Texas Leaguer Brewing - The Hot Stove

This porter presents a deep ruddy brown color in the glass, topped by a sizeable head of medium brown foam. Look for a rich and inviting character on the nose, with that engaging interplay between roasty malts and brighter hops that we love in a good porter. We picked up deep-down notes of chocolate, scorched caramel, and well-toasted bread crust, shot through with hints of red fruit esters and overlaid by a patina of herbal, woody, and mildly citric hops. In the flavor department, big notes of black coffee and dark chocolate take center stage in the core of this big porter, displaying bold roasty elements that contrast nicely with a dose of malty residual sweetness. Look for the hops, in concert with those bold roasty notes, to provide plenty of drying character, as the herbal hop tones and flashes of fruit esters deliver additional intrigue. Take note, the 8% ABV stays well-hidden here. For pairing options, roasted and grilled meats and veggies are the natural go-to foods. Steaks, smoked sausage, and charbroiled burgers are hard to resist. Pork chops with plenty of aromatic herbs will do nicely, as well. Cheers!

Located in Missouri City in Fort Bend County, towards the southwest of the Houston metro area, is Texas Leaguer Brewing. Founded in 2017, the brewery (often just called TXL, for short) is the brainchild of Houston native Nathan Rees, who began toying around with the idea of starting a local brewery while homebrewing with friends about four years prior. Nathan and his wife Elise ultimately made the dream into a reality, and their hometown of Missouri City was a natural spot for the brewery as there were no others within many miles. After much planning and perfecting of recipes with brewer Doc Rebeck, the brewery launched with four beers in the fall of 2017.

With a massive love of both beer and baseball – passions which bring communities together – it was natural for Nathan to choose a baseball theme for the brewery, as the enterprise was designed around a brewery-taproom concept to serve as a local watering hole and hangout spot for the local community. Their 12,000 sq. ft. facility boasts a 25-barrel system and a large open-air warehouse taproom area known as TXL Beerpark, featuring rotating food trucks, live music, Sunday crawfish boils, Farm System Fridays for small batch releases, Little Leaguer Root Beer for the kids, cornhole and board games, and, of course, a big screen to watch the Astros and sports in general.

In addition to their canned beers for retail distribution, TXL currently offers over two dozen beers and a couple of hard seltzers on tap at the brewery. For more info on the brewery and upcoming events, visit them at txleaguer.com.