Austin Beer Guide - Spring/Summer 2017

MARINA 12709 Mopac & Parmer Lane in North Austin, TX

Contents

FROM THE EDITORS Science and magic. That’s what we’re bringing in this issue. Now, I know you’re thinking, “Those are two completely opposite, even antagonistic forces, you couldn’t possibly weave them together in a narrative relating to the Austin beer scene.” We didn’t.

Thematic continuity takes a hell of a lot of planning.

And “a hell of a lot of planning” is not what happens when we meet in a backyard over beers to put this thing together. And for the record, we’re not scientists and we’d play second-best to the worst birthday party magician, but #fakefakenews is real news and that’s what 2017 is all about. Embrace it. This is print so it must be true.

So step right up as we pretend to be evolutionary biologists and apply our hack knowledge to somehow explain the influence that brewers from outside our realm have had on our Austin beer community. I’m pretty sure we Googled a few big words to write that one. We may have even hypothesized. It’s one hell of a catchy title, though (p.16).

Behold! The wonder of SXSW cynicism melting away as your jaded beer guiders rediscover the magic that can still be found in our city’s most notorious festival. Albeit fueled by a lot better beer and a surprising number of Brits. Or is it Britts? Turn to page 44 for the big reveal.

And lastly, we invite you to marvel at the restrained retribution we allow some of our city’s best brewers to dole out to the most questionable of online beer reviews. Turns out anyone can write a bad review, but only a lucky few get made fun of in these pages (p.34).

Elsewhere in the issue you’ll find some timely advice from Spencer Tielkemeier that should lighten up the mood (p.12), we get some closing time advice from Jon Menega at Austin Beerworks (p.96), and I think at some point we try to figure out what the hell a NEIPA is.

With a little help from our friends, of course (p.08).

So you’re still not convinced? Our theorems and sleight of hand haven’t won you over? Flip back to the cover. Abracadabra. –SP Chris Troutman Aaron Chamberlain Josh Spradling Shawn Phillips

NEWS & BREWMORS .......................................02 SEASON'S DRINKING .......................................08

BREWER'S BRAIN .......................................12 MOHR-GOLD THEORY .......................................16

BREWERS RESPOND .......................................34

BEER & LOATHING .......................................44 TAPROOM SCHEDULE .......................................52

CENTRAL AUSTIN .......................................55 SOUTH AUSTIN .......................................63 NORTH AUSTIN .......................................73 GREATER AUSTIN .......................................81 OTHER CEN TX BREWERIES .......................................94 CIDER AND MEAD .......................................94

LAST CALL .......................................96 PROOFREADERS ....... Sofia Chamberlain, Andrew Schwab

Cover design: John Rubio, rubio@johnrubio.com

NEWS & BREWMORS

This is the News CROWLER BEAT Regularly forget your growler, can’t do anything outdoors without a buzz, or need to ship some beers to your bros? Good news, crowlers are popping up all over Austin. After nearly two years of legal battles with the TABC, the 32oz cangrowlers are now legal for Texas retailers thanks to Cuvee Coffee’s Mike McKim. Some of Austin’s best IPAs and lagers can also now be “packaged� for offsite consumption with the semi-recent installation of crowler machines at both Pinthouse Pizza locations and The ABGB. OPEN FOR BIZ Lazarus Brewing threw open their doors on Christmas Eve to their brew

. . . TURN PAGE, MORE NEWS!—>

Brewmors

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Reborn Celis Brewery to debut with two IPAs, including a NEIPA, with sole intention of getting an ABG Brewmor.

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To commemorate the installation of their "Mary, sister of Lazarus; Jesus, friend of sinners" stained glass patio piece, Lazarus Brewing plans to brew “No, really, we’re not a church brewery� barleywine.

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Hi Sign brewing to collaborate with neighbors The Landing Strip on a DDIPA, commonly known as a Double D India Pale Ale. Easy Tiger to hold a charity wrestling match between Waller Creek Pub and Banger’s in order to squash their recent

Facebook beef—No wings barred,cage (match) free. Watch out, things might get spicy! (complimentary wet naps available after the event).

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Not to be outdone by brew pub peers Pinthouse and the ABGB adoption of the popular Crowler, Uncle Billy’s to begin offering beer to go in new 64oz Zowler™ containers, a revolutionary new reusable beer-to-go technology pioneered

by ZiplocÂŽ A S.C. Johnson Family Corporation.

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Brewtorium build out is coming along at a good pace, with the cooktorium, bartorium, patiotorium, and bathroomtoriums all in place, but unfortunately, and ironically (?), were forced to nix the auditorium.

Crowler Photo: Mike McKim

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YOUR NEW FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD BEER BAR.

TAPS, BOTTLES, CANS, COFFEE AND SNACKS. NOW POURING IN MUELLER /WHIChcRAFTATX /WHIChcRAFTAUstin

BUBBA SAYS PLEASE COME VISIT HIM.

www.whichcraftbeerstore.com

NEWS CONTINUED . . . pub on east 6th. Expect a rotating selection of 8-10 beers to go along with tasty tortas and tacos and coffee.

Idle Vine Brewing opened their Pflugerville-based taproom just after the first of the year. You can find their beers in north Austin bars, but hit up the taproom for the full repertoire

beers, cycle-friendly atmosphere, and friendly faces. Altstadt opened their mega brewery this spring just outside Fredericksburg. German-inspired brews like a helles lager, kolsch, and alt can be found on tap and in bottles in the Hill Country now.

ALTSTADT IDLE VINE

Acopon Brewing Co. the production brewery from the people behind The Barber Shop, are shooting to be brewing sometime in May at their downtown Dripping Springs brewery. Look for English-style ales and casks, as well as a rotating selection of styles. Out on Hamilton Pool Road, Family Business Beer Company is working to be open sometime this summer. Their 30,000 instagram followers eagerly await.

Remember Oddwood Ales? Sure you do, we’ve been talking about them a little while here. They received their brew pub licenses in early April and are working through the normal construction and permitting issues every Austin brewery faces to get open ASAP. And speaking of ASAP, Brewtorium also have their brew pub license and reported they could be done with build out by late summer or early fall. They've also brought on their chef and are working out their creative menu of elevated pub fare with a Texas German twist! Southern Heights has been amassing equipment and finishing out their colorful taproom

Idle Vine Photo: Idle Vine Facebook, Altstadt Photo: Altstadt Facebook

ON THE HORIZON and beers to go. Following a year of brewing out of 4th Tap, Friends & Allies started brewing out of their own space and opened their taproom in early spring. In addition to staples Noisey Cricket and Urban Chicken, they’ve added Fresh Coast IPA and House of Orange Tart Orange Ale. They will officially christen the place with a grand opening party on April 22. Hi Sign celebrated their opening on March 18. You can find them at a few places around town, but the best place to grab a beer like the Astronaut Double IPA or Blood Orange Ubuntu Coffee Stout is at the taproom, close by to Live Oak. Buda got its first brewery with the opening of Two Wheel Brewing in early March. Stop by on a Friday to try one of their three mainstay beers and look for expanded weekend hours in the near future. By the time you get around to reading this, industry veteran CJ West will have probably opened Spokesman in the ever-growing Yard complex off St. Elmo. Expect house-roasted coffee, a well curated tap wall of 20

in anticipation of a 2017 opening. Goodby Flemish Fox, hello Celis. Austin brewing icon Pierre Celis’ family re-claimed the brand earlier this year and will open this summer in the north brewery district.

Don’t hold your breath for the pale bock or white as they plan to start off with two IPAs. Which will come first, the re-opening of of NLand Surf Park or NLand Brewing Co.? Right now, the on-site brew pub at the park aiming for a late summer or early fall opening out in Del Valle. Once up and running, they will offer 11 taps of house-made lagers and ales from former Lovejoys and Independence brewer Todd Henry. With the move of Thirsty Planet in town, are you worried you can’t make it to Jester King without a primer beer?

Nano-brewery Suds Monkey is serving out of their taproom off Circle Drive on the weekends. Skull Mechanix, the brewery formerly known as Feral Tun, are fast approaching opening their doors on St. Elmo. They bring some pedigree with them as owner Jeff Willis cut his teeth at the Ginger Man, moved to Fort Collins to start Tap and Handle beer bar, and is bringing along Michael Waters (of Best Wizard Beard 2012 ABG award), who's served time in the brewhouses at Independence, Uncle Billy's, and most recently Real Ale, where he birthed their new spring seasonal the Helles. They have their license and expect to complete build out in the next couple months. And in your regular Orf update,

he had some beer at a SXSW event this year. We eagerly await the opening of the longest-anticipated brewery of ABG. LET'S PARTY Live Oak Brewing Company had their 20th anniversary party April 15. If you missed it, you screwed up. If you were there, sorry if we said anything stupid to you. It was the lagers talking.

Real Ale is throwing a 21st Birthday Kegger on April 22. So, if you’re reading this at the issue release party, make a reminder now; tickets will be available at the door. This year’s anny beer is a crushable and kegger-worthy pre-prohibition lager you can only find on draft. They’ve also got other reasons to party as they were named the 49th largest craft brewery in the U.S for 2016, their third time in the top 50, and introduced their first batch of whiskey from the Real Spirits brand.

Go Blanco!

Alamo Drafthouse is celebrating their 20th Anniversary in May. Rumor has it they will be celebrating with A Beer collaboration With some local friends that CAN also throw a good party.

SKULL MECHANIX

Speaking of good parties, Austin Beerworks will celebrate six years on May 6! Hey, double 6’s! Two taprooms!

ABW! What else do you need to know?

Skull Mechanix Photo: Skull Mechanix, Real Ale Photo: Real Ale

NEWS CONTINUED . . .

OLD GUYS, NEW NEWS Infamous Brewing has entered into a Collective Brewing Agreement with Solid Rock Brewing. The partnership gives Infamous increased capacity and room for expanded offerings to include a sour and barrel program. Look for a taproom renovation, including a possible restaurant, later this year at the Spicewood brewery.

Thirsty Planet got closer to their new taproom on South Congress with the installation of new 300-barrel fermenters in early March. March also saw the close of the original taproom off

290 West as they prepare for the move.

No opening date is set, but look for the full suite of mainstays to be bottled once they are up and running.

Circle Brewing Co. got a new website!

The site follows an updated brand look and the release of the blonde, amber and hefe in cans for the six-year-old brewery.

Banger's recently broke ground on a multi-million dollar expansion. That is a lot of sausages. But it's not just about sausage. The expansion will include another 101 tap draft system (207 taps total once completed!), meat processing facility, smokehouse, and a 300 person event space.

BEER AND LOATHING TEASE Turn to p.44 to check out all the SXSW Magic which occured in this edition's BNL.

SEASON’S DRINKING

Wicked Hazy IF YOU HAVE'NT NOTICED, WE HAD ALL BUT GIVEN UP ON ASKING BREWERS ABOUT STYLES of beer. Asking them about different seasonal styles ran its course, so we started with the advice questions from readers. But sometimes a style comes along in the craft beer universe that becomes so pervasive it must be addressed. That is where we are with so-called New England IPAs. Or is it North Eastern IPAs? Let's just say NEIPAs. If you are unaware of the style, they can be described as hazier, less bitter, and juicer than "traditional" American IPAs.

Are NEIPAs just a pHAZE? MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks IPAs with low bitterness, a soft mouthfeel, and intense citrus/tropical flavors and aromas are here to stay.

Brewers putting flour in their beer and people waiting in line during a blizzard to buy cases of the stuff and ship it all across the country so other people can post pictures on Facebook is a pHAZE. CARLO GARCIA Flix Brewhouse Traditionalists will say that it is just a fad, but all I know is that they are fun to make, they taste great and people really dig them right now! I say drink what you like fad or not.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing What? Sorry, just had a Fall ‘97 Phish tour flashback.

NATE BENAVIDEZ NXNW It’s too hazy to tell.

JOE MOHRFELD Pinthouse Pizza Some variations of them maybe a pHAZE but I think the trend has already set a precedent for an IPA variant with less traditional bitterness and a juicy full mouth-

feel as an another option to the more “traditional” West Coast style.

Do you have to appreciate shellfish and Tom Brady to properly enjoy a NEIPA? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks Not necessarily but it also doesn’t hurt to have a bowl a chowda in your hand!

CARLO GARCIA Flix Brewhouse Unless it’s crawfish, then shellfish is questionable, but one should always use greatness as motivation so a little Tom Brady love goes a long way.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing #DEFLATEGATE DUSAN KWIATKOWSKI Live Oak Brewing Co. I think it’s “‘not evaluated.’”

MATT BENAVIDEZ NXNW Who? Like from the Brady Bunch?

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Co. What American doesn't love shellfish and Tom Brady (he's gorgeous, don't lie to yourself)?

Is it New England or North Eastern?

MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Wait, I thought it was North England... Shit, I gotta cancel my tickets to Berwick-uponTweed!

CARLO GARCIA Flix Brewhouse Umm... it’s Texas.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing It’s spelled FAD. MATT BENAVIDEZ NXNW New English IPA. Nobody likes the old English IPAs anyway.

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Co. Is it Black IPA or Cascadian Dark? I don't give a shit.

What’s the best process to achieve that perfect haze?

MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Not to understand the basic principles of fermentation.

CARLO GARCIA Flix Brewhouse Oats, Wheat, and Love.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing I generally prefer to think back on everything I’ve learned about modern brewing equipment and its functionality. Then I throw it out the window and get pitted.

DUSAN KWIATKOWSKI Live Oak Brewing Co. Rush it through, straight from the septic tank to bright tank.

MATT BENAVIDEZ NXNW Sending the beer to pledge at a fraternity.

JOE MOHRFELD Pinthouse Pizza Use more hops!

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Co. These days? I'm a lightweight. Half a puff and some Grateful Dead.

Do you think NEIPAs are strong enough to stand as a style of their own?

MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks No. Unless they come from Pinthouse.

CARLO GARCIA Flix Brewhouse IPA is IPA. No need to add yet another style of beer.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing As long as there are hazebros in the world.

MATT BENAVIDEZ NXNW If they hit the gym like 5 times a week, and cut down on the carbs, yeah, sure, they can get there.

JOE MOHRFELD Pinthouse Pizza I think the definition of the IPA

category is due for an update.

For example, Pilsners are broken out into four categories: German Style Pils, Bohemian Style Pils, American Style Pils, and International Style Pils at competitions like the GABF, while IPA exists in two categories: American Style IPA and English Style IPA even though American Style IPA is the most entered category each year as of late…so yes, I think not only can it stand on its own, and I believe it is time we start recognizing IPAs as a more diverse category as a whole, not just the west coast interpretation of the American Style IPA. The BJCP style guidelines will formally recognize the New England style in the upcoming 2017 style guidelines which is something I had the privilege of working to define with Gordon Strong and Kristen England, and a huge step forward for showcasing the diversity of the IPA style.

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Co. No. How soon will it be until all IPAs will be NEIPAs? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks There aren’t enough people that live there, they will never be able to take over!

CARLO GARCIA Flix Brewhouse 6 months.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing #EXACTLY MATT BENAVIDEZ NXNW How soon do you think all beverages will be NEIPAs? It’ll be like Prohibition. Except opposite and with NEIPAs. Just look around you. The signs are everywhere.

JOE MOHRFELD Pinthouse Pizza I don’t think that will happen, but I do think you will see far less new west coast IPA brands coming out and more brewers producing IPAs with a much lower IBU than they were 5 years ago. I have this theory that the IPA style is slowly morphing into the American Craft equivalent of the traditional Pilsner and becoming more focused on balance, showcasing hop flavor and aroma, and lower abv which all works to make it more drinkable and refreshing… all with our uniquely American Craft stamp on it.

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Co. The day that BeerAdvocate makes their own brewery.

How long will we have to tolerate these until the next IPA gimmick comes along?

WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks Until Joe Mohrfeld decides to move on to the next big IPA thing!

CARLO GARCIA Flix Brewhouse Maybe one day someone will come up with an in-line device that holds hops for beer to flow over. Oh... wait.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing As long as there are hazebros in the world. Hazers gonna haze.

MATT BENAVIDEZ NXNW Until the Rapture, so a few weeks.

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Co. When does Joe Mohrfeld's next beer come out?

WHERE WILL YOU TAKE IT?

32 OUNCES OF ABGB BEER. READY TO MAKE A STORY.

Tell us yours.

Instagram: #abgbcrowler | theabgb.com

BREWER’S BRAIN

HAVE A LIGHT BEER I believe we’ve overplayed our hand, and by the end of this I will have encouraged you to go out and find yourself a macro beer. Why? My eight years as a brewer in the Texas craft beer industry have afforded me a unique vantage point to watch our tiny movement grow and change. I think back often to where we began.

Our crusade began like all great ones do: with large amounts of cargoshorted nerds nervously standing around small homemade kettles, quaffing dubious homemade suds. The conspicuous presence of round igloo coolers and lack of untucked shirts exposed these rogue pioneers for what they were: homebrewers. I, like so many before me, arrived in professional brewing as one of these early apostles.

In those days, I was all piss and vinegar, ready to clean the grimiest nook of the dirtiest brewery for my chance to stand

in the rapturous presence of beer being made. Scrub brush and mop bucket were more than humble cleaning devices, they were the tools of a social movement.

Our movement had the makings of all the best Hollywood stuff: David vs Goliath, Artistry vs Industry, Passion vs Pedantry. In a world of shifting gray boundaries, we thirsted for and underscored the clean, demarcated line between “us” and “them.” They were “Big Beer,” in all its corporate cartoonishness.

We were craft, by God. Exactly what that meant, we seldom took the time to ponder. What we knew is that we weren’t them, and we were damn proud of it.

In our intensity, we pushed boundaries. IPAs became hoppier.

Brown ales became hoppier. Damn near everything became hoppier. Our leaders weren’t hard to find. They were more likely to be pouring your pint from a jockey box in a parking lot on Saturday

Spencer Photo: Spencer

From the Mind of Spencer Tielkemeier

than sitting in an office crunching financials. These people were just like us. By golly they were us, and we loved them for it. As the suds flowed, we marveled and basked, content in our knowledge that Eden would last forever.

Like any good revolution, we found ourselves startled one day as we woke up and realized: it worked. Craft was growing at an unthinkable pace. Big beer was shrinking. Their every move showed cracks in their façade. Suddenly, craft beer was not only feasible, it was cool. Naturally we’d known all along just how cool the particulars of zymurlogical exploration could be, but for the first time people outside of our bubble began recognizing us. Patently uncomfortable in the limelight, we shrugged and kept brewing. Beer was a calling, not a popularity contest.

Our success rocked our wildest dreams, yet sometimes we wondered whether we’d uncaged a monster we weren’t equipped to tame. Our boundary pushing kept going, and a small voice inside asked us what master we served with our ever-deeper dives into esoteria. The demand for beer novelty, once such an inspiration, became a wearisome taskmaster. Brewers often found themselves with the unenviable task of deciding whether to stick to their guns or change with the times, with both seeming like the wrong answer.

Meanwhile, the latent forces of economics crept in. Beer made money, that much had become clear, and new stumbling blocks cropped up as we navigated what this burgeoning new market looked like. Beer aisle shelf space became tougher to get, tougher yet to hold. Faux-craft brands popped up left and right, confusing an already crowded marketplace. Our once straight line between “us” and “them” became crooked, filled with erasure marks and on-the-fly revisions. In the din of the Battle for Better Beer, it became hard to tell friend from foe. Drinkers found themselves rationalizing in new ways: “I won’t support them because they’ve sold out.” “I support these guys because they’re true craft.” Staring in confusion at the nowfactionalized version of our once-glorious

revolution, we’re left to wonder “Is craft dead? And if it is dead, did we kill it?”

Here I sit, eight years later, wondering if this self-indulgent examination is worth the paper it’s printed on (these guys use high gloss, after all). In the end, I’m left with the thought that craft hasn’t failed, we’ve just asked too much of craft. We’ve overplayed our hand. In our desire to create dichotomy, we’ve oversold our belief that craft is all-good, all-powerful, and free from the influences of mammon.

We set out to slay Goliath, but we’ve inflicted some collateral damage along the way. Our dogmatism has bloodied one victim above all others: fun. The politics of craft have robbed the joy of the pint. Every brew has baggage. Every beer menu is a minefield, forcing us to nervously navigate the landscape of “craft” vs “other.”

So, what’s a drinker to do? Have a light beer. I mean it. Like the kind that comes in suitcases. Take a craft sabbatical.

A recent foray into craft abstinence has garnered me the born-again conversion I never knew I needed. As I downed macro lagers with no craft in sight, I found that good conversation can be had without craft, and is often enabled by its absence.

When the beer in your hand demands nothing of you, nothing is needed from you but to enjoy it. Though it took very little time for me to miss craft beer dearly (I mean, Pilz y’all). It’s this levity I intend to bring back with me as I return.

So, stop drinking craft for a while, and as you pound the ignominious swill that we’ve so long lambasted try to think back to your first days as a craft convert.

Try to remember the childlike joy of your “gateway” beer, when a whole world of suds stood before you. Take as long as it takes you to come back with fresh eyes, casting off as much pretense as you can. Come back with a spirit of social communion. It’s beer for goodness sake.

Let’s try to keep it light.

Spencer Tielkemeier is the former head brewer at Oasis, TX Brewing Co. Before that, he spent time at Live Oak, Uncle Billy's, and (512). If you're lucky, you might find him pouring you a cold Pilz at the new Live Oak.

Words by CHRIS TROUTMAN / Photos by SHAWN PHILLIPS

MOHR-GOLD THEORY

For some time I’ve had this idea baking in

17

the back part of my brain I only access after a few (six) beers. I call it the “Mohr-Gold Theory.” Yeah, it’s a catchy name. All my drinking compatriots and even several others lucky(?) enough to be in my presence after a solid night of sessioning have heard my theory develop over the months.

Maybe even years. This fucker’s got some age on it.

Now believe it or not, I’m not a scientist. Not in the least. But I did read Vonnegut’s Galápagos, so I fancy myself enough of an expert to spin this wax scientific.

Let me break it down.

Austin beer is an island. For a long time just sitting out there surrounded by water, but with it’s own healthy young ecosystem. We had some dominant genes, and some not so dominant. Our beer ecosystem was nestled in a pretty welcoming larger ecosystem, with a growing population of educated consumers eager to try new things and especially “local” things. So much local. So-Mu-Lo. AF. So the brewers/eries with stronger more favorable genes did well and reproduced, while some of the weaker ones were still tolerated and thrived to an extent, but more importantly, were sheltered to the point they were able to grow and become stronger. We grew to a healthy size and earned a respectable reputation on the national stage. We witnessed several of the strong reproduce, as Live Oak and Real Ale began to function as coaching trees and naturally spawn off several of the newer successful breweries (we did a rad graph of this a few issues back, it’s online). Each of these new spawns carried their parent’s DNA, but also more of the better traits and fewer of the poor. Each generation growing stronger than the last, painting us a picture of a bright beer future in Austin.

A New Bird But then something happened. A new bird landed on our fair shores. A bird from an older, more established, evolved island that had a longer beak, or claws, or some shit to fit this metaphor. And this bird’s more evolved genes were introduced to our shallower gene pool (not like literally, perv). And over a short period of time we began to witness these new traits begin to rub off on our existing brewers/eries. We saw an increase in quality, a resetting of context, new practices, new processes, greater attention to quality control, and a previously unseen prioritization to branding and packaging. Beer became cleaner and more fun. This new bird’s name was Will Golden and he nested at Austin Beerworks.

To get a little perspective we tapped Josh Wilson, brewer and manager at the Draught House, a man who’s launched several of Austin’s new breweries on his 60 some odd taps over the years, and been a defacto gateway curator of Austin’s beer taste, as several of “us” have cut our craft teeth amongst the dim wood interior or legendary parking lot beer garden. “Well, I mean in the case of Austin Beerworks they just have really clean, classic branding,” said Wilson. “Color coding, they can see the ‘A’ from across the bar. They do all the stuff I think the branding expert would tell you to do and it’s been totally successful for

Illustration: Julie Naggar

WILL GOLDEN

MOHR-GOLD THEORY them.” Wilson continued to say, “Yeah, I see people doing way cleaner branding than they used to. I don’t know if it’s influenced from them [Austin Beerworks] but I mean you see that nationally too. ” Golden himself said, “Yeah, you can make the best goddamn beer in the world and if nobody takes it off the shelf it doesn’t fucking matter. It’s like if the tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? So I knew that we had to invest as much money in branding as we did in the quality of liquid.

And everybody was on board with that too, which is a rare thing. While I think our beer is arguably some of the finest beer in the world, Christian Helms’ design attached to it does not hurt it one bit. People drink with their eyes first.”

To say the Austin Beerworks branding was head and shoulders above the current status quo when it released would be an understatement. Since their release, we’ve seen major branding redesign initiatives from several of our major existing breweries. And it’s a fact that the market as a whole was moving that direction, but it’s undeniable that ABW played a role in that.

When Golden arrived, he said he was surprised the amount of national beers drank by locals in a city that drank so much.

“Ninety-five percent of it was from out of state. California to Colorado, all over the place. People were drinking really good beer here. They knew what good beer was.

And then the local guys were so few. And I don’t want to say that they weren’t on top of their game but they could have done better.

There was nobody to push them really,” said Golden. “So I think I saw an unripe, immature craft beer scene and was like we need to do this. Like this town deserves better beer. It’s known so much for music and film and art.

Why are people not making amazing beer here?”

Hailing from Flying Dog and with a short stint at a brew pub, Golden brought a lot of tools with him. His strategy to raise the local bar was to aim for creating clean, consistent, quality, and quaffable beers. With a sessionable “Anytime” ale, two lagers (one of which became their biggest seller), and a hop flavor forward, hardly bitter IPA, he went to work on retraining Austin drinkers’ expectations for local beer.

“So there were a lot of definitely unfiltered beers. A lot of muddled flavors. I felt like people were using ingredients just because they had access to them or it’s what they had laying around or whatever. IPAs were very bitter in this town, not very flavorful,” explained Golden. “I think what we did is refined, we kind of put beer in focus. If you look at it like if I use the analogy of like a photo, where everything else was kind of blurry before you kind of focus, you clarify the beer. You use simple ingredients, simple recipes, and just done really well. And then you build on that. You start with quality core beers. Show people you can brew traditional styles. And then from there people attach to your brand and they’ll take that home everyday.”

This approach to cleaner, more approachable, “fun” beer began to influence others across the city, as we began to see a return to the basics, with more emphasis

AUSTIN BEERWORKS

19 put on perfecting classic styles like pilsners, pale ales, and IPAs. In addition, the quality and consistency that drinkers learned to expect from ABW required other brewers to put more of a focus on their own processes and practices as consumers learned to tolerate inconsistencies and flaws less.

“I’ve been a big advocate behind the scenes. I’ve never been involved in like educational in the guild as much as I should but advocate of like having one on one conversations with brewers.

Like ‘hey man, you need to clean this shit up bro. You need to fix this because the scene needs to get better’,” said Golden.

Another gene pool jumper, Joe Mohrfeld of Pinthouse Pizza (we’ll get to him later), agreed.

“From the time I moved down here their [Austin Beerworks] beer has been incredibly consistent.

I’ve seen more breweries doing more exceptionally styled, more approachable beers, which I think Will, that Beer Works guys brought to this. They launched with three of their beers right around 5%.

Fire Eagle being a lower ABV IPA. I think they definitely brought that drinkability aspect to the craft market,” said Mohrfeld. “And they’re the brewery that I never worry about quality. I think Will’s done a lot for the Austin scene that way.”

A Hopping Bird Then another bird landed. This one with like, thicker feathers, or something or other that we didn’t have. I don’t know? Just stick with me.

And these new genes entered our pool and they pushed the boundaries of a style of beer we thought we had down pat. And like the last gene intrusion, we began to see reverberations across the gene pool, in the manifestation of higher quality and greater experimentation in IPAs. And also, a lot more of them. Like instead of one or only two, we’d see like seven or eight on at a time. It was hop Christmas. Or Chanukah, I don’t want to assume hops are Christian.

Maybe hop Festivus is more appropriate. Whatever, it was a goddamn lot of hops. Brewers across town began tweaking and revamping their IPAs, shelving old ones, adding new ones, adding additional ones, and most importantly-

JOE MOHRFELD

joining in on the experimentation. All thanks to the new species “Josephius a Mohrfeld”; AKA Joe Mohrfeld. “ He was bringing in a Colorado kind of perspective to IPAs which was a lower bitterness,” said Wilson. “I mean Joe’s approach is more like the, I don’t know, 45 IBU as opposed to 70 IBU. And I think that’s kind of where the market has moved. People are more enamored with a juicier, smoother IPA than an aggressive like smack-in-the-facewith-bitterness IPA. I think that he was ahead of the game locally with the lower IBU stuff.

And then obviously coming from Odell and being classically trained brewer. And then just being on top of the IPAs too just in general.”

Wilson continued, “He just had his finger on the pulse of the consumer. They wanna just keep trying new hops and so he’s just like really paying attention to that.”

Mohrfeld left Odell Brewing in Fort Collins to pilot the beer program for Pinthouse Pizza in 2012 with a hunger to brew small batch beer in a brew pub setting that would allow him to focus on a single idea and explore it to his hoppy heart’s content .

MOHR-GOLD THEORY

20

PINTHOUSE PIZZA “When I met the guys that were working on Pinthouse it was great because they wanted to do more hop forward stuff, a couple of them being from San Diego. And there was kind of that hole in the Austin market. So it worked out really well cause I was able to brew the stuff that I was really interested in. And then take what I was interested in and really allow that to develop over the last four years,” said Mohrfeld.

“I mean there were some IPAs but the way we were starting to do them was just a lot different approach. And now we’ve expanded and we’re doing all kinds of different IPAs that yeah, they’re IPAs but they’re not all the same. I mean they’re all vastly different. They fit a lot of different kind of parts of the style. So in some ways it was like I’d always wanted to do these kind of beers. Austin timing-wise happened to work out at the right time. There was that part of the market that we were able to kind of fit ourselves in. So I think it was just very opportune timing.”

Ryan Van Biene is one of the owners of Pinthouse who really reeled Mohrfeld in to help round out the Austin beer culture in 2012. “I think the craft beer industry in Austin being what it was was still kind of young and underdeveloped. There were definitely some old standbys that were fantastic beers and breweries that had been around for quite a while and that’s what people had grown accustomed to. I think initially Joe’s style, particularly his style of the IPAs,

wasn’t completely understood. Although well-received. I think a lot of people just thought it was a little too aggressive,” he said. “But I think over the last 4.5, 5 years I think he’s really been able to kind of shape that, mold that landscape and help kind of educate greater Austin.”

“If I did have to make one statement and I’d go on the record saying this, fuck Joe Mohrfeld for Electric Jellyfish,” chimed in Golden. “Better up your IPA game. As far as his influence, Joe’s influence to IPAs in the town, you can’t just make a mediocre one or even a good one. You can’t even just make a good one. Like you better fucking come with it. Otherwise they’re gonna go drink Electric Jellyfish.”

Golden argues that Mohrfeld’s influence reverberated across breweries all over town.

“Joe has been a huge influence on myself and the city. He’s a really well educated brewer that has great ideas,” said Golden. “And I think he overall has influenced people to... do something different and weird. Like Jester King influenced a lot of wild fermentation, sour, non-traditional brewing techniques. And a lot of people jumped on that shit and started following that trend. Joe has done the same thing for IPAs where it’s not just making the hoppy beer but thinking about it differently and layering flavors. I’d argue he is one of the most influential brewers in our scene for sure. ”

MOHR-GOLD THEORY BEN SABIN & DEVON PONDS

Mohrfeld is aware of his influence, and happy with the direction he sees IPAs going in Texas. “People are brewing a lot more IPAs which is awesome. I think it’s cool. I mean it’s exciting to me to see people making more and more IPAs and trying new stuff, getting outside of their comfort zone with flavor profiles or what they’re used to making. I see so many more breweries, ones that I wouldn’t even expect sometimes, coming out with IPAs that are like wow, this is cool. Super new school. They finally got rid of the crystal malt.

They lowered the bitterness. My hope is Texas should be on the map for making IPAs, too,” said Mohrfeld. “Like we have a great water for it. I think they’re a really good beer for the climate. Maybe they’re not great when it’s 110 degrees out but most of us have air conditioning. We like making IPAs that are a little less bitter than most people. We really focus on flavor and aroma. But there’s elements I like. Having a little bit of bitterness, a little bit of dryness. It makes them drinkable. And in our climate that’s a good thing. You need that drinkability. It’s like a German Pilsner. You want that dry, crisp kind of hoppy finish. So I think our IPAs kind of mirror that in a lot of ways.”

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Catching a Bird of One’s Own Thanks to the contributors above, in addition to a huge influx in national competition, our current market has become competitive to a point where opening with skills in the brewhouse is becoming more a necessity than a bonus. With consumers being served up a plethora of options, they/we are giving fewer second chances to new breweries coming out weak, or stumbling. It’s getting to a point where first impressions may become only impressions, and the pressure is put on those initial batches and having someone who knows what they’re doing with a steady hand at the brewhouse helm.

“I wanted someone with more expertise and more different styles of beer. And I think the West Coast, I mean they’re way ahead of us. Pretty much all of the Pacific Northwest I would say is ahead of us. Or they’ve had more experience. They’re setting trends that every craft brewery is kind of following at the same time. They have a better perspective on beer than I probably had the last several years,” said Ben Sabin, co-founder/owner of Friends & Allies. He along with Devon Ponds opened the east Austin brewery’s doors in March with brewer Nate Crane, formerly of Port Brewing and Lost Abbey.

“From the beginning it was the goal.

When I got Ben on board, the whole plan was to bring someone from the West Coast. It’s a great market for craft beer. And there’s so much knowledge base that let’s bring that back,” said co-founder/owner Ponds who worked a stint at Port Brewing and Lost Abbey along with Crane.

Christian Cryder opened up the highly anticipated Lazarus brew pub on east 6th Christmas Eve 2016 with brewer Matt Couch coming from Victory, to an immediate positive response. “Good Lord, it's been one of the best decisions I've ever made,” said Cryder.

“Since opening, I've learned that not only did I need a full time brewer, but I also needed both a GM (Marcus [TenHarmsel]) and my wife (Marilyn [Cryder]) to actually run the place. And I am still swamped, just trying to run the business side of things and make sure all the bills get paid and that we are

MOHR-GOLD THEORY moving forward strategically. We're less than 3 months old and we already have over 20 employees. That's a lot of people who are depending on you to steer the ship and keep it running on all cylinders.”

Hi Sign began pouring beers in their east Austin taproom early 2017 with former Revolver brewer Andrew Shelton. Owner Mark Phillippe explained, “The benefits are having a brewer that is technically competent, formally trained, and having extensive commercial experience, especially at another Texas startup several years ago, he’s able to jump in, brew beer, develop recipes, run the operations of the brewhouse and I can focus on running the business and pushing the beer into the taproom and into the market. There is no way one person can do that effectively and expect to scale up to meet demand, or actually grow a business at the rate you need to just to break even.

At the bare minimum it needs to be a two or more person operation, just to survive in this market if you want to work in the city limits, afford to pay your rent, and make good beer.”

Van Biene again. “So when we started looking at Pinthouse we knew that we weren’t gonna produce—we personally weren’t going to be able to produce the quality of beer that we wanted on tap at Pinthouse. So we quickly knew that we needed to go get some outside talent in order to make that happen,” he said. “Yeah,

CHRISTIAN CRYDER & MATT COUCH

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I mean I dabbled in homebrewing particular in college. It had been a few years since I’d done it. We had a firmly decent handle on the process. Nowhere near what I understand now of course. But we knew enough to know that to produce the quality of product that we wanted to produce there’s no way that I was gonna be able to rekindle some crappy homebrew that I was doing in college off of a recipe sheet and make that happen.”

Sabin, who was a brewer for a period of time at Thirsty Planet, before he moved on to sales and accounts said, “So I could maybe follow a recipe and barely succeed at that,” he said. “We made it clear I was not gonna be making beer, which I was happy with. But it had to be someone that could make great beer, cause if I’m gonna put my name on it, same with Devon, it’s gotta be great beer.”

Ponds agreed. “What we were talking to people about was the team, the quality of the team. And Ben and I each bring different skill sets to that team,” he said. “And we said look man we need someone who can be the third leg who really has the chops where we don’t. ” Cryder echoed Van Biene’s concerns about self brewing. “Originally (three or four years ago), when I first started working on this thing, I was really planning on doing all the brewing myself. I was a solid homebrewer, and felt I could probably make the leap,”

MOHR-GOLD THEORY he said. “In retrospect now, I'm really glad I didn't try. There were a couple of things that helped us make the decision. Early on, we started aiming for a fairly big footprint (like ABGB). As the cost of a project goes up, so do the stakes - you start realizing, Man, we need to raise a lot of money to do this, and investors get nervous about investing in someone who's never actually done what you're trying to do. So fairly early on - probably about a year in - I was beginning to think, you know, we probably need to plan on hiring a brewer.”

The essentialness of a seasoned brewer goes far beyond the necessity for quality beer out of the gate, it’s become a requirement for funding. There is less and less money for new breweries to open who are not boasting a brewer who is a known proven entity. Craft beer has become a profitable business, and attracted more serious investors than just a rich uncle and former roommate who fumbled into some dot com cash. Investors have become savvier and can tell the difference in success between a brewery where the lynch pin is learning on the job versus one who is slipping right into a familiar position.

“When I was talking to potential investors and stakeholders, I was asked the same question at every meeting to start: ‘Who is going to brew?’,” said Phillippe. “If you’re about to cut a check for not an insubstantial amount of money, you have to have trust and confidence in two things: the operator-CEO, and that the product is going to be great, made by a good brewer. ” Cryder agreed that the market is getting to a point where hiring a pro brewer has become a necessity. “When I moved here three years ago I think the answer was definitely not. But now, I think it's getting much more risky not to hire a seasoned brewer.

Austin is a very expensive place rentwise.

And it takes a lot of time to navigate permitting. And I think the public is really starting to be discerning about beer.”

Friends & Allies also found themselves at a place where having a proven brewer was nearly a requirement for getting funding. “I think that if we had a rich uncle or if we were 20 years older so we had a bunch of lifelong friends who were in a position to invest in our company we could have done it without that,” said Ponds. “We had to sell something that was gonna work. Ben and I were a strong team. But I think we had to be committed to completing that team with someone with the production chops.”

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Then There’s the Bird’s Perspective “I have never been one to feel that stability is a beneficial quality of a job. Challenges are what drive me and being comfortable doesn't really suit my personality,” said Matt Couch, head brewer at Lazarus, formerly of Victory. “Victory provided me with so much throughout my career there, at the cost of working my tail off to get there. Lazarus offered a new adventure with immense challenges and a great team of people to face them. The opportunity also boasted a city and population that I was enamored with after my first brief visit.”

“Coming from a multiple brewery background, I have found that it is extremely easy for brewers to just follow what they have been taught at the brewery where they ‘ground their teeth’ so to speak,” said Couch. “We are hoping to bring a fresh look at some styles Austin is familiar with from breweries they know and love, and provide our own take. Hopefully, in the meantime, we can introduce Austin to some styles and variable ingredients that they may not be familiar with. Improvement cannot come from staying the same, and this is something we are striving to provide by learning from our Austin brethren and the awesome people that make up this diverse city.”

Friends & Allies brewer, Nate Crane has a rich background, bringing experience with him from Elysian in the PNW, the UC Davis brewing program, and his most recent position at Port and Lost Abbey. “That all shaped the style that I brew in. And my palette. So I’m bringing that to the Austin area. I think the Austin area has some great beer and I’m really enjoying tasting new beers all the time here in the area,” said Crane. “I love drinking the beer that I make. I make this beer because I enjoy drinking it. And I think it’s a great way to make beer, a great style. That’s what I strive for every moment of everyday that I’m working is to make high quality beer so that people can enjoy that. It’s not just a hobby for me. ”

Mutants Among Us Year after year we’ve seen significantly greater openings than closings, but the ones we have witnessed shutter their doors have shared a common trait: they’ve been homebrewer helmed. I don’t mean to paint a picture where

MOHR-GOLD THEORY

28 CHRIS RAUSCHUBER & WHITNEY ROBERTS

these respective brewers’ experience were the definitive reason they shuttered. With any small business, there are myriad of obstacles to overcome, and any of these variables could have been the straw that broke the camel's’ back. That said, homebrewers have historically opened with shaky at best product. Think about your favorite homebrewer turned pro owned brewer. Without naming names, I’ll remind you that some of our current allstars suffered inconsistency to the point a beer of the same name would taste incredibly different in two bars just blocks apart. In addition some suffered QC issues resulting in exploding bottles and recalls. But our young market tolerated this. The pool had a shallower deep end, a longer run way, a market that valued a unique local product over consistency and quality, that allowed those impassioned few to earn their sea legs and grow into the scene trendsetters and national exports we all know and love today.

Hell, without homebrewers passionate enough to sacrifice their 401Ks, refinance their homes, quit their day jobs and “make the jump,” we wouldn’t have Sierra Nevada, Deschutes, or even Boston Beer Company, the beers and brewers that “started it all.” Getting back to my rickety metaphor, some may worry that we’re creating an environment that isn’t conducive to that “mutant gene” that creates some of the most magical and spectacular beer in our scene. We need that garage attitude to say “fuck it, I can do better,” and then with grit and shit go out and do it. To my knowledge, as an Austin beer journalist going on eight years, this

is the first batch of new breweries to open with a greater amount of experienced brewers than homebrewers. I believe this is a bi-product of our market’s maturity. With such high quality local and national beer literally available on every corner, a higher degree of quality out of the gate is essential to survival. Our “rah rah rah go local” attitude has shifted due to one where we EXPECT top notch product day one.

And sadly, that means new breweries often only get one shot at converting that prospect, securing that shelf space, or earning that tap handle.

Retailers are pressured by consumers to carry the best, and there is less and less room for younger breweries to grow and mature through trial and error. The stakes are higher. The pool is deeper. The runway is shorter. These metaphors are growing tired, but you get the point.

“I think it’s gonna make it harder for homebrewers that wanna go pro unless they can fund it themselves,” said Wilson. “So if you’re a homebrewer and you wanna be the brewer of this brewery that you’re opening up and then you’re gonna try and go source $1 million, the source of that cash is gonna be like ‘well, you’re not a proven commodity. I think we gotta bring somebody in who’s an expert.’”

It’s not all doom and gloom for homebrewers willing to work for it in Mohrfeld’s opinion. “Well it shouldn’t stifle them if they can make great beer. There’s nothing saying that you can’t come up from that route and make great beer out of the gate. I think it’s doing your homework, doing your due diligence. Maybe it’s not releasing every beer

MOHR-GOLD THEORY you brew first to the public,” he said. “Maybe they come out with one or two and make sure they’re dialed and keep working ones in.”

Van Biene agrees. “But I always think there’s a place for the homebrewer. I really do.

If they have the drive and the business acumen and good quality of product I think that they can always find a place,” he said. “I don’t think it’s ever gonna get to the point where they’re shut out of the market so to speak. I mean we see that still in San Diego all the time. There’s a hundred and fifty something breweries in San Diego County. And it seems like every week there’s a homebrewer opening one up.”

Although we are witnessing fewer make the leap, the ones who are, are proving they have the heart of at least ten homebrewers, and probably the same amount of cargo shorts.

Chris Rauschuber and wife Whitney Roberts are in the process of moving their dream from the garage to reality. The Brewtorium will be a brew pub in the classic sense with a restaurant and brewery opening up off Airport Blvd across from the Highland ACC campus. They’ve been in the process for several years now and currently have their brew pub license, city permits, and are in the build out phase. “Other people have done it. And that’s the thing, like that’s what gives us confidence is that we’ve watched other people do it. Other homebrewers have created successful breweries. And so we think we can do it as well,” said Roberts.

“Basically we’ve been doing a few hundred pilot batches over the last several year in preparation for this really focusing on the styles that we want to brew. But I’ve been going to other breweries around town, getting experience on their systems, on the bigger equipment,” said Rauschuber. “So that helps me at least know that I can handle the equipment and the logistics of higher level planning that’s something I’m just gonna have to figure out. Everybody has to kind of figure out how to schedule which beers you’re brewing and all of that. I know it’s gonna be tough. It’s gonna be a pretty steep learning curve but I’ll get through it. I’m determined.”

Rauschuber has been brewing in his impressive garage brewery for 11 years now, and brought home hundreds of competition awards, but they’re aware of the hard road they have ahead.

“So now it’s just about scaling it to a professional level. We’re not doing this entirely in a vacuum. We’ve brought on a brewery consultant that we’ve known for many years,” said Roberts. “And now he [Marc Martin of Northwest Brewery Advisors] consults with breweries all over the world. So he’s helped

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us to customize our brew house to decide who we wanted to go with as a manufacturer.

And then he’ll come and help Chris scale all of his recipes to the 15 barrel scale.”

“We know we’re ignorant. There are known unknowns, this is one of them,” said Rauschuber. “And so we’ll learn it eventually.

But there’s a lot of things that you need to know how to do in the startup phase but then once you’re up and running it doesn’t matter anymore.”

They may be ignorant, but they’re no fools. The Brewtorium power couple know they may only get one chance to make an impression on our city’s savvy consumers and are ready to not serve beer until they are… ready to serve beer.

“Yeah, definitely, we’ll dump batches if we have to and we’ll work until we get it right. Because yeah, you only get one chance to make a first impression and it has top quality,” said Roberts.

Rauschuber added, “I definitely feel like the beer has to be spot on. If it’s not perfect or at least perfect for what we’re going for then yeah, we’re not gonna release it,” he said. “It’s just not worth it. We don’t want to develop a bad reputation for bad quality cause you can’t from back from that. Or at least it takes a long time to come back from that.

And honestly I wouldn’t want to look somebody in the eye if I didn’t feel like I was giving them the best beer that we could make.

As far as they’re concerned, it was always in the plan for Rauschuber to be their brewer.

“It never even came up. I don’t know, maybe we’re dumb for not considering it.

The passion for making beer and the physical process of making beer was really what drove me to want to open a brewery,” said Rauschuber. And he said they didn’t run into much resistance with investors when raising funds. “There have been some questions about that. And I think the fact that I was going to breweries and getting experience and working there on commercial scale equipment I think that put people’s fears to rest that it something completely new to me. We got more questions honestly about the restaurant side of things.

And when we brought Christie, our GM online, that helped enormously because people see that honestly as like the bigger risk is the restaurant failure rate.“ Roberts added, “Yeah, that was always the vision is for him to be the head brewer. And then we hired other people to fill in the knowledge gaps from the restaurant side of things.

The chef and a general manager to help with

MOHR-GOLD THEORY that sort of thing. But we feel like Chris is the one who needs to brew his beer and his recipes and all of that. It’ll be a challenge to scale everything up but I think I feel good about it.”

The Evolution of a Scene With the benefits of both Golden’s and Mohrfeld’s skill and experience entering our ecosystem, we’ve witnessed our burgeoning scene pushed forward by several generations via these brewers from more evolved markets.

I get it. If someone were to come at me with this assumption that we weren’t an “evolved market” and needed outside help, my inner Texan would rise up and scoff at this idea, too. We have several breweries that have been in business longer than a lot of us have even been legal to enjoy their liquid wares, but for the most part we’ve been operating in a bit of a vacuum. We had the incredible fortune of Pierre Celis dropping his DNA into our gene pool upon it’s initial conception (not literally, perv), but since then, with maybe only a few isolated instances (Erik Ogershok, by way of Victory, contributing Hans’ Pils), we’ve been growing of our own accord at the mercy of our market’s axe man, natural selection. And we’ve done well, but if history is any sort of predictor, we’re about to see a lot of positive change. With five new breweries either just opened or in the process of opening all helmed by established out of market brewers, we could be on the precipice of a huge sea change. With veteran brewers hailing from west coast to east coast markets, I believe we’re on the verge of some significant leaps in quality, variation, and depth of beer.

“There’s a whole new wave of brewers coming in from California. Specifically from really great breweries. Some from the East Coast,” Golden said. “Really well known guys, some not really well known but they work for really excellent breweries. And I think that’s gonna bring new air, new freshness… I think this next level of brewers coming from out of state it won’t necessarily push us to another bar, it’s gonna make us change the way that we think for sure.”

Golden continues, “Or at least for the consumer it’s gonna get better. There’ll be some different options. I have a very specific way, it’s ever changing, of how beer should be and taste.

I mean there is some similar kind of genes to what I do. Whereas, like Nathan [Crane] from Port Brewing at Friends & Allies, he’s gonna bring a different take on brewing. So whether I think that’s good or bad doesn’t fucking matter.

It’s gonna change the scene. It’s gonna mature.

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It’s gonna get broader. It’s gonna get better as a whole. Or Matt Couch at Lazarus. Victory is one of the breweries that inspired me. So I’m really interested to see what those guys are gonna do. ” Mohrfeld agreed. “I think it’s an exciting time for Austin. I think we’re gonna see more and more, hopefully more breadth of offering at a high level. People bringing in their kind of regionality from where they were previously,” he said. “ I think the idea is always just to try to add some more to it. I think there’s a great opportunity for a lot of these people who are coming in to add to that, to bring some of that past experience and do some cool beers, bring some of that flavor and mix it with some of the Austin elements that we have and that we understand. ” Van Biene echos both of them saying, “I think it can only be positive. I know some of these guys that are coming in and I know some of the guys who have come from other breweries at a high level. I respect them all a ton and I think they all have the ability to make some world class beer. And I think it’s just going to continue to push the whole scene in Austin forward. Continue to kind of light a fire under the folks who have been here and been around for a while to continue to be relevant and innovate. And not kind of rest on their laurels and what they’ve done in the past. And then I think it’s gonna continue to push people who are looking to get into the industry to think long and hard about what they are gonna bring to the table and why they think it’s gonna be relevant. I think it’s important. ” There are a few ways to view our future.

First, bust out your sunglasses cause our future is… er, sorry. It’s positive. We’re looking at a huge increase in quality and variety from several experienced brewers bringing in their respective perspectives ready to imprint their fingerprints on our palates. And in turn a rising tide lifts all boats. Simply put, more better beer. But on the other hand this pint glass could be seen as half empty as we’re possibly contributing to a future of homogeneity, as our scene loses some of its individuality and uniqueness as the market and available money for new breweries demands experienced proven brewers, and those will be coming from the larger breweries whom employ and train multiple brewers. Perhaps we’re on the cusp of a future where an aspiring homebrewer must pay his or her dues in an established brewery before they are able to venture out on their own as an experienced and trained brewer, but one who may have forgone their own intuitiveness for the industry blessed processes and practices, effectively killing off our “mutant gene.” I know, I’m being over dramatic. But it’s worth thinking about.

OPENING EARLY SPRING 2017 DOWNTOWN DRIPPING SPRINGS

BREWERS RESP ND THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK SOCIALLY

IN A WORLD AWASH IN FAKE NEWS AND MILLENNIAL SNOWFLAKES HIDING in their safe spaces typing up scathing reviews on their Obama phones, everyone feels like their opinion matters —from Yelpers to Rotten Tomato slingers.

Beer culture is not immune to this. There has been a long (in the context of craft beer’s relatively short life) tradition of beer drinkers weighing in with their hot takes on websites like BeerAdvocate and Rate Beer. Back in the day these sites worked to encourage informative and thoughtful reviews. For example, BeerAdvocate used to mandate a minimum word count on reviews and had a vigilant web of administrators. They sought to discourage the “Awesome beer!” or “This beer sucks!” reviews. Yet, a number of stinkers still made it through. If you were to read any of our old reviews, you’d know what we are talking about.

Then that dude in a black turtleneck introduced us to the Iphone. And with that came apps and social media. Beer review sites were slow to adapt and a crew of ambitious young drunks jumped at the chance to develop apps like Untappd and BrewskiMe (never forget), allowing drinkers to tick off beer “check-ins” and reviews on the fly. Later, BeerAdvocate loosened their restraints a bit regarding reviews, in an effort to keep up with these apps.

But if you delve into the reviews and use them to solely base your next overthought beer, you’ll see you should take those stars with a grain of salt. Palates, preferences, and experiences differ, and that is mostly what you’re getting here.

As you will see in our curation of some of the best Untappd and BeerAdvocate has to offer, tread lightly with reviews. But, don’t take our word for it. See what some brewers have to say about their beers’ reviews in a lame takeoff of Celebrities Read Mean Tweets. And if you get nothing else from this filler of a feature, ask yourself, “what the hell am I talking about?” next time you go to tick off that 10th sample at a barrel-aged stout share.

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JESTER KING / Le Petit Prince / JEFFREY STUFFINGS

How does bfranks know what stale and lightly carbonated urine tastes like? Wait, I don't want to know.

Do you think when he says this is the least offensive Jester King beer, he is saying it is his favorite?

I appreciate the repeat business.

Does it pair well with pizza?

He realizes we're separate from Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza. So he's the one.

Thanks for keeping us in mind!

Is Petit Prince the ultimate beer for designated drivers?

Not gonna touch that one.

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HOPS & GRAIN / The One They Call Zoe / JOSH HARE How long should it take to drink a Zoe? At Hops & Grain we're proud of our approach to not only making beer but making friends. In this spirit we always encourage drinking our beer from whichever vessel may be most available. Given the plastic cup, you should drink a 12 oz serving of Zoe as long as it takes you to look cool. For some, the solo cup only takes about 2 minutes to get "recognized" but others, maybe 30-45. I think it's safe to say our reviewer went home from Chicken Shit Bingo alone. But hey, an overall score of 3 is worth a participation trophy these days so I'll consider this a win!

Do you think chicken shit clouded his ability to review this beer?

I think he just wanted to type the word Shit and have it be acceptable because he was talking about Bingo. At Hops & Grain we sharply condone anyone trying to force a bowel movement to happen outside of its natural course or otherwise beneďŹ ting from aforementioned forced bowel movement. Bathroom constitutionals are a core function of any functioning democracy.

At what point does RQH UHDFK WKH Ă DW end of a keg?

Similar to the elusive Jaguar Shark or the '93 Fall Phish Tour, it's incredibly rare that one may actually encounter the "end of a keg." That being said, a few of us have indeed witnessed this phenomenon, albeit heavily medicated with hallucinogens and cannibas. But, the end of the keg is a real place of despair, depression and disappointment.

Without a sold support base it could take many people to an emotional state of disrepair.

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3,17+286( 3,==$ (OHFWULF -HOO\ÀVK / JOE MOHRFELD

Ok, so you filled your nalgene with Electric Jellyfish, tossed it in the trunk of your car (hopefully in a cooler and that detail was just left out) for your road trip to Hunahpu's day so you had a conspicuously packaged IPA to drink while standing in line for whales… this review makes more sense now.

Do you recommend drinking this beer after it has endured a long road trip in a plastic growler in your trunk?

Uh… Im going to go ahead and say no to that kind of treatment... although it seemed to work quite well for Jimmy in this scenario... and he had 32oz of Jellyfish to keep himself hydrated in between 4oz samples of barrel aged stouts.

Josh sounds like a weed mixologist… are those a thing… is weed finally legal here yet?

Can you smoke this beer?

I haven’t tried to, so you would need to find that out for yourself and report back.

37

AUSTIN BEERWORKS / Black Thunder / WILL GOLDEN To which three breweries up the street do you think she is referring?

Obviously Mooseknucle, Blind Pig, and Aquarium.

Which street?

4th street? Too strong?

Is there a decaf version of Black Thunder?

We are working with the JJ pickle research center to remove the caffeine with bio-synthesized enzyme. We don't want to add ingredients that would take away from the quality I.E. Decaf coffee, Who drinks that stuff?!

38

Ask & You Shall Recieve ...eventually...

On Shelves in April

thirstyplanet.beer

ST. ELMO BREWING CO. / Chico / BRYAN WINSLOW Do you think this guy was really drunk or just a big Weekend fan?

Finally! Someone truly captured the experience of Chico! Contrary to the assumption that it's an ode to Sierra Nevada, our pale ale is heavily inspired by face-melting tacos and metal. This guy hit the peak of excellence, that is ďŹ ve beers deep.

What could you do to make this pale ale more "special?"

Well, your mom said it was special.

NXNW / Green Menace / HAYDEN WINKLER Sorry we're so far south, did you think about using our helicopter pad instead?

When y'all brewed this beer, why did you include an upcharge on taxi rates?

No, NXNW is not afďŹ liated with any taxi/ ride share company.

There should have been no extra charge for a taxi.

It's a very expensive beer to make and we cost everything out by ounce. On growlers we always have $1 - $2 off from cost at the bar.

Should GABF start including price of beer when judging for medals?

Maybe it will make them more sought after? But ultimately no, GABF is just for the quality of the beer, not the price.

40

INDEPENDENCE BREWING CO. / Redbud / BRANNON RADICKE

Is it not for her or awesome? Could it both?

Having it as an awesome sour, with high drinkability, maybe ALL sours are not for you. I don't know? 2 stars

We try not to make this Berliner too tart. I think we really have it "Dialed" in.

42

BEER & LOATHING

SXBNL Words by CHRIS TROUTMAN Photos by SHAWN PHILLIPS

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST IS LIKE SATURDAY Night Live. It’s great, it sucks, it’s great, it sucks, but throughout you still love it. You stick by it. Unless you’re one of those “I’m local, so I hate SX” folks. In that case, nothing you’ll read here will change your mind. This story is about the wonderful magic of SXSW and how it still exists, IF you believe in your heart. For years, SX has held the promise of gratis beer, food, music, and more for those of us willing to seek it out. She’s a sly mistress, but rewards those who pursue her with pure hearts, and tip well.

This is not one of those “How to SX for free” or “Hack SX” articles, nope. It’s just a straightforward story about how a couple of thirsty guys looking for some good tunes and good times made out on a Tuesday in March.

The trick is to find the perfect balance of minimum line/wait, maximum free/cheap alcohol, and the greatest amount of decent to great bands in one spot. Don’t go for the show with the unbelievable headliner, go for the one with three to four up and coming bands with maybe one or two you like and are excited to see, as it will be a better experience overall. In sum,

short wait + cheap/free beer + multiple decent to excellent bands = a good time.

When we learned of the Independence/ Lagunitas co-sponsored “Austin Bugout” show at the Scoot Inn, we knew it was a winner. And when you run a beer magazine, you sometimes get VIP to things, so that didn’t hurt. I was really enjoying Diet Cig’s sound (a bizarro world White Stripes), and had been an Thee Oh Sees fan from my Draught Punk days (call back). It ticked all the boxes and the jewel in Tuesday’s crown were the potential opportunity/challenge to get into either night one of the Spoon curated “Eno’s” show with Bright Light Social Hour, A Giant Dog, TBD Special Guest, and then, Spoon, or the Empire Garage StereoGum Showcase featuring Mothers, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Julie Byrne, Girlpool, and headliners Sleigh Bells and Real Estate. Both shows being winners in their own rights, although most likely unattainable, but a great show is so much greater when you know you’re not supposed to be there.

So we started our day at Scoot Inn for the BugOut show. The regular line was about as long as the VIP/media line, which was nice.

I didn’t do a whole lot other SX this year, but it seems the lines have become a bit more tame the past year or two. And it was a Tuesday at 1130am. I immediately ran into our good friend Courtney Cobb, hard at work in her new role as the Independence Marketing Director. She was in full effect hustle mode, but managed to get in a hug and high five and then disappeared into the din. I grabbed a pull of an Indy Stash in the inside bar while a mermaid played a ditty on a baby grand. Ready or not, it was time to bug out.

I cruised the crowd looking for Aaron, who arrived earlier than I on his bike, and while Tony of Lagunitas welcomed everyone and awkwardly told us he couldn’t say “free beer” while making it clear the beer would not be paid for that day.

And it was everywhere. There was an inside bar, two or three outside bars, and a can bar. If you had to wait more than two minutes for a beer it was your own fault. The tacos and the bathrooms were another story. You’d think those urinals were flushing gold. I found Aaron on the balcony

Community Beer Co. craft cans & 12 packs are ready to help you beat the Texas heat all summer long!

chatting with a college buddy in town covering SX for his website, www.poptheology.com. His name was Ryan, and was from Los Angeles, but sounded like he was from Mississippi, ‘cause he was. Aaron told me this up front so I wouldn’t be shocked by the dissonance. Thanks for the warning, Aaron. Things could have gone way south.

We re-upped with some Lagunitas Pils and settled in to watch Diet Cig, the first band I was actively looking forward to. I mentioned earlier they’re a bizzaro White Stripes. Let me explain; Diet Cig are fronted by a fairly young girl of petite stature playing a loud fuzzy guitar, backed by a scruffy dude on drums keeping time to their bedroom-pop lyrics and melodies delicately laced through noisy percussion and wall of guitar. It works, and it’s pretty damn good. Their set was enhanced by chilled Indy Redbud cans and beautiful weather. I’d complain about the great Austin weather during SX always baiting tourists to move to Austin, but I was going to SX before I moved here, too. So, yeah. Great weather during SX is a thing.

The show was filthy with local beer industry folk, and our scene’s prime portrait wrangler, Tyler Malone was there in fine form. He was working it, in more ways than one, but took some time to chew the cud with us. I honestly cannot remember what we talked about, but I do remember feeling like it was one of the best conversations we’d had a in a while and we should do it more often. Tyler and I have a history, not many folks know about. In another life, I was a volunteer youth worker at his church. Yeah, a bright eyed, devout, sincere, on-the-wagon Chris Troutman, was at one point spiritually responsible for the eternal state of a fragile on-the-wagon Tyler Malone’s pimple faced soul. It didn’t take, for either of us. But after enough beers we’ll default to “church talk” to EVERYONE’S chagrin. I think we both ended up better off. He’s got a book coming out soon, you should check it out. Look at me acting all responsible for his eternal soul. Tyler took his leave; he had a gig to shoot at Brew & Brew for Visa and extended an invite, but we were planted at Scoot Inn waiting for Shawn to join us, and see Thee Oh Sees. So I made a taco run.

I returned to Aaron and his LA-by-MS buddy Ryan with our tacos to find we’d been joined by Ryan’s freelancer, Benjamin. We were all in good

spirits, being about half a baker’s dozen deep in Indy and Lagunitas bevies, so we all became fast friends. Being that Ryan’s website is about pop culture and theology, the conversations quickly turned that direction with an emphasis on Christian music. To anyone in our vicinity, I apologize. I can only imagine how intolerable we must’ve been. You just wanted to enjoy your free cold beers and cool jams, and NOT be aurally assaulted by our drunken ramblings about punk and ska Christian bands from the 90s. I left to get beer refills, and returned to find Shawn, ready for those beers I brought back.

Then Thee Oh Sees went on. We made it!

They brought their brand of psych-garage-punk to the Scoot Inn’s outdoor stage. The crowd’s collective blood alcohol level was primed for the blast of energy they dropped and a straight up motherfucking mosh pit was born. It was stupid how perfect the timing was. I grabbed Aaron by the arm and pulled him in as Shawn chased us with his camera like a parent chasing his kids into a busy street. And oh man, it was great. I don’t think I can remember a release as gratifying as ripping rotations in that pit until breathless, we fought our way out. It felt so damn good, I knocked back what was left of my beer, grabbed Aaron by the collar and went back in for seconds.

When the band took a break to say something or other about how much they love Austin, and we’re the raddest city, and blah blah, I realized I lost my brand new light gray wool Friends & Allies hat in the pit. Luckily a kind pit stranger returned it... in trampled, muddy condition. It was just one day after a week old. What a shame. I put it on and we hoofed it to Brew & Brew to catch up with Tyler, and ‘cause Brew & Brew.

A few minutes later and we were face to face with some Visa secret service looking bros asking for credentials. We said, “Uh, Tyler said…” as we scanned the scene to quickly realize it was not for us. We knew it, they knew it. My muddy ass trampled hat knew it. It wasn’t even a party, it was a lounge for Visa employees, in our Beer Bar of the Year 2016. And those card swiping chodes didn’t even appreciate it.

I wanted to stick around to make some jokes about trying to negotiate a better interest rate, but was escorted away by a Justin Long look alike with an ear piece. And here is where you’d expect the spittle riddled local SX hate stump speech to slip in, but nah. Renting your primo downtown local out during SX is part of running business in Austin. It’s baked into the economy and without chodes like Visa, Mazda, Spotify, Doritos, etc., our east sixth and downtown facility quality would be much different. I’m not going to get into the “SX is second christmas,” but next time you complain about your favorite bar “selling out” during SX, think about how nice the bathrooms are there, or the sound system, or the patio.

We were standing on the sidewalk on east 5th contemplating our next move and marveling at how much that security guy looked like the Mac guy, when good ol’ Grady Wright appeared out of nowhere with a cold box of Live Oak Pilz. SX-fucking-magic! We killed four cans on the spot, I stuffed the rest into my backpack, we thanked our beery godmother, and headed east again to Lazarus.

Things got a little fuzzy here. I did a quick poll while writing this, and collectively we recalled getting IPAs, tacos, tortas, and Aaron (holy) ghosting. It was my third time here, but I think only Shawn’s second coming (eh, sorry).

Their 40 Days 40 Nights IPA was killer, and just enough to help pack down that giant as a tortoise torta. So good. With parting high-fives from our friends behind the bar, we departed, but would come again. With more tacos and beer in our bellies (so typical SX), and pushing 7PM, we realized that if we wanted to get it up for getting into either of those showcases, we’d need to rally.

Luckily, we were a quick jog from Cuvee, and although they hadn’t yet received back their Crowler machine they let their TABC buddies borrow, we were fully slaked with coffee and Topos. I feel like we did a literal coin toss to see if we would try for the night showcases or just call it day. But I doubt either of us had coins. We probably just mulled over it until the caffeine kicked in. It’s amazing what the chemicals from those little beans can do for a tired soul. We went from scoping ridesharing apps, to lacing up our Van’s ready to take on the heart of SX at Red River and 6th.

But not before a quick stop in at Zilker. We enjoyed a few Murderino black IPAs and conversation with taproom manager Rachael Hackathorn outside on their parking lot picnic tables.

We did a little people watching (playing “spot the CEO who bought his first pair of Chucks just for this week”), and Shawn bought a sweet gray wool with red Zilker logo hat. I’m so jealous of that hat. Fuck you, Shawn.

We mustered our resolve and continued west on 6th until we reached the old 6th street entrance of Emo’s (now cleverly rebranded “Eno’s” after Spoon drummer Jim Eno, get it?).

There was a giant poster of their new album plastered on the wall, and two robust door guys directing people where to get in line. There’s no real trick to getting into SX shows you don’t have badges, wristbands, tickets, or credentials for, you just confidently tell them you are supposed to be in there and look beyond them into the show you are most definitely about to walk into.

Works like a charm that only works one in three times. But I had a problem. My goddamn muddy trampled hat. I looked like any other stupid SX chump just trying to get in to see Spoon. I straight up, asked where media went it, they gave me a look over, paused on my hat, and then told us to

get in the cash line. We all knew if I continued down this path, it would only embarrass all of us.

I continued. I quickly recalled an old This American Life episode about “The Good Guy Discount,” where one guy essentially asks another guy for something discounted or free based on the fact they are both good guys. Those door guys must not have been good guys. It didn’t work.

We shuffled off in shame and went north on Red River to try to get into the big Mazda show, even though all we wanted to do was go home and lick our wounds. I guess that would make for some pretty good loathing, but not for good reading. So for you, dear reader, we pressed on.

As we were walking heads down on Red River we approached the old Emo’s inside stage door. It had significantly shorter lines and they were moving. We thought, maybe this was the media entry, so by muscle memory alone, I told the door guy we were media and there to cover the show. Before he could shut me down, an official looking SX guy with a British accent intercepted us and asked for our credentials. I said, “We’re local media, here to cover this showcase.”

And I don’t know what the hell he heard, but he

immediately told the door guy, “These guys are a TV station, let them in!”

Yeah, I know. What the goddamn hell happened?! Shawn had a small canvas camera bag, but nothing about us would ever convince anyone we were a TV station. The only thing that makes sense is that possibly our British friend is only familiar with UK TV media, where they all wear muddy trampled hats, backpacks, and ONLY carry small canvas bags. Yeah, that’s gotta be it.

We didn’t stick around for any American to correct him, and zipped through the small room to the outside courtyard at almost a run. At the ramp to the outside stage we were stopped by another door guy. Good grief. He told us the outside show was a separate engagement and we couldn't go in. Emboldened by our confused British friend, I said, “We’re local media.” “OK,” he said. And that was that. We were never even asked to show IDs. SX Magic, motherfuckers!

Shawn and I shot for the middle of the crowd as quick as we could, fearing we would be removed at any moment. We played it cool for about three seconds before we burst out laughing, high fived, and even hugged. We looked like fools, but it was an even better feeling than that mosh pit we were in just a few hours earlier.

It was a curated show with four bands plus Spoon. Suddenly our triumphant celebration was cut short as we realized we had at least four hours of standing before they went on. Fortuitously, I had wisely decided to slip my Dr. Scholl’s into my Vans that morning. High five, Dr. Scholl! You’re one sore foot saving motherfucker.

There were very few options beer-wise, and when in a crowded show always go for the tallboy, so I bought 32 ounces of Tecate, slipped them into our Lager Jam koozies and we settled in for the next few hours. The time flew by as we were treated to outstanding sets from local acts The Bright Light Social Hour, and A Giant Dog, and to everyone’s surprise, The New Pornographers. Yeah, those cool cats from America’s top hat. There was no moshing at this show, as it was a more mature affair where we mid-thirties

dudes were on the younger side of the spectrum.

At one point on the way to the port-o-potty, I got in a slight altercations with one of the AARP attendees about the space my backpack took up.

Despite having to deal with some cranky “get off my porch”-iness during my SX Magic high, it did serve the purpose to remind me the contents of my backpack. GRADY’S SIDEWALK PILZ!!!!

Just when we didn’t think our night could get any better, we were gifted Live Oak Pilz. It was like manna from heaven. But better, cause it was Pilz.

We hatched a plan to get Mr. Daniel one so we could grab a quick pic, but it was a dumb plan so we just cracked them ourselves and obnoxiously took several IG pics of us holding them up.

Spoon put on a fantastic show. It was Tuesday night, so they were crisp and hungry for rock. They came out amidst a stage full of smoke and red lights conjuring their latest slow burn jam, “Do I Have to Talk You Into It,” with Britt and co. in the best form I’ve ever seen them. It was the most hometown show of hometown shows evah. The band winked, waved, and made eyes across the audience for the first few songs, mostly off the new album, then progressively further back in their catalogue with a few new ones sprinkled in. It was incredible, then they played “The Beast and Dragon, Adored,” and the floor dropped out on the room as we all, AARP backpack gripe, media confused British friend, ALL of Spoons Austin friends, the not so good guy door guys, and we two lucky bastards all lost our collective shit. This show couldn’t have gotten better.

They solidified the night of my life by playing “Small Stakes” and “My Mathematical Mind” back to back to close out the set. We spilled into the street still not believing what had just happened to us. And it happened to us.

There was no way in hell we could have concocted or planned that night. SX Magic, y'all.

Fourteen odd hours since I first arrived at Scoot Inn, Shawn and I, after several attempts, secured a ride and made our ways home. No loathing.

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TA P RO O M S C H E D U L E Infamous

Brewing Co. (p.84)

Jester King Brewery (p.84) Last Stand

Brewing Co. (p.85)

Live Oak

Brewing Co. (p.60)

New Braunfels Brewing Co. (p.94) Oasis, TX Brewing Co. (p.85)

Oskar Blues

Brewery (p.78)

Rentsch Brewery (p.88) Real Ale

Brewing Co. (p.86) San Gabriel River Brewery (p.88)

Closed

12–8pm

Closed

Closed

12–8pm

Closed

Closed

Closed

Closed

Closed

12–10pm

Closed

Closed

12–8pm

Closed

Closed

Closed

Closed

12–6pm

Closed

12–10pm

Closed

Closed

12–8pm

Closed

Closed

5–9pm

Closed

Closed

12–6pm

Closed

12–10pm

4–10pm

4–9pm

12–8pm

Closed

Closed

5–9pm

3–6pm

4–8pm

11am–7pm

4–8pm

12–10pm

4–9pm

12–10pm

12–9pm

4–10pm

4–9pm

1–6pm

12–8pm

11am–7pm

12–8pm

12–10pm

1–7pm

12–10pm

12–9pm

12–10pm

1–9pm

Closed

Closed

12–5pm

Closed

12–8pm

1–7pm

12–8pm

12–9pm

12–9pm

1–5pm

430–9pm

5–9pm

5–10pm

2–8pm

12–9pm

2–9pm

Closed

Closed

Closed

12–10pm

Closed

Closed

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Closed

5–9pm

12pm–12am 12pm–12am

Closed

Closed

Closed

Closed

430–730pm 430–730pm

Closed Closed

Closed

Closed

12–6pm

Closed

Closed

12–9pm

Closed

3–9pm

Brewing Co. (p.90)

Save The World (p.94) South Austin Brewery (p.68) Strange Land Brewery (p.89) Thousand Oaks

Closed Closed

Closed

Closed

Zilker

Twisted X

Treaty Oak

Brewing (p.91)

12–8pm Closed

11am–9pm Closed

4–10pm

11am–9pm Closed

4–10pm

11am–9pm Brewing Co. (p.92)

Closed

12–8pm Closed

12pm–12am 12pm–12am Brewing Co. (p.60)

V

BY NOW WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THE FACT THAT BREWERY TAPROOMS ARE THE NEW BARS. EVEN MORE HAVE OPENED SINCE LAST ISSUE. AND OTHERS HAVE EXTENDED HOURS. PLAN ACCORDINGLY. 4th Tap Brewing Co-Op (p.74) (512) Brewing Co. (p.64) Adelbert’s Brewery (p.74)

Altmeyer & Lewis

12–4pm

1–7pm

Closed

SUNDAY

4–10pm

Closed

1–10pm

SATURDAY

TUESDAY

4–10pm

Closed

5–10pm

FRIDAY

MONDAY

4–10pm Closed

5–10pm

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

4–10pm Closed

5–10pm

12–10pm

Closed Closed

12pm–12am 12pm–12am

Closed

Closed Closed Closed Closed Closed 3–10pm 2–10pm Brewing Co. (p.94) Austin 4–10pm 4–10pm 11am–10pm 12–8pm 4–10pm 4–10pm 1–7pm Beerworks (p.75) Barrow Closed Closed Closed 4–10pm 4–11pm 12–11pm 1–8pm Brewing Co. (p.94) Bluebonnet Closed Closed Closed Closed Closed 5–8pm 5–8pm Beer Co. (p.82) Blue Owl Closed Closed 3–10pm 3–10pm 3–10pm 12–10pm 12–6pm Brewing (p.82) Bull Creek Closed Closed Closed Closed Closed Closed 12–5pm Brewing (p.82) Circle Closed Closed Closed 5–9pm 5–10pm 12–10pm 12–6pm Brewing Co. (p.76) Friends & Allies Closed Closed 4–10pm 4–10pm 4pm–12am 12pm–12am 12–10pm Brewing (p.58) Guadalupe Closed Closed Closed Closed 4–9pm 2–9pm 2–9pm Brewing Co. (p.94) Hi Sign 12–10pm Closed Closed 12–8pm 2–10pm 2–10pm 12–10pm Brewing (p.59) Hops & Grain Brewing (p.58) 10am–10pm 10am–10pm 10am–10pm 10am–10pm 10am–10pm 10am–10pm 10am–10pm Idle Vine Closed Closed 12–10pm 12–8pm 3–8pm 3–10pm 3–10pm Brewing Co. (p.83) Independence Closed Closed Closed 4–10pm 2–8pm 5–9pm 4–10pm 1–10pm Brewing Co. (p.66)

PROUDLY SUPPLYING TEXAS BREWERIES WITH EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO

MAKE CANNED BEER!

EXCEPT THE BEER... YOU MAKE THE BEER .

MOBILE CANNING • EQUIPMENT • SUPPLIES info@americancanning.com • 512-931-1226

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BREWERIES & BREW PUBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 56 MEDICAL PKWY.

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35 31 17 BARS & RESTAURANTS 1. Flying Saucer 815 West 47th Street 2. Crown and Anchor Pub 2911 San Jacinto Blvd 3. Dog & Duck Pub 2400 Webberville Road 4. Waller Creek Pub House 603 Sabine Street 5. Haymaker 2310 Manor Road 6. School House Pub 2207 Manor Road 7. Little Woodrow’s 520 West 6th Street 8. The Liberty 1618 East 6th Street 9. Alamo Drafthouse, Mueller 1911 Aldrich Street 10. The Ginger Man 301 Lavaca Street 11. Frank 407 Colorado Street 12. Hopfields 3110 Guadalupe Street

13. Contigo 2027 Anchor Lane 14. House Pizzeria 5111 Airport Boulevard 15. Hi Hat Public House 2121 East 6th Street 16. The Brew Exchange 706 West 6th Street 17. Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden 79 Rainey Street 18. Jackalope 404 East 6th Street 19. Star Bar 600 West 6th Street 20. Gourmands 2316 Webberville Road 21. Austin Ale House 301 West 6th Street 22. Nasty’s 606 Maiden Lane 23. Spider House 2908 Fruth Street 24. Thunderbird Coffee, Manor 2200 Manor Road 25. Violet Crown Social Club 1111 East 6th Street

54 41

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26. The Grackle 1700 East 6th Street 27. The White Horse 500 Comal Street 28. Cherrywood Coffeehouse 1400 38 1/2 Street 29. Mort Subite 308 Congress Avenue 30. Easy Tiger Bake Shop and Beer Garden 709 East 6th Street 31. Craft Pride G 61 Rainey Street 32. Salt & Time 1912 East 7th Street 33. in.gredients 2610 Manor Road 34. Cuvee Coffee Bar G 2000 E 6th Street 35. Wright Bros. Brew & Brew G 500 San Marcos Street

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS 36. Draught House Pub & Brewery G 4112 Medical Parkway

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37 15 38 43 51 39 37. Hops & Grain Brewing 507 Calles Street 38. Live Oak Brewing Co. 1615 Crozier Lane 39. Blue Owl Brewing Co. 2400 East Cesar Chavez Street 40. Zilker Brewing Co. 1701 East Sixth Street 41. Friends & Allies Brewing 979 Springdale Road 42. Lazarus Brewing Co. G 1902 E 6th Street 43. Hi Sign Brewing 1201 Bastrop Highway

48. Twin Liquors, Hancock 1000 East 41st Street 49. Rosedale Market 1309 West 45th Street 50. Quickie Pickie G 1208 East 11th Street 51. East 1st Grocery 1811 East Cesar Chavez Street 52. H-E-B, Mueller G 1801 East 51st Street 53. Whichcraft, Mueller G 1900 Simond Avenue, Suite 200

STORES

OTHER

44. Central Market G 4001 North Lamar Boulevard 45. Hyde Park Market 4429 Duval Street 46. Whole Foods Market G 525 North Lamar Blvd 47. Antonelli’s Cheese Shop 4220 Duval Street

54. Austin Eastciders 4007 Commercial Center Drive, Suite 700

G = growler fills

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Blue Owl Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . 2400 East Cesar Chavez Street Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . Wed–Fri 3–10pm, Sat 12–10pm, Sun 12–6pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.blueowlbrewing.com

Jeff Young, former brewer of Black Star Co-op, opened Blue Owl Brewing in the fall of 2015. With a focus on keeping their beers approachable and affordable, Young and co. aim to make their canned beers the first “afterwork” sour beer for the everyman.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Little Boss, Van Dayum!

Little Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sour Session Wheat Spirit Animal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sour Pale Ale Professor Black . . . . . . . . . . .Sour Cherry Stout Van Dayum! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sour Amber Ale

Draught House INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . .4112 Medical Parkway Austin, TX 78756 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . Mon–Thu 3pm–2am, Fri–Sun 1pm–2am GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes (many) BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes (growlers) BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.draughthouse.com

The Draught House brewhouse is back online with a new seven-barrel custom made, direct fired, single infusion brewhouse. Brewer and manager Josh Wilson heads up a random program that includes the return of some old favorites, plus barrel-aged beers and the occasional lager.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

Red Planet (also Double Red Planet), Hop School

Red Planet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Ale Hop School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Jubal Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter Warmer

WE RECOMMEND

Four just wasn’t enough VAN DAYUM! NOW HAS A SIX PACK

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Friends & Allies Brewing INFO BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 979 Springdale Road Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . . Wed & Thu 4–10pm, Fri 4pm–12am, Sat 12–12am, Sat 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.friendsandallies.beer

The crew, made up of Devon Ponds, Ben Sabin, and Nathan Crane, started out brewing their beer at 4th Tap Brewing Co-Op, but in early 2017 they moved into their new brewery and tap room on Springdale Road. In the space they will brew four core beers and a host of seasonals.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Fresh Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Springdale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . White Ale Urban Chicken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saison

Fresh Coast, Urban Chicken

Hops & Grain Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .507 Calles Street Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . Mon–Sun 10am–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hopsandgrain.com

Bringing his Colorado beer knowledge and inspiration to Austin, Josh Hare opened one of Austin’s first east side breweries. They offer year-round and rotating beers canned for easy use during your outdoor drinking endeavors and a handful rotating series: Dispensary, Volumes of Oak, and Volumes of Funk. In 2016 they announced plans to open a second location in San Marcos.

BEER SAMPLING A Pale Mosaic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Greenhouse IPA . . . . . . . . . .Rotating IPA Series PorterCulture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baltic Porter The One They Call Zoe . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Lager

WE RECOMMEND A Pale Mosaic, The One They Call Zoe

Lazarus Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1902 E. 6th St., Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . Tue & Wed 730am–11pm, Thu & Fri 730am–12am, Sat 10am–12am, Sun 10am–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.lazarusbrewing.com

Lazarus Brewing came alive in late 2016, with an eye towards the holy trinity: beer, tacos, and coffee. A pastor by trade, Christian Cryder, opened up with a solid crew, including brewer Matt Couch (formerly of Victory Brewing) and GM Marcus TenHarmsel (formerly of Hopfields). The handsome, wellappointed brew pub hosts 16 taps of in-house beer, showing off an eclectic, worldly beer theory. But don’t forget about the food—the tacos and tortas here are fine fare.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING 20 Pound Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . .India Brown Ale 40 Days & 40 Nights. . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Amandus . . . . Belgian-Style Strong Golden Ale

WE RECOMMEND 40 Days & 40 Nights, Amandus

Hi Sign Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . .1201 Bastrop Highway Austin, TX 78742 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . .Wed & Thu 2–10pm, Fri & Sat 12–10pm, Sun 12–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.hisignbrewing.com

Growing tired of drinking beers at Live Oak with airplanes flying over you? Well, you are in luck. There is a new brewery in town to drink at with planes flying overhead: Hi Sign. After a previous life as a US Marine, Mark Phillippe turned his attention towards opening a brewery in Austin. Then with a brewer, Andrew Shelton from Revolver, he opened the doors of Hi Sign in early 2017. With four core beers, including a double New England-style IPA, and slew of others, you now have two places to get sauced before your flight out of town.

BEER SAMPLING The Astronaut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Double IPA Blond Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blond Ale The Fiddler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irish-style Red Ale Pale Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

WE RECOMMEND The Astronaut, The Fiddler

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Live Oak Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1615 Crozier Lane Austin, TX 78617 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . .Sun–Thu 12–8pm, Fri & Sat 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.liveoakbrewing.com

Built by hand by Chip McElroy in a small building on the east side of town, Live Oak has been an Austin staple since 1997. They use an old-world style of brewing mostly practiced throughout Germany and the Czech Republic and utilize techniques such as open fermentation and secondary lagering. They recently moved to their new brewery near the airport and started canning their beer. It is a new Austin “must visit.”

BEER SAMPLING Gold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German-Style Pilsner HefeWeizen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen Liberation Ale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Pilz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Czech-Style Pilsner

WE RECOMMEND HefeWeizen, Pilz

Zilker Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1701 East Sixth Street Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . Wed & Thu 4–10pm, Fri & Sat 12–12am, Sun 12–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.zilkerbeer.com

Zilker Brewing was born of two brothers and their home brewing buddy out of a love of crisp, dynamic, drinkable beers. The three craft their brand using quality malt, fresh hops, and a Belgian Trappist yeast to create surprisingly interesting, yet easy drinking beers. Pop into their urban brewery on East 6th for the latest and freshest, and look for Zilker on draft and in cans now.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Coffee Milk Stout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coffee Stout East Side Beer (ESB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ESB Marco IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Pale Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

ESB, Marco IPA

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BARS & RESTAURANTS 1. Zax Restaurant & Bar 312 Barton Springs Road 2. Hopdoddy Burger Bar, SOCO 1400 South Congress Avenue 3. Odd Duck 1201 South Lamar Boulevard 4. Black Sheep Lodge 2108 South Lamar Boulevard 5. Red’s Porch 3508 South Lamar Boulevard 6. Opal Divine’s, Penn Field 3601 South Congress Avenue 7. Draft Pick 1620 East Riverside, #1618 8. Stouthaus Coffee Pub 4715 South Lamar Boulevard 9. The Buzz Mill 1505 Town Creek Boulevard

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10. Gibson Street Bar 1109 South Lamar Boulevard 11. Jackalope, South Shore 1523 Tinnin Ford Road 12. Radio Coffee & Beer 4204 Manchaca Road

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS 13. Uncle Billy’s G 1530 Barton Springs Road 14. Pinthouse Pizza-South Lamar G 4236 South Lamar Boulevard 15. Austin Beer Garden Brewing G 1305 West Oltorf Street 16. (512) Brewing Co. 407 Radam Lane, F200 17. Independence Brewing Co. 3913 Todd Lane 18. South Austin Brewing Co. 415 East Saint Elmo Road, Suite 1D

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19. St. Elmo Brewing Co. G 440 East Saint Elmo Road, Suite G-2

STORES 20. Thom’s Market 1418 Barton Springs Road 21. Central Market G 4477 South Lamar Boulevard 22. Spec’s, Brodie Lane 4978 West Highway 290 23. Live Oak Market 4410 Manchaca Road 24. South Lamar Wine and Spirits 2418 South Lamar Boulevard 25. Which Craft, South Lamar 2418 South Lamar Boulevard 26. Whip In G 1950 South IH-35 27. SoCo Homebrew 4930 South Congress Ave, Suite 307 G = growler fills

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

(512) Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407 Radam Lane Austin, TX 78745 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sat 12p–4pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . No, samples only* BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.512brewing.com

Kevin Brand moved back to Austin from California in early 2008 to start the brewery and began brewing beer that summer. Brand’s initial lineup was the Wit, Pale, and IPA, but quickly added the Pecan Porter to the year round line up after the enormous reception it received as the first winter seasonal.

Currently (512)’s beers are only available on draft but they have had some special releases in bottles. They will break ground on a new facility in south Austin in 2017.

BEER SAMPLING (512) IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA (512) Pale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale (512) Pecan Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter (512) Wit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Witbier

WE RECOMMEND Pecan Porter, IPA

*$12 = six 8oz. samples and glass to keep

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . 1305 West Oltorf Street Austin, TX 78704 DRINKING HOURS . . .Tue–Thu 1130am–11pm, Fri 1130am–12am, Sat 12–12am, Sun 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.theabgb.com

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. (ABGB) swung wide their doors in late 2013 and have been steadily supplying their south Lamar hood and beyond with tasty brewed beverages and pies like old pros. And that’s because this establishment is run by some old stalwarts of Austin brewing lore. Amos Lowe and Brian “Swifty” Peters, co-brewers and founders, work tirelessly to keep the suds a flowing.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German-Style Pilsner Rocket 100. . . . . . . . . . . Pre-Prohibition Pilsner Superliner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

WE RECOMMEND Industry, Rocket 100

815,850 Pounds of USDA ORGANIC 2-row in 2016 Drop-in Open House Saturdays Noon-4pm (512) brewing • 407 Radam Ln, F200 • Austin DRINK512.com

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Independence Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . 3913 Todd Lane, Austin, TX 78744 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . .Thu & Fri 4–10pm, Sat 1–10pm, Sun 2–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . .www.independencebrewing.com

Husband and wife Rob and Amy Cartwright started Independence Brewing Co. in south Austin in 2004, but were active members of the ATX brewing community long before. Since opening, Independence has created a local niche for themselves by packaging the Oklahoma Suks bottles every fall for the UT vs. OU game.

They have recently expanded to a 60-barrel JV Northwest brewhouse and expanded their regular lineup.

BEER SAMPLING Red Bud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Berliner Weisse-Style Stash IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA White Rabbit . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian-Style Witbier

WE RECOMMEND Red Bud, White Rabbit

North by Northwest, Slaughter INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 5701 West Slaughter Lane DRINKING HOURS. . . . . Mon–Thu 11am–10pm, Fri & Sat 11am–11pm, Sun 10am–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nxnwbrew.com

North by Northwest is Austin’s oldest brew pub and offers a complete menu, with the restaurant itself driving many people to the establishment. This, their second location, opened in 2015, offering a similar food menu, atmosphere, and beer portfolio.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Black Hop Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black IPA O(double)G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gose Porch Time Pilsner . . . . German-style Pilsner Sunbreak IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

WE RECOMMEND Porch Time Pilsner, Sunbreak IPA

THE FORM DOES NOT MATTER CONTENT IS EVERYTHING. - Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man #thinkforyourself #drinkforyourself

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Pinthouse Pizza, South Lamar INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . .4236 South Lamar Boulevard DRINKING HOURS . . . . .Sun–Wed 11am–11pm, Thu–Sat 11am–12am GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pinthousepizza.com

With great fanfare Pinthouse Pizza’s second

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Electric Jellyfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Sola Weizen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen White Tiger Gose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gose

location opened in 2015 on South Lamar Boulevard. Right out of the gate, Electric Jellyfish was an instant Austin classic. No beer has ever garnered more Instagram photos and Facebook posts in its first month of existence as this one. But they did not rest there. They continued pumping out distinct ales and lagers, while still sailing in the well-loved waters of its older sibling up north.

WE RECOMMEND Electric Jellyfish, Sola Weizen

South Austin Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . .415 East Saint Elmo Road Austin, TX 78745 DRINKING HOURS. . . Tue & Wed 430–730pm, Thu 430–9pm, Fri 5–10pm, Sat 2–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . .www.southaustinbrewery.com

Parked in the same neighborhood as Independence and (512) breweries, South Austin Brewery started producing Belgian-style ales in 2012. Changes have been afoot in south Austin. The brewery has recently redesigned their taproom and expanded their beer lineup beyond the original two classic Belgians to include everyday drinking beers now packaged in 16oz tallboys. Groovy.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND TPA

6 String Saison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saison Evel Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Kol’Beer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kölsch-Style Ale TPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session IPA

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

St. Elmo Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . 440 East St. Elmo Road Austin, TX 78745 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . Tue–Thu 4–11pm, Fri 12–12am, Sat 11am–12am, Sun 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Limited URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.stelmobrewing.com

Bursting from the loins of ex-Austin Beerworkers, Bryan Winslow and Tim Bullock, St. Elmo birthed in late 2016. The ATX scene was quite proud of the fresh, young brewery.

They opened with a delicious handful of brews.

Grab a beer and grab a seat inside their clean taproom or head out back to lounge in their airy beer garden. All this goes great with the tasty grub being cooked out back from Soursop. Get the La Koreanita burger and thank us later.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Angus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stout Carl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kölsch-Style Ale Chico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale Jan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German IPA

Carl, Jan

Uncle Billy’s Brewery INFO LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 1530 Barton Springs Road Austin, TX 78704 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . .Sun–Thu 11am–12am, Fri & Sat 11am–1am GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.unclebillys.com

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Barton Springs Pale Ale. . . American Pale Ale Freakadella Amber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale Green Room IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Lazy Day Lager. . . . . . . . . . . . . American Lager

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT Texas is BBQ heaven. Austin is Texas Craft Beer heaven. Put them together and you get Uncle Billy’s Brewery and Smokehouse. Uncle Billy’s is the ideal spot after a day of festivaling at Zilker Park or cooling off at the springs.

Brewers keep on the Austin staple Green Room IPA while mixing in a constant rotation of beers with an emphasis on hoppy ales and sessionable lagers.

WE RECOMMEND Green Room IPA, Lazy Day Lager

a

G N I D N E P S T I PERM and THIS IS WHY WE DRINK

OPENING

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2017

6015 Dillard Circle Suite A, Austin, TX 78752 www.thebrewtorium.com

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BARS & RESTAURANTS 1. Mister Tramps 8565 Research Boulevard 2. Alamo Drafthouse, Village 2700 West Anderson Lane 3. Pour House Pub 6701 Burnet Road 4. Billy’s on Burnet 2105 Hancock Drive 5. Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Anderson 2438 West Anderson Lane 6. Drink.Well.

207 East 53rd Street 7. Workhorse Bar 100 North Loop Boulevard East 8. C. Hunt’s Ice House 9611 McNeil Road 9. Yard House 11800 Domain Blvd #700 10. Brass Tap, Domain 10910 Domain Dr #120

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BREWERIES & BREW PUBS 11. Pinthouse Pizza G 4729 Burnet Road 12. North By Northwest (NXNW) G 10010 N Capital of TX Highway 13. Black Star Co-op G 7020 Easy Wind Drive 14. Circle Brewing Co. 2340 West Braker Lane 15. Austin Beerworks 3009 Industrial Terrace 16. Adelbert’s Brewery 2314 Rutland Drive, Suite 100 17. 4th Tap Brewing Co-op 10615 Metric Boulevard 18. Oskar Blues Brewery 10420 Metric Boulevard

STORES 19. Whole Foods Market, Gateway 9607 Research Boulevard

20. Specs, Arbor Walk 10515 N Mopac Expressway 21. Sunrise Mini Mart 1809 West Anderson Lane 22. Specs, Airport Boulevard 5775 Airport Boulevard 23. Austin Homebrew Supply 9129 Metric Boulevard 24. King Liquor 5310 Burnet Road 25. Growler Room G 6800 Burnet Road, Suite 2 26. Whole Foods Market, Domain G 11920 Domain Drive

OTHER 27. Meridian Hive 8120 Exchange Drive, Suite 400 G = growler fills

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

4th Tap Brewing Co-op INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . .10615 Metric Boulevard Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . Mon–Thu 4–10pm, Fri & Sat 12–12am, Sun 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.4thtap.coop

Opened in 2015, 4th Tap Brewing Co-op is the first 100% worker-owned cooperative brewery in Texas. No, it is not the same as Black Star. Black Star is member-owned, 4th Tap is worker-owned. If the difference is lost on you, no worries, you can still enjoy their beers. Similar to Black Star, they started with a handful of unique beers, like the Tamarind Wheat Ale.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Long Walk, Renewal

Long Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grapefruit IPA Renewal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tamarind Wheat Ale Sun Eater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sorghum Ale

Adelbert’s Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . .2314 Rutland Drive #100 Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . Wed–Fri 5–10pm, Sat 1–10pm, Sun 1–7pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.adelbertsbeer.com

In 2010, Scott Hovey was ripe for a midlife career change and when he looked for inspiration, he found it in the eclectic and exciting life of his deceased older brother, Adelbert. Adelbert’s is a tribute to George Adelbert (1953–2000). Scott was introduced to the complexities and flavor possibilities in bottle conditioned aged Belgian beers at the 2010 Craft Brewers Conference. He returned and set out to start Austin’s first all Belgianstyle bottle and keg conditioned brewery, aptly named after his older brother.

BEER SAMPLING Naked Nun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian-Style Witbier Philosophizer . . . . . . . . . . Belgian-Style Saison Tripel B. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian-Style Tripel Ale Scratchin’ Hippo . .Belgian-Style Biere de Garde

WE RECOMMEND Naked Nun, Philosophizer

Austin Beerworks INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . 3009 Industrial Terrace Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . .Mon–Thu 4–10pm, Fri 11am–10pm, Sat 12–8pm, Sun 1–7pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.austinbeerworks.com

Austin Beerworks is a collection of four friends spanning from the East coast to Austin, united and “hell-bent on excellence” in beer making. The beerworkers, Michael, Will, Adam, and Mike, have raised an impressive production brewery and cannery in the northwest sector of town since 2011.

With their regular lineup of four beers the four friends have come storming out of the gates and onto the Austin beer scene. Their new taproom is now open.

BEER SAMPLING Clockwork Orange. . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Fire Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Heavy Machinery . . . . . . . . .Rotating IPA Series Pearl Snap German Pils. . . . . German Pilsner

WE RECOMMEND Fire Eagle, Heavy Machinery, Pearl Snap

Black Star Co-op INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7020 Easy Wind Drive Austin, TX 78752 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mon 4–11pm, Tue–Thu 11am–11pm Fri & Sat 11am–12am, Sun 11am–11pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . Yes, limited draft URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.blackstar.coop

Black Star Co-op is the first known cooperatively-run/owned brew pub in the world with members from across the globe. Monthly beer socials, starting in 2006, provided an outlet for recruiting new members and grew to host up to 500 members at each gathering. Black Star Co-op encapsulates everything Austin with an emphasis on local producers and community action, all through enjoyment of local beer.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Vulcan, Recalcitrant Dockhand

High Esteem . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale Vulcan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Recalcitrant Dockhand . . . . . . . . Robust Porter

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Circle Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . 2340 West Braker Lane, Suite B Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS. . . . Thu 5–9pm, Fri 5–10pm Sat 12–10pm, Sun 12–6pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.circlebrewing.com

Circle Brewing appeared on the internet beer rumor mill in the second half of 2008.

Fast forward two years, Ben Sabel and Jud Mulherin were brewing their first batches of beer for Austin. Circle brews their beer following the Reinheitsgebot, the German purity law from 1516. Their basic philosophy to make beer “with only the best ingredients and NONE of the other stuff.” You can now find their year-round beer in cans and others in bottles. Check out their fresh brand update which hit the streets in 2017.

BEER SAMPLING Archetype Historical IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IPA Alibi Blonde. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Blur Texas Hefe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen Envy Amber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale

WE RECOMMEND Archetype, Blur

North by Northwest, Stonelake INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 10010 Capital of TX Hwy N Austin, TX 78759 DRINKING HOURS . . . . Mon–Thu 11am–11pm, Fri 11am–12am, Sat 10am–12am, Sun 10am–11pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nxnwbrew.com

North by Northwest is Austin’s oldest and most upscale brew pub and offers a complete menu, with the restaurant itself driving many people to the establishment. Identifiable by the grain silo out front, the feel is very “Northwest lodge,” rounded out by stone, wood and a fireplace.

They have recently branched out and opened NXNW2 in south Austin with a similar food menu, atmosphere, and beer portfolio.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Bavarian Hefeweizen . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen Black Jack . . . . . . . . . . . .Barrel-aged Black Ale Prost Pilsner. . . . . . . . . . German-style Pilsner Py Pingo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . America Pale Ale

WE RECOMMEND Black Jack, Prost Pilsner

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Pinthouse Pizza, Burnet INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4729 Burnet Road Austin, TX 78756 DRINKING HOURS . . . . .Sun–Wed 11am–11pm, Thu–Sat 11am–12am GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pinthousepizza.com

Pinthouse Pizza opened to much anticipation in the fall of 2012, on the cusp of Austin Beer Week. Following California’s Pizza Port model, the brew pub slings beers from the bar, and pizzas from the counter in the beer hall-esque atmosphere. Director of brewing Joe Mohrfeld oversees a solid line up of staple beers, along with a series of special releases and experimental IPA series. Go for the pizza, stay for the beer. Their second location on South Lamar is now open and crackin’.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Best Coast IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Blind Jake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Porter Calma Muerta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session Ale

WE RECOMMEND Best Coast IPA, Blind Jake

Oskar Blues Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10420 Metric Blvd Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . Sun–Mon 12–8pm, Tues–Sat 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . www.oskarblues.com/brewery/austin

We know what you are thinking, “I think they made a mistake. These ABG morons included a Colorado brewery in their magazine about Austin.” If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last year, you know Oskar Blues opened a brewery here in Austin (their third in the USA).

While you may feel it is not technically “local beer” as most of their recipes were originally born in CO, they are now brewing here and operating a taproom in North Austin (the Tasty Weasel). And for that reason, here it is, in the guide. In the words of Charlie Papazian, “relax, don’t worry, have a fresh Dale’s.”

BEER SAMPLING Dale’s Pale Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale Mama’s Little Yellow Pils. . . . . . . . . . . . Pilsner Old Chub. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scotch Ale Pinner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session IPA

WE RECOMMEND Old Chub, Pinner

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 82 33

35 32 8

17

ROUND ROCK

CEDAR PARK

10 25

2

HUDSON BEND

34

41 6

36

7

9

PFLUGERVILLE

4

28

29

3

21 18 MANOR

31 AUSTIN

11 14 43 19 38 20 22 24

OAK HILL

1

AUSTINBERGSTROM INT. AIRPORT

42 40 39 23 12 13 16 26 27 37

BARS & RESTAURANTS 1. Alamo Drafthouse, Slaughter Lane 5701 West Slaughter Lane 2. The Dig Pub G 401 Cypress Creek Road, Cedar Park 3. Opal Divine’s, Marina 12709 Mopac & Parmer Lane 4. BB Rover’s Cafe & Pub 12636 Research Boulevard 5. Leander Beer Market G 106 West Willis Street, Leander 6. Alamo Drafthouse, Lakeline / Glass Half Full Taproom 14028 U.S. 183 7. Hanover’s Draught Haus 108 East Main Street, Pflugerville 8. The Brass Tap 204 East Main Street, Round Rock 9. The Growler Bar G 1300 FM-685, Building 1, Suite 100, Pflugerville

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS 10. Double Horn Brewing Co. G 208 Avenue H, Marble Falls

11. The Barber Shop G 207 Mercer Street, Dripping Springs 12. Wimberley Brewing Co. G 9595 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley 13. Middleton Brewing G 101 Oakwood Loop, San Marcos 14. Pecan Street Brewing G 106 East Pecan Drive, Johnson City 15. San Gabriel River Brewery 500 Chaparral Drive, Liberty Hill 16. Faust Brewing Co. 240 S. Seguin Ave., New Braunfels 17. Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co. G 13010 West Parmer Lane, Suite 800,Cedar Park 18. Solid Rock Brewing 2214 Bee Creek Road, Spicewood 19. Jester King Brewery 13005 Fitzhugh Road 20. Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. 11160 Circle Drive 21. Infamous Brewing Co. 4602 Weletka Drive 22. Twisted X Brewing Co. 23455 West RR 150, Dripping Springs

23. Altmeyer & Lewis Brewing Co. 15898 TX-123, San Marcos 24. Real Ale Brewing Co. 231 San Saba Court, Blanco 25. Save The World Brewing Co. 1510 Resource Pkwy., Marble Falls 26. New Braunfels Brewing Co. 180 West Mill St, New Braunfels 27. Guadalupe Brewing Co. 1580 Wald Road, New Braunfels 28. Oasis, TX Brewing Co. 6550 Comanche Trail 29. Bluebonnet Beer Co. 1700 Bryant Drive #107, Round Rock 30. Bull Creek Brewing Co. 7100 FM3405, Liberty Hill 31. Strange Land Brewery 5904 Bee Cave Road 32. Rentsch Brewery 2500 NE Inner Loop, Georgetown 33. Whitestone Brewery 601 E Whitestone Boulevard, Cedar Park 34. Flix Brewhouse G 2000 S IH-35, Round Rock 35. Barrow Brewing Co. 108 Royal Street, Salado

GREATER ATX

15 30 5

36. Idle Vine Brewing Co. G 16920 Joe Barbee Drive, Bldg. 1, Pflugerville 37. AquaBrew G 150 South LBJ Drive, San Marcos 38. Treaty Oak Brewing 16604 Fitzhugh Road, Dripping Springs 39. Two Wheel Brewing Co. 535 South Loop 4, Buda 40. Root Cellar Cafe and Brewery G 215 North LBJ Drive, San Marcos

STORES 41. Hamrick’s Market 401 Cypress Creek Road, Cedar Park

OTHER 42. Texas Keeper Cider 12521 Twin Creeks Road, Manchaca 43. Argus Cidery G 12345 Pauls Valley Road #2

G = growler fills

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS (DISTRIBUTING)

Bluebonnet Beer Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . 1700 Bryant Drive, #107 Round Rock, TX 78664 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . Fri & Sat 5–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . www.bluebonnetbeerco.com

Bluebonnet Beer Co., owned by David and Clare Hulama, started brewing in Round Rock in late 2014. This was after they quit their jobs at Dell.

When you have homebrew cred like David and Clare do, it is a pretty safe bet to Office Space it and peace out. Like Twisted X, they built their brewery in a small industrial park. Their taproom is open on Fridays and Saturdays— serving up their four year-round beers and one or two seasonal/special beers.

BEER SAMPLING American Amber Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale American IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Cream Ale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cream Ale Texas Pecan Brown Ale . . . . . . . . . . .Brown Ale

WE RECOMMEND American IPA, Texas Pecan Brown Ale

Bull Creek Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7100 FM 3405 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sat 12–5pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bullcreekbrewing.com

Bull Creek has been brewing small batches since 2011 and distributing in small amounts.

In 2014 they began a major brewery expansion so they could eventually distribute to a larger area. They are located in Liberty Hill, outside Georgetown and are currently only doing taproom hours on Saturdays. Grab the kids and get out of town.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Iron Balls

Iron Balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Imperial Stout Longhorn Blonde. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Tommy Raj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA

Idle Vine Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION . . 16920 Joe Barbee Drive, Building 1 Pflugerville, TX 78660 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . Wed 3–8pm, Thu & Fri 3–10pm, Sat 12–10pm, Sun Sat 12–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.idlevinebrewery.com

Pflugerville’s got a new crew in town.

Idle Vine’s Todd Wink (Dig Pub) and Brian

BEER SAMPLING

Idle Mind, Trackdown

Bristow threw open their doors in early 2017.

Before opening they hired Scott Ciampa to be their head brewer. Scott was recruited from Indiana’s Evil Czech Brewery. They plan to release their beer (four core and special releases) in bottles and cans.

WE RECOMMEND

Idle Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA No Hitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cream Ale Trackdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Porter

now open @idlevine @idlevinebrewco @idlevinebrewco www.idlevinebrewery.com 16920 Joe Barbee Dr., Bldg 1 Pflugerville, TX

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS (DISTRIBUTING)

Infamous Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4602 Weletka Drive Austin, TX 78734 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . Wed & Thu 5–9pm, Fri 4–9pm, Sat 1–9pm, Sun 1–5pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.infamousbrewing.com

Josh Horowitz got the wheels running in Infamous Brewing Co. in Austin in June of 2012. In less than a year they got their brewhouse up and running. Infamous came on the scene in spring 2013 with their take on a cream ale and an IPA, with other seasonal and special releases coming soon after. They began canning their year-round beers in late 2013. In 2015 they partnered with Grapevine Craft Brewery (in Grapevine) to use excess capacity under an Alternating Proprietorship.

BEER SAMPLING Bugsy’s Fire Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale Hijack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cream Ale IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Sweep the Leg . . . . . . . . . . Peanut Butter Stout

WE RECOMMEND IPA, Sweep the Leg

Jester King Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13187 Fitzhugh Road Austin, TX 78736 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fri 4–10pm, Sat 12–10pm, Sun 12–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . www.jesterkingbrewery.com

Ambitious from the start, the brothers made their commercial debut with a session beer, wearing the moniker Commercial Suicide. It was anything but. They have since transitioned this beer, along with their original lineup, to farmhouse versions, followed by a very popular series of sour barrel-aged creations, and most recently ventured into sour beer and fermented (and re-fermented) fruit blends starting with the raspberry Atrial Rubicite, the strawberry Omniscience & Proselytism, La Vie en Rose, Provenance, Detritivore, and the oyster mushroom and sea salt Snorkel. The tasting room at the brewery is most often the best place to find and grab their latest beers.

BEER SAMPLING Atrial Rubicite . . . . . . . . .Raspberry Sour Beer Black Metal . . . . . . . Farmhouse Imperial Stout Le Petite Prince . . . . . . Farmhouse Table Beer Noble King. . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy Farmhouse Ale Spon . . . . . . . . . .Spontaneously Fermented Ale

WE RECOMMEND #greenbottles, Spon

Last Stand Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. .12345 Pauls Valley Road, Building I Austin, TX 78737 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . Fri –Sun 12–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.laststandbrewing.com

Kerry and Mandi Richardson, with partner Mignonne Gros, quit their day jobs to chase their homebrew dreams. The end of that rainbow led them to a pleasant lot in Driftwood, near Argus, Revolution Spirits, and Jester King, where they brew their clean, balanced, well made take on American style craft beers. Go for the beers, but stay for the outdoor beer garden. They recently celebrated their second anniversary.

BEER SAMPLING BPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Pale Ale Coffee Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coffee Porter SMaSH Citra IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA Simcoe Pale Ale. . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

WE RECOMMEND Coffee Porter, SMaSH Citra IPA

Oasis, TX Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6550 Comanche Trail Austin, TX 78732 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thu 4–10pm, Fri & Sat 12–12am, Sun 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . .www.oasistexasbrewingcompany.com

Oasis, TX Brewing Co. is located out in the enclave of Oasis, TX, just west of Austin overlooking Lake Travis. They brew up tasty session beers including a well-made pale ale and keller pilsner. Watch for new canned seasonal releases throughout the year. Treat your eyes and taste buds to a favor and hit up the scenic tasting room on the weekends.

BEER SAMPLING

Meta Modern, Slow Ride Pale Ale

London Homesick Ale. . . . . . English-Style Ale Luchesa Lager. . . . . . German-Style Kellerbier Meta Modern. . . . . . . . . . American Session IPA Slow Ride Pale Ale. . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

WE RECOMMEND

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS (DISTRIBUTING)

Real Ale Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 San Saba Court Blanco, TX 78606 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . Wed & Thu 12–6pm, Fri & Sat 11am–7pm, Sun 12–5pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.realalebrewing.com

One of the oldest breweries in central Texas, Real Ale has been in operation since 1996. The brewery originally operated out of a basement of an antique shop in Blanco (50 minutes outside Austin). In 1998, current owner Brad Farbstein took over.

Real Ale moved just outside the downtown area in 2006 to a new facility, where they are currently located. In March 2015 they opened their new tasting room and extended their hours.

BEER SAMPLING 4-Squared . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale (Squared) Axis IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Fireman’s #4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Full Moon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye IPA Hans’ Pils. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German Pilsner

WE RECOMMEND Axis IPA, Hans’ Pils

:ML 0WZV +WЄ MM

House and Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. .13010 West Parmer Lane, Suite 800 Cedar Park, TX 78613 DRINKING HOURS . . . . Mon–Thu 7am–10pm, Fri & Sat 7am–11pm, Sun 8am–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.redhornbrew.com

Opened in early 2015, Red Horn concentrates on fresh brewed beer and fresh roasted coffee.

They are a full on brew pub now, brewing house made beer. Stop in for a pick me up or a knock me down. Anything you are looking for, they do it. A small menu of food is also available.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Beach Beer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Pale HapSlappy IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA TrailRunner Golden Ale . . . . . . . . . . Golden Ale

WE RECOMMEND HapSlappy IPA, TrailRunner Golden Ale

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS (DISTRIBUTING)

Rentsch Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2500 NE Inner Loop Georgetown, TX 78626 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . .Fri 4–8pm, Sat 12–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rentschbrewery.com

Homebrewing is a great hobby. It’s even a better hobby when you can enjoy it with your family members. Andrew (son) and David (father) Rentschler were just hobbyist until Andrew’s travels in Europe. Imagine the number of brewery ideas that come from getting drunk in Europe. This father and son brewing company was not just some drunken dream though. They are now the first brewery in Georgetown. Stop in for a beer and to compare passport stamps.

BEER SAMPLING Blonde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Hefeweizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Weizenbock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weizenbock

WE RECOMMEND Hefeweizen, IPA

San Gabriel River Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 Chaparral Drive Liberty Hill, TX 78642 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . Fri 4–8pm, Sat 12–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . .www.sangabrielriverbrewery.com

The brainchild of brothers Patrick and John Peck, San Gabriel River Brewery opened earlier this year. They made their first festival appearance this past September at the Texas Craft Brewers Festival. During taproom hours they usually have food truck serving up some tasty grub. They even have a bottle club. For $35 a month you get four bottles, three your choice and one seasonal.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Amber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale Honey Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Porter IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Texas Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Ale

Honey Porter, IPA

Solid Rock Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2214 Bee Creek Road Spicewood, TX 78669 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . No Current Hours (check website) GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.solidrockbrewing.com

Like so many breweries, Solid Rock is born out of a passion for homebrewing. Solid Rock was established in 2013 by three homebrewing friends: Curt Webber, Steve Jones, and Stephen McCarthy. They are shooting to create beers that are drinkable, refreshing, and even familiar. As they say in their mission statement, “We brew our beers to fit like your favorite pair of jeans.”

BEER SAMPLING Big Drought Stout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dry Stout Cho’Sen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hybrid Ale Cornerstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cream Ale Roundhead Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irish Red Ale

WE RECOMMEND Roundhead Red, Dauntless IPA

Strange Land Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5904 Bee Cave Road Austin, TX 78746 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . Fri 5–9pm, Sat 12–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . www.strangelandbrewery.com

Like most breweries, time lines for opening are always optimistic, but bureaucracy usually gets in the way. But Strange Land is finally open for business. And thank God, because the burger brewery jokes were growing a little thin. Located behind the Hat Creek in southwest Austin (Westlake), Strange Land is brewing up an eclectic mix of brews. Stop by on a Friday or Saturday to sample their year-round and specialty beers. It’s small, but quite nice.

BEER SAMPLING Alemannia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Altbier Austinite Pilz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Czech Pilsner Entire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter Ploughshare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saison

WE RECOMMEND Entire, Ploughshare

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS (DISTRIBUTING)

Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11160 Circle Drive Austin, TX 78736 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . No Current Hours* GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.thirstyplanet.net

Following college graduation, Brian Smittle moved to Colorado where he volunteered at the Hubcap Brewery in Vail at night. He soon became a paid employee and full-time brewer.

Later he met some college students who offered him an ownership piece of a brew pub in Oklahoma. Eventually he decided to open a full production brewery in Austin—Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. *They will move into an expanded facility in South Austin this year.

Taproom hours to resume there.

BEER SAMPLING Buckethead IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Thirsty Goat Amber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale Yellow Armadillo . . . . . . . . . . .American Wheat

WE RECOMMEND Buckethead IPA, Thirsty Goat

Thousand Oaks Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . 3200 Woodall Drive, #C-1 Cedar Park, TX 78613 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fri 5–9pm, Sat 2–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . www.thousandoaksbrewing.com

First there was Twisted X in this space on Woodall Drive. Then there was IronSight Brewers. IronSight closed earlier this year and Grady Reynolds (half of IronSight) teamed up with former Rogness brewer Dave Heath and decided to take another crack at it late this year as Thousand Oaks Brewing Co. For now their taproom is open on Fridays and Saturday.

Bring the kids.

BEER SAMPLING Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Porter Red IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA Rye Blonde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blonde Ale

WE RECOMMEND Rye Blonde

Treaty Oak Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6604 Fitzhugh Road Dripping Springs, TX 78620 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fri 3–9pm, Sat 12–9pm, Sun 12–6pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . www.treatyoakdistilling.com

You’ve had their bourbon. You’ve had their gin.

You may even have had their sweet tea vodka.

Now you can drink their beer. Located on Fitzhugh Road, with those other breweries, Treaty Oak opened in late 2016. They are Central Texas’s first brewery/distillery. For once San Antonio is first (Ranger Creek).

Don’t worry, we still got breakfast tacos in our column.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Bright Side. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Fitzhugh Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . British Mild Lil’ Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session IPA

Fitzhugh Ale, Lil’ Hop

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS (DISTRIBUTING)

Twisted X Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . 23455 West Ranch Road 150 Dripping Springs, TX 78620 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . .Thu–Sat 11am–9pm, Sun 12–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.twistedxbrewing.com

Established in 2011 in Cedar Park, Twisted X is now situated in Dripping Springs. With a Tex-Mex theme they are bound to quench the thirsts of a large swath of Austin beer drinkers. They have since shed their TexMex theme, mostly. Now they are basically just Tex. Either way, you can enjoy a fresh pint at the brewery in Dripping Springs or grab a sixer of cans at your local grocery store before the big sports match.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Austin Lager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Premium Lager Chupahopra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA Cow Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amber Lager Later Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session IPA

Austin Lager, Chupahopra

Whitestone Brewery INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . 601 East Whitestone Boulevard Cedar Park, TX 78613 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . Mon–Wed 3–9pm, Thu 2–10pm, Fri & Sat 12–12am, Sun 12–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . www.whitestonebrewery.com

Whitestone opened the doors to their Cedar Park brew pub on New Years Day. Whitestone started like so many other brewing operations: a homebrewer’s dreams. Ryan Anglen was that homebrewer, with a background in software.

He is fulfilling the dream with the help of Kris Gray, Whitestone’s head brewer formerly of Stone Brewing. Stop in their handsome taproom for a taste or two of their six yearround brews. They are currently distributing to a handful of spots in the area and are looking to expand that reach. Also, they have crowlers!

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Könverter Kölsch . . . . . . . . . . Kölsch-Style Ale Lovely Day IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Porch Daddy Baltic Porter. . . . . . Baltic Porter Siesta Saison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saison

WE RECOMMEND Könverter Kölsch, Lovely Day IPA

Barber Shop

Flix Brewhouse

INFO

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207 Mercer Street Dripping Springs, TX 78620 GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.barbershopbar.com

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2200 South IH-35 Round Rock, TX 78681 GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.flixbrewhouse.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

The Barber Shop is another testament to the iron will of homebrewers. With an emphasis on the “bar” in Barber Shop, they left the historical building’s name the same, while sprucing up the inside with a lush wood bar, rustic amenities and a strategically occupied tap wall.

Brewer John McIntosh intends to focus on English pub ales.

How many movie theatres have a brewhouse in their front window? Just one. You might even catch brewmaster Justin Rizza brewing up something tasty as you rush in for the latest Star Wars flick. Drink from their six year-round and four seasonal house taps or one their 30+ guest taps.

DRAFT MEAD. MADE FOR ADVENTURE! Mead your new outdoor buddies.

Find us near you:

meridianhive.com

Mead. Who Knew?

Check out our full product range at our tasting room FRI 5-8PM & SAT 2-7PM

8120 EXCHANGE DRIVE AUSTIN, TEXAS 78754

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rootcellarcafe.com

OTHER CENTRAL TX BREWERIES Altmeyer & Lewis Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15898 TX-123 San Marcos, TX 78666 URL . . . . . . . . .www.altmeyerlewisbrewing.com

AquaBrew LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150 South LBJ Drive San Marcos, TX 78666 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.aqua-brew.com

Barrow Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Royal Street Salado, TX 76571 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.barrowbrewing.com

Double Horn Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208 Avenue H Marble Falls, TX 78654 URL . . . . . . . . . . . www.doublehornbrewing.com

Faust Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . 240 South Seguin Avenue New Braunfels, TX 78130 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.faustbrewing.com

Guadalupe Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1580 Wald Road New Braunfels, TX 78132 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.guadalupebrew.com

Middleton Brewing LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Oakwood Loop San Marcos, TX 78666 URL . . . . . . . . . . www.middletonbrewingtx.com

Beta Brewhouse by Osmo’s Daughter LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . 1226 East Austin Street Elgin, TX 78621 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.osmosdaughter.com

Pecan Street Brewing LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 East Pecan Drive Johnson City, TX 78636 URL . . . . . . . . . . .www.pecanstreetbrewing.com

Root Cellar Cafe & Brewery LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215 North LBJ Drive San Marcos, TX 78666

Save The World Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . 1510 Resource Parkway Marble Falls, TX 78654 URL . . . . . . . . . www.savetheworldbrewing.com

Sean Patrick’s Pub LOCATION. . . . . . . . 202 East San Antonio Street San Marcos, TX 78666 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.seanpatrickstx.com

Texas Beer Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 North Main Street Taylor, TX 76574 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.texasbeerco.com

Two Wheel Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 South Loop 4 Buda, TX 78610 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.twowheelbrewing.com

Wimberley Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9595 Ranch Road 12 Wimberley, TX 78676 URL . . . .www.wimberleybrewingcompany.com

CENTRAL TX CIDER AND MEAD Argus Cidery LOCATION. . . . . . . .12345 Pauls Valley Road, #2 Austin, TX 78737 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.arguscidery.com

Austin Eastciders LOCATION. . . . . 4007 Commercial Center Drive Austin, TX 78744 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.austineastciders.com

Meridian Hive Meadery LOCATION. . . . . 8120 Exchange Drive, Suite 400 Austin, TX 78754 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.meridianhive.com

Texas Keeper Cider LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . 12521 Twin Creeks Road Manchaca, TX 78652 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.texaskeeper.com

CIDER Y’ALL

LAST CALL

Jon Menega of Austin Beerworks FAVORITE SHIFT BEER One of the mythical styles, like Einhorn or Super Awesome. The unicorn milk along with the low ABV of Einhorn makes it easy to enjoy throughout the entire shift. Add a lemon slice for a Lemon Party on a hot day.

Plus the psychoactive properties keep me in the altered state that provides the best guest service and experience.

WEIRDEST/CRAZIEST LAST CALL EXPERIENCE When I didn’t realize that someone started a party in the OG taproom (original brewery bar) and as I chase people out of one place they are going to another place to find more beer. That happens when you have 2 fully functional breweries in two buildings ten feet from each other. And when one of our employees hosts a small get together and then leaves, forgetting that taproom employees are not there to pour beer or close up shop. If you’ve been here lately then you get the picture.

question would be “Biggest Stiffed Tip.” A large company get together happened recently and as the responsible payee was tabbing out he tells me “I’m sorry, I don’t have the authorization to add gratuity. My boss should be here in a little while and he can tip you guys.” As they are about to leave.

Near closing time. Ugh...

CLOSING TIME SONG

LAST CALL BEER RECOMMENDATIONS

“Don't The Girls All Get Prettier At Closing Time.” Always funny and safe. That is until this happens... Last week one of the employees decided to play a Richard Cheese cover of a Red Peters closing song then he went to clean the bathrooms when the song drops the f bomb and mortified a family. I face-palmed and screamed the employee’s name as the parents ran out of the brewery with their kids. The words are always clear in his lounge-style songs. Something about finish your beer and get out of here!

Einhorn if you’re gonna have one more before getting behind the wheel. 3% ABV makes for a refreshing nightcap that’s tasty and safe.

HARDEST CUSTOMER TO GET OUT

LAST CALL CEREMONIES Always involves my favorite bar tool - the megaphone. We don’t have a PA system in the new place so it’s either talking very loud, screaming, or the megaphone. If I really need to get the crowd’s attention the siren comes in handy. People seem to hate that.

BIGGEST WALKED TAB We keep cards on file while you are in the taproom so when a tab is walked we charge and add a 20% gratuity anyway. You find that out when you don’t have your card with you the next morning and call us looking for it.

Hmm, that didn’t really work out as planned.

A couple of $200 tabs here and there. But we still had their card! I guess the funnier

Industry folks that are new to the field, especially when they don’t work in their brewery’s taproom. They have this idea in their head that we are gonna party for a couple of hours after we close and all of our patrons have left. For many of them the party’s just getting started. Believe me, if I am asked to stay in another brewery’s taproom after close then I am cleaning bathrooms or bussing tables along with their crew.