It was less than six months back when Stoutmeister and I first visited Lizard Tail to preview their opening, but a lot has been going on since then in the corner of this strip mall at Eubank and Montgomery. I sat down with Dan Berry, head brewer and co-founder, to find out more about how things are going and what they have in store for 2015.

Adam: “So how was your 2014?”

Dan: “Lots of learning for sure. We’ve made good headway in the process; I’m really excited for the new batch of recipes. I’m so excited for the new stuff, because it’s coming out (as) ‘That’s what I was going for’. Some of them, the ESB, first shot, exactly what I wanted, well except for the oak, which I’m going to try adding. My long-term plan was to dial in the basic recipes and then I can start playing with it. Hops, fruit, maybe some cocoa nibs in there.”

With the core beers dialed in, Dan will be experimenting a little more with the seasonal offerings, looking at some more unusual styles. Look out for a Grätzer this spring and additional oaked beers. Somewhat outside of their more malt-driven approach, they will be adding an imperial IPA as a seasonal. This comes from an old recipe from back when Dan could drink hoppy beers, so he tells me.