Time-tested cave technology is still being employed in Texas Hill Country outside of San Marcos. Roughhouse Brewing, a family-run farmhouse brewery that makes refreshing Texas-inspired ales using native yeast from the property, just announced it was starting a new cellaring program — in an actual natural, underground limestone cave — and it’s on premise.
It’s ok to be jealous, but at least you don’t have to climb down this.
Discovered during the brewery’s development in 2018, the cave was full of trash, because of course that’s what people do. In fact, the brewery thought it was nothing more than a trash-filled sinkhole until a long and careful excavation process revealed an underground room roughly 18 by 20 ft wide. The brewery reworked the space with a small slab and structure, dehumidifier and lighting and now has a natural cave cellar for fermenting beer and other products.
In February 2020, before Covid-19 took hold, Roughhouse brewed its first beer destined for the cave: a collaboration with Jester King Brewery using its mobile coolship and aged hops. This beer marks the first of a series at Roughhouse, titled UNDERGROUND Series (call caps like that!), whereby beers will be 100 percent cave-aged and often spontaneously fermented. The cave will cellar other food products in addition to beer, noted Roughhouse. For instance, the brewery is currently working on a four-month cave-fermented hot sauce to be released by the end of the year.
Let’s peak inside with this video:
When can you snag some of this cave beer? Preorders will likely begin for Roughhouse’s first cave-aged beer in early 2021. We’ll keep you updated.
Barbara Richison says
That sounds awesome Keith!