Heiress to the Brewer's Throne...Ms. Christine Celis

Ms. Christine Celis of Gypsy Collaborations

I had the accidental fortune of running into Christine Celis at Sunrise Minimart which is just up the street from our Bed n' Brew and I simply gushed...no, really.  I read the Bitch Beer book "Capital City on Tap" and got the background scoop on her father Pierre Celis, who brought his belgian style witbier to the U.S.  I had that beer when I first moved to Austin in the mid 90's and it was a refreshing break from the limited palette of Shiner, Zeigenbock, Lone Star and the ilk.  It brought back fond memories of hanging out at Scholtz Biergarten in the dog days of August, just before school began.

Christine came to Texas when she was 29 and has been here ever since, returning to Belgium twice a year to visit her mother.  The Celis Brewery had a successful run, opening in '92 when Pierre introduced his award winning coriander and orange peel wit bier to the U.S.  The little brewery had trouble keeping up with demand and was eventually bought out by Miller Brewing Co. where it took a nose dive into mediocrity.   At that point it was sold to Michigan Brewing Co. and dismantled.  Very sad story.  Christine lost her dad in 2011 at the age of 86 and has since been inspired to bring back the refreshing style that put the Celis family on the Beer map.

A few years ago she ran into Kim Clark, the young UT grad that her father had hired and sent back to Belgium to study Belgian brewing, at the airport.  They decided that they should make a go of it and try to bring back the name and style in honor of Pierre.  In the meantime, Christine and Kim are doing collaborative works with various breweries here in Texas, before they take the Gypsy label out of state!  All the while Christine has been buying back her dad's original brewing equipment and scouting new locations for Christine Celis Brewery to be opening...soon!

So, I met her on Tuesday...and we had a fantastic conversation there in the Minimart and she graciously invited me to Uncle Billy's for the unveiling of her newest creation, a dubbel coffee porter...a la belgian-style on Thursday night...how could I not go?  Porter, is not my favorite style.  I don't like sweet beer, or sweet coffee, or sweet chocolate.  But the thing that gets to me most is the maple syrup feel.  I have to say that this beer has none of that.  She explained at length about how they made the small batch and put coffee in a pair of panty hose and stirred it around but kept removing it and tasting, along the way, keeping time all the while, until they got the balance they wanted.  Not too overpowering with the bitter coffee, yet keeping a rich flavor with the 5 different malted grains.

The arrangement of grains and hops used for the porter.

On Sunday afternoon a group that I've just recently joined called "Beer Necessities," a ladies beer aficionado club here in Austin and in Chicago, was meeting at Uncle Billy's to have a forum with Christine and Kim Clark to talk about beer, their plans, and their new creation.

We had a chance to listen to their stories, taste the grains and have a few glasses of Gypsy Porter.  I liked it even better a few days later.  It really stands out to me--a lover of Belgian style beers, IPAs, sours and other clean-crisp, yet flavorful concoctions--as different and improved.  

Kim Clark, Master Brewer

Kim Clark was hand picked by Pierre Celis and he sent her back to his hometown to learn Belgian style brewing years ago.  Clark, a graduate of UT with a degree in Microbiology said that she just feels so lucky that he saw in her "potential" so the idea that beer brewing is a man's business, wasn't something she'd ever experienced.  Christine says that her dad always surrounded himself with smart women because he was aware of the fact that women have more taste buds than men.  She and Christine decided that they wanted to reignite the Celis passion for Belgian beers and they are working towards the goal of their own brewery, invoking the memory of Pierre and his wonderful recipes.  

Christine and I at Uncle Billy's
I am excited about the plans for a woman owned and operated brewery here in Austin!  May Ninkasi (Goddess of beer and alcohol) bless this endeavor!
Cheers, and Happy Home brewing!~Cheryl