Located along Old Katy Road off 1st Street in Katy, No Label is “a big craft brewery with a small-town feel,” according to co-owner Tom Paynter. Tom and his business partner, Garrett Hart, purchased the brewery from its original owners in 2019, and, in just a few short years, the brewery has undergone a complete rebranding along with several upgrades.
Tucked away among old grain towers and antiquated rice dryers, the brewery offers a venue that’s both secluded and welcoming at the same time. The ample parking lot leads you to a massive outdoor seating area and an indoor taproom boasting 20+ brews at any given time. On top of all of that, live music, rotating food trucks, and a massive swag collection are also found at No Label.
No Label offers a wide selection of beers, both on draft at the brewery and around the city, as well as in cans on shelves near you. As part of their rebranding process, the brewery not only revamped its beer labels (and we had the honor of designing a few of them) but they also continued to innovate with new brews. From barleywines to IPLs to their wildly popular jalapeno beer, Don Jalapeno, No Label has something for everyone.
However, very recently, one of their beers took the brewery to a new level.
Cali Boy, a West Coast IPA, was the first beer brewed by head brewer, Ryan Traylor. Born in San Diego, Ryan found himself running the tanks at No Label in 2020 and his likeness on the Cali Boy can shortly after. Moreover, Cali Boy won silver at the World Beer Cup in Minneapolis last month. The brewery itself also brought in several Crushies from the CBMAs.
As the largest beer competition in the world, the World Beer Cup features thousands of beer entries from around the world in over 100 categories.
That means an award from them is a BIG deal.
Cali Boy was awarded silver in the Imperial IPA category, joining a list of 13 other Texas beers taking home awards from Minnesota.
Brewed with Mosaic hops and available in 12-ounce cans, Cali Boy comes in at 7.1% ABV with 90 IBU. Presenting with a marmalade orange body, there was a slight haze to its appearance. Its head is white and foamy with moderate retention and leaves behind sticky lacing throughout the glass.
Stealing from their Untappd description (which is one of the most accurate I’ve ever seen), I couldn’t agree more on the “pineapple gummy bear and resiny cannabis” aroma. For a San Diego-style IPA, the fruity and bright aroma is spot-on to what it should be.
My first sip is just as fruity as the aroma with a touch of sweetness to round it off. Fresh citrus and tropical fruity notes intermingle with a dank background that’s let loose inside a vibrant explosion of flavors.
Carbonation levels appear to be appropriate as do the medium-bodied mouthfeel and drier finish. The boldness and clarity of this beer alone make it outstanding…the flavor just brings it home.
Of the 50+ beers I’ve had from No Label, Cali Boy is a favorite of mine and one of their best. It’s just so very drinkable and enjoyable.
No wonder it won the awards that it did.
Cali Boy is a fridge staple on our end, and we hope it’s sitting in your fridges right now too.
Beers to you, Houston.
No Label Brewing Cali Boy IPA
My Overall Rating
4
No Label Brewing Cali Boy IPA
Huge fan of this beer. The huge amount of flavor is wonderful for an IPA and it doesn’t lack in the other important aspects of the style like a solid bitterness and clean execution. Even better, it’s available on shelves all over town! We know you’ve tried this one, so tell us what you think below!
Brent is originally from Ohio but has been in Houston for over 10 years. As an Aggie, musician, animal advocate, and Lego collector, he always has something going on. If you have an imperial stout, come find him. He'll want to add it to his insatiable beer spreadsheet.
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