House Beer’s Premium Lager Expands East
From a recipe conceived in a Los Angeles garage, to Colorado brewing, the brand lands in NYC
The founders of House Beer aren’t trying to be anything but producers of a tasty, premium lager. The brand, which launched back in 2013, has made a presence in LA where its group of founders reside. Now, however, they’re pushing eastward and a part of that has to do with the reception their product has received so far. They chose to focus on one beer; a light but substantial lager that’s as refreshing as one would expect. This isn’t a craft brewery team, but a burgeoning brand that’s going after the bigger beer company audience. And while that may seem daunting, the founders believe in what they’re doing.
“‘We are from Venice, but brewed in Denver,’ is the first thing I tell people,” co-founder Keegan Gibbs shares with CH. Their proprietary recipe was actually developed in a garage in LA by a friend who is a craft brewer. After tweaking and perfecting it, the team took the recipe to Denver (one of the country’s brewing hubs) and began another process. “It was developed in a small, five gallon system,” Gibbs continues. “Now it’s in a 200 barrel system. It’s like the difference between baking a dozen cookies and 20 dozen. You don’t just scale up.” Using a new, state-of-the-art facility, House Beer gets produced by what co-founder Brendan Sindell fondly refers to as “engineers and brewing geeks. Their passion is to make sure the beer is made as best it can.”
They’re quick to pay respect to artisanal producers and admit that they aren’t that. “We wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t a craft brewing movement,” Sindell continues. “A lot of the people that land on us, they aren’t big brand drinkers. They are the people that started with those big brands, but then moved to craft, who sometimes want something lighter but still premium.” From the noble hops and crystal malts to the highly monitored production process, premium is an appropriate title for the lager. Consistency of product to the integrity of the brewing practice ultimately deliver results worth sipping on—especially if one is a bit burnt by the risks of hopping from craft beer to craft beer.
Find House Beer ($25 per case) at restaurants and bars (as well as Whole Foods) in Los Angeles, and Blind Barber, Beer Culture, Cafe Clover, and the Ace Hotel in New York City and Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk.
Lead image courtesy of House Beer, all other images by Cool Hunting
