Belgian/American Hybrid Showcases Brewery’s Boundary-Bending Creativity
HOUSTON, April 28, 2014 – This morning, when lines begin forming for the release of the long-awaited Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 14, Brewer Casey Motes will be an interested observer. Like many craft beer enthusiasts, Motes used to head to the store early on the morning Saint Arnold Brewing Co., the oldest craft brewery in Texas, released its latest single-batch Divine Reserve offering. This time, he can sleep in because he developed the recipe.
Saint Arnold Divine Reserve is a series of single batch beers, each brewed with a different recipe. Starting today, April 28, 2014, Divine Reserve No. 14 – described as a Belgian/American hybrid that fits loosely into the Strong Golden Ale style – will be available in 6-packs of 12-ounce bottles, in 22-ounce bottles and on tap in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and other select markets in Texas and Louisiana.
“Divine Reserve No. 14 has a flavor profile like a Belgian Golden, but shares characteristics of a Belgian Blond, a Belgian Grand Cru and an American Strong Ale,” said Motes, a former engineer who tended bar at a craft beer bar in Houston before becoming one of Saint Arnold’s nine brewers. “We started working on the recipe a year and a half ago on a five-gallon system, and after a couple batches we knew we had something special.”
Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 14 pours a bright golden color. It features Cascade and centennial hops and rye to emulate the fruit and spices found in many Belgian beers. Rye adds spiciness and complexity to the pilsner and aromatic malts. The hops contribute floral and citrus notes to play off the strengths of the Celis yeast. The brewers also added Belgian candi sugar, which helped create a dry finish that nicely hides the relatively high alcohol content. The beer is best enjoyed at 50 degrees to 55 degrees, with the spice of the rye becoming more apparent as Divine Reserve No. 14 warms.
The Celis yeast used in Divine Reserve No. 14 is the same used by the late Pierre Celis in Celis White and Celis Grand Cru, craft beers that have a special place in Texas craft brewing history.
“As we approach our 20th anniversary in June, it somehow seemed appropriate that Celis yeast pulled this recipe together – it gave Divine Reserve No. 14 just the right balance,” said Saint Arnold Founder/Brewer Brock Wagner. “The Texas craft beer story keeps developing, evolving and advancing, and we’re very excited that Divine Reserve No. 14 continues to build on that history.”
The craft beer community helps each other to locate where Divine Reserve is available. Saint Arnold encourages those seeking the beer to track #DR14 on Twitter and to check the comments on the brewery’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/saintarnold. On Twitter, follow @saintarnold and #DR14.
Specifications:
Original Gravity: 1.085
Final Gravity: 1.011
Alcohol: 10% ABV
IBU: 25
Malts: Pils, Rye, Wheat, Vienna, Aromatic, Carafoam
Hops: Centennial, Cascade
Yeast: Celis
More information on the Saint Arnold Divine Reserve series is available at http://saintarnold.com/beers/divine.html.
Images:
• Divine Reserve 12-ounce bottle: http://www.saintarnold.com/images/dr14_bottle_12oz_beauty.jpg
• Divine Reserve 22-ounce bottle: http://www.saintarnold.com/images/dr14_bottle_22oz.jpg
• Divine Reserve 6-pack: http://www.saintarnold.com/images/dr14_six_pack.jpg
About Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Saint Arnold Brewing’s 17 brews are made and sold by the company’s staff of 56 dedicated employees. Ranked 45th on the Brewers Association list of top craft breweries, Saint Arnold was listed by USA Today as one of the “10 great places to see what’s brewing in beer,” and Smart Meetings magazine named it among the “Top 5 breweries to host an event.” Saint Arnold is located at 2000 Lyons Avenue and its brewery tour and tasting is offered every weekday at 3:00 P.M. and Saturdays starting at 11 A.M. For more information on Saint Arnold’s seven year-round and five seasonal beers as well as root beer, log on to www.saintarnold.com.
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