Real Ale Brewing Company - Hans’ Pils

This 2012 GABF Silver medal winner is brewed in the vein of a Northern German pilsner, and was named after Brad and Gabriel’s family dog, Hans, a German Shorthair Pointer. We’re greeted by a brilliantly clear pale straw color in the glass, topped with a tight, white frothy head that lingers and leaves fine lacing. Look for the aroma to come through as delicate yet expressive, underpinned by crackery pilsner malt with floral and spicy noble hop notes, a touch of lemon zest, and a faint whiff of fresh-cut grass. On the palate, Hans’ Pils is clean and refreshing, with a soft malt sweetness up front that quickly gives way to a firm, crisp, and spicy-earthy hop bitterness to keep this brew on the dry side. In fact, Real Ale points out that they’ve built this to be a very brightly hopped pils with firm bitterness, more than many pale ales. Flavors of fresh bread, herbal spice, and a subtle mineral edge keep it balanced and snappy. Expect the feel to be on the light side of medium-bodied with lively carbonation adding crispness and lift, making it highly sessionable without feeling thin. For pairing options, the brewery recommends a Reuben sandwich or bacon-wrapped shrimp. We’d also embrace classic German fare like grilled bratwurst with sauerkraut, schnitzel, or soft pretzels with Obatzda or mustard. Shellfish, fried chicken, pizza, and fish & chips sound good too. Really, most anything off the grill on a warm afternoon should work well with this food-friendly brew too, so fire it up! Prost!

Real Ale Brewing Company was founded in 1996 by Phillip and Diane Conner in the basement of an antiques store in downtown Blanco – a small town in Texas’s Hill Country to the north of San Antonio and west of Austin. Their initial beers consisted of a brown ale and a pale rye ale, both of which were hand-bottled in 22-oz bombers. The next year, Brad Farbstein, who had been homebrewing for years at that point, discovered the brewery and began trekking out from Austin on the weekends to help with the operation. In 1998, Phillip decided to leave the business, so Brad and his wife Gabriel Gregerman threw their savings into buying the fledgling operation, fulfilling the dream of owning a brewery. It was a struggle at first, and Brad didn’t take a paycheck for the first five years, but slowly the business began to pick up steam.

After 11 years of brewing in their cramped basement brewery and reaching 5500 barrels of annual production – a crazy amount for such a space, and a big jump from the 300 produced in 1998 – the team constructed a new brewery just outside the city limits, which they moved into in 2007. Over the years, production has increased dramatically, and they’ve expanded with a tap room and beer garden to host thirsty locals and visitors alike. Having been at the forefront of the brewing revolution in Texas, they’ve grown to become one of the state’s craft beer icons. Real Ale won its first gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2010, the first of many GABF medals to come. They’ve collaborated with such notable breweries as Three Floyds and Surly, and expanded into whiskey and gin distilling with the launch of Real Spirits in 2017.

The name “Real Ale” is a British term for traditionally made cask- and bottle-conditioned ales that are naturally carbonated in the vessel from which they are served, and to this day the brewery embraces this ethos by producing only unfiltered and unpasteurized beers, with no preservatives. Additionally, they distribute solely in the state of Texas with no plans to expand. According to Brad, “We focus on making the best beer and not the most beer.” To learn more about the brewery, their Tap Room, tours, and upcoming events, visit them at realalebrewing.com.