BEER SCIENCE: NASA worker's Pearland brewery lifts off
PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) -- A NASA employee took his passion for home brewing into a family-run operation that he hopes will "lift off."
Just off Main Street in Pearland sits Vallensons' Brewery. Valle and Lori Kauniste opened the brewery two years ago.
PREVIOUS STORY: Our first visit with Vallensons'
"It's kind of in the name Val and sons," Lori explained. "We have two sons. We have a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old. We're very family-oriented."
While the brewing occurs in Pearland, the flavors are from around the world.
"I had a lot when I was overseas, when I was in the military and when I came back stateside. I couldn't really find the beers that met that satisfaction," Valle said.
Valle's background is in aerospace physiology. After leaving the Air Force, he landed with NASA.
With science being a constant in his life, he was looking for a different challenge.
"I want to do something on the other side of my brain where I can actually have some fun, do what I love to do," Valle explained.
He started with home brewing.
"So I started learning about different water profiles of the different parts of the world that I've been," Valle recalled. "Once the beer started coming out and I started replicating the beers from Germany and England and stuff like that, I got real excited about this."
As time went on, the dream of opening a family brewery turned into a reality.
"I do a lot of behind the scenes things that are very stressful and not fun, but it's part of the business and I do that," Lori said. "Coming here and getting to be with our friends and kind of relaxing a bit with some great brews, that's the fun part."
Right now, Vallensons' is considered a nano-brewery because of the amount of barrels they produce, but they have plans to grow.
July 9 Vallensons' Brewing Company took home four medals at the U.S. Open Beer Championship, a competition between more than 7,000 breweries across the world. They won a gold for its Settlers Oatmeal Stout, a bronze for its ExBERRYmental Fruit Beer, a bronze for its Peach Tea Beer, and a bronze for its Tart Cherry Berliner.
To learn more about the brewery, head to the Vallensons' Brewery website here.
ABC13+ is a project that focuses on the hidden gems and unsung heroes from the communities you live in. Through our series, we're able to shine a positive spotlight on the amazing stories that deserve to be told.
Want to see more from the heart of your community? Check out your town's stories through our ABC13+ Facebook page.
