Brewer Magazine Q&A: Craig Rowan, Altstadt Brewery

As written in Brewer Magazine, By Jon Sicotte 

This is a part of a continuing series of Q&As with members of the brewing community from across the U.S.
Brewer Magazine will share business and personal insights from Brewmasters, Head Brewers, Brewing Managers, Sales Directors, QCQA Managers and others each weekend to help you get to know each other better in the industry and learn more to better develop your own brand.

Craig Rowan​, ​Head Brewer​, Altstadt Brewery — Fredericksburg, Texas​

​BREWER: ​How do you feel your job has had to adapt to the beer market compared to a few years ago?
ROWAN: ​We have been doing Lagers since we started brewing in early 2017, so we were ahead of the curve when Lagers started their ​’​comeback​.’ The adapting comes with all of these other talented brewers doing great things with German Lagers (and beer in general), so we are always striving to keep our beers to style, consistent, and on-brand because that is what the market is becoming accustomed to. The overall growth and understanding of beer and brewing (and its talent) in America is constantly pushing us to put out a top-notch product.

Texas had another stellar showing at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) this year bringing home a total of 16 awards: eight gold, three silver, and five bronze medals. A stand-out this year was the double gold win by Altstadt Brewing Company of Fredricksburg, Texas for their Altstadt Kolsch (German-Style Kolsch) and Altstadt Lager (Munich-style Helles).

As reposted from https://www.craftbeeraustin.com/altstadt-brewery-brings-home-double-gold-from-gabf-2019/

NEW HILL COUNTRY WEDDING VENUE – ALTSTADT BREWERY IN FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS

I’m so excited to be the FIRST to style and publish a shoot at this new amazing Hill Country wedding venue – Altstadt Brewery in Fredericksburg, Texas!

This place is just amazing. It’s a beautiful modern Bavarian space like no other in the Hill Country that fits so perfectly with the historic German tradition of the area. The owners spared no expense on the lavish details. The ornate wood carving on the fireplace, the beautiful windows and archways on the many patios, and all of the beautiful gold details. We actually did this shoot while the venue was still under construction, so we didn’t have the opportunity to get as many wide shots as we would have liked. However, I think these images will be enough of a teaser to entice you to visit in person and see the grandeur and taste the beer! Check out their contact info on my Hill Country wedding vendors page to set up a tour!

German-style brewery’s tasting room opens outside Fredericksburg

Altstadt Brewery outside of Fredericksburg brings a little bit of Germany to the Hill Country.

Adhering to the German Purity Law of 1516, the brewery puts nothing but hops, barley, yeast, and water into the beer. The new state-of-the-art brewery goes a step further by mimicking the mineral composition of the artesian spring water of Germany. The Texas water is filtered through reverse osmosis, says Craig Rowan, brewmaster. Natural minerals are then put back into the water. The lager uses water similar in composition to that found in Munich, the altbier copies water from Düsseldorf, and the kölsch mirrors Cologne where the style originated.