I interviewed Michael Peticolas of the eponymous Dallas brewery, Peticolas Brewing Company, after the Great American Beer Festival, asking about how his brewery started, how the Texas beer scene is doing these days, and what he enjoyed to drink when he wasn’t pouring at his own GABF booth.

At what point did you know you’d work with beer for a living?

I also practice law and opened my law firm in 2005. By 2010, I had accomplished all of the goals I set for myself in the legal industry and began looking for a new challenge.

After homebrewing for some time and developing a passion for all things beer, we received an offer to invest in a brewery start up. While contemplating the investment, my wife asked me “Why don’t we do this ourselves?” The proverbial light bulb lit up in our heads and from that point on, we started planning our 100% family owned and operated brewery. In pursuit of this goal and in recognition of the value of education, I completed the Intensive Brewing Science and Engineering course offered by the American Brewers Guild. After that, opening a brewery became a full time job.

Is there anybody who mentored you along the way? If so, what did they teach you that was so valuable?

Absolutely.  My great friend and brewing sensei Greg Matthews mentored me from day one.  He taught me everything from the nuances of recipe formulation to practical brewing in a commercial brewery.  I obtained theory from brew school, but Greg showed me how to brew.   I aim to make beer half as good as his one day.

What was the first beer you ever brewed, and how did it turn out?

Ha!  The first beer I ever brewed was a Pavel Kwak clone.  A little 5 gallon extract batch brewed in the kitchen.  How’d it turn out?  Terrible!  It never fermented properly; ridiculously sweet.  My lawn thanked me for the forty plus bottles I poured onto it.  Undrinkable.

What’s the criteria for a beer that you brew at your brewery? What does a beer have to be?

Balance, balance, balance.   Beer must be properly balanced.  Regardless of style, the proper balance of hops and malt are essential.

What’s your top selling beer, and why do you think that’s the case?

The Velvet Hammer.  It’s a 9% ABV imperial red ale that is all about balance.  The trick is to pack a ton of alcohol into the beer without coming across as a high alcohol beer (i.e., avoiding the heat and esters experienced from many higher alcohol beer).  At the same time, the balance between hops and malt is also essential.  The IBU’s in the hammer equal the IBU’s in the typical IPA, but the massive malt backbone balances the hop profile.  As a result, the Velvet Hammer doesn’t come across as a “hop” beer or “malt” beer.
Everyone also seems to love the name.  Smooth as velvet, hits you like a hammer!

What do you look for when hiring people to work in your brewhouse?

Hiring?  Ha.  I still haven’t hired anyone.  I do it all with my wife, 7 year old daughter, 5 year old twins, and army of volunteers.

How do you go about naming your beers?

My good friend and co-author Doug Ames gets the credit for our beers’ names.  We banter back and forth and inevitably, he comes up with the gold (or in the case of the Royal Scandal, his wife does).  Ultimately, I try to find beer names that do not mention the style, but in some way refer to or describe the beer in some clever manner.

What was the most recent beer that you brewed, and what was your inspiration and approach?

I brewed the Golden Opportunity for the hot Texas summer.  It’s a summer session beer that measures in at 4.5% ABV.  You can drink 10 of ‘em when it’s 110 degrees outside.  A nice thirst quencher.

The Golden Opportunity is modeled after the classic styles of Koln, Germany, but deliberately lacks the enhanced fruitiness of the typical American interpretation.  It is intended to come across with a light, pleasant malt aroma with a hint of sweetness and faint bitterness.  It is clean, well balanced and suitably carbonated for a crisp, refreshing feel.

In addition, Texas remains Bud/Miller/Coors country and the Golden Opportunity is our gateway beer.

How would you describe the beer scene in Texas right now?

Exploding!  Texans were late to the table, but are starting to get the craft beer movement.  We are light years from where we were 10 years ago.  Craft beer was the exception then, but is literally becoming the norm sans the chains.

What beer at GABF struck a chord with you?

A 9% Imperial Cream Ale by Nexus brewing out of Albuquerque.  High alcohol has never been so well hidden.
Also, anything and everything by New Glarus.