Saint Arnold Brewing Co. steps up pace of new beer releases

The grain bill for Bishop’s Barrel No. 7 is slightly different than for Bishop’s Barrel No. 1 and Bishop’s Barrel No. 3, resulting in a slightly sweeter, rounder character.

With the increased number of craft breweries, the battle for shelf space and beer drinker attention is at a fevered pitch. To keep the level of excitement for its brand high, Saint Arnold Brewing Co. unveiled it’s highly anticipated Bishop’s Barrel No. 7, which comes on the heels of three recent new beer releases. The Imperial Russian Stout was brewed more than a year ago and aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels for 11 months. Due to the small amount of beer produced from the barrels, Saint Arnold Bishop’s Barrel No. 7 is only available in pubs and restaurants throughout Texas and Louisiana.

The oldest craft brewery in Texas values creativity, as well as consistency, and the result has been a rapid succession of new beers coming to market. In June, Saint Arnold marked its 20th anniversary with 20th Anniversary Ale. Also in June, the brewery released Texas Common under its Icon Green label. In July, Saint Arnold began rolling out a succession of dry-hopped versions of its flagship beer, Saint Arnold Amber Ale.

“We focus heavily on the quality of beers we have been brewing for years, some of them for decades,” said Saint Arnold Founder/Brewer Brock Wagner. “But we have a talented brew crew that is always test brewing and developing new recipes. The result is an array of special releases this year. We believe we are only as good — and as interesting — as the last beer we brewed.”

The coming months promise to provide the craft beer community with more interesting flavors and styles. Next month, Saint Arnold will release Saint Arnold Oktoberfest, a three-time medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival. In October, as supplies of Icon Green run out, the brewery will have Mandarina Wheat ready for release under its Icon Gold label. It is an American Wheat beer that showcases the Mandarina Bavaria hop, a fairly new German hop variety with orange/tangerine notes on the nose and a pronounced grapefruit flavor. Also in October, Saint Arnold will release Saint Arnold Pumpkinator (originally Divine Reserve No. 9) and Saint Arnold Christmas Ale.