<em>Blanco, TX</em><br />

<strong>Points: 50</strong><br />

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Hill Country brewer’s entry into the Texas craft beer game. Or maybe we should say, the domination of the Texas craft beer game. “Real Ale has been putting out very well made beer from before the time that many new Texas brewery owners could legally drink,” says Floyd. Its long history shows through a solid lineup of classics, and more recent exploratory numbers including sours and barrel-aged brews using rare ingredients. Take for example, The Kraken, a favorite of Longoria’s which he goes on to explain “is part of their barrel aged series, Mysterium Verum. The base is their barley wine Sisyphus, aged in new, toasted American oak -- it is literally liquid creme brûléed grapefruit.” Every single one of our experts put Real Ale in their top 10, with three even honoring the brewer with a coveted spot in the top 3. Long story short, Real Ale is the real deal.<br />

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<strong>Beers to try:</strong> Fireman’s #4, Hans' Pils, Devil’s Backbone, The Kraken, Gose

<h2>Our panel of judges</h2>

<strong>Courtney Strange</strong> - Courtney is the Beer Buyer for Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden in Austin, where they boast very well rounded 104 tap wall, with unique picks for both the casual beer drinker and the craft connoisseur.<br />

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<strong>Jake Rainey</strong> - Jake has worked in craft beer for 19 years, his longest tenure being with Flying Saucer for 12 years, finishing there as their National Beer Director. He’s now the COO and Partner of Cottonwood, La Grange, and Liberty Station in Houston, helping the group do everything they can to advance the growth of the city’s craft beer scene.<br />

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<strong>Josh Yingling</strong> - Josh is the co-owner of awesome beer-centric spots The Blind Butcher, Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House, and Goodfriend Package Store in Dallas.<br />

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<strong>Keith Schlabs</strong> - Keith has been serving craft beer in Texas for a good while and is operating partner and beer guru for Flying Saucer, Meddlesome Moth, Rodeo Goat, Lark on the Park, and Mudhen & Bird Cafe in Dallas.<br />

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<strong>Kevin Floyd</strong> - Kevin is the owner and head beer master at Hay Merchant in Houston. In addition to an extensive knowledge of brew, Kevin also brings operations expertise to the table, having worked previously as a manager of Logan's Roadhouse, opening 25 restaurants throughout the Midwest. Kevin manages the operations of both Hay Merchant and sister restaurant Underbelly.<br />

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<strong>Pedro Longoria</strong> - Pedro oversees, educates and leads a group of passionate and special beer drinking people at The Hoppy Monk in San Antonio. But most importantly, he visits independent craft breweries to see first hand what their culture and values are all about, drink and share beer, and build strong relationships with them.<br />

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<strong>Sarah Wood</strong> - Sarah is a writer/co-founder of the women-run beer blog BitchBeer based in Austin. She and the ladies co-wrote <em>Austin Beer: Capital City History on Tap</em> in 2013 and are soon to release a detailed history and guide to the 11 Trappist breweries of the world.<br />

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