New brewery ‘different than 99 percent’ of other beer

Andy Pasternak sums up the new Roughhouse Brewing in seven words: “Everything we do is from the heart.”

Andy, along with his brother and sister-in-law, Davy and Alex Pasternak, opened Roughhouse Brewing to the public just before Christmas. The shiny, new brewery features crisp “farmhouse” beer that is aged in oak. It’s located at 680 Oakwood Loop, just behind the Middleton Brewery.

The brewery is truly a family affair. Davy is the head brewer and oversees distribution. Alex is in charge of sales and marketing. Andy is the “cellarman” who monitors fermentation and oversees quality. Their friend Steve DeLeon is the chef and has created a menu that features dishes inspired by the Roughhouse beers and the Texas Hill Country.

The barn-style brewery and tasting room sits on five acres that was carved out of the Pasternak Ranch, a 50-acre spread owned by Davy and Andy’s parents.

The brewery opened about a month ago, but clearly there is much to de done as they aim for their Jan. 19 Grand Opening. Roughhouse Brewing is open now, but tractors are still moving dirt in the garden and the furniture for the lounge is still being assembled. But the beer is ready to go.

Crafted for Texas

The Pasternaks were inspired by the “farmhouse” style beer they tasted in Belgium. Typically, it’s light, crisp and earthy. Farmhouse beer is designed to be a thirst quencher often served to workers on farms in Belgium and France. Their Rare Merit beer — with a low 3.3 percent alcohol, a light body and a pale golden color — has hints of lemon. On the other end of the scale is the deep brown Sordid Nature which has an alcohol content of 8.2 percent and is made with English malts. All the Roughhouse beers are yeast forward.

“Our beer is different from 99 percent of the beer out there,” says Davy. “What we produce is true to farmhouse brewing. It is very unique to this property.”

Adds Alex: “It’s hot here and we wanted a crisp, light beer.”

They have found Wimberley receptive to the new beer. Earlier this month, Roughhouse sold its first keg to Community Pizza and Beer Garden at the Lumberyard Retail Center on Old Kyle Road.

They try to use local ingredients. The grain is grown in Texas. The water is pumped from the Cow Creek Aquifer and then filtered. They collect the yeast that starts the fermentation process from plants on their own property. However, the hops — which give beer its bitterness — come from Europe.

The brews are aged in large oak barrels called foeders. Each barrel holds 900 gallons of beer. Normally, brewing takes a few weeks, but because Roughhouse beers are aged in the oak, the process takes 6-8 weeks. As a result, brewing capacity is limited. “Those oak barrels are the linchpin of our brewery,” says Davy.

Beer becomes a passion

Davy began making beer while he was a teenager. “Davy was making beer before he could buy beer,” says Andy with a chuckle.

Both Davy and Andy are mechanical engineers and Alex worked for a civil engineering company after getting a degree in journalism.

Davy went to work for Blue Owl Brewing in Austin to learn the business. Balancing his engineer-