What should I do with a free Saturday?  Rebekah was volunteering, and I was looking for something to do.  I know…check out a new local brewery or two!  I called my good friend John, and we planned on doing just that.  We started with Shannon Brewing Company, and then closed out the day at Bearded Eel Brewing Company (now closed permanently).  First, Shannon Brewing Company…

Shannon Brewing Company proudly brews wholesome Irish-influenced Texas craft beers with old world techniques.  Proud of their old world style, Shannon Brewing markets their brews as “Fire Brewed Beer”.  Instead of using steam jackets for heating like conventional breweries, Shannon Brewing uses fire, via liquid propane, for all heating required in the brewing process.  Fire brewing caramelizes the sugars, which in turn influences the beer’s texture.  This statement made more sense when comparing fire brewing to cooking on a gas cooktop instead of an electric cooktop.  Sure, both cooktops heat things up, but the end result is very different.  In addition, all of their beers are unfiltered and unpasteurized, but are transparent as a result of Shannon’s old word brewing process. Continue reading