(Houston, TX) – The info below just came through Saint Arnold Brewing’s newsletter. In case you missed it on Monday, the company is launching a new series of beers it has been working on for at least six years called ICON.

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The first Icon will be a Belgian Pale Ale. Here is brewer Sam’s description:

“I was going for an approachable Belgian beer that people could drink more than one of. I wanted to use a simple malt bill with British crystal malts to provide a nice sweetness that doesn’t get muddled with the yeast character and the hops. To add an American element, Chinook hops were used for bittering, which adds a piney flavor. Saaz hops were added for aroma that blends well with the yeast. I selected a yeast that adds Belgian yeast character without going overboard with phenols. I wanted to make a beer that used ingredients from disparate brewing traditions that worked well together.”

The Belgian Pale Ale will be packaged in the red/black labels and carriers.

“When and where can I find the Belgian Pale Ale?” you may now be asking. Here are the details:

Monday, December 10: It will be available in package and on draft in the Houston area only. While available at some grocery and liquor stores, initially it will not be available at two of our biggest retailers, Kroger and HEB, as we did not get the paperwork approved in time (our bad!) but hopefully it will be appearing in these stores about a week later. We’ll let you know when this happens.

Monday, December 17: Non-Houston markets will receive their first shipments of Belgian Pale Ale kegs but not bottles.

Late January 2013: It will be available in package and draft everywhere.