnish with Bat Signal.

‘TEXECUTIONER’ AT ESQUIRE TAVERN
Named after Texas politician Rick Perry, Wahaka’s brazen espadín serves as an herbal fortitude for this memorable mix. Crafted in 2011 by bartender Houston Eaves during his time at ranch-like restaurant Contigo in Austin, the recipe traveled down to San Antonio’s historic Esquire Tavern after he relocated to the Alamo City a year later. Thanks to its savvy balance of snappy grapefruit and sweet Cocchi Americano, the drink has endured as a menu staple at both bars. Drink it served up or on a large ice cube and watch for the punchy mezcal to soften as the honeysuckle and orange notes of Cocchi weave throughout.

Ingredients:
3⁄4 oz. Wahaka Espadín mezcal
3⁄4 oz. Xtabentún
3⁄4 oz. Cocchi Aperitivo Americano
3⁄4 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
GRAPEFRUIT TWIST, for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin with ice and shake well. Strain into a coupe glass. Express the oil from a grapefruit swath over the top of the drink for aromatics and garnish with grapefruit twist.

‘EL CHAVO’ AT EL MIRADOR
Created by El Mirador bartender John Cox and inspired by popular 80s Mexican TV show “El Chavo del Ocho”, the El Chavo cocktail stirs up reminiscent feelings of the show centered around the adventures and tribulations of the title character—a poor orphan nicknamed “El Chavo.” When ordering the drink during happy hour, patrons at El Mirador can often find the bartender playing this show on TV.

Ingredients:
1oz Paranubes Oaxacan Rum
0.5oz Cimarrón Reposado Tequila
0.5oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
0.5oz Fresh Key Lime Juice
0.25oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 barspoon Condensed Milk
Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass with a half-Chapulín salt rim.