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Hell’s Half Lager is a joint venture between Fort Brewery and Hell’s Half Acre Stadium Goods.
Who: Jack Feltgen of Fort Brewery and Steven Stults, founder of Hell’s Half Acre Stadium Goods
When: Sales began Aug. 3
What: Hell’s Half Lager, a brew has been crafted with a purpose. A portion of
all sales go toward supporting the Flying T Club, a TCU NIL collective that supports TCU student athletes and local charities.
Where: Fort Worth
Website: https://www.facebook.com/hellshalflager
Fort Brewery describes the lager as an easy-drinking stadium beer. It is a 4.6% ABV lager packaged in a 16-ounce purple pinstriped can.
Jack Feltgen, project lead at Fort Brewery and a former TCU cheerleader from 2015-19, said in a news release the project was perfect for him.
“To build a beverage brand that allows fans an accessible means to support their team is very exciting to me. As someone whose role in athletics was to unite fans and build enthusiasm during gameday, I believe Hell’s Half Lager perfectly encapsulates my former role on campus. As an alumnus, i can give back to those same opportunities I had as a student-athlete on campus.”
Hell’s Half Acre was an infamous part of downtown, located basically where the Convention Center is today. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was a notorious area for gambling, prostitution, drinking, drug use and other activities that attracted cowboys on cattle drives. It basically was closed down when Camp Bowie was built, but it has continued to live on as part of the city’s western heritage. Some businesses, such as the White Elephant Saloon, continue to use a name associated with Hell’s Half Acre, as the original White Elephant was located there.
The Flying T Club provides Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) opportunities for TCU athletes in a variety of sports while partnering with local nonprofit organizations to make a difference in the community.
Fort Worth Report spoke with Feltgen about the new brew. This interview has been edited for content, length, grammar and clarity.
Bob Francis: How did this project start?
Feltgen: So we worked with Steven Stults, the founder of Hell’s Half Acre Stadium Goods, which works with the Flying T Club, which is an NIL collective for TCU athletes. Steven introduced me to them and they were really interested in partnering with us. Fort Brewery was fine with it as long as TCU was and we checked with them and they didn’t have any problems as long as we met certain guidelines. They didn’t want it to come off as their own beverage.
Our soft launch was at the Flying T Club’s kickoff party recently and it was officially released Aug. 3. That’s my two minute version of the last five months.
Francis: What do you do at Fort Brewery?
Feltgen: I’m in charge of marketing. Our brewmaster, Sandra Murphy, handled the brewing of Hell’s Half Lager. Her family are big TCU fans.
Francis: How did the Hell’s Half Lager name come about?
Feltgen: There were some discussions, and we wanted to maintain a term that both represented Fort Worth and the university as well. Obviously, it is a nod to the Wild West history of Fort Worth and Hell’s Half Acre, as is Hell’s Half Acre Stadium Goods. I think it’s pretty clever and we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback about the name and the can. People are really excited about it.
Francis: Who designed the can?
Feltgen: I did, with some help from our graphic designer. I wanted something that was like some vintage collegiate type of product. That’s the theme I was going for.
Francis: How much does it sell for?
Feltgen: It’s sold in four packs, since they are tall boys, and it’s about $11.99.
Francis: Where can you purchase it?
Feltgen: Right now at Fort Brewery, but watch our Facebook page, we’ll have more locations soon.
Francis: Any plans for future brews?
Feltgen: We’ll get this one behind us first.
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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