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When this letter recently arrived on beer-pages' office desk from an ex-pat beer-lover now living in Texas, USA, we couldn't resist publishing it...
Cowtown brews
by Martin McKeever
Five years ago I moved from the beer-rich region of Northern England to Texas, USA. At that time my friends asked me what I would miss most. Along with Match of the Day and Fish & Chips, the taste of a good Real Ale
was something I had accepted would be hard to come by in Texas.
Upon my arrival at Dallas Airport I was not surprised to see the less than subtle neon signs enticing punters into bars to sample such rare delights as
Miller Lite & Budweiser Select.
My first month living out of a suitcase was tough, and a weekend treat of Pizza accompanied by a six pack of Coors did little to cure my homesickness.
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I found myself in a place where the
locals think a Lamb Rogan Josh is some kind of Ranch Hand, and where rice and bubbles are key ingredients of the beer making process. Fort Worth Texas is known as Cowtown and has a rich history of Cattle Trading,
beef and of course the iconic American Cowboy famous for eating beans, barbecue and drinking thick black coffee. Cowtown is the last place on earth one would expect to find Real Ale.
Then one day..........
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An article appeared in the local newspaper, the Fort Worth Star Telegram, telling the tale of a young Master Brewer, Fritz Rahr, with European Brewing ancestry who had decided to establish a Micro Brewery in Fort Worth of all places. His mission was to "brew majestic lagers and rich ales using age-old recipes in the styles of the Rahr brew masters of the past".
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Of course it was then of the utmost importance that I visit Rahr & Sons Brewery in Downtown Fort Worth, introduce myself and see what exactly was going on here, maybe sample a little beer as a courtesy. I was greeted by a very friendly group of beer enthusiasts whose business plan was to grow the brand and distribute to the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. What struck me was that these people did not expect to turn a profit for a number of years due to some archaic State Laws and yet they were passionate about their mission to bring good beer to Texas.
I have watched Rahr & Sons grow, and now see their range of beers on supermarket shelves. They brew everything from a Munich Helles style pale lager to a British style Winter Warmer covering every taste and season with a few specialty beers thrown in for good measure.
Three years on and these guys are still fighting to make the business profitable and in order to do so are expanding their brewing capacity by 30% in 2008. They deserve our support and I know they would love to host a visit from beer-pages readers or any true beer enthusiast, But at the very least, look these guys up on the Web and drop them a line of encouragement for spreading the real ale message into the Wild West.
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Yeee Haaa!
www.rahrbrewing.com
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