June 2018
By: Connor Brown
Summer is finally here, which means many of us are ready to take it easy and pop a bottle or crack open a cold one to celebrate the beginning of the lazy season here in New Braunfels. Luckily, there are plenty of options to pair with the Texas heat that will leave you feeling refreshed rather than defeated when trying to enjoy the season, but with so many different flavors and choices, it can be a task to find the right beverage to accompany a summer day in Texas. However, with almost 400 wineries and about 200 craft breweries in our state, there are certainly options that can quench our (seemingly) eternal thirst during the next few months regardless of your preference.
To begin, lets talk beer. To some, beer is the lifeline between a good time and a bad time, but they can be quite heavy and filling, leaving the drinker feeling sluggish and uncomfortable. Imagine walking through Gruene on a smoldering day with a dark and heavy Guinness just after a huge meal at The Gristmill. Even the most seasoned beer drinker would find a light beer more pleasurable in that instance. Lucky for them, refreshing, easy-drinking beer styles dominate the Texas craft scene. Try a local favorite, Altstadt Lager out of Fredericksburg. This beer is almost too easy to drink, made from the freshest ingredients straight from Germany, but brewed with big Texas spirit. This beer is smooth yet crisp on the palate, and leaves one feeling refreshed with no lingering finish or after taste, so nothing but the flavor keeps you drinking.As for wine, and those who frequent these spotlight articles (thank you!), or have spoken with me at the tasting room, may already know where this is going… ROSÉ! Yes, the perfect mid-point between white and red wine where one can enjoy some bold notes of a dry red and the crisp refreshing flavors of a white wine. My favorite at the moment is the Kuhlman Cellars Cinsaut Rosé. Another extraordinary winery from Stonewall, Texas takes this native French varietal from the Texas High Plains and crafts it into a magnificently fruity, bright, and zesty rosé. As this grape thrives in Texas, we can expect it to be delicious, with a nose of faint tropical fruit, a bold strawberry front and a graceful finish that leaves the palate refreshed with flavors of fresh watermelon and balanced acidity to keep you sipping. Grab this one while you can, as some of us may be in the process of stockpiling cases for the summer.
So as we kick off the summer, and all the festivities that keep us thirsty, remember we’ve got your back the next time your looking to cool off. With free tastings, free friendly knowledge and moral support, your friends in Gruene are always here to help you through the dog days and be your guide to what the great state of Texas has to offer.
