Our Resolutions for 2020

The dawn of a new year and decade often make us feel like we have to set grand goals to meet such an occasion.

Ten years ago, we had but a dream to open a distillery, let alone a brewery, that employs a growing staff off South Flores. But here we are.

So for this year, we want to do more.

We want to feature more bartenders who create amazing cocktails using Kinsman brandy.

We want to spread the deliciousness that is HighWheel beers.

We want to connect with more organizations and groups that enjoy quality spirits.

And we want to make Dorćol more of a second home to our guests.

We’re asking for more from you as well.

Please help us expand our digital footprint by always tagging @dorcolspirits on Twitter and Instagram; checking in on Facebook, and using the hashtag #drinkatdorcol when you visit.

Look for our HighWheel taps (big orange, tiny highwheel bike on top, you can’t miss it) or our Kinsman bottle at any of the other wonderful bars and restaurants that carry Dorćol products across San Antonio and use the tag #drinkingkinsman or #drinkinghighwheel to be featured on our timeline.

Here’s to MORE this year!

Giving Back With the Black Saison

This October, we wrapped up fest season with a release dear to our hearts. Before opening Dorćol, Boyan and Chris made sure to take a trek up to Big Bend every year to take in the great outdoors. Running a business means the treks are now a little less frequent, but their love for camping and unplugging is still present.

That’s why this September we teamed up with Community Cultures Yeast Lab’s Mara and Rob to create a Black Saison made using brewer’s yeast harvested from the Ocotillo plant in Big Bend National Park.

The result of the day-long brew was the HighWheel Black Saison, a darker version of the classic Belgian farmhouse style, that doesn’t drink dark, but instead delivers notes of pear, apple, pepper and clove with a nice funkiness that defines a good saison.

To continue celebrating the park, we’re donating a portion of every pour and keg sold to benefit Friends of Big Bend. So if you’re a fan of one of Texas’s greatest places, make sure to stop by and enjoy a pour of this wonderful brew.

Small Batch #26: American Pale Ale

We took a break from beer releases during July, but the Small Batch series is back this August with a brew that pays homage to the style that started it all.

Randy has created a classic American style pale ale that helped popularize craft beer in the states.

“It is hop forward, focusing on citrusy, American hops. The style is balanced with a medium body contributed by a small amount of crystal malt,” Randy said.

The malt is primarily pale ale malt with a touch of crystal malt. The hops are American citrus forward varieties and include Citra and a healthy dose of Amarillo, while the yeast used is a clean fermenting strain used by several famous American pale ales.

Come get a taste for it August 8th!

IBU:  31, ABV: 5.9%, color: 6 SRM

Tickets for the 5th Annual Helado Borracho are now live!

Our annual ice cream social is back!

Dorćol Distilling + Brewing Co. hosts its annual Kinsman-soaked ice cream desserts celebration featuring local pastry chefs and restaurants from across San Antonio. There will be two awards for the night: People’s Choice – voted on by guests at the event and Critic’s Choice – a panel of judges will decide who will be named this year’s Helado Borracho!

The winner of the Helado Borracho will also have the option to ‘pop-up’ at SA Cocktail Conference 2020 with an exclusive tasting for SACC attendees!

Who (so far): Liberty Bar, Maverick Texas Brasserie, Piatti, Hoppy Monk, Il Forno, Rosella Coffee Co., Bohanan’s Prime Seafood & Steakhouse. Stay tuned for more!

Admission, $10, includes samples from all participating restaurants. Click here for tickets!

A portion of proceeds of the event benefit Contemporary Art Month San Antonio, a 501(c) 3 non profit that presents the best our community has to offer at galleries, museums, performing arts spaces, schools, artist studios and various unconventional locations around the city each March.

The Rim Gets Ready to Rock (and Rye)

The Rim Shopping Center has been an evolving project since its inception. And a new bar is looking to indoctrinate its denizen into the realm of world-class cocktails.

Bar veteran Don Marsh, most well-known for Southtown’s Bar 1919 at the Blue Star Art Complex, is heading straight up I-10 to open Rock and Rye, a new craft cocktail spot set for late 2019 named after the barroom staple that adds hard candy to young rye to mellow out the sting.

The plan was always to open another concept up north, said Don, who shared details of the new bar over a bowl of noodles at a neighboring restaurant. “I wanted to bring what's going on in Downtown and SouthTown up north, and always, always wanted to come up to The Rim,” said Don. “This is the new central part of San Antonio.”

Though Rock and Rye will rely on the magic that made Bar 1919 a great speakeasy — Don’s signature love of dark wood and old grandeur — bar-goers can also expect a sprawling patio to greet them for the night.

Inside, the 3,500-square-foot space will feature 10 four-top tables along the side wall, and three large community tables that will accommodate up to 10 guests each. In other words, get ready to make some new bar friends.

Rock and Rye’s size will also allow for twice as many bottles and then some with Don hoping to eventually reach 3,000 on display, and this will, of course, include Kinsman Rakia. The pièce de résistance? A 12-foot backbar complete with sliding ladders. Classic cocktails from Bar 1919 will make the trek, as well as a 20-tap craft beer system with four HighWheel brews.

“I get that question a lot, “Do you support local?,” said Don. “ Yeah, if they're good.”

As to who will frequent Rock and Rye, Don says regulars will visit, but the built-in clientele afforded by The Rim and its neighboring apartment complexes will become the bulk of bar-goers looking for a new cocktail experience.

“There is so much traffic around here,” Don said. “Rock and Rye will be a grown-up’s playground!”

Like Bar 1919 did with neighboring SouthTown bars, Rock and Rye will elevate the drinking scene when it hits the Rim this winter.

“I love analogies … when a bunch of dogs get together for the first time, they're stressed out, you know why? They don't know who the alpha is. Once they find out, “Cool, you're in charge, I’m good,” said Don. “We're the alpha. We're going to show guests what they're drinking.”

Get ready to Rock (and Rye) from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday this next shopping season.

A Summer Stout Release

This past January, head brewer Randy Ward released our highest ABV beer yet with the Russian Imperial Stout, modeled after dark beers crafted by the English to export to Russia in the early 18th century. Story has it that once Empress Catherine II got a taste for the imported stout, which known for its durability and endurance as it made its way across the Baltic into Russia, the brew solidified its place in history.

And after several months in a port barrel, the RIS is back for more.

Flavor notes include chocolate, roast, and coffee, as well as fig, raisin, and prune contributed by the port. 

“It starts with a port like boozy nose, but finishes on the palate complex and balanced,” Randy said.

Try it for yourself this June! We’re releasing it in the taproom on June 14 so come by for a pour and a few surprises.

70 IBU, 9% ABV, 71 SRM.