Austin Beer Guide - Winter 2018 by Austin Beer Guide

FROM THE EDITORS

Contents

Believe it or not, there was a time when Twitter wasn’t just a divisive tool helping us burn this place down. It was a place you could actually meet decent people. People who shared a common interest in beer (and music, movies and more). People whose DMs you’d slide into to offer free beer on your back porch or inquire about throwing a community bike pub crawl. People who would invite you into their blogging hobby. People you’d start a local beer zine with when Austin only had 14 breweries and pubs (RIP Lovejoys). Friends who you’d close down Draught House with (what felt like) every Thursday night in 2010 because it was THE place to be, you didn’t have kids yet and you weren’t quite 30 so going to work the next day was no big deal. Friends who would all four have children in a six-month timespan. Friends who would disregard their health to Beer and Loath, SXSW and GABF together. Friends to whom you introduced the joy of Pace Bend. Friends who engaged in great late night debates like is Draught House a dive bar (it’s not), is Pet Sounds > Sgt. Peppers (it is) and whether you should put your own illustrated faces on the cover of your own magazine (still up for debate). And ﬁnally, friends who would decide to brew something bigger, say adios to the Guide lyfe and pack it up to move to Lubbock. So what does this all mean? To 90% of you, nothing. No worries. We’ve still got that great content you skim on the way to the latest Austin Beerworks ad. Read some of your favorite brewers’ takes on current and future trends (p.10), hear from the Alpha King as he looks back at six years of Pinthouse (p.12) and check out what’s coming up from the Hold Out boys as they prepare a new brew pub for downtown (p.18). All that, PLUS the editors’ and readers’ Best of 2018 picks (p.25)! But, for any of you who have been along on the ABG journey, join us as we bid adieu to half of the Austin Beer Guide founding team (p.34). Our city’s beer community wouldn’t be the same without Beertown Chris, and while this little zine will go on, we can’t pretend it won’t be the same (or as obscene) without him. Good luck, Chris and Shawn. We’ll see you down the line. –JS

NEWS & BREWMORS .......................................02

Chris Troutman Aaron Chamberlain Josh Spradling Shawn Phillips

PROOFREADER..........Soﬁa Chamberlain, Sarah Spradling, and Kim Troutman

GABF .......................................08 SEASONS DRINKING .......................................10

BREWER'S BRAIN .......................................12 OVER A PINT .......................................18

BEST OF 2018 .......................................25 CHRIS FAREWELL .......................................34 TAPROOM SCHEDULE .......................................38

CENTRAL AUSTIN .......................................41 SOUTH AUSTIN .......................................49 NORTH AUSTIN .......................................57 GREATER AUSTIN .......................................67 OTHER CEN TX .......................................82 CIDER AND MEAD .......................................82

LAST CALL .......................................84

Cover design: Dirk Fowler

P.25

NEWS & BREWMORS

This is the News NOW POURING There was a ďŹ&#x201A;ood of new breweries in the ďŹ rst half of 2018, but things ran a little dry to close out the year (donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry, another wave is coming, just see below). We still welcomed a few new fermenting friends to the fold since the last issue. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t visit a taproom, but you can ďŹ nd Lake Austin Ales Juicy IPA and DIPA, brewed by former Whitestone brewer Kris Grey at Celis, around town on draft, in 4-pack tallboys and sampling near the frozen entrees section of your local HEB. This May, nano-brewery Uncultured Ales debuted their mixed culture and spontaneous oak barrel-aged sour beers at Jester King. They are also currently without a taproom, but you can spot their

latest wares at select bars and bottle shops around central Texas. Perennial national list maker Banger's opened up their expanded space recently with 101 taps, bringing the Rainey Street establishmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total to 207. They also have a dedicated private event space now, which means you are less likely to be turned away due to closure the next time your friends are in town for another bachelor/bachelorette party. 2019 MODELS Ex Blue Owl brewer Davy Pasternak, wife Alex and brother Andy are close to opening Roughhouse Brewing outside San Marcos. So close that by the time

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With half of Austin Beer Guide team departing, it will be difďŹ cult to maintain the ruse that the ABG founders and ABW founders have actually been the same idiot foursome pulling off a grueling seven year Scooby Doo/ Sitcom Two-Dates-at-Once dance. Both operations to continue on as normal.

After reviewing their 23andMe results, Draught House learns theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been celebrating their anniversary party off by a year for the past ten years. Also, the British-inspired pub actually 63% Greek ancestry.

Chris Troutman and Shawn Phillips transplanting to Lubbock to open Pinthouse WAY WEST.

After seeing so much positive social and taproom response while offering boiled water during the Great Austin Water Crisis of 2018, area breweries decide to tank-kissed water on the menu as a permanent offering. Price per ounce TBD.

With half of the Austin Beer Guide staff leaving town, area breweries, bars and Lyft forecast a 15 percent decrease in sales in Q1.

Following Betoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hints at a 2020 run, Circle Brewing Co. planning to release a 11% triple IPA version of their Beto Beer, with hopes that it will give voters such a vicious hangover that it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter if he loses again.

we distribute this and you pick it up, it might be a reality. Visit the taproom, located on the family ranch, to try their farmhouse ales. It really is true you get more for your money when you leave the city limits. If you follow Pinthouse Round Rock, you’ve seen their expansive and beautiful third space. In addition to a new local for northies, the PHRR will house a larger production brewhouse to allow for larger batches of distributed beers like Electric Jellyﬁsh and limited canning. In more recent news, the PH team has purchased a fourth location, this one near 71 and I35 in South Austin, with plans for a new concept. Read this issue’s Brewer’s Brain (p.12) and ﬁnd the not-so-hidden nugget of news. The South Austin/St. Elmo brewery district is getting some new additions, starting with Nomadic Beerworks early in the year. As we went to print, equipment was being put in place, so follow those ‘grams for the latest news. Later on in the year (maybe much later), Family Business plans to open a second location at the St. Elmo Public Market. In addition to saving you some gas money, the South Austin location will work as a “test lab” so brewer Nate Seal can offer up unique small batches in addition to the Dripping Spring staples. Leanderites will have some new options sometime this year with the additions 5th Element Brewing in Old Town, which will focus on on-site sales at their taproom, Humble Pint, a PNWinspired brew pub featuring house and guest beers along with… you guessed it… pizza, and Hedgehog Bottle Shop & Barrelhouse. In a bid to change Dripping Springs’ motto to “Gateway to Drunken Weekends,” the Hill Country town has more breweries on the way. Bell

Springs Winery plans to brew their own house beers for on-site consumption. Ghost Note will open on Ranch Road 12 later this year, helmed by journeyman brewer Cory McGuinness. And to help keep that Fitzhugh drink crawl going, Backroads Brewing is under construction for a 2019 opening. They’ll open small but plan to scale up quickly if you thirsty Austinites show up. And back in town, after years of planning, the larger Easy Tiger location at The Linc (that’s the Lincoln Village, by Highland, for you old-timers) will be open any week now. Look for a larger biergarten to stretch your ever-expanding gut as you throw back beers and baguettes.

All these newbs will be coming on board with the previously mentioned Hop Squad (north Austin), Central Machine Beerworks and Batch Beer & Kolaches brew pub (east Austin), Hold Out (downtown, see p.18 for more), Beerburg Brewing (Dripping Springs), Bear King Brewing Co. (Marble Falls), and Hops & Grain 2 (San Marcos). FIRST, AND LAST, OF ITS KIND Whichcraft South Lamar, the ﬁrst craftonly bottle shop in Austin, closed its doors in September. With a desire and need to offer more than just beer to go, but an

Photo: Easy Tiger

NEWS CONTINUED . . .

NEWS CONTINUED . . . inability to expand at the south location, the ABG Best Of favorite said goodbye. But have no fear, the Mueller location (and any future locations ??) will go on thanks to the addition of a draft bar and all-day coffee cafe. DYNASTY Jordan-Pippen. Brady-Belichick. JeterRivera. Swifty-Amos-Kim. All kings of their game. The Austin Beer Garden Brewing team took home their third consecutive Large Brewpub of the Year award at this year’s Great American Brewers Festival ceremony thanks to another year of gold lagers. For a full rundown of GABF winners, see p.08. HOP KINGS Not only can we boast the best lagers in the country, but thanks to Joe and the Pinthouse crew, we can claim some of the best hoppy ales, too. Fully Adrift DIPA took home ﬁrst place in this year’s Alpha King Challenge, an annual national competition of hop-forward beers held during GABF. This follows three awards at the World Beer Cup as well as a gold medal at GABF. Again, see a full GABF medal rundown on p.08. FEEL GOOD Remember when we were all boiling water and HEB shelves looked like the Armageddon was on its way? That was weird. Thanks to the great brewing community in town for their generosity to offer up clean water for individuals and coffee shops (thank goodness), and even more impressively, cease brew days to reduce consumption. Oh, and thanks to all of you who shared those “this is why I only drink beer”related posts. They were all original and completely necessary. For the third year, Austin-area breweries partnered together this fall

for Habitat for Humanity’s The House that Beer Built. Through fundraising events, volunteer days and some elbow grease, brewers helped complete a home for a deserving family just before the Thanksgiving holiday. Ever worry about the environmental impact that pint you’re enjoying may have? Well, even if you aren’t, you can sip those suds with less guilt thanks to Earthly Labs, a new public beneﬁt corporation dedicated to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Their new plug-and-play carbon capture technology will allow breweries like Hops & Grain and Austin Beerworks to “close the loop” and capture the carbon dioxide (CO2) they emit in the beer making process and use it in carbonating and packaging their beer. ODDS & ENDS If you miss posting pictures of your beer with the #KCCO hashtag, you’re in luck! Chive is partnering with Uncle Billy’s to bring back it’s beer as an Austin-style (?) lager. Pairs well with dockless scooters, Rock Rose and Chubbies. Celis is slated to open a new beer garden and music venue behind their north Austin brewery. Grab a Celis White, or something from any of the four brands brewed on-site and jam on. And if you’re still looking for something to add to your Christmas list, Celis is offering a new membership program in conjunction with the new concert space with Gold Level just a cool $2,500. The Pink Boots Society, a nonproﬁt that assists, inspires and encourages women beer industry professionals to advance their careers through education, will be hosting its national conference in Austin this January 18-19. Keep an eye out for news on a public event and fundraiser for the local Austin chapter featuring a Women in Music showcase on Friday, January 18 at Oskar Blues.

Ta ke m e h o m e to ni ght.

www.whichcraft.com

GA 20 BF 18

TEXAS GABF MEDAL WINNERS GOLD Rocket 100, The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co., American-Style Pilsener Hell Yes, The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co., Munich-Style Helles Green Battles IPA, Pinthouse Pizza North, American-Style Strong Pale Ale Real Heavy, Real Ale Brewing Co., Scotch Ale Pecos Amber Lager, Texas Beer Co., American-Style Amber Lager Oktoberfest, Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., German-Style Maerzen SILVER Hazelnut Crunch, North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery - Slaughter, Herb and Spice Beer Hoofer's Hef, Bankhead Brewing Co., South German-Style Hefeweizen Chamuco, KÃ¼nstler Brewing, Chili Beer Saint Arnold Oktoberfest, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Scottish-Style Ale BRONZE Flavor Country, Austin Beerworks, Australian-Style Pale Ale Super Awesome Lager, Austin Beerworks, Light Lager Doppel BLUR, Circle Brewing Co., German-Style Wheat Ale Sol Hominis (The Sun Of Man), Save the World Brewing Co., Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale Kilt Switch, 903 Brewers, Scotch Ale Oktoberfest, Oak Highlands Brewery, German-Style Maerzen San Antonio Hatch Lager, Ranger Creek Brewery, Chili Beer Saint Arnold Amber Ale, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Ordinary or Special Bitter LARGE BREWPUB AND LARGE BREWPUB BREWER OF THE YEAR The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co.

ADVERTORIAL

Texas' biggest craft beer festival, the Texas Craft Brewers Festival came booming back this year! Once again the VIP session was well worth it, so make sure you pony up early next year before they sell out, which they always do. This year they featured 70+ Texas craft breweries & around 200 beers. It was definitely a sight to behold and a pint to be had. It's unbelievable that next year there will surely be more breweries and beer represented. When will we hit 100 in attendance? Partners in Craft also returned this year, held the night before the fest, focusing on Texas collaboration beers, local artisans, and local food (including the debut of Hold Out Brewing's banging burgers). TCBF continues to be one of the few "can't miss" events of the year. Any true Texas beer lover and advocate should be there rocking the Garden. Thanks to the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, the breweries pouring, and all of the awesome volunteers.

TCBF Photo: Jason Youngblood

THANKS, Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ALL. SEE YOU IN 2019!

C R O S S OA K G R O U P

SEASON’S DRINKING

Trendsetters IN PAST END-OF-THE-YEAR ISSUES WE USED TO PONTIFICATE ON UPCOMING TRENDS IN CRAFT beer, but why should we have all the fun. We have access to some of the best and brightest minds in the business. They have their minds on this crap 24/7 and we are just a handful of keyboard warriors whiling away time at night and on the weekends. Let them take some of the heat, amirite?

What trend from 2018 surprised you most? MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Michelob Ultra’s growth. This year it sold four times as much as all Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, and New Belgium brands - combined. JEFF YOUNG Blue Owl Brewing I started seeing Black IPAs coming back for no good reason! TAYLOR LOPOUR Circle Brewing Co. Apparently cargo pants are back in style. NATE SEALE Family Business Beer Co. Brut IPA has been pretty surprising. I haven’t had one yet that doesn’t seem like basically a classic West Coast IPA, but the idea and the techniques are pretty fascinating to me. HAYDEN WINKLER Hold Out Brewing Deﬁnitely for me, it was the vastly growing excitement of new IPAs such as Brut and Hazy/Juicy IPAs. JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing The meteoric rise of the Haze pun.

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Company This haze craze is off the charts. First year for them ofﬁcially at GABF and the biggest categories by far! Damn! What trend from 2018 do think will have the most staying power? MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Craft brewery closings. JEFF YOUNG Blue Owl Brewing Beer snobbery. TAYLOR LOPOUR Circle Brewing Co. The continued rise of pale lagers and lighter beer styles. NATE SEALE Family Business Beer Co. Hyper-local beers, with all or some of the ingredients, traditional or not, being sourced from the near vicinity of the brewery, with the local craft beer drinker in mind. HAYDEN WINKLER Hold Out Brewing Hazy/Juicy IPAs will be here for a while.

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Company Collaborations are trending hard. It seems like that's all some breweries make. I think this trend paints a great picture of what our industry is all about. We’re raising the tide together and all our ships with it. What trend from 2018 can’t be gone fast enough? JOHN STECKER 4th Tap Brewing Co-op Endless haze... MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Scooters. JEFF YOUNG Blue Owl Brewing Brut IPAs... they just don’t make sense to me. TAYLOR LOPOUR Circle Brewing Co. Pastry beers never should have been a trend. NATE SEALE Family Business Beer Co. Trend-casting.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing Lager.

HAYDEN WINKLER Hold Out Brewing All beer is welcome to stay... we don’t need to build walls here.

TAYLOR ZIEBARTH Oddwood Ales IPAs, Lagers, Liquor.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing Social Media.

BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Company Light beer, baby! Fruited, Hazy, Brut… What’s the next IPA trend? MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Double Brut IPA, our collaboration with Sun King Brewery available in January!

house breweries. We’re talking Applebee’s Brewing, IHOP Beer, Chili’s Brewhouse. Get at that Cracker Barrel Beerworks brah. MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Production breweries will be able to sell Beer-To-Go. Visit craftpac.org to help make that happen!

JEFF YOUNG Blue Owl Brewing Sour IPAs still need to be established.

JEFF YOUNG Blue Owl Brewing There will be a brewery opening that ~only~ does dryhopped sparkling water.

TAYLOR LOPOUR Circle Brewing Co. I’ve heard milkshake IPAs are the next big thing. Whatever the fuck that is.

TAYLOR LOPOUR Circle Brewing Co. Craft Hard Seltzerias will take the city by storm. Take my word for it.

NATE SEALE Family Business Beer Co. COMPLETELY UNHOPPED AND ALCOHOL-FREE or Crock-Pot Queso IPA.

NATE SEALE Family Business Beer Co. If the truth is bold then call me bold, but Austin beer will just continue to kill it, in terms of quality, variety, culture, community, and unpredictably.

HAYDEN WINKLER Hold Out Brewing Junk food or candy IPAs... maybe sweet IPAs will start to pop up. JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing I’m going out on a limb here. Hoppy. TAYLOR ZIEBARTH Oddwood Ales Pastry IPAs, sugar. BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Company Oyster IPA. Boldest prediction for Austin Beer in 2019? JOHN STECKER 4th Tap Brewing Co-op Dine Brands Global expands ATX restaurants with in-

HAYDEN WINKLER Hold Out Brewing Hold Out Brewing opens... kinda’ excited JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing Three more “Best of” listicles. TAYLOR ZIEBARTH Oddwood Ales No brewery closures! BRYAN WINSLOW St. Elmo Brewing Company Pinthouse announces 9 new locations! Trend from when you ﬁrst started drinking craft beer you can’t wait to return?

MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Being in my 20s. JEFF YOUNG Blue Owl Brewing Slap bracelets. TAYLOR LOPOUR Circle Brewing Co. The return of classic, simple, and well-balanced beers. NATE SEALE Family Business Beer Co. Ska Punk The Rachel Butterﬂy clips Pyramid Apricot Ale (my wife’s answer) JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing Miller High Life and Franzia. TAYLOR ZIEBARTH Oddwood Ales 750mls. Demographic you most want to break into in 2019? MICHAEL GRAHAM Austin Beerworks Every craft brewer’s answer should be “non-craft beer drinkers.” TAYLOR LOPOUR Circle Brewing Co. The Hard Seltzer crowd. Watch out for Circle Hard Seltzer debuting in 2019. NATE SEALE Family Business Beer Co. Dr. Who fans. HAYDEN WINKLER Hold Out Brewing Martians. JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Brewing Beer distributors.

BREWER’S BRAIN

IN EARLY NOVEMBER I OPENED MY computer to ﬁnd an email in my inbox from one Mr. Christopher Troutman asking if I would pen the Brewer’s Brain Op-Ed for an upcoming issue of the Austin Beer Guide. First off I thought to myself, “Shouldn’t Chris be focused on creating a guide to the beer in his new home of Lubbock… or wait, was it Amarillo, or… El Paso… or… wherever that might be?” Either way, I was excited to hear from Chris and even more excited about the items he asked me to write about: My perspective on our past six years, the successes we have had

this year, where I see IPAs going in the near future, that “Round Rock Project” north of Austin, and what is next for us here at Pinthouse Pizza. I don’t know why but for some reason our 5th anniversary in 2017 didn’t really hit me like our 6th anniversary did this year. Maybe it is being older and my hangovers seem to hurt a little more now, but this past anniversary allowed me to reﬂect on the six years leading up to it. I doubt anyone reading this will believe me when I say, that when we opened there were less than 20 breweries and brew pubs in Austin. I believe we were

Photos: Joe Mohrfeld

From the Mind of Joe Mohrfeld

O H T

USE P IZ

Z A

CHEERS TO 2018 !

ST IN

X TE

FIRST PLACE FULLY ADRIFT DIPA

G R E E N B AT T L E S I PA AMERICAN-STYLE STRONG PALE

2018 GABF GOLD MEDAL GREEN BATTLES IPA

THIS YEAR’S WET HOP FRESH OR WET HOP ALE

FIRST PLACE AUSTIN’S BEST BREWPUB

B A I L I N G R O O M I PA AMERICAN-STYLE INDIA PALE ALE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AUSTIN!

one of four new breweries opening that year, and the city was thirsty. We opened with a lineup that included: session IPA, Pale Ale, IPA and Dry Irish Stout. The line-up made total sense to me – I like hops… A LOT. But we were not always understood by some of the beer folks at that time. Over the past six years we have worked on improving our beers, in part by focusing on the importance of agriculture in beer. That standpoint, along with our growth, has enabled us to spend more time on farms, working with our hop farmers to source the hops that make our beers standout as unique. The beer industry in general, and the Austin beer scene in particular, has grown immensely over these past six years – we have learned a lot, our beer quality has improved, and our beers are more exciting and diverse than they’ve ever been. In 2018 I celebrated my 10th year in the brewing industry. I got my start in the gulags of the Odell packaging hall, working 10-hour days chained to a keg washer… and sometimes a bottling line… thinking I had made it! I was a brewer, I was being paid for it, and I couldn’t be more excited to get up everyday and be a part of the process of making beer. During my time at Odell I wore many hats, I got to be involved in many projects, and I had my ﬁrst taste at trying to build and manage a team of brewers. When I left Odell to help open Pinthouse Pizza in 2012 the brewing team was quite small – it was just myself and an ambitious bartender we hired, Jacob Passey, who on his off days would help me mill in, grain out, clean kegs… you know, all the fun stuff. Had you told me that we would have a team of 16 brewers by the time we turned six years old and were opening a third location, I would have never believed you. The team we have now is the DREAM TEAM of brewers. Our guys constantly brew amazing beers, some of which have brought home awards: this year we received a Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal at the World Beer Cup

in May, and a Gold Medal at the GABF in September (back-to-back Golds for Green Battles IPA!), and we were crowned the “Alpha King” at this year’s Alpha King Challenge. (But, hey, we still aren’t as bad-ass as those folks at the ABGB – they won the Best Brew Pub award at GABF again, for an unprecedented 3rd time!! Hats off to Amos, Swifty, and Kim for the hat trick, y’all rock!). We have some exceptional brewers in this town, and we are all driven to make great beer. I believe the uptick in the quality and constancy of Austin area brewers is a testament to how we all push each other to get better. So being acknowledged for our beers feels even more exciting when our friends are acknowledged as well! All of us as brewers leave work wet and exhausted… and a little buzzed… at the end of each day for one reason: to make great beer. The goal of making great beer pushes every one of us, everyday. I am so proud of the success my team has had this past year, as well all the success the brewers in Austin have had in recent years. Austin is a great destination beer city, now more than ever! Our most successful beers, both in terms of sales and competitions, are our IPAs. We love IPAs at Pinthouse. We also love a lot of other styles, but the IPA, or at least the modern incarnation of it… not that old malty bitter British shit… is what keeps me excited about brewing. Every time I think I have hit a wall with IPAs, and wonder where to go next, a new direction opens up – it shows itself to me, and then we are off to discover new proﬁles, previously un-thought of. As I type this I have a new IPA sitting in front of me that we are going to release in a few days, Lil Yum Yum: it’s brewed to be a little tart - not sour – have an intensely fruit forward hop proﬁle – but contains no fruit – has no traditional IBUs, has a touch of lactose – but not a milk shake IPA – and we added a few vanilla beans. The whole idea was to provide a unique canvas to show off these amazing Amarillo we selected from Roy Farms

this year. I guess when I write that all down it doesn’t sound like an IPA at all. But, maybe this is where the IPA style is going; maybe they aren’t IPAs at all, but we don’t know what to call them yet. They are loosely based on IPAs in that they are light in color, have a lot of hops and the expression of those hops is the end goal, but past that they bare little resemblance to what we have known IPAs to be. I see a future where we will have the more niche IPAs [i.e. Milkshake, Brut (let’s see if this rendition actually sticks around ), Sour, Fruited, whatever is next] becoming more drinkable, more balanced, and more understood by the brewers brewing them. I envision these new styles will become more nuanced and approachable, much like trajectory the Hazy IPA has taken. Where does all this leave us here at Pinthouse? Well, I am really excited about the brewery we built in Round Rock, and hopefully you will be able to join us for a pint up there soon! And I am excited about the team we have running it. Trevor Kelly will be heading up brewing operations, and the team we have assembled is perfectly suited to help us continue to grow and innovate. With the extra space in the facility we plan to do some limited releases of our perennial favorite Electric Jellyﬁsh, and other one-off IPAs in can

format. In addition to continuing to have a helluva a good time, we also plan on growing our barrel-aging program, and brewing more styles we haven’t been able to get around to brewing at the other two locations. In case you thought we had enough in our glass, this past Fall we bought a property in South Austin for a project we have internally been calling Midnight Rodeo. The family who owned the beloved Dance Across Texas dance hall on Ben White decided it was time to hang up their boots and take their mechanical bull down to their family ranch. We were fortunate enough to purchase that building, and this time around we are planning to break the mold and focus on a taproom setting with small bites, yard games, and other fun stuff like that. We are building a small, tricked out 15bbl brewhouse so we can continue to offer exceptionally fresh small batches of a variety of beers. A dedicated barrel-aging room will allow for more (and weirder) barrel projects. We are also making room for a canning line… It is going to be a fun next step for us, and I can’t thank everyone enough for supporting us for the past six years – you’ve all helped us get to where we are today! Joe Mohrfeld is Director of Brewing and Co-Owner at Pinthouse Pizza.

OVER A PINT

Hold Out Brewing IN EARLY NOVEMBER, WE GOT A FIRST TASTE OF HOLD OUT BREWING BEERS AT A TAKEOVER OF THEIR SISTER PROPERTY BETTER HALF. A FEW WEEKS LATER WE WENT BACK AS THE TEAM WRAPPED UP A BREW DAY ON THEIR PILOT SYSTEM TO SHARE SOME MORE BEERS. WE TALKED HOPES AND DREAMS FOR HOLD OUT, WHY THE INDUSTRY VETS LEFT THEIR RESPECTIVE GIGS FOR SOMETHING NEW AND SHARED WHAT WE WERE THANKFUL FOR AS THE HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHED. EDITED FOR LENGTH AND CLARITY.

ABG: It’s called Miss Piggy? HW: So far that’s what we’ve come up with. I think so, right? BS: Yeah, Miss Piggy. Go for it dude. HW: So it’s a super big Scotch ale with some pig trotters that we smoked for about ﬁve hours and dunked in the boil. No smoked malt, just pretty easy drinking. Even though it’s 9% or something like that, right? BS: Yeah no smoked malt, just smoked pig. Lots of malt, we ferment this with the house yeast we’ve been using which is just the Chico yeast that a lot of folks use. So it’s nice malt forward. We’ve been calling it our pig hop forward beer. So it’s our pork forward strong Scotch ale. HW: Pork forward sounds good. I like it. ABG: And then we came out today and you all were brewing. And what was that you all were making? HW: So we’re making a beer with the Wright Brothers Brew & Brew team for Tun Tun Tun Fest (annual party). Which is coming up on the 20th (of December) or something like that. BS: Mumford, their beer buyer, is really into pastry stouts. So he wanted to kind of push the limits a little bit. So this will be a grilled

BRENT ‘SCHMITTY’ SAPSTEAD AND HAYDEN WINKLER

orange marmalade cheesecake kolache pastry stout. ABG: Wow, that’s a mouthful. HW: So the base beer is essentially a milk stout that we added a bunch of oats. Flaked oats, ﬂaked wheat, boosted the gravity quite substantially. Did a little bit of orange peel on the hot side and then we’re gonna grill up some oranges, throw those in to conditioning. And basically looking for kind of that burnt orange cheesecake kolache imperial milk stout. BS: That we’ve all never had. HW: Yeah, but we want to. BS: Yeah it’ll be good, I think. HW: So that was fun. Miss Piggy is kind of a part of that as well. We wanted to brew some beers for Tun Tun. To kind of do it as a secondary pop up, just to showcase a little bit more of the extreme end of beers that we might brew here. So we’ll do Miss Piggy, the kolache stout, and we brewed a double IPA last week that’ll be real fun to throw out there as well. BS: Which is actually kind of funny because we’re focusing on more sessionable hop forward beers. ABG: That was gonna be my next question. So this is the path? Is this your way forward

Photo: Workhorse/Back Lot

Austin Beer Guide (ABG): Alright, go! So tell us what we’re drinking right now. Brent ‘Schmitty’ Sapstead (BS): This is the pig beer. Hayden Winkler (HW): Pig beer, yeah. Miss Piggy.

Drink some beer. Eat some food. Chill your roll. THEBREWTORIUM.COM

or just... HW: No, this is just, well it’s cold now so might as well brew some big hitters. BS: I think a lot of our focus will be super sessionable, drinkable patio pounders, the full pint beers as Grady (Wright) likes to call them. We still want to be able to play around. So we’ll keep that pilot system and this is gonna be the perfect use for it. Just the really big, high ABV, super hopped, super weird, wacky esoteric kind of beers. It’ll be kind of fun. It’s kind of fun for us to ﬂex a combined 20 years of brewing on some kind of fun recipes. ABG: So mentioned the combined years of experience. You came from Real Ale most recently and Hayden you came from... HW: North by Northwest most recently. ABG: What was the urge to change or were you looking for something different? It came around and you’re like “now is the time to go”? HW: I wasn’t necessarily looking for anything different. I really enjoyed working there. But I was just not big on the distribution model. So that’s actually why I left Real Ale (2011-2014). So yeah, I went to North By. They started wanting to distribute, which was cool. It was a fun project. But that’s not my main goal. I kind of want to do the pub thing, see people enjoy your beers immediately right off the tap, super fresh. And I think that’s what both Schmitty and I can bring to the table here. We have pretty similar brewing styles but also a little bit different, which is nice. So I think we’ll be a good team. ABG: What about you (Schmitty)? BS: Yeah leaving Real Ale was a tough decision. I’d been there for 10 years. I wasn’t looking to leave or anything. It wasn’t an issue of being unhappy or anything. I started talking to Grady about this project and honestly it was almost more of a looking at it to give some feedback on it here and there. And when I ﬁrst saw the space I was almost literally just blown away. I mean it’s a very unique property, this close to town. There’s nothing else around here. So it started getting me thinking a little bit more. I mean for me a big thing was just being close to my family again. I’ve got a wife and a kiddo at home and I’ve been driving to and from Blanco for 10 years. And so it was nice to be able to bring it back to Austin where I’ve lived since ‘94. So that was the other thing was just being like into being more in touch with the folks that were drinking the beer. I want to brew some beer and I want to hand that person a pint directly over the bar. And just be

a lot more closely related. Doing production management at Real Ale was cool. I enjoyed the challenge and kind of the puzzle work of it. But it kind of, over the years, it slowly took me further and further away from the beer. So this is kind of a nice return. ABG: So do you want to talk a little bit more about the beer philosophy. You mentioned the patio pounders. Give people an idea of what you’re going to start with maybe when you open and what you hope to get to. BS: We’ll have room to do about... the goal is to hit about 15 house taps. And we’ll have room for guest taps as well. One of the things we want to do is be able to kind of a combination of paying homage to breweries that came before Hold Out. And then also be able to have some room to showcase breweries as we collaborate with different brewers. But in the long run we’d like to have probably about 15 house taps on hand. Most of which will be very hop forward pale ale. Kind of shooting for that low-to-mid 5% range. The bulk of our seating is outside on the patio. And when it’s hot outside we want people to be able to drink a beer and drink another beer and enjoy a number of beers without just getting completely bowled over by too much alcohol, too much body, too much really anything. I mean we just want shooting for balance but lots of hops and just kind of presenting hops in a way that I think that has been neglected to a certain degree as people chase IBUs and chase new hop crazes. I think pale ale has been a little bit neglected in that arms race, as it were. HW: Yeah, I want to drink a few beers. I don’t want to drink one. I want to be able to do it responsibly. BS: One thing I did learn at Real Ale just in the course of being in brewing for so long is you don’t get to pick your ﬂagship or what beer you’re gonna do. Your customers are gonna do it for you so we’ll see what this neighborhood chooses. ABG: So there will be space for more of the eclectic beers, like pig beer and the pastry stouts. But mostly the patio pounders. BS: It’s a great description. We should just call them patio pounders. Style, patio pounder. I like the full pint beer. HW: What kind of beer do you make? Full pint beer. BS: As I get older, my desire for volume has not changed. It just means I can’t drink as much of the booze. I need the alcohol to come down as I just enjoy drinking beer. It’s a social activity and we want people to come, hang out and enjoy themselves. And not be all wobbly when they get up to leave. But yeah, we’ll keep

using the pilot system for pig beers. HW: Instagram sucks by the way. No one wants to see you brewing a pale ale. Well neither Schmitty nor I really know how to use Instagram. So we made one post and apparently... BS: We tried to put our toe in it but as it happened it was a pig’s toe and people got... people were sensitive. ABG: So today we were brewing on the pilot system, and I’ll say in the alley on the street here because construction is going on in the space right now. It’s hard for people to nail openings down, but what is the goal to be open for people to be coming out and drinking here? (GRADY WRIGHT, CO-OWNER OF HOLD OUT/BETTER HALF/BREW & BREW/AN EL CAMINO, WALKS UP UNANNOUNCED AND UNAWARE) BS: Speaking of which, Grady just walked by. Made a cameo. Grady Wright (GW): Construction update. Coming in 2019! Latest rounds of the city have us speculative for early Spring as the target date right now, to be candid. But obviously, no promises. In the current state of affairs we have no idea. But yeah, we’re targeting early Spring. And have equipment arriving as early as next month. Can’t really install it yet, but we’ll get there. Prior to that we’ll have a couple intro events and then we get our brew pub permit theoretically this month so we could have a couple sneaky preview beers out to market if we decide to do that. Gotta take a vote with the whole team. BS: But once the permit comes in we theoretically can, like Grady was saying, we can start selling beer here at Better Half. We could sell some beer over to Brew & Brew. So we could do some kind of small little teaser events leading into opening. The space will be ready when it’s ready and we’ll be ready to come into it. But we can continue jamming out some small batch beers and kind of teasing folks with it. ABG: I know we talked about recently, I say we being the “beer guide”, neighborhood brew pubs and smaller breweries. It’s changing. What is your hope? I know you just want to get open and sell beer. We’re in an interesting spot to have a nice little neighborhood brew pub that doesn’t really exist anymore. BS: I mean I think it’s that. There isn’t anything in this area. There hasn’t been much in the way of pubs in downtown Austin in years. I mean once Lovejoys closed. But when I started brewing it was The Bitter End and Lovejoys

and craft beer bars just kind of blowing up with the Original Gingerman. And it’s kind of absent nowadays, I feel personally. I think Hold Out is a thing on it’s own, but I think it really will come into it’s full fruition with the space. Here it’s just bringing people in. It’s on 5th street here, but it’s kind of got a little bit of that Easy Tiger thing where it’s far enough back from the street that you don’t realize you’re on the street. We do have a little bit of noise with the trains cruising by but kids love that shit. It’s coming back into brewing beer and just serving it on site and for people. It’s always fresh. It’s reactive to what people want. It’s reactive to trends. It’s following how beer is evolving and changing and it’s, I mean, hell nowadays it’s changing so fast by the time we brew a batch the next trend is already on top of us. HW: But that’s the other nice thing about us having a smaller system that’s focused on just kind of our taproom is that we can evolve super quick. But to go back to that question yeah, I’m just looking forward to having a place that’s open for one. ABG: Beyond being open. HW: And beyond being open, just having something that’s for the neighborhood. And like Schmitty said earlier, the neighborhood is gonna kind of tell us what we need to do. We do have our focus, but we’ll deﬁnitely have to see how it goes. It’s an awesome space. It’s very warm feeling. Everyone is gonna be happy. Families, homies, drunks. Everyone in between. GW: The goal is really to create, like Brent was saying, create a neighborhood spot where frankly kind of selﬁshly where we want to hang out. And then we’ll adapt to what people are asking for here in the neighborhood. It’s time for Austin to see those breweries that he was alluding to. B Sides, The Bitter End’s, Copper Tank’s, Waterloo’s. That was the original craft beer tradition here in town back when it was microbrews. ABG: Well, it’s Thanksgiving week. I thought we’d all go around and say what we’re thankful for. BS: Oh that’s a sweet notion. HW: No, we’re good. BS: I’d be thankful for another beer. ABG: Well with that, we’re gonna go grab another pint and we’ll see you guys when it’s much warmer on the patio having some beers. HW: Cheers guys.

SO I RECENTLY READ THAT ONE OF THE MAIN UNIFIERS BETWEEN THE DEMS and Reps was a shared love of craft beer. Well, my wife read it and relayed it to me while I mindlessly scrolled through Instagram “liking” things. Regardless, I’m sure it’s true. And with such a continuous and noisy public political discord, it’s nice to ﬁnd common ground. And then we go and politicize that common ground. Thanks, Obama. Each year we’re impressed by the fervor folks exhume as they throw themselves into this “just for fun” Internet poll. Maybe we’ve just created an exercise for releasing pent up residual citizen energy that you’ve spared your family, friends, and coworkers. They can thank us as we’ve taken the battle ground from your main timelines and inboxes to the insufferable beer groups, we’ve taken it to the “beer dudez” curated lists, we’ve moved it from the super PAC mass emails to the super brewery mass emails (and yes, they both still need to learn how to use images in emails…). So instead of biting your uncle’s head off about the Dems taking the house, you can bite your brother-in-law’s head off about about how St. Elmo's Carl is King. These are the results. This is your voice, Austin. There will be no recount.

Illustration by John Rubio

Editors’ Choice BEST BREWERY ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

SOUTHERN HEIGHTS BREWING CO.

The dynamic duo of Austin and Chris have, in just 12 short months, won our city’s collective buzzing heart. Coming out of the gate with multiple IPAs, they’ve continued to deliver on our lupulin lovin addiction with fresh IPAs on the reg. In addition to their lusty IPA slayers, they know sometimes We Just Want a Pils, and so they did that, too. And they did it fucking well. The taproom, hidden away just off the 183 trafﬁc cluster, is blowing up every weekend, but still keeps that cozy familiar vibe. With juice boxes for the kids and juicy IPAs for the moms and dads, dog-moms and dads, and non-moms and dads, it’s the brewery we didn’t think we needed (and didn’t even think Austin could ﬁt) but now can’t live without.

Editors’ Choice BEST NEW BREWERY/BREW PUB :::::::::::::::::::::::::

VISTA BREWING

We Austin drinkers were a lucky bunch in 2018. We were blessed with openings from industry vets (Family Business and Skull Mechanix), two new neighborhood brew pubs (Brewtorium and Oddwood), the long-awaited debut of Drew’s Brews (The Brewer’s Table) and our 2017 pick for best new brewery, who opened ﬁve days too late to be eligible for last year’s readers’ poll (Southern Heights). But, one #destinationbrewery just edged out the rest to take our top spot. In a sea of new school beers, we welcomed Josh Watterson’s take on classic styles like a saison that can’t be beat; driverfriendly schwarzbier, helles and kölsch; barrel-aged brett beers; and collaborations that work better than they should. Jaded souls like ourselves were skeptical of the Instagram-able tap room, farm (to table) vibe and fresh new digs, but owners Kent & Karen Killough and their hospitable team have created a uniquely special place that has us making the trip again and again.

Editors’ Choice BEST BREW PUB ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

PINTHOUSE PIZZA COLLECTIVE

So 2018 turned out to be a pretty big year for the dudes behind the popular pizza and beer joints. They enjoyed a spectacular World Beer Cup, gold Great American Beer Fest medal and a big win at the Yakima Chief IPA Alpha King contest, all while churning away at opening that much anticipated third location in Round Rock. Oh, and also brewing more and more Electric Jellyﬁsh, a multi-year Readers’ Best of pick. With such a year, Joe Mohrfeld and his brewing team have put Austin on the map for IPAs, representing us alongside our world-renowned lagers and wild ales. For those about to hop (we salute you).

READERS’ CHOICE BEST OF 2018 BEST BREWERY AUSTIN BEERWORKS BEST BREW PUB PINTHOUSE PIZZABURNET BEST NEW BREWERY/BREW PUB SOUTHERN HEIGHTS BREWING CO. BEST LIMITED/ SPECIAL/SEASONAL BEER VISTA ROSANNA

BEST EVERYDAY BEER ST. ELMO CARL

BEST BREWERY TAPROOM AUSTIN BEERWORKS

BEST NEW BEER AUSTIN BEERWORKS FLAVOR COUNTRY

BEST BEER BAR CRAFT PRIDE

BEST OVERALL BEER PINTHOUSE PIZZA ELECTRIC JELLYFISH BEST PERSONALITY/ ADVOCATE ANDERS DOWD BEST BEER + FOOD SPOT THE BREWER’S TABLE

BEST EVENT TEXAS CRAFT BREWERS FESTIVAL BEST BOTTLE SHOP WHICHCRAFT TAP ROOM & BEER STORE BEST SINGLE BEER PACKAGING/LABEL AUSTIN BEERWORKS BLACK THUNDER

Editors’ Choice BEST LIMITED/SPECIAL/SEASONAL BEER :::::::::::::::

AUSTIN BEERWORKS BLACK THUNDER The weather wizards at Austin Beerworks timed the cooler swing in temps just right to match their lagered dark lover, Black Thunder with our season deprived penchant for blowing our autumn nut the minute it hits below 90 degrees outside. This roasty, malty-yet-bonedry autumn assassin was born to compliment those few days in October when we can ﬁnally wear a jacket but still not see our breath outside. We were dismayed to see it leave the ABW core-four, but are ecstatic that IT’S FUCKING BACK IN BLACK, BABY!

Editors’ Choice BEST EVERYDAY BEER :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

AUSTIN BEERWORKS FLAVOR COUNTRY Swing a lefty after Hidden Valley, and you’ll ﬁnd our new favorite everyday beer, Flavor Country. FC hits that hoppy scratch but doesn’t make you late for work in the morning if you end up killing the sixer. Taking the seat of the beloved Black Thunder, we wanted to hate it. We tried. We ordered it numerous times in the taproom, fully expecting to hate it THIS TIME, but that crisp and well balanced hoppy lil’ diddy won us over again and again. So please, take our passports, we’re all now citizens of Flavor Country.

Editors’ Choice BEST NEW BEER ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

REAL ALE SWIFTY Real Ale are no slouches. While adding equipment and capacity to continue their systematic take over of the vast Texas drinkscape, they’ve made sure to ﬁnd time to deliver killer new seasonal and one-off beers with the expediency of a smaller brewery and taproom, but with the ﬁrepower these King of the Hill Country brewers’ have honed after years and years of producing quality liquid. Swifty pale ale is their latest and greatest new offering, and in a beer world crowded with “juice,” this lightish, crisp, balanced and transparent pale ale is a refreshing reprieve. On draft and now packaged for home consumption, there’s always time for a Swifty.

Editors’ Choice BEST OVERALL BEER ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ST. ELMO CARL KÖLSCH

If St. Elmo’s Carl is not at the top of your list, we have to ask, do you even like beer? From its humble beginnings as an Austin Beerworks anniversary beer, Carl has grown into a full on year round, city-wide thirst crusher. Best enjoyed a liter at a time, Carl is the perfect balance of lightness, crispness, effervescence, and just enough bite and dryness to make it the most sessionable beer in our session-ready city. By the stein, tall kölsch glass, or Crowler, Carl delivers better than Amazon, even if they would’ve chosen Austin for HQ2 (Bezos burn).

Editors’ Choice BEST PERSONALITY/ADVOCATE ::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ERIC PUGA

If you haven’t been gently encouraged to exit a taproom with Eric Puga, you’re not drinking beer right. Founder of dad-core and three-pint-parenting, Puga’s reoccurring pieces in the Austin Chronicle have been keeping breweries and bars on their toes for the past few years. His pen has named the Ofﬁcial Beer of Austin, presented multiple oral histories, delivered several timely new brewery proﬁles, and with his biannual Power Ranking list doubled most breweries’ Xanax budget. All this while eschewing the barrage of low hanging press releases and media invites in lieu of following his instinct and covering the breweries and trends he believes his Chronicle-sized audience deserves to learn about. With his whiticisims, humor and insights Puga’s become our city’s “drinker’s writer” in residence as his articles pair best with several beers. And on top of all this, this fucker claims he’s been drinking craft beer in Austin since the 90s!

Editors’ Choice BEST BEER + FOOD SPOT ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The upper/downer geniuses behind Brew & Brew introduced the fancier half of their restaurant bar/brew pub beer garden concept (hence the name) earlier this year. Nestled quietly just west of the big buildings, Better Half boasts a modest yet expertly curated list of draft beers, cans, bottles, coffee, and cocktails on draft paired with a subtle but substantial menu of “elevated Texas diner” fair. Better Half has quickly become a date night, brunch, quickie lunch, or late night stop for those in the know. With a penchant for biscuits and similar southern staples, their menu is accessible and interesting, each dish ready to pair with a thoughtfully crafted cocktail, coffee, or freshly poured beer. Pro tip: sit at the bar to contemplate the tap wall backsplash.

Eric Photo: Melissa Puga

BETTER HALF COFFEE & COCKTAILS

Editors’ Choice BEST BREWERY TAPROOM ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ZILKER BREWING CO.

In a town lousy with incredible taprooms, Zilker’s modest standalone adobe-esque building has grown in the past few years to house one of Austin’s best and most underrated. With a killer tap list, continuous rotations with fun and new offerings, and urban AF/walkable/no scooter shame, it’s an easy pick. Brewers Marco and Jason ﬂex hard enough to pull a pec on their constantly rotating tapwall while the taproom hosts and manager Rachael are always ready to refer a new beer (embrace their haze), and not too busy to let you sample a few before you choose your eventual poison. Being in elbow rubbing distance of the stainless is a very nice perk, and in our opinion, adds to the freshness of the beer.

Editors’ Choice BEST BEER BAR ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

BACK LOT BAR

Back Lot is a “bar’s bar.” The three-man team behind the Northloop stalwart, Workhorse, have salvaged yet another shuttered neighborhood icon and tastefully updated it into a familiar but new place to leave your debit card. They carry on the Nasty’s tradition, but with upgraded bathrooms. Brent, Steve, and Miles are starting a new beer bar dynasty; the non beer bar beer bar. Imbibing the city’s ernest-slacker mentality of trying, but making it look easy, they always have something new and interesting without requiring you to focus on the menu too much. Open till 2am and most holidays, they’ve earned the reputation of a bar for drinkers. Go for the beer, stay for the beer.

ABGB FERMENTATION FEST SECHS

With niche jams (lager, lambic), a Texas-sized samplers fest (Texas Craft Brewers Festival), food and drink shindigs (Funk and Sour Fest) and anniversary parties (all of them), there’s no lack of top-notch options for us party-hungry Austinites. But, when you get a postcard perfect October day and ﬁnd yourself sipping Austin’s, Texas’, America’s, the world’s best lagers under the shade of oak trees, it’s hard to imagine you’d want to be anywhere else. Brewer’s in Lederhosen, live polka, half-liter boots, pig roast (praise Jesus), watching your wife take second in stein hoist, and serendipitously running into friends who’ll match you Rocket for Rocket while the sun sets over 78704? Fermentation Fest Sieben doesn't have the same ring, but count us in for this “fest for the fest fatigued.”

Editors’ Choice BEST BOTTLESHOP :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

WHICHCRAFT TAP ROOM & BEER STORE Good packaged beer ain’t hard to ﬁnd around town. This is known by practically everyone nowadays. Walk into a gas station, grocery store, or corner market and you will pretty much trip over the latest release from your favorite brewery. But almost none of these places will quite give you the experience you get at Whichcraft Taproom & Beer Store in Mueller. Along with a plethora of singles and six packs (both in coolers and on the shelf), they have 29 taps of the good stuff to enjoy there or to take away (Crowlers and growlers). But that’s not all. They’ve got coffee all day and tacos in the morning. All your favorite sports and politics pump through their four TVs. With a knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff, it is the go-to spot to pick up a bomber and chill on the east side. Don’t forget about their Brewery of the Month selection, a great way to pick up tasty craft beer at macro prices.

Editors’ Choice BEST SINGLE BEER PACKAGING/LABEL ::::::::::::::::::

ZILKER THIRD SPACE

So this award is mostly for the label, but the beer was like this elusive dream that you barely felt you had the night before, but didn’t fully remember until later that day. It came and went like an unexpected cold front in September, or a killer four-part miniseries on premium cable. You didn’t know how good you had it until it was gone and you immediately realized you couldn’t have it again. You’re left alone, with only that black matte can to remind you of the incredible beer you once enjoyed, unappreciated until it was too late.

ABGB Photo: ABGB Facebook/Jessica Alexander

Editors’ Choice BEST EVENT ::::::::::::::::::

Best of the Rest :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: GLOCK THE VOTE Mike McKim

High Life Josh Hare

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS Beerworks Adam

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? Hops & Grain

BEST BEER AND LOATHER Carlos Arellano

NO HYPE, NO CARE ABGB

MOST LIKELY TO GET A PARENTAL ADVISORY LABEL Infamous

BEST DOG River

BEST TREND Boiled Water Beer CRAFT MOGUL Jeffrey Stufﬁngs ACL BULLY Michael Graham SLEEPER CELL Vista ROTY Southern Heights BEST NEW ART/PALE ALES/WOOD/ARCADE Oddwood GIVE THIS GUY A WHEATIES BOX Swifty HMM? BETO Beer BEST LOT Back Lot REFUGEE ASYLUM Celis

DRAFT OR DIE (512) Brewing WHAT’S MY AGE AGAIN? Draught House PRETTIEST GIRL AT THE DANCE Schmitty VANS > PLANES The Wright Bros MILKSHAKE (IPA) BRINGS ALL THE GUYS TO THE SUBURBS Redhorn LAGER JAM RETIREES Alex/Rebecca/Billy’s WORST TREND Pit Vipers BEST TREND Enamel Pins

DON’T GIVE UP Regional Craft Breweries BEST PERSONALITY RUNNER UP Scooters LONG LIVE Pumpkin Beers EVERYBODY’S DOING IT Lagers SO 2017 CO2 emissions BEST VARIETY SHOW Real Ale Mix Six/Twelve Packs THROWBACK BRING IT BACK Pale Dog RIP Gastro Pubs UNDERRATED NXNW Northern Lights

REVOLVING DOOR Uncle Billy’s

SHOULDA SPRUNG FOR THE ™ “Beerworks”

CRAFT COUSINS Zilker/Southern Heights

YOU DON’T HAVE TO SHOUT ORF!

BEST TGIF New Beer Friday

BEST BEER JACKET Blue Owl, Wee Beastie FIGHT ME!

COMEBACK KID Black IPAs?

TRYING TOO HARD? Brut IPAs BEST HAT Joe Mohrfeld

SO HOW’D THAT WORK OUT FOR YOU? Guns & Oil

THIS OLD BREWERY Garrett Crowell

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Beer Dinners

HOLLYWOOD ELBOW RUBBER Nate Seale

NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY Banger's

GONE TOO SOON Beer & Loathing

ISO New Proﬁle Pic

BEST PLACE TO GET YOUR STEPS IN Brewtorium

HEAT SLAYER Grodz Cans

BEST PIANO BAR 4th Tap

BEST CELEBRITY COUPLE Uncle Chivey

SOMETIMES THERE'S A MAN BY CHRIS TROUTMAN

YOU’RE WELCOME. Ten years ago about this time of year I purchased the domain beertownaustin.com. This was right after I completed a school project involving a few local breweries in which I was lucky enough to get to try the first batch of Live Oak Primus off the tank poured by a dude named Steve. For that same project I also chatted with a guy named Kevin, who just moved to Austin to open his brewery, (512), about an idea for a pecan flavored seasonal he was kicking around. With a lot of help from my brother-in-law, JIB and college pal, Shawn, turned that domain into a video blog and shortly after met some asshole homebrewer brothers at the (512) first anniversary party named Jeff and Mike. I brewed in the brothers’ backyard with them and recall being so impressed with the lengths they went to reduce the risk of airborne bacteria and yeast infecting their homebrew and then again a few years later when they intentionally poured wort into their coolship for the first time to do just that. I drank amazing home brewed pale ales paired with dog treats with a guy named Josh in his south Austin duplex and still miss his pale dog. I later met Mr. Peters and after a few swiftys remember him talking about what he’d do different if he had another chance to open a new brewery. Being chastised by this crusty old dude named Chip for pouring a beer from a picnic tap incorrectly and then again for using “Beer town” without consent from the Brewers Association. Then later being invited out to drink beers and break ground on his now towering brewhouse surrounded by live oaks. I remember getting drunk off

the tanks with four young beerworker fellows and them stressing not to judge their unfiltered beers. I remember meeting Joe from Colorado outside a thrift store on Burnet Road for him to hand deliver a bomber of his test batch IPA. I remember the hearty handshakes and complimentary Bucket Head IPAs from a cargo short and flip flop wearing dude named Jake. Taking my first Real Ale tour from a tall imposing guy named Erik and him taking extra pride in showing off his burgeoning barrel program. I remember being shocked the brewer from Draught House replied to my email asking about his pumpkin ale and then shocked again years later when he invited me to brew multiple collaboration beers with him. There were lots of mustache glasses. Buy-the-glass-get-three-pours lost Saturday afternoons. Conversations over a pint or two. Late nights and too many pitchers (Troutman Specials) at Draught House. Chasing Double Pecan Porter bottles. Leveraging weekly beer dinners for date nights. Chiding new bloggers and then embracing the ones who stuck around. Learning to enjoy beer in cans again. Falling in love with lagers again. Starting beer cellars and then watching them get dusty in lieu of readily available Hans’ or fresh IPAs. Trying to make multiple beer podcasts work. Beer and loathing. Meeting Billy Forrester. Meeting Michael Parker. Meeting Davis Tucker. Don Thompson. Chip McElroy. Tim Schwartz. Steve Anderson. Brian Peters. And then being thrilled when they began to remember my name. I just wanted to share with others the uniqueness and unique creators of Austin beer that got me excited back when I first fell in love

with Real Ale’s Brewhouse Brown at “Texas Tuesdays” at the OG Gingerman. Yeah, I’m flexing a lot of local beer I-wasthere-before-it-was-cool cred, but this is my last beer guide piece and this is the tone this is coming out, so you’re welcome to stop reading if you don’t like it. But just remember, I was there before it was cool. That said, I could have been a little more graceful some of the time. But then, would it have been as much fun for you, dear reader, or me, writer? Absolutely not. Craft beer started with a handful of mavericks and then was infiltrated by a lot of hangers-on, and I couldn’t help but express my opinions on the later, not always in print, but if you’ve ever had a few beers with me you know who’s on my shit list. SO HERE WE GO. Just kidding, but wouldn’t it be fun? Very early on I published one negative write up about the second Gingerman, then after some consideration, deleted it (oh, blogging…) believing our city’s craft beer scene, imperfect as it were, would best be served by a “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” approach. Journalistically, it’s pretty weak, fourth estate and all. But like I said earlier, I got into this to share my passion about Austin beer, and being a fair and faithful critic just didn’t mesh with my gut. I never published anything I didn’t think true, but there have been multiple text and chat discussions hours before deadline about if an opinion or brewmor was crossing the line and unnecessary justification of why we write more about other breweries than others. Basically, it came down to if I found a brewery interesting enough to devote a good chunk of my freetime researching, interviewing and writing about. When Aaron, Josh, Shawn and myself decided to turn our respective blogs into a print publication the goal was just to expand our passion for local beer to a new medium. Aaron and I had been playing a running “frenemy” joke between our blogs awhile, but had actually become pretty good friends shutting down bars multiple nights a week and talking shit and racing for scoops on G-chat during the day. Josh joined the band after filling out a contact form suggesting a bike pub crawl, and after the first attempt was a rainout, turned into a faithful drinking pal with strong and good opinions. Shawn and I attended undergrad together and learned to get drunk together so he was a shoe in. Ahem, we may get into some self congratulatory/indulgence here, but I’m a few beers in and this is MY last column, so I’m driving and you’re riding. Like a four-headed

drunk we threw ourselves into the magazine business. We didn’t expect to get rich, but damn, we’re still not rich. It was a lot more work than any of us expected, except maybe Aaron who already was employed by a magazine, but it was so much more fun than blogging - you know, cause blogs suck. Just like Twitter, we “launched” at South-By and just like Twitter, have experienced the dichotomy of being both very popular and unprofitable at the same time. I could go on for days with the Twitter analogies, but I digress. We printed 1,000 (A THOUSAND!!!) copies for that first release and distributed them at a co-promoted “Tweetup” (just like Twitter!) at the old Opal Divine’s on west 6th. Brewers from out of town drove in and just like all the bands that started from seeing Joy Division or the Velvet Underground live, a small revolution in beer journalism was birthed. The first issue comprised a very gratuitous editorial (you get the theme?), guide-y write ups (we call them “the back of the book”), and just enough ads to pay off the printing fee Aaron put on his personal credit card, the dummy. Since then the guide has bloated to over a hundred pages at times, with distribution across the city and into neighboring cities and surrounding areas. We’ve tried and augmented various types of content along the way, invited guest contributors, and even took ourselves a little too serious sometimes (I’m talking about the 11 page “long form think pieces” I tried a few years ago…). (And yeah, I know using parenthetical commentary is lazy writing, but go and start your own magazine and then call me out. Fucker.)

While publishing the guide on a semi-regular basis I dove into a few different creative outlets both public and personal, but none stuck around like the guide (ask about Judge Brewdy sometime). Between the four of us, at least 1.5 were ready to call it quits at any given point, but as long as a majority were chugging along, we got swept back on the wagon, er, off the wagon, whichever is the positive use of the phrase here. We needed the unique combination of our four different, yet similar, personalities to keep this pile of shit alive, and it drew us together like siblings who both loved and loathed each other often. Our families became close and for the last few years the majority of the rare times we were all four together have been at kids’ birthday parties. At times, the guide served merely as an excuse to prioritize hanging out with our best friends. FUCK, I’M GETTING SAPPY HERE. When I started BeerTownAustin and the mustache glass empire, I wanted to mesh entertaining writing with informative pieces about local beer. I was fresh into Gonzo journalism and saw an opportunity to ﬁll a gap in Austin. Since then I’ve realized the limits of my writing skills, but still enjoyed the exercise. Now I leave that to the well-word-endowed Eric Puga. I think I peaked with the oral history of brewing in the 90s, realizing my skill was more in leveraging relationships and interviewing,

rather than writing. Part of my separation agreement with the guide is that they reprint that feature with updates at least once a year we’re still negotiating terms. The guide is still healthy and will continue without me, and could have continued without me years ago. Aaron and Josh have kept the heart beating long since I’ve become distracted. I have a problem where I stick around longer than I should. Like at bars or taprooms, you know. I’ve become jaded and negative and have known I was doing more harm than good for the scene for a bit now. FUCK, I’M GETTING SERIOUS HERE. I’ve drank a lot of beers and made several dear friends amongst the Austin beer scene and am very appreciative of the reception and support of both our dear readers and industry. It’s been a good ten years. As long as I’ve been able, I’ve started things. Rarely on my own, usually with like minded collaborators who are or eventually become close friends. And after a class project, a video blog, a bike pub crawl, a series of mustache glasses, a magazine, an annual “Best Of” poll and event, a Lager Jam, a handful of podcasts, TOO MANY glasses and koozies, and a lot of dear friendships, I’m ready to start something new. I SHOULD’VE BEEN A WINE BLOGGER.

Coffee. Beer.

Cedar Park , Texas

TA P RO O M S C H E D U L E Jester King Brewery (p.72) Last Stand Brewing Co. (p.74) Live Oak Brewing Co. (p.45) New Braunfels Brewing Co. (p.82) Oasis, TX Brewing Co. (p.75) Oskar Blues Brewery (p.65) Rentsch Brewery (p.76) Real Ale Brewing Co. (p.75) Ruggedman Brewing Co. (p.82) San Gabriel River Brewery (p.77) Skull Mechanix Brewing (p.54) Southern Heights Brewing Co. (p.46) St. Elmo Brewing Co. (p.54) Strange Land Brewery (p.77) Suds Monkey Brewing Co. (p.78) Treaty Oak Brewing (p.78) Twisted X Brewing Co. (p.79) Two Wheel Brewing Co. (p.82) Whitestone Brewery (p.80) Zilker Brewing Co. (p.47)

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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. THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. IT IS MERELY A ... GUIDE. 4th Tap Brewing Co-Op (p.58) (512) Brewing Co. (p.50) Acopon Brewing Co. (p.68) Adelbert’s Brewery (p.58) Austin Beerworks (p.60) Bluebonnet Beer Co. (p.68) Blue Owl Brewing (p.42) Bull Creek Brewing (p.69) Celis Brewery (p.62) Circle Brewing Co. (p.63) Family Business Beer Co. (p.69) Flying Man Brewing Co. (p.70) Friends & Allies Brewing (p.43) Guadalupe Brewing Co. (p.82) Hi Sign Brewing (p.44) Hitmaker Brewing Co. (p.72) Hops & Grain Brewing (p.44) Independence Brewing Co. (p.52) Infamous Brewing Co. (p.72)

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OPENING EARLY 2019 JUST WEST OF DOWNTOWN At HOLD OUT we make beers we like to drink. Beers brewed to taste â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not just style, inspired by our Texas roots.

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1. Better Half 406 Walsh Street 2. Crown and Anchor Pub 2911 San Jacinto Boulevard 3. Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches 3220 Manor 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 Wheel 1902-B East MLK Boulevard 11. Frank 407 Colorado Street 12. Hopﬁelds 3110 Guadalupe Street

13. Contigo 2027 Anchor Lane 14. Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Triangle 4615 North Lamar Boulevard, #307 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. Yellow Jacket Social Club 1704 East 5th Street 23. Spider House 2908 Fruth Street 24. Thunderbird Coffee, Manor 2200 Manor Road 25. Violet Crown Social Club 1111 East 6th Street

56 41

26. The Grackle 1700 East 6th Street 27. The White Horse 500 Comal Street 28. B.D. Riley’s, Mueller 1905 Aldrich Street, Suite 130 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. Wright Bros. Brew & Brew G 500 San Marcos Street 34. Cuvee Coffee Bar G 2000 E 6th Street

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS 35. Draught House Pub & Brewery G 4112 Medical Parkway 36. Oddwood Ales G 3108 Manor Road

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37. Hops & Grain Brewing G 507 Calles Street 38. Live Oak Brewing Co. 1615 Crozier Lane 39. Blue Owl Brewing Co. 2400 East Cesar Chavez Street G 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 G 1201 Bastrop Highway 44. Southern Heights Brewing Co. G 6014 Techni Center Drive, Suite 2-101 45. Brewer’s Table 4715 E 5th Street

STORES 46. Central Market G 4001 North Lamar Boulevard 47. Hyde Park Market 4429 Duval Street

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51 st S T.

48. Whole Foods Market G 525 North Lamar Boulevard 49. Antonelli’s Cheese Shop 4220 Duval Street 50. Twin Liquors, Hancock 1000 East 41st Street 51. Rosedale Market 1309 West 45th Street 52. Quickie Pickie G 1208 East 11th Street 53. East 1st Grocery 1811 East Cesar Chavez Street 54. H-E-B, Mueller G 1801 East 51st Street 55. Whichcraft, Mueller G 1900 Simond Avenue, Suite 200

OTHER 56. Austin Eastciders 4007 Commercial Center Drive, Suite 700 57. Moontower Cider Co. 3008 Gonzales Street, Suite 300

G = growler and/or Crowler ﬁlls

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Blue Owl Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . 2400 East Cesar Chavez Street Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . .Wed & Thu 3–10pm, Fri & Sat 12–10pm, Sun 12–8pm 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, Czech Czech

Czech Czech . . . . . . . Sour Czech-Style Pilsner Little Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sour Session Wheat Spirit Animal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sour Pale Ale Professor Black . . . . . . . . . . .Sour Cherry Stout

The Brewer’s Table Winner

INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4715 East 5th Street Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . . . .Sun–Thu 11am–10pm, Fri & Sat 11am–11pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www. thebrewerstable.com

The Brewer’s Table was a dream in the works for many years for Jake Maddux. In 2018 it has ﬁnally come to pass. Brewer’s Table’s brewhouse is helmed by ex-Live Oaker Drew Durish and Zach Hunter is master and commander in the kitchen. At the Brewer’s Table it is all about beer AND food. And wood, don’t forget the wood.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Common Lager, Vor Ort

Common Lager. . . . . . . . . . California Common Fine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy Lager Sleepytime Lagerbier . . . . . . . . . . . . Tea Lager Vor Ort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LightLager

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, Hop School

WE RECOMMEND

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

Friends & Allies Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 979 Springdale Road Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . .Mon & Tue 4–10pm, Wed & Thu 3pm–10pm, Fri 2pm–12am, Sat 12pm–12am, Sat 12–8pm 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 taproom on Springdale Road. In the space they will brew four core beers and a host of seasonals.

WE RECOMMEND Fresh Coast, Springdale

BEER SAMPLING Fresh Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Springdale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . White Ale

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

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

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 core beers (now in cans!), fruited blondes, and a slew of juicy/hazy pales, IPA, and Double IPAs, you can take a load off in their back yard hammocks or get sauced while watching their ﬂight tracker to see when your in-laws get in.

BEER SAMPLING The Astronaut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Double IPA Shamus the Fiddler. . . . . . . Irish-Style Red Ale Violet the Blueberry Blonde . . . . . . . Blond Ale Wooderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

WE RECOMMEND The Astronaut, Wooderson

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes 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, Volumes of Funk, as well as a plethora of hoppy vehicles like Lupulin Rodeo, Pellets & Powder, Terrapin Dream, and the new year round Haze County. In 2016 they announced plans to open a second location in San Marcos.

BEER SAMPLING A Pale Mosaic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA The One They Call Zoe . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Lager Porter Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baltic Porter River Beer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lager

WE RECOMMEND A Pale Mosaic, Porter Culture

Lazarus Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1902 E. 6th Street Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . .Mon–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 40 Days & 40 Nights. . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Prodigal Pils . . . . . . . . . . German-Style Pilsner Amandus . . . . Belgian-Style Strong Golden Ale

WE RECOMMEND 40 Days & 40 Nights, Prodigal Pils

Live Oak Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1615 Crozier Lane Austin, TX 78617 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . .Sun–Thu 12–9pm, 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. in 2016 they moved to their new brewery near the airport and started canning their beer. It became a new Austin “must visit.”

BEER SAMPLING Grodziskie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grodziskie HefeWeizen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen Pilz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Czech-Style Pilsner Primus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weizenbock

WE RECOMMEND Grodziskie, Primus

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Oddwood Ales INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3108 Manor Road Austin, TX 78723 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . .Tue–Thu 4–11pm, Fri 3pm–12am, Sat 2pm–12am, Sun 2–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.oddwoodales.com

Started as side project at Adelbert’s, Oddwood Ales opened it’s doors in early 2018. The brothers Ziebarth (Taylor and Brett) founded Oddwood upon the“love of experimental brewing, oak barrels, and wild yeast.” The menu of pizza, salads, etc. will give you something to munch on while you slug down some saisons and play their carefully curated lineup of arcade games. Leave the quarters at home, because games are on the house.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Minitel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saison Nite Boys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale Truck Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oatmeal Stout

WE RECOMMEND Minitel, Truck Month

Southern Heights Brewing Co.

Winner

INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . 6014 Techni Center Drive Austin, TX 78721 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . Thu & Fri 4–10pm, Sat 12–10pm, Sun 12–7pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . www.southernheightsbrewing.com

Tucked in a small pocket of east Austin, near 183, Chris Rich and Austin Russell are brewing up something special. They spent the last few years making this dream come to fruition and in late 2017 they opened their doors to Austin’s thirsty hordes. They are focused on honing their takes on American craft beer styles, old and new, all to be enjoyed in their modern, airy taproom.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Samoan Joe’s . . . . . . . . . . .English-Style Porter Tahitian Dream’in . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Where’s My Flannel . . . English-Style Mild Ale

Tahitian Dream’in, Where’s My Flannel

Zilker Brewing Co. INFO LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1701 East Sixth Street Austin, TX 78702 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . .Tue–Thu 4–10pm, Fri & Sat 12pm–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

BEER SAMPLING Coffee Milk Stout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coffee Stout Honey Blonde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Marco IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Parks & Rec Pale Ale. . . . . . American Pale Ale

Winner

BREWERY SNAPSHOT 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.

WE RECOMMEND Coffee Milk Stout, Marco IPA

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 50 23 B

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22 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. Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden 121 Pickle Road 7. Spokesman 440 East Saint Elmo, Suite A-2 8. Stouthaus Coffee Pub 4715 South Lamar Boulevard 9. The Buzz Mill 1505 Town Creek Boulevard 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. Orf Brewing 4700 Burleson Road, Unit F 19. St. Elmo Brewing Co. G 440 East Saint Elmo Road, Suite G-2 20. Skull Mechanix Brewing G 1005 East Saint Elmo Road, Building 2 21. North By Northwest (NXNW) G 5701 West Slaughter Lane 22. Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. 8201 South Congress Avenue

STORES 23. Thom’s Market 1418 Barton Springs Road 24. Central Market G 4477 South Lamar Boulevard 25. Spec’s, Brodie Lane 4978 West Highway 290 26. Live Oak Market 4410 Manchaca Road 27. South Lamar Wine and Spirits 2418 South Lamar Boulevard 28. Whip In G 1950 South IH-35 29. SoCo Homebrew 4930 South Congress Ave, Suite 307

G = growler and/or Crowler ﬁlls

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

(512) Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407 Radam Lane Austin, TX 78745 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sat 12–4pm 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 2019(?).

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

WE RECOMMEND Pecan Porter, IPA

*$12 = 6 samples and a logo glass to keep

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co.

Winner

INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . 1305 West Oltorf Street Austin, TX 78704 DRINKING HOURS . . .Tue–Thu 1130am–11pm, Fri 1130am–12am, Sat 12pm–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. And they are currently celebrating their third victory lap of being named Best Large Brewpub in America at the Great American Beer Fest for three years running.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Hell Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helles Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German-Style Pilsner Rocket 100. . . . . . . . . . . Pre-Prohibition Pilsner

WE RECOMMEND Industry, Rocket 100

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Independence Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . 3913 Todd Lane, Austin, TX 78744 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . Wed– Fri 4–10pm, Sat 12–10pm, Sun 2–7pm 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 Convict Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oatmeal Stout Red Bud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Berliner Weisse-Style Shiny Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hoppy Ale

WE RECOMMEND Convict Hill, Red Bud

North by Northwest, Slaughter INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 5701 West Slaughter Lane DRINKING HOURS. . . . Mon–Thu 11am–930pm, Fri & Sat 11am–1030pm, 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

Orf Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . 4700 Burleson Road, Unit F Austin, TX 78744 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sat 12–5pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.orfbrewing.com

They said it couldn’t be done. They said it would never happen. Well now they need to shut up, because Chris Orf’s Orf Brewing is now open for business. We knew it would happen. We always believed. 11 years and 11 tshirts later, Orf Brewing is cooking up their unique hybrid styles in south Austin. Patience is a virtue kids!

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Hoprocker I.R.A., Honey Roast

Honey Roast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brown Ale Hoprocker I.R.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Ale Oocheenama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . White Ale Salutation Ale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Golden Ale

Pinthouse Pizza, South Lamar

Winner

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 Fluttershy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saison This is Juice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

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, This is Juice

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

St. Elmo Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . .440 East Saint Elmo Road Austin, TX 78745 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . Tue–Thu 12–11pm, Fri 12pm–12am, Sat 11am–12am, Sun 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes 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 hot gai sandwich and thank us later.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Angus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stout Carl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kölsch-Style Ale Chico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale Bublé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brut IPA

Carl, Bublé

Winner

Skull Mechanix Brewing INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . .1005 East Saint Elmo Road Building 2, Austin, TX 78745 DRINKING HOURS. . .Mon–Wed 3–10pm, Thu & Fri 3–11pm, Sat 1–11pm, Sun 1–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.skullmechanix.com

Owner, Jeff Willis, has been working in the craft beer industry for many years, here and in Boulder, CO. With all this real world experience his next step was to open a brewery of his own. Skull Mechanix was born. To handle the brewing side of the business he brought on another industry veteran, Michael Waters, formerly of Independence, Uncle Billy’s, and most recently Real Ale. Opened in early 2018, they are helping further develop the growing south Austin hyperlocal scene.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Gully Cat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Holmes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . English-Style Pale Ale Mechanix Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bitter Rock of Ages . . . . . . . . . . . . Czech-Style Pilsner

WE RECOMMEND Holmes, Rock of Ages

Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . .8201 South Congress Austin, TX 78745 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.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Buckethead IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Pale Head. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale Thirsty Goat Amber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale

Buckethead IPA, Thirsty Goat

*Their new expanded facility’s taproom hours have not resumed at time of press.

Uncle Billy’s Brewery INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 1530 Barton Springs Road Austin, TX 78704 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . .Sun–Thu 8am–12am, Fri & Sat 8am–1am GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.unclebillys.com

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.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Barton Springs Pale Ale. . . American Pale Ale Brut Squad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brut IPA Green Room IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Summer of ‘41 . . . . . . Bohemian-Style Pilsner

Green Room IPA, Summer of ‘41

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 58 9

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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 Boulevard, #700 10. Brass Tap, Domain 10910 Domain Drive, #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 19. Celis Brewery 10001 Metric Boulevard 20. The Brewtorium G 6015 Dillard Circle, Suite A

STORES 21. Specs, Arbor Walk 10515 N Mopac Expressway 22. Sunrise Mini Mart 1809 West Anderson Lane 23. Specs, Airport Boulevard 5775 Airport Boulevard 24. Austin Homebrew Supply 9129 Metric Boulevard 25. King Liquor 5310 Burnet Road 26. Growler Room G 6800 Burnet Road, Suite 2 27. Whole Foods Market, Domain G 11920 Domain Drive

OTHER 28. Meridian Hive 8120 Exchange Drive, Suite 400 29. Fairweather Cider Co. 10609 Metric Boulevard, Suite 108A

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

4th Tap Brewing Co-op INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . .10615 Metric Boulevard Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . Sun–Wed 4–8pm, Thu 4pm–12am, Fri & Sat 12pm–12am 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 a tamarind wheat ale. Founded by a handful of native-Austinites along with a few transplants from around Texas, 4th Tap was built around a simple motto: Brew, Share, Party, Repeat.

BEER SAMPLING Can You Dig It?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Lager Highland Scoundrel . . . . . . . . . .Scotch-Style Ale Kung Fu Robot IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

WE RECOMMEND Can You Dig It?, Kung Fu Robot IPA

Adelbert’s Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . 2314 Rutland Drive, #100 Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . Wed–Fri 5–10pm, Sat 1–10pm, Sun 12–7pm 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 Travelin’ Man . . . . . . . . . .International-Style IPA Tripel B. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian-Style Tripel Ale

WE RECOMMEND Naked Nun, Travelin’ Man

TH TAP BREWING ȁ

BREW

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BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Austin Beerworks

Winner

INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . 3009 Industrial Terrace Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . .Mon–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.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Bloodwork Orange . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Fire Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Flavor Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy Pale Ale Sputnik. . . . . . . .Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout

Flavor Country, Sputnik

Black Star Co-op INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7020 Easy Wind Drive Austin, TX 78752 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mon 4–11pm, Tue–Thu & Sun 11am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11am–12am 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 Self Esteem, Vulcan

Dr. Steve Brut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brut IPA Self Esteem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Vulcan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

COM I NG I N

THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING 2018 A GREAT YEAR. WE CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. CHEERS!

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

The Brewtorium INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 6015 Dillard Circle, Suite A Austin, TX 78752 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . Tue–Thu 4–10pm, Fri 2–11pm, Sat 12–11pm, Sun 12–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.thebrewtorium.com

The Brewtorium is open. They are another one many people around the city are glad to see serving food and beer. From the minds and hands of Chris Rauschuber and Whitney Roberts, Brewtorium is now serving up tasty pub grub and beyond.

WE RECOMMEND Das Daydrinker, Lightning Wizard

BEER SAMPLING Electric Lederhosen . . . . . .Vienna-Style Lager Das Daydrinker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helles Lightning Wizard . . . . . . .Belgian-Style Witbier Propeller Head. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

Celis Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . .10001 Metric Boulevard Austin, TX 78758 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mon 5–10pm, Tue–Thu 3–10pm, Fri–Sun 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.celisbeers.com

Everyone has that uncle who will never shut up about how good Celis White was back in the day whenever you bring over a six pack of your current fav beer. Maybe you are that uncle. Good news for him (you): Celis is back baby! Relive the old days sipping on their Pale Bock or revel in the modern era as you chug their Juicy IPA. Their new home is on Metric Boulevard, along with half the other breweries in town.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Dubbel Coffee Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter Juicy IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . New England-Style IPA Pale Bock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bock White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Witbier

Pale Bock, White

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes 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. They hold a brew pub license now (beer to go!).

BEER SAMPLING Alibi Blonde. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Blur Texas Hefe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen Devil’s Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barrel-Aged Stout Ladybird IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

WE RECOMMEND Blur, Ladybird IPA

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Lake Austin Ales INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10001 Metric Blvd* Austin, TX 78758 URL . . . . . www.instagram.com/lakeaustinales

Kris Gray and Zack Fuentes launched Lake Austin Ales in September of 2018. From the begining they have been doing things a bit different than other new breweries. For instance, instead of opening with a core lineup, they started with just two beers: an IPA and a DIPa, both juicy and fruity. They also began contract brewing (at Celis) out of the gate. Plans for a brewery and taproom of their own are a little ways down the road. For now, they just wanna give you the JUICE.

BEER SAMPLING Juicy IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Juicy Double IPA. . . . . . American Imperial IPA

*Lake Austin Ales are currently brewing out of the Celis facility. They hope to ﬁnd a space in 2019 to build out their own brewery and taproom.

WE RECOMMEND Juicy!

North by Northwest, Stonelake INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. .10010 Capital of TX Highway North Austin, TX 78759 DRINKING HOURS . . . . Mon–Thu 11am–10pm, Fri 11am–11pmm, Sat 10am–11pm, Sun 10am–10pm 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 also 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 Red Zeppelin. . . . . . . . . . . . . Irish-Style Red Ale

WE RECOMMEND Black Jack, Prost Pilsner

Pinthouse Pizza, Burnet

Winner

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.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Best Coast IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Blind Jake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Porter Training Bines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA

Blind Jake, Training Bines

Oskar Blues Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . .10420 Metric Boulevard 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, 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

GRAND OPENING JAN 2019 100% oakâ&#x2C6;&#x2019;fermented American farmhouse beer

San Marcos, Texas

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 68 35 32 7

ROUND ROCK

CEDAR PARK

10 25

HUDSON BEND

34 6

42 PFLUGERVILLE

3 8

21 18 MANOR

41 11 14 45 43 19 38 20 40 22 24

31 AUSTIN

OAK HILL

36 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. The Brass Tap 204 East Main Street, Round Rock

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS 8. Flying Man Brewing Co. G 2400 Patterson Industrial Drive 9. NLand Brewing Co. 4836 East Highway 71, Del Valle 10. Double Horn Brewing Co. G 208 Avenue H, Marble Falls 11. Acopon Brewing Co. G 211 West Mercer Street, Dripping Springs

AUSTINBERGSTROM INT. AIRPORT

44 39 23 12 13 16 26 27 37 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. Hitmaker 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 Parkway., 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 36. Vista Brewing G 13551 FM150, Driftwood

GREATER ATX

15 30 5

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. Suds Monkey Brewing Co. G 1032 Canyon Bend Drive, Dripping Springs 41. Family Business Beer Co. G 19510 Hamilton Pool Road, Dripping Springs 42. Uncultured Ales 12307 Roxie Drive, #206 43. Distant State Beer Co. G = growler and/or 3799 Hwy. 290, Dripping Springs Crowler ﬁlls

OTHER 44. Texas Keeper Cider 12521 Twin Creeks Road, Manchaca 45. Argus Cidery G 12345 Pauls Valley Road #2

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Acopon Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . .211 West Mercer Street Dripping Springs, TX 78620 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wed 3–6pm, Thu & Fri 3–8pm, Sat 12–8pm, Sun 12–6pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.acoponbrewing.com

For Acopon, like with the Barber Shop before it, brewer/owner John McIntosh intends to focus on English ales as well as America craft styles. Two doors down from Barber Shop, Acopon is keeping downtown Dripping Springs buzzing. And if you miss the Barber Shop, just bounce on over.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Gaspipes, Pandemic

Gaspipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . English-Style Bitter Homunculus . . . . . . . . . . English-Style Mild Ale Pandemic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .English-Style Porter Renﬁeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

Bluebonnet Beer Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . 1700 Bryant Drive, #107 Round Rock, TX 78664 DRINKING HOURS . . . . Fri 5–8pm, Sat 12–8pm 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 the OG 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 & Sun 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 and Sundays. Grab the kids and get out of town.

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

WE RECOMMEND Iron Balls

Family Business Beer Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . 19510 Hamilton Pool Rd Dripping Springs, TX, 78620 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . Wed–Fri 3–10pm Sat 11am–10pm, Sun 11am–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . www.familybusinessbeerco.com

Family Business was Instagram famous before they even opened their doors. No, not because their clean, pretty taproom or their lush beer garden, complete with playscape. It turns out if you want a big SoMe following it helps if you are already famous IRL, as are the owners of Fam Biz (Jensen and Danneel Ackles and fam). Their celeb cred needed a brewer with some real brewing cred. Nate Seale ﬁt the bill. Nate returned to Austin to create more great Austin brews.

BEER SAMPLING Hamilton Pale . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale The Fox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye IPA King Biscuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ESB The Ocelot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

WE RECOMMEND The Fox, King Biscuit

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Flix Brewhouse INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2200 South IH-35 Round Rock, TX 78681 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See website for showtimes GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ﬂixbrewhouse.com

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

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Luna Rosa, Lupulus IPA

10 Day Scottish Ale . . . . . . . . Scottish-Style Ale Luna Rosa Wit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Witbier Lupulus IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Umbra Chocostout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stout

Flying Man Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . 2400 Patterson Industrial Drive Pﬂugerville, TX 78660 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . .Thu 430–10pm, Fri 330–10pm, Sat 12–10pm, Sun 12–7pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ﬂyingmanbrewing.com

Flying Man is the latest brewing operation to swing open its doors in Pﬂugerville. They missed a great opportunity to call themselves Pﬂying Man, but whatever. Guess they will have to get by on their beer alone. Try one from their everchanging lineup at Rogness’ old space, which has been transformed into something wholly different.

BEER SAMPLING

Black Box, Supersonic Blonde

Black Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Imperial Stout Supersonic Blonde . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blonde Ale Weedhopper Honey Wheat . . . . . . . Wheat Ale

WE RECOMMEND

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Front Yard Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . 1607 Cuernavaca Drive North, Suite 202, Austin, TX 78733 GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No* BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.frontyardbrewing.com

Front Yard, located in the Cuernavaca area of Austin, is the brain child of Kevin Jones, Chad Worner, and Bryan Russell. Out of the gate they were on the tap walls of 10 spots and had cans in few stores around town. They plan to have a taproom in the future, but for now you can enjoy their beers wherever you can ﬁnd them.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Belgian Blonde Ale. . . Belgian-Style Blonde Ale Belgian Golden Ale. . . Belgian-Style Golden Ale Coffee Milk Stout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Milk Stout Oatmeal Stout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oatmeal Stout Rye IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye IPA

Coffee Milk Stout, Rye IPA

*Front Yard is not currently open to the public

Hitmaker Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11160 Circle Drive, Austin, TX 78736 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . Thu & Fri 4–9pm, Sat & Sun 12–9pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hitmakerbrewing.com

Folks at Hitmaker Brewing Co. have been pluggin’ away in Thirsty Planet’s old space since May 2018. Owners include Marcos Canchola and Brian Hyde, who also own some of Austin’s favorite watering holes: Bender Bar, Hideout Pub, Pour House Pub, Violet Crown Social Club, and Waller Creek Pub House. Hitmaker’s beers can be found pouring at these joints as well as their newly opened taproom.

BEER SAMPLING Coconut Porter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter French Saison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saison India Pale Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Pale Rye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rye Pale Ale

WE RECOMMEND French Saison, India Pale Ale

Infamous Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4602 Weletka Drive Austin, TX 78734 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . Wed 5–9pm, Thu & Fri 11am–9pm, Sat 1–9pm, Sun 10am–7pm 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.

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

BREW PUB 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, Jester King made their commercial debut with a session beer, wearing the moniker Commercial Suicide. It was anything but. They 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. They now have a tasting room AND kitchen (and farm).

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Atrial Rubicite . . . . . . . . .Raspberry Sour Beer Black Metal . . . . . . . Farmhouse Imperial Stout Boxer’s Revenge . . . Barrel-Aged Strong Beer Le Petite Prince . . . . . . Farmhouse Table Beer Spon . . . . . . . . . .Spontaneously Fermented Ale

WE RECOMMEND #greenbottles, Spon

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Last Stand Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. .12345 Pauls Valley Road, Building I Austin, TX 78737 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thu 4–7pm, Fri –Sun 12–7pm 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 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. Also check out the Brewer’s Choice Grill trailer serving up tasty bites to pair with the suds.

BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Coffee Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coffee Porter Saaz Blonde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blonde Ale Citra SMaSH IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA Simcoe Pale Ale. . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

Coffee Porter, SMaSH Citra IPA

NLand Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4836 East Highway 71 Del Valle, TX 78617 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . Depends on Surf Park, check website GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.nlandsurfpark.com

Surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku once said, “Out Of Water, I Am Nothing.” He obviously had never been to NLand, where once you are out of the water you can be drunk. Located on the grounds of NLand Surf Park, the brewery helmed by Todd Henry is churning out quaffable suds to pair with tired arms and sore legs gained from a day in the surf. All meant to be enjoyed after surfing, not before, of course, or without even surfing at all.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

Espresso Porter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coffee Porter Fun Beer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Golden Ale Pre-Prohibition Pilsner . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pilsner Off Leash IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

Pre-Prohibition Pilsner, Off Leash IPA

Oasis, TX Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6550 Comanche Trail Austin, TX 78732 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . .Tue–Sun 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.otxbc.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.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING 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 Meta Modern, Slow Ride Pale Ale

Real Ale Brewing Co.

Winner

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dry-Hopped Pale Ale Axis IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Fireman’s #4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Hans’ Pils. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German Pilsner Swifty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

WE RECOMMEND Axis IPA, Swifty

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

: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.

WE RECOMMEND HapSlappy IPA, TrailRunner Golden Ale

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING HapSlappy IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA TrailRunner Golden Ale . . . . . . . . . . Golden Ale Wonder Boy Hefeweizen . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen

Rentsch Brewery INFO LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2500 NE Inner Loop Georgetown, TX 78626 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . .Mon–Thu 4–10pm, Fri–Sun 12–10pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rentschbrewery.com

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

BREWERY SNAPSHOT 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 hobbyists 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.

WE RECOMMEND Hefeweizen, IPA

San Gabriel River Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 Chaparral Drive Liberty Hill, TX 78642 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . Thu 5–8pm, Fri 4–8pm, Sat 12–8pm, Sun 1–6pm 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 trucks 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 Amber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale Honey Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Porter IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

WE RECOMMEND Honey Porter, IPA

Strange Land Brewery INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5904 Bee Cave Road Austin, TX 78746 DRINKING HOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fri 3–9pm, Sat 2–9pm 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

Suds Monkey Brewing Co. INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . 1032 Canyon Bend Drive, #B 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sudsmonkeybrew.com

Monkey themed beers! What else do you need to know? Suds Monkey started like so many before: homebrewing in Mom’s basement in Michigan. Work in the industry followed, then 15 years later Suds Monkey was born. Like they always say, follow your dreams and monkey...er...money will follow. Visit their fun (not fancy) taproom in Dripping Springs to fully experience their monkey business.

BEER SAMPLING Cheeky Monkey . . . . . . . . American Wheat Ale Funky Monkey IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Monkey Tail Pale Ale. . . . . . American Pale Ale

WE RECOMMEND Funky Monkey IPA, Monkey Tail

Treaty Oak Brewing INFO

BREWERY SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6604 Fitzhugh Road Dripping Springs, TX 78620 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . .Thu & Fri 5–10pm, Sat 3–10pm, 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 Bright Side. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale Fitzhugh Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . British Mild Lil’ Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session IPA

WE RECOMMEND Fitzhugh Ale, Lil’ Hop

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. They have shed the Tex-Mex theme they ﬁrst opened with. 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

Austin Lager, Chupahopra

WE RECOMMEND

Austin Lager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Premium Lager Chupahopra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA Gulf Kölsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kölsch-Style Ale Later Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session IPA

Uncultured Ales INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . .12307 Roxie Dr, Ste 206 Austin, TX 78729 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . . No Current Hours GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.unculturedales.com

Uncultured Ales may have been established in 2016, but they debuted their ﬁrst beers in May of 2018. Uncultured Ales is a one man operation focusing on sour ales. They are a small operation with not current taproom, but their bottles can be found around town if you look hard enough. Follow them on their social channels for a clue on where to pick up your next bottle.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND

100 Points . . . . . . . . . . . . Light Golden Sour Ale FM 642 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sour Brown Ale Fugarillo . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dry-Hopped Sour Ale Roscoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dry-Hopped Sour Ale

100 Points, Fugarillo

BREWERIES & BREW PUBS

Vista Brewing

Winner

INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13551 FM150 Driftwood, TX 78619 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . .Thu–Sat 11am–10pm, Sun 11am–8pm GUEST TAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No BEER SOLD ON-SITE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER TO-GO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes BEER SOLD OFF-SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.vistabrewingtx.com

Located past Salt Lick, out in Driftwood, Vista Brewing hopes to become the ultimate destination brewery, with a restaurant, farm, and tiny-house hotel cottages. Enjoy a beer in their huge outdoor beer garden or one their sprawling porches. Not too many though, because those tiny houses are still to come. Grab a bottle or a Crowler to go before heading back to civilization.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

WE RECOMMEND Dark Skies, Le Saison

Adair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kölsch-Style Ale Dark Skies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pilsner Le Saison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saison Lady Bird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bière de Garde

Whitestone Brewery INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . 601 East Whitestone Boulevard Cedar Park, TX 78613 DRINKING HOURS . . . . . . . . Mon & Tue 3–9pm, Wed & Thu 2–10pm, Fri & Sat 12pm–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 Year’s 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 Cedrela. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen Könverter Kölsch . . . . . . . . . . Kölsch-Style Ale Long Gone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blonde Ale Lovely Day IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

WE RECOMMEND Könverter Kölsch, Lovely Day IPA

Private Events

Style Appreciation

Off Flavors

Sensory Training

Staff Training

Beer History

hopsimath.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

Caracara Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 A East Market Street Lockhart, TX 78644 URL . . . . . . . . . . .www.caracarabrewingcompany.com

Distant State Beer Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 3799 Hwy. 290, Dripping Springs

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

Granger City Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 West Davilla Street Granger, Texas 76530 URL . . . . . . . fb.com/grangercitybrewingcompany.com

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

Ruggedman Brewing Co. LOCATION. . . . . . . . .7600 South Old Bastrop Highway San Marcos, TX 78666 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.drinkthedamnbeer.com

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

Sean Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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

Fairweather Cider Co. LOCATION . . . . . . . 10609 Metric Boulevard, Suite 108 Austin, TX 78758 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.fairweathercider.com

Middleton Brewing

Meridian Hive Meadery

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

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

Pecan Street Brewing

Moontower Cider Co.

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

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . 3008 Gonzales Street, Suite 300 Austin, TX 78702 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.moontowercider.com

Root Cellar Cafe & Brewery

Texas Keeper Cider

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 North LBJ Drive San Marcos, TX 78666 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rootcellarcafe.com

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

NOW POURING 24 TAPS OF CRAFT BEER IN BUDA

M-F: 4-10pm | Sat: 12-10pm | Sun: 12-8pm 1567 Main St #800 | Buda, TX 78610 growlerexpresstx.com

LAST CALL

4QJJa 5IaÅ MTL WN ;\ -TUW *ZM_QVO +W .)>7:1<- ;01.< *--: An ice-cold Montucky.

CLOSING TIME SONG Sometimes you just have to get the message across so "Closing Time" by Semisonic when we feel the actual last call wasn't received or "My Heart Will Go On" because that's one song you will never forget no matter where you are. I can assure you that closing time is a done deal by the end of both of those very delicately curated pieces.

LAST CALL CEREMONIES Quick beer shot, quick close, and a nightcap at the Crow Bar.

4);< +)44 *--: RECOMMENDATIONS Probably a Carl kölsch. Really, anything but a ﬂight. C'mon... don't be that guy.

*1//-;< ?)43-, <)*

?-1:,-;< +:)B1-;< LAST CALL EXPERIENCE There was a couple who was definitely feeling the love one Friday night. From the outside benches, to the dance floor, to the bar stools, and back to their makeshift dance floor. They were entranced in their trails of lerv. Last call had no name for them. They danced deep into the hour past closing at which point I had to remind them, again, that we had already been closed for twenty minutes and reminded them to get home safe. My reminder was met by an infuriated lead who barked at me that "You should never interrupt a man and woman while they dance." I bid them a good night with, yet, another, reminder to get home safe.

HARDEST CUSTOMER TO GET OUT The ones who are having the best time.

*-;< 84)+- <7 /7 <7 3--8 <0- PARTY GOING Little Darlin' if you are heading south, Crow Bar if you're heading north. You know where to ﬁnd me...

*-;< ),>1+- .7: 4-;; :-/:-<; THE NEXT MORNING Water, Advil, and an Uber. Let's be real, you should probably just go with a nightcap and Whataburger.

Photo: Drew Genitempo

They may walk, but we add 20%, so nobody gets away with free beer here...

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