Real Ale Brewing Company - Swifty

Real Ale’s Swifty Pale Ale pours a slightly hazy bright golden hue with a creamy off-white head that persists nicely. On the nose, we picked up bright and vibrant citrus notes of orange, mandarin, and hints of grapefruit, plus a very mild touch of stone fruit mingled with subtle pine and floral undertones. A hint of caramel and biscuit from the malt provides some grounding warmth. On the palate, Swifty delivers a bright wave of citrus-forward flavors, led by orange zest and mandarin flesh, accompanied by a restrained bitterness that adds structure without harshness. A gentle malt sweetness builds on the mid-palate to round things out, lending some lightly bready notes, but it’s balanced nicely by those hops. Medium-bodied with crisp carbonation, the finish is smooth, slightly dry, and gently hoppy, making each sip feel both satisfying and sessionable. For food accompaniments, this pale ale’s excellent balance and bright flavor makes it highly food-friendly. We’d prioritize grilled fare such as chicken skewers with a lemon-herb marinade, seared salmon, or burgers with avocado. Roasted chicken, pulled pork, or even a classic BLT should do nicely too, along with vegetarian options like roasted vegetable flatbreads or grilled corn on the cob with cotija and lime. Cheers!

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.