Texas Hill Country News

Real Ale Brewing Company Expands Offerings to Include a Line of Spirits

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Located near Austin in Blanco, Texas, the Real Ale Brewing Company is known for offering beers like Fireman’s 4 (a blonde ale) and the Devil’s Backbone (a Belgian-style tripel). Now, Real Ale has broadened their booze-based endeavors to give customers a new line of spirits including two whiskeys and one gin were released this month. And it all starts with their beer.

According to the Real Ale website, “all Real Spirits liquors grain-to-glass. They are brewed, fermented, aged, bottled, and served on-site at the brewery and distillery in Blanco.” The process begins with a base from their own brews (without hops). Real Heavy Scotch Ale and Devil’s Backbone morph into their whiskey selections while their Belgian-style wheat ale called White becomes their gin.

My Statesman explains that Real Ale’s gin is perhaps the boldest of the spirits due to its strong botanical notes. “The botanicals include juniper, coriander, angelica root, boris root, locally grown lavender, lemon, lime and grapefruit peel, as well as leaves from the bottlebrush tree that give off a sweet menthol flavor,” they write.

If Real Ale’s offerings intrigue you, it will take more than a casual trip to the corner store to obtain some. Right now, the only way to snag their $50 whiskey or gin is to show up at their brewery in Blanco to purchase a bottle.