USA, TX: Pour Choices Brewing Co. moving ahead in Fredericksburg

Despite tumultuous times for Texas’ craft-beer industry, a new project mixing brews and bicycles is moving ahead in the Hill Country town of Fredericksburg, San Antonio Current reported on October 22.

Pour Choices Brewing Co., a $2.8 million craft brewery 68 miles northwest of San Antonio is under construction with a projected opening date next April, according to owner Rick LaPlante.

The nearly 9,000-square-foot brewery at 1505 S. Creek St. in Fredericksburg will include production facilities along with an indoor tasting room, outdoor seating, an outdoor bar, a performance stage and a bike repair shop.

Fredericksburg has become a popular spot for the Hill Country cycling community, drawing solo riders and teams preparing for races and treks. LaPlante told the Current he wants to connect with cyclists and make them part of the brewery’s core clientele.

“We’re really focused on having the community come into our space,” he said. “We really want it to be that sort of gathering place, almost like the coffee shop. Where you can come in, sit down, work, have a meeting, whatever you need to do.”

LaPlante is partnering with Hill Country Bike Works to open the brewery’s bike shop. The aim is to maintain a small, self-service site where cyclists can work on their own bikes, clean them up after a ride and purchase parts from a vending machine if needed.

LaPlante’s wife is a cyclist who competes in Hill Country events such as the Cedar Hill Race Festival, he added.

Before opening his first brewery, LaPlante had no experience in the world of craft beer. He’s a software engineer by trade, having worked at Microsoft for 20 years.

The genius behind Pour Choices’ brewing operation is Tony Wickham, an award-winning Montana-born brewer with years of experience across the UK and the United States. He will oversee production at the Hill Country facility.

LaPlante and Wickham first worked together to open Wyold West Brewing Co. in the area surrounding Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park. Wickham also served as brewmaster at Ireland’s Lough Gill Brewery, receiving the Best Beer in Ireland accolade at the Irish Beer Festival two years in a row for his work.

Wickham will be taking his talent back to the States, offering at least 16 different beers, from ales and stouts to IPAs at Pour Choices, according to LaPlante.

One special beer among those will be Pour Choices’ Community Cheer. All proceeds from sales of the brew will be collected into a fund to offer grants for community groups, the owner explained.

LaPlante and his wife will provide the first funds for the program, donating $20,000 to kick it off. From there, the brewery will form a group to review and approve grant requests.

“We think it could be a real fun thing that can really help out people in the community,” LaPlante said. “It’s a neat way to come in, and if you like that beer, get the Community Cheer, you’ll be giving back to your community.”

Pour Choices also will pour pints of non-alcoholic beer, which La Plante described as a major commitment for the business.

“For a craft brewery, it’s almost unheard of,” he said. “The equipment is, you know, $100,000 just to start to make non-alcoholic beer.”

LaPlante wants to keep Pour Choices connected with the Hill Country community by using honey, chocolate and foods from other local producers as flavoring components for its brews. To that end, the brewery will collaborate with Blanco-based Milam & Greene to make an Imperial Honey Rye ale, which will be aged in the distiller’s rye whiskey barrels, and a stout, which will be aged in its bourbon barrels.

Furthering the community ties, LaPlante wants to distribute kegs to area bars with tap systems. However, he doesn’t have aspirations to expand outside the Fredericksburg area.

The brewery does have plans to can its products, especially since exciting can design and art are all the rage in the craft beer world, but it will sell in-house only. There are no plans to distribute through HEB or other local grocery stores, LaPlante added.

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