In a relatively remote area in San Antonio, Texas, there lies a little slice of brewing genius named Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling. The brewery is named after a small creek right outside of San Antonio where the Texas Rangers fought and won some famous historical battles.
I recently had the good fortune to talk to Mark McDavid, one of three owners of Ranger Creek. In our conversation, I learned about their brewing style, philosophy and dedication to locally-sourced ingredients—which makes me enjoy their phenomenally well-brewed beers all the more.
Origins
Since opening the first production brewery in San Antonio in over a decade and selling their first keg of beer in November of 2010, Ranger Creek has definitely helped the craft brew culture in their area of Texas.
Today Ranger Creek produces about 3,000 bbls a year, and has won numerous awards for beers like their unique and delicious pecan-smoked doppelbock. Ranger Creek is setting a benchmark for other breweries to aspire to and helping the seventh largest state in America make a name for itself in the brewing industry.
Popularity
In just under a decade, Ranger Creek is seeing their popularity grow right alongside popularity of craft beer movement. With greater customer demand comes the need for a larger brewing operation—they’ve added two more 30-bbl fermenters, a 60-bbl fermenter, a 30-bbl brite tank and a 60-bbl brite tank along with a new Meheen six-head bottling line to keep up with demand.
Summer is upon us, and that means it is time for Ranger Creek’s most popular seasonal—Strawberry Milk Stout—is finally back. They work with Oak Hills Farm in the neighboring town of Poteet, Texas, to acquire the colossal 500 pounds of strawberries needed for the beer, which are then hand-cut for the brew. According to McDavid, at first they were unsure if it would be popular, but they can’t seem make enough of it.
Brewing Philosophy
Some of Ranger Creek’s popularity can be attributed to how they come up with and create their beers. Not only do they brew what they like to brew, they also look at what other breweries aren’t doing, rather than what they are doing.
For example, when it came time to make a fall beer, instead of brewing a pumpkin beer, they decided to make an imperial sweet potato stout named Small Batch No. 7. The beer, which is very rich and chocolaty, has slight hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, dark roast malt and fruit (plums and cherries). Batch No. 7 ends with a sweet and sugary finish that balances the slight and welcomed bitterness.
“We actually strive for balance in our beers and aren’t as interested in doing radical things for the sake of being the loudest,” says McDavid.
This doesn’t mean they don’t have interesting beers, quite the contrary! For example, they have brewed a farmhouse ale smoked with fruit wood and an imperial mesquite-smoked porter aged in their own bourbon barrels. This year, they will be releasing an IPA aged in red wine barrels and a blackberry sour to keep fans on their toes.
What sets Ranger Creek a part
Not only is Ranger Creek a brewery, it’s also a distillery! They age their beers in the same barrels they age their spirits in, and even distill beers down to spirits, which really highlights the relationship between the two arts. They’re not the only brewery to use local ingredients, but they take it seriously.
“The traditional brewing ingredients don’t grow well here in Texas, so we have to get creative,” said McDavid. “That’s where some of our best and most creative beers have come from, like our Mesquite Smoked Porter and our Strawberry Milk Stout.”
With the proliferation of breweries in the U.S., there is something to be learned from the guys at Ranger Creek. They have shown that commitment to their local farm industry doesn’t have to be a detriment, but rather allows them to take chances, which has paid off in spades.
Allan Wolfe is a craft beer brewer, reviewer and whisky connoisseur who also runs BeerandWhiskeyHQ.com. Allan’s passion is finding out why and how different beers taste the way they do. Besides brewing, you’ll find him playing music, reading books, playing with his dogs and enjoying his favorite pint or dram. He’s always open to answering questions, talking beer or teaching anyone who is willing to listen about distilling!
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