Austin Beer Guide - Fall 2013 by Austin Beer Guide

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FROM THE EDITORS

Contents

It’s approaching midnight, work is calling tomorrow and we go to print in 36 hours. I was supposed to have this done weeks ago but “on time” is not in the ABG vernacular. I was originally going to cleverly turn this space into an adaptation of LCD’s Soundsytem’s “Losing My Edge.” My wife liked the idea but I soon realized that was trying a little too hard. Write it straight, hit the word count and go to bed. When historians write the book on Austin Beer Media they’ll view this issue like a third kid. The guide that wasn’t supposed to happen. Vacations abroad, more babies and new jobs had us on the ropes, but in this age of immediacy six months off and we might as well have been dead. Thankfully we had a close-to-completed feature on lagers (p. 18) held over from summer. Sure, lagers and summer go hand in hand, but as Austin starts to make a case as a lager town we realized it’s an evergreen style we love as much as the guys making them. You’ll notice we haven’t taken our stab at reworking the breweries/brew pub categories yet, but it’s to come in time as things continue to shake out. However, we couldn’t let this game changer go untouched so we spent time some time looking less at the cause and more at the effect of how this is significantly changing the way some of Austin’s breweries and pubs (p. 24). We also knew when we had to cry uncle and call in the reinforcements. Thankfully our friend Eric “Avenue” Puga came to the rescue to talk about beer and sports. Specifically good beer and sports. More specifically good beer and football (p. 28). The season is a third of the way over so you can find out what you’ve been doing wrong and how to fix it before the Big Game. So here it is. Ninety-plus pages that was never supposed to be. Because we can’t, we won’t, and we don’t stop (yet). –JS chris Troutman Aaron chamberlain Josh Spradling Shawn phillips

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

SEASON’S DRINKING .......................................06

OVER A PINT .......................................10 BREWER’S BRAIN .......................................14

LAGERS .......................................18 CH-CH-CHANGES .......................................24

BEER + FOOTBALL .......................................28 BEER & LOATHING .......................................32

CENTRAL AUSTIN .......................................41 SOUTH AUSTIN .......................................49 NORTH AUSTIN .......................................59 GREATER AUSTIN .......................................75

PODCAST .......................................92 BoNuS STAff PROOFREADERS ... Sofia, Sarah, and Kim

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NEWS & BREWMORS

This is the News STOP, DROP, SHUT ‘EM DOWN OPEN UP SHOP

There’s a new brew pub in town. Sort of. It’s in Dripping Springs. Smoke’n Hops brew pub/ BBQ joint/playscape is now open, serving up local and house made beers from Live oak alum Jorge Espino. Remember back in the spring issue when we talked about all those new beer bars opening up? Two bars featured in that story are now officially open for beers and grub (and poutine): School House pub and Haymaker. They are both located on Manor Road, within a quick bike ride for at least two ABG editors. Looking for something a bit more south? No problem. Austin Beer Garden Brewing co. (ABGB) is now brewing, cooking, and serving their product. Amos Lowe and Brian “Swifty” peters, co-brewers and founders supply the brews while Tim “Jesus” Stevens slings his original pizza pies with the dough chops akin to a crusty old NY pie pro. Watch for musical acts curated by co-owner mark Jensen to start gracing their indoor stage soon.

Wright Bros. Brew and Brew is open. Need coffeee? No problem. Need beer? No worries. They got what you neeed. Yeah, we are still talking about openings. This is a big one. Twisted X is almost ready to open their new brewery in Dripping Springs. They are having an opening party on Saturday, November 23, 11–5pm. Pre-sold tickets ONLY. They will have

. . . TURN PAGE, MORE NEWS!—>

Brewmors

(brew·mor [broo-mer]: 1. a beer related story or statement in general circulation without conﬁrmation or certainty as to facts. 2. brewing gossip; hearsay) ●

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Fearing the term “craft brewery” will become dated, Jester King changes their name to Jester King Beer farmers.

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Real Ale announce venture into distilling with Real Spirits and soon to come reality show Real Housewives. Hi Hat bartender Habeab Kurdi shaves his infamous beard. Leads some to speculate what bet he lost. Guns & oil release their first beer maverick (a Texas lager), strike deal with mark cuban on Shark Tank “selling” 95% of company to avoid litigious relationship due to copyright infringement.

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ATX craft beer bar/taproom bartenders, finding local celebrity in recent months, subsequently give up craft beer for craft cocaine, craft hookers, craft lawsuits, craft baby-mamas, craft rehab, craft typical Hollywood cliches . . . Looking to grab onto the “next big thing” in craft beer, pinthouse pizza announces plans to become an all pale ale brew pub. matt Abendschein, founder of the blog You Stay Hoppy Austin, sadly moves to DFW, leaving Austinites everywhere relieved they can finally stop being hoppy all the time, looking forward to being malty, rich, sour, and only hoppy some of the times.

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NEWS CONTINUED . . .

AUSTIN BEER TWEEK

NICE PACKAGE

Austin Beerworks should come out with a shirt that says “Austin Beertwerks.” Imagine how many they would sell during Austin Beer Week, which is happening October 25–November 3. There will be tons of events, but few will be as fun or important as the bike pub crawl formerly known as BeerTownAustin vs. craft Austin ultimate fanboy Showdown Bike pub crawl. Since those two institutions (blogs) have pretty much dried up we are renaming the crawl this year. See you at the Bloggers Suck Bike pub crawl.

In packaging news circle Brewing is bottling Envy and Blur. Not to be outdone, Infamous is planning to start canning their offerings. For a preview of those cans see their ad on page 77.

ANNIVERSARIES Lots of Anniversaries coming up. Hops & Grain is two, walking and talking already. October 6 they will be celebrating with “at least 15 beers.” Independence Brewing’s anniversary party will be going off on October 12. Happening during Austin Beer Week, draught House’s 45th Anniversary party is October 26. Expect all that you’ve grown to love for this one: great beers and the groovy tunes of DJ JBL. pinthouse pizza’a first anniversary bash will be November 9. No solid details yet except this: “it will have cool

PHOTO: CIRCLE BREWING

absolutely NO tickets at the door/gate day of event. So when they go on sale, act quickly.

stuff.” (512) Brewing is turning five. They are releasing an imperial stout to celebrate. Come out to chris’ Birthday (the anniversary of his birth) at ABGB so he can sit on a throne on the stage if we hit capacity.

ABG NEWS First, with the passing of the beer laws this summer breweries and brew pubs are making changes. As you look through the brewery pages in this issue please note new hours for many breweries. More changes are sure to come in upcoming issues. Next up in ABG world, it’s almost that time again kiddos, time to pick all your local favorites. 2013 ABG Reader’s choice poll will open for voting in November. Vote early, vote often. Wait, VOTE ONCE, that’s it!

A complex Belgian farmhouse ale brewed in honor of a lost beer legend, Walt Powell. The Pilsener malt that is the base of the recipe allows the true star of the recipe to shine, the yeast. Earthy and spicy with a slight floral character, the Saison yeast blends perfectly with Styrian Goldings hops and pink peppercorns. After fermentation the Saison De Walt is blended with a beer that has been aging in wine barrels with the wild yeast Brettanomyces, further adding to the uniqueness of this very dry and complex ale. As the beer ages in wine barrels it continues to evolve, so if you notice subtle differences each time you enjoy a glass...well, that's because Walt wanted it that way.

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SEASON’S DRINKING

Barely Time for Barleywines

IT’S ALL RIGHT THERE IN THE NAmE, WE KNoW, it’s kind of early to be talking about barleywines. But this is probably about the time brewers are If you make one, what’s your approach to brewing a barleywine? English or American? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks Don’t make it suck! BEN SABEL circle Brewing co. We don’t, and for good reason. Barleywines are the malt liquors of the craft beer world. JUSTIN RIZZA flix Brewhouse Hot Liquor Barleywine. I tend to lean slightly more English with barleywines, looking for a ruby to brown ale at 10–11% ABV focusing on malt character with just enough hops to keep it from being too sweet. JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Since we opened the brewery we’ve brewed 3 barleywines, #1 was a big, hoppy American version, #2 a big, malty English version, and #3 a big, crunchy Rastafarian version. Although it’s a tough call, I preferred #1 over #3. ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing co. With the new brewing renaissance in the UK, those lines

starting up production on barleywines, so it would be fresh on their minds. That and not enough people make pumpkin ales. —AC

are getting blurred. We take the American approach so hop forward is our modus operandi. Sisyphus was formulated with an eye towards cellaring, but hopheads rejoice in consuming it young. Our Blonde Barleywine, from the Brewers’ Cut series, is intended to be enjoyed young. What are the characteristics of a good barleywine? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks Should be dark fruit and chocolate malt character. Noticeable bitterness to balance the super sweet body. Warming alcohol is a must! JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Strength and fortitude, honesty, compassion, and a solid sense of humor. That’s at least what it takes to properly enjoy one. JOE MOHRFELD pinthouse pizza That shit needs to get you drunk! ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing co. Once again stylistic differences can apply here. An English style will be more balanced and the American will be more hoppy. Either way, there is an abundance

of malt character that allows you to hop the crap out of this style if you so desire (we do!). We like some toffee/caramel character, but don’t want it to be overbearing. Citrus, pine, and spicey notes from hops are nice. Our preference is for it to finish dry so that it is not like choking on a holiday loaf. What are your go-to hops for a barleywine? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks I really like English Fuggle, I have found that a late addition or modest dry hop of a blend of American cascade and English Kent Golding makes a nice compliment to a barleywine. JOSH HARE Hops & Grain In #1 we chose to showcase, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook. #2 was a healthy dose of EKG and Cascade and #3, well, let’s not talk about #3. JOE MOHRFELD pinthouse pizza The sticky dank resinous oily American kind. ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing co. Any of the “C” hops for American. Target, Northdown, East

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Kent Goldings, Fuggles, or Challenger for English. What is/are the difference(s) between barelywines and double IPAs? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks A barleywine should be darker and much less hoppy both aromatically and bitterness. BEN SABEL circle Brewing co. Apart from stylistic differences, barleywines generally tend to skew overly sweet and lack the complexity of a properly done double IPA, opting for the highest ABV possible while sacrificing all other considerations. JUSTIN RIZZA flix Brewhouse I really look for a darker, richer offering for a barleywine. If it’s pale and crazy hoppy, call it something else. JOE MOHRFELD pinthouse pizza I like my barleywines to focus on the hops rather then the malt so the line can be blurry. ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing co. Alcohol content. Barleywine should be between 10–12%. I say this yet our Blonde Barleywine was below that mark. I have made one in the past that was over 13. We do what we like. Best food to pair with a good barleywine? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks I really love a nice cream chowda or grilled meat. Also Vietnamese vermicelli with grilled pork. The mint does something cool with a barleywine. A chilly

evening doesn’t hurt either. I would like to add that a snuggie is the best attire to wear whilst drinking a barleywine. JUSTIN RIZZA flix Brewhouse Blue cheese and barleywine will change your life. JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Absolute waste of time. Take that barleywine straight to the head and let the food take care of itself. JOE MOHRFELD pinthouse pizza A nice light salad with mixed greens and an oil based vinaigrette and a lightly seasoned white fish . . . I don’t want the food flavors interfering with the flavors in my beer! ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing co. Dessert and cheese courses can pair well with barleywine. And cigars. I know, cigar is not a food. What’s your favorite commercial barleywine? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks Well not my favorite style but traditionally I really like Thomas Hardy and J.W. Lees. American, Joe at Pinthouse makes a great one. Also I really like Founders Old Curmudgeon. JUSTIN RIZZA flix Brewhouse Thomas Hardy’s, Old Wooly, Rudyard’s Rare. JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Pinthouse Pizza made a pretty solid barleywine and I’m a huge fan of Sucaba from Firestone Walker.

JOE MOHRFELD pinthouse pizza Fresh Bigfoot hands down. That beer defines Americanstyle barleywines in my opinion. Fresh or aged? How long could/should you age a barleywine? WILL GOLDEN Austin Beerworks I almost always prefer an aged barleywine. I find them to be too hot as in alcohol when they are first born. JUSTIN RIZZA flix Brewhouse I think a few months at least really helps, I have also had fantastic samples that were 9 or 10 years old. JOSH HARE Hops & Grain I’m reminded of a quote by the famous Lao Tzu “Stop thinking, and end your problems.” JOE MOHRFELD pinthouse pizza I am not a big proponent of aging beer generally so having said that . . . If it is hop focused drink fresh, if it is malt focus give it to your friend to drink and if it is bottle conditioned you could lay it down if you feel like it. ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing co. Both. Buy enough so that you can drink it fresh to enjoy the hops and to cellar some to see how it develops. I usually have a cellar plan so that I don’t burn through all of it in the first two years. Well packaged barleywine can be aged for many years. The longest I’ve made it is ten years. I may still have one bottle of 2002 Bigfoot. I better check on that.

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OVER A PINT

Joe and Ryan of Pinthouse Pizza ON A STILL-TOO-HOT-FOR-SEPTEMBER TUESDAY EVENING WE SAT AROUND A BARREL IN THE BREWERY OF pINTHouSE pIzzA SHARING SOME BLIND JAKE PORTER AND FALLEN CASK 87 WEST COAST STYLE IPA WITH BREWER JoE moHRfELd AND CO-OWNER RYAN VAN BIENE. ABG: So what are we drinking here? JM: We’re drinking our fallen cask, batch 87, which is our West Coast IPA, the second time we’ve brewed our West Coast IPA. 87 means you’ve brewed 87 fallen casks now? No, we track all our batch numbers from our first batch so if you ever look at our tap wall you’ll see a number next to our beers, or on our barrel ends we have on our tap wall. So this is the 87th batch that we’ve brewed. In fact today and tomorrow we’re brewing batch 99 and 100. oh, congrats. Yeah, cheers. RVB: We’ll be having a few pints of that tomorrow. It’s really exciting cause it’s a fresh hop version of Iron Genny. We got Cascade hops from Goshi farms overnighted. This morning we brewed our first one, we’ll brew or next one tomorrow. Tell me about this beer fallen cask batch 87. We call it our West Coast style IPA. We did this very similar recipe once before back in the Spring and it either was my focus of brewing is on aroma and flavor of the hop to kind of cut back on the bitterness and we thought just for the hell of it lets do something that’s little more aggressive bitter wise. So I took my normal brewing style and I tried to make it a little more bitter. It’s not as bitter as something you’d find from a Green Flash or a Stone or something like that. But it is a little more that direction than like our Man O’ War. So we did this beer and we did it before, it’s essentially the same recipe, but we changed

one hop. What we’ve actually been talking about is making this one a quarterly beer for us and going back to this as a base recipe and changing one hop. And playing around with it. Because we really like that the flavor profile sets itself apart from the Man O’ War nicely. This is part of the fallen cask series, for someone who doesn’t know what that is, what is the fallen cask Series, it’s not actually cask, right? No, the Fallen Cask Series is something Joe actually brought to the table when we first started putting this concept together. It was something he’d been thinking about for a long time.

It’s what I wanted to name a brew pub idea I was playing around with five years ago in Boulder—The Fallen Cask. It’s from that Jameson’s commercial, right? I saw it in the future, stole their idea and went back in time. The gist of it is it’s Joe’s playground for IPAs and it gives him the opportunity to do that and take what we all know has become really an ever growing style, and it’s Joe’s IPA sandbox. Yeah the idea is we have Man O’ War, as an IPA that we go back to every day. A very approachable IPA. I call it that Midwest/ Colorado style IPA—big flavor, big aroma, low bitterness, very sessionable. The focus of all my beers is that they’re very sessionable. I want them to pair well with six more. So maybe like a seven pack? Well that’s the nice thing about being a brew pub, we don’t have to deal with packaging. You guys should create the seven pack. It’s a roadie. So the deal is just to be experimental and not change Man O’ War. And that was something originally I wanted to do in a small setting, and I met these guys and joined the project and it all came to fruition. It was awesome. We try to keep at least one Fallen Cask on. Right now we have a few on because we’re ramping up for GABF. And we could call them something else, but basically they’re our IPAs or APAs. So you guys are coming up on a year now. obviously the fallen cask series has done pretty well, you guys are still doing it. We’re not scrapping it yet. In a nutshell, how has it been? Has it all gone according to plans? Oh, it’s been a walk in the park. I think the first year’s been great. The support’s been awesome. It’s better than we expected it to be, but as good as we hoped it would be. If that makes sense. People in this town are thirsty and drink a lot of beer. And that shows in the fact that we had to upgrade our fermentation capacity in the first four months we were open. We were down the whole month of March. We just about doubled. We had three seven barrels and a 15 and we left the 15 and upgraded the three sevens. We added 22 and a half barrels. I don’t know, you do the math. You do the math! Seriously, it’s been awesome. We’re making a lot of beer, people are still drinking a lot of beer. Yeah, we’ve done a hundred batches. That’s

crazy to me. And 700 barrels through the heat exchanger. You say that’s crazy, how many would you have guessed? I think we projected doing 500 barrels. We have capacity for about eleven hundred barrels a year now. As far as the mainstay beers, are they moving and performing like you expected? Any sleeper hits? From my perspective, I’m sure Joe’s got a little bit different take on it. I think as far as the mainstays go, everything’s done as we expected it to do. I think I personally hoped that Calma had taken off a little bit more than it has. Not that it’s not doing well, it’s doing fine, it’s one of our best selling beers. But I just hoped that the style would have been a little more widely accepted. I think some people still aren’t quite sure what it is, or what it’s supposed to be. But with that said, some of our seasonals have been amazingly well accepted. Burro’s Breakfast probably being the star of all of those. oh yeah, that was on forever. Yeah, we actually did two full batches. And that was your mexican style lager? 5.8%! An Imperial mexican Lager. And when that was on, it just about outsold everything on the board except Man O’ War and some of the Fallen Casks. So is the IpA, the man o’ War is your heavy hitter? Yeah, I think everybody knows that the market is kind of dominated by IPAs right now and Man O’ War has definitely been our best seller the first year. In comparison to how well your house beers do, how well do your guest beers do? Is the ratio of what you’re selling house beer to guest tap, is it what you expected? We really didn’t know what to expect to be honest with you. And it definitely fluctuates depending on what season it is, what we have on the board. You know we don’t make every style of beer available so different times a year people want different things. Our sales, what we call guest beer sales, fluctuate a percentage point or two, you know week to week or period to period. It’s never super drastic. But do I wish we could sell more of our beer? Probably, yeah. For sure. But that being said, we had trouble keeping up with production for a long time. So could we sell more of our beer? I don’t know.

That begs the question, with the legislation changes that have recently gone into effect, are there any plans for pinthouse to make changes? Yeah, so I think we can let the news out here—we just secured 90,000 square feet, we have a 100 barrel brewhouse coming in . . . We do? Hahahaha No, not really. We wrote this business plan based on the laws as they were when we were opening this business, not based on some pie in the sky idea or dream that the laws were going to be. So we don’t have any plans to take advantage of the laws, we don’t have the capacity to take advantage of the law change. And it doesn’t fit our current business model. Which is not what we planned for. But I think it’s great for the people that can take advantage of it, more power to them. At this point in time it doesn’t fit what we were trying to do or what we want to do. So maybe sometime down the road. One of the reasons I always wanted to be in a brew pub setting is that we get to be the brew pub for our neighborhood. And we’re making beer for our local clientele. And also, I know what our beer tastes like everyday that it goes out to someone, so if it’s not right—I can just un-tap it. Where if we start distributing, and all of a sudden your beer is sitting on a shelf at some corner store that’s not air conditioned in the middle of the summer and it’s been warm for two months, and someone’s first experience with Pinthouse Pizza Man O’ War in a can is terrible, that’s not good for us. That’s not what I want them to drink. I love the fact that I get to talk to our customers about what they taste in our beer. Some people might not like our beer, that’s why there’s 2500 craft breweries, but I feel like at least everyday I know that the beer tastes like I want it to going to the customer. That’s really important to me from a quality perspective.

So what are some things you guys have coming up this fall? Yeah, fresh hopped Iron Genny. We’re brewing that today and tomorrow. That will be out the end of the month. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already had it. Or go drink it cause it’s on tap right now. And you’ve got the fall seasonal? Yeah, Blind Jake just came out. And local beer writer Chris Troutman referred to it as a really “Crunchy” porter. You just want to sit by a campfire and drink it. Kind of a cross between a robust porter and a brown. I’m not a real style guy. I didn’t get into craft beer to brew by style. So we’ve got that. We’ve got this year’s batch of Jaguar Shark. Swelsinor. Yeah, Swelsinor will be out this Friday. Swelsinor is your canadian style lager and Jaguar Shark is your imperial stout? Yeah. Bourbon Barrel aged stout. Last year we did it with Wild Turkey barrels. This year we chose Four Roses because they smelled amazing. It should be coming out late October. We’ll do that on CO2 and Nitro again. Nitro Shark will be back. We also have a Belgian that we’ve been aging in wine and brandy barrels. And that will be coming out this fall. We don’t have a name for it yet. It’s from our Belgian for the Belgian Fest. So what are you guys excited about getting into your second year? pinthouse pizza will be a toddler? How do you feel about that? I’m really excited for year two. Just to really continue to develop the brand, develop the beer, develop the pizza. We brought a chef on. We hired a trained chef a couple months ago and he’s been working to bring everything made in house. Even our croutons are made in house. We’re going to be making some changes on the appetizer side. We’re going to continue to make it as fun and inviting an environment as we think it should be. Family friendly. Family friendly, that’s right approachable. You know, one thing you guys should be looking out for in year two, is Iron Brew 2014. We’ve been practicing and have some good recipes ready to draw from. You mean we shouldn’t load the panel? Also, no electioneering by the guy pouring the beer. So I’m looking forward to winning the Iron Brew for the second time. You hope so, but you’ll be disappointed in 2014.

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BREWER’S BRAIN

on Why Sour mashing is Important for Small craft Breweries and How Brew pubs can Lead the Way

From the Mind of Jeff Young of Black Star ANYoNE REAdING THIS GuIdE IS familiar with the nearly ubiquitous establishment of sour beers. Historic styles like lambics, Flanders reds, and berliner weisses have been processed by the innovative American Craft Machine and churned out into an array of variations in style, process, and consumer acceptance (sometimes to the point of frenzy). The vast majority of sour styles utilize “post-fermentation souring” techniques—particularly barrel aging and inoculation of bacteria and wild yeast. To be clear, this technique attempts to add scavenger bugs into a mostly finished beer to create sourness and funk that would otherwise not be created by the usual brewers yeast. But enough of that—I’m bored already. What happens when we add the bacteria and wild yeast BEFORE fermentation occurs and allow the yeast to consume, convert, and spit out the sour compounds into complex flavors and aromas? Sour-mashing or sour-worting is the method of inoculating the sweet wort of a mash with bacteria and/or wild yeast, allowing the bugs to do their dirty work, boiling to kill off the bugs, and then proceeding through a normal fermentation. To be short, this method has two major advantages in producing sour beers: 1) basically any brewhouse can do it and doesn’t have to have extra space for barrels or years to allow to mature, and 2) the method can be applied to ANY beer style for an added complexity. The first main advantage I like to call the “4-Dimensional Advantage” since it greatly reduces the need for space and time. Controlling a sour mash with temperature allows you speed the process of souring and usually only takes

from 24 to 48 hours. At that point, the pH has dropped, various organic acids are produced (mostly lactic acid) and pretty much all sugars and malt compounds are still in solution, ready to be turned into whatever style the brewer intended. With fermentation happening in the usual fermenter space, no additional storage area is necessary. This makes it an ideal method for brew pubs and small breweries that would like to dabble on the sour-side without the costly, albeit pretty cool looking, “barrel room.” I think the second advantage can be summed up with a couple examples of sour-mashed beers that we produce at Black Star Co-op: Doctor Vainglory (a sour American pale ale, or SAPA) and Old Sour Dewberry (a balanced malty, fruity, tart Old Ale). “Dr V” uses the technique to allow a significant amount of hopping to occur in conjunction with the souring. In a post-fermentation souring method, the hops would inhibit much of the bacteria and, therefore, wouldn’t be able to integrate the usual hop flavor into the beer profile (of course, dry

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hopping a post-fermentation sour beer is possible, but would only give the “dry-hop” character). As a side note to sour-and-hoppy beers, with newer, more-fruity-less-piney hops on the vines now, the fruity sourness in a beer and new hops marry much better . . . bonus! Old Sour Dewberry, on the other hand, demonstrates how having a great deal more sour compounds like lactic acid going into fermentation can be converted into complex, fruity esters like ethyl lactate (coconut, cream, fruit) and isobutyl acetate (cherry, raspberry, strawberry). In fact, we have a hard time convincing people that Old Sour Dewberry wasn’t actually brewed with old sour dewberries! Between the two examples given above, you can take any style of beer and apply some sort of sour, fruity, tart version of it. Take for example, Rebellious Dockhand (sour robust porter with raspberries) and Waterloo (light, tart American wheat ale with peaches). We simply just doubled the amount of styles that exist in the beer world . . . that’s the American Craft Machine!

While larger breweries usually have more restrictions on risky, untested styles of beer being produced and distributed, smaller breweries, and especially brew pubs have more freedom to do the necessary experimentation to perfect the techniques and various styles. As far as I know, and trust me, I’ve looked, there’s not a whole lot of information available to brewers about the best ways of souring prefermentation. Additionally, there’s not many examples of styles on the shelves that can inspire and intrigue a brewer into taking the risk to try something a little different. But just like all the techniques in brewing that have developed leaps-and-bounds in the past 100 years like better controls of mashing, fermentation, and packaging, so to can sour-mashed beer styles eventually be as ubiquitous as a lambic, Flanders red, or berliner weisse.

VE LI

Jeff Young is Head Brewer at Black Star Co-Op

512.478.8700

@HiHatph

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Well, I’ll tell you. Amidst this desolate, tasteless landscape of American lagers, a bold group has stepped up to reclaim this noble beer style and aim to put it in its rightful place of honor in the US. These rebels eschew the ease of creating terrific ales (cause that’s easy, right?) in order to tame the beast of the bottom fermenting yeast. Whether a pursuit of re-creating a perfect European Pilsner or paying tribute to the proper earmarks then making it unique to Austin, these brewers are united in passion for their love of the lager. The King of Beers better watch the throne. Crisp, refreshing, subtle, sessionable, flavorful, finessed; some have dared to declare Austin is quickly becoming a lager town and if that is the case, these fine gentlemen are running for mayor.

Illustration: carlos Arellano

LAGERS, WE ALL LOVE THEM. RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOUR FIRST SIP OF BEER WAS A LAGER? THAT PROBABLY COVERS ABOUT 90% OF US. LAGERS ARE AS COMMON PLACE IN THE BEER SCENE AS, WELL, AS THEY ARE IN MOST SCENES. LAGERS ARE PERVASIVE MOTHER FUCKERS. AND LIKE ANYTHING POPULAR, THEY HAVE BECOME DILUTED TO PLEASE THE DULLEST OF OUR COUNTRY’S PALATES. WHICH IS WHY MOST OF US ENTERED THE BEER WORLD VIA AN INDUSTRIAL AMERICAN LAGER (THE EUROPEAN SORT FIGHT THEIR OWN BATTLES YET HAVE MOSTLY KEPT THEIR DIGNITY). INOFFENSIVE TO THE TONGUE, EASY GOING DOWN, AND LIGHT/ LITE IN THE TUMMY. YELLOW, FIZZY, EASY. BORING. AS. SHIT. OK, SO WHY ARE WE DISPARAGING THIS BEER THAT WE ALSO DEEM WORTHY OF A FEATURE STORY?

Brian “Swifty” Peters

Brews at Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Lager Lovers: Hell Yes, Hell in Keller, Bottle Rocket Lager brewing or ale brewing, what’s your favorite? I like brewing ales and lagers more or less equally. I just like drinking lagers more. So, when I brew a lager, I look forward to “giving birth” to it even though I know the “labor pains” might be more intense. (No mom, I’m not pregnant). Yeast-wise, what’s your approach to brewing a lager versus an ale? The last thing you want to do is to treat them equally. Lager yeast is higher up on the yeast “food chain” and talks to God on a nightly basis. It has to be treated with respect and dignity. Brew-wise, double your pitch rate (over ale yeast) and don’t store it (maybe overnight). Enough about brewing, tell us about drinking. I like drinking pilsners. True Czech-style or German-style pilsners. It is always the best beer to start with. And finish with . . . Actually, I like to drink lower alcohol beers because I don’t want trouble and it’s just harder to get buzzed when I stick to pilsners. I don’t like to drink all lagers. Save the malty ones for the guy looking for more backbone. For me, “go dry or go home.” Is it true what they say, whoopee with a lager is much better than with an ale? It depends if you like “top-cropping” versus “bottom-cropping.” After being with a lager, is it hard to go back to an ale? Hey, what’s wrong baby? You knew I wasn’t a one lager kinda guy.

Will Golden

Brews at Austin Beerworks Lager Lovers: Pearl-Snap Pils, Black Thunder, Super Awesome Lager Lager brewing or ale brewing, what’s your favorite? I love all forms of brewing but I especially love pale lager brewing for its transparency. Meaning there is nothing to hide behind as far as flaws in the process or recipe formation. Ale brewing has a lot of yeast esters and usually low diacetyl and sulfur producing yeasts to hide flaws. These are glaring in most lager brewing. My favorite lager is a tough question but ones I always go to are Victory Prima Pils, Trumer Pils, Czechvar when you can find it unabused, and Weihenstephan Pils. Locally I love the Hans’ Pils and the One They Call Zoe. Yeast-wise, what’s your approach to brewing a lager versus an ale? The largest difference between lager and ale yeast is the fermentation temperature, ales being in the room temperature range from 64-72 degrees F and lagers from 45-60 degrees F. There are some stipulations to this but this is a generalization. Also Lager yeast has the ability to ferment a sugar called Melibose. The lager yeast will in turn create a dryer, cleaner beer with much less ester production. In my experience a great lager beer starts with a simple recipe and the best ingredients. To execute lager brewing you will have to have a high quality clear wort and a good understanding of the yeast respiration and fermentation process. Proper conditioning and yeast pitching are also key. Time is a big factor, the Galactose fermentation on ale beer is just about twice as fast. Producing a finished product in half the time. Enough about brewing, tell us about drinking. I love the crisp in-focus picture you get of the grains, yeast, and hops used. When brewed correctly there is nothing like it. It truly is liquid bread with a beautiful quaffability. I love to enjoy lager beers anytime, anywhere however they are especially enjoyable after a long hard day at the brewery or on a boat! After your first date, how would you tell lager goodnight? I would ask lager how it likes it’s eggs because I will have some in the morning with mine! Is it true what they say, whoopee with a lager is much better than with an ale? Depends on the experience you’re looking for. If you want something clean and dependable maybe put out some Boyz II Men, then it’s lager. If you want something dirty and quick while listening to R. Kelly I’d say ale fits the bill. I’d say lager is making love while ale is Whoopee!

Dusan Kwiatkowski

Brews at Live Oak Brewing Co. Lager Lovers: Live Oak Pilz, Big Bark, Schwarzbier, Oaktoberfest, Helles Rauchlager, Live Oak Liberator, Keller Pils Lager brewing or ale brewing, what’s your favorite? I really love watching the first 36 hours of lager fermentation. With our open-top tanks having so much surface visibility, there is quite a show to peek at. The slow respiration/fermentation transition and slow release of CO2 builds creamy mountains of krausen. Every couple hours bring a new adventure, it’s like watching the earth form, Carl Sagan would dig it, RIP. Sometimes the peaks curl up like a goddamn soft serve curly cue. It is just fucking awesome. I take so many krausen photos, I really nerd out on this shit. I need some krausen print overalls. Yeast-wise, what’s your approach to brewing a lager versus an ale? Just speaking microscopically, at peak fermentation lager yeast looks like a crowded Tokyo crosswalk, no shoulder touching, no eye contact, head down and eat your sugars, tiny bites, pinkies out. Ale yeast, especially Hefe, looks like a massive clumpy orgy, a Kama Sutra Kobayashi sugar feast, hardly any solo pervs. Enough about brewing, tell us about drinking. Optimal lager drinking involves drinking several, with peaking heads, with friends, in the wilderness near a clear lake, wearing a cool hat. How ‘far’ is too far to go with lager on a first date? If you leave unfinished lager on the nightstand to get warm and sweaty, you have gone too far. Your friends will not think you are cool dude anymore. Lager will forgive you but the question is, can you live with endless shame? After being with a lager, is it hard to go back to an ale? Often when I am with ale, I daydream about the cold paws of lager.

Erik Ogershock

Brews at Real Ale Brewing Lager Lovers: Hans’ Pils, Oktoberfest, Maibock Lager brewing or ale brewing, what’s your favorite? We don’t have a preference for brewing ale or lager. Brewing both allows us to make many more beers than we could if we were strictly an ale brewery. Yeast-wise, what’s your approach to brewing a lager versus an ale? The obvious difference is the temperature at which they ferment. We actually utilize a lot of old school German techniques one of which is fermenting colder than what is common for most American brewers. Also, we have used an adapted decoction mash for some of our lagers. That time consuming process can throw a wrench into the production schedule so we don’t do it often. Since lagers tend to be cleaner tasting, flaws are easily noticed. We find the challenge to brewing these beers appealing. Tim brewed many lagers at Bitter End. I learned to brew lager beer while at Victory. I carried that love of lager brewing to Copper Tank and then to Real Ale. I also brewed lager at Live Oak for a while. Enough about brewing, tell us about drinking. Just as ales have seasonal beers, so do lagers. There is just as much cross over as well. Helles, Schwarzbier, and Pils are good all year. Märzen in the fall, Doppelbock in the winter, and Maibock in the spring. We are known to enjoy beers outside of their normal seasonal range which is evidenced by our release of a Maibock this fall. How ‘far’ is too far to go with lager on a first date? No comment. After how many dates would you want lager to meet your parents? No comment. V

Ales

Top Fermenting Yeast (Saccharomyces cervisiae)

Lagers Bottom Fermenting Yeast (Saccharomyces Uvarum)

Yeast Fermenting Temperature 62 - 74 ˚F

Fermenting Temperature 48 - 55 ˚F

General Descriptors Strong, Hoppy, Spicy, Robust

General Descriptors Smooth, Crisp, Clean

Brewing Notes Can take as little as 1 week to mature.

Illustration: Nick LaRoche

Styles Blonde, Barleywine, Brown Ales, Hefeweizen, IPAs, Pale Ales, Porters, Saison, Scotch Ale, Stout

Brewing Notes Can take serveral months to mature. The word lager comes from the German word “Lagern” which means “to store” Styles Schwarzbier, Pilsner, Bock, Oktoberfest, Light Lagers

Yeast

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A logistical look into how new legislation is changing the Austin beer landscape

LAST TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSIoN BILLS WERE pASSEd ANd oVER THE SummER signed into law that loosened the collar binding and chafing the necks of our state’s craft brewers. Without getting into the weeds (we realize most folks read us at bars or on the toilet), the high level details are these; brew pubs are allowed to sell the beer they make off premise (up to 10,000 barrels), and breweries are allowed to sell beer to visitors on premise (those brewing 225,000 barrels or less to sell up to 5,000 barrels). Allow me to be cliche—Game. Changer. Essentially, this change opens the door to turn every brewery taproom in town into a bar, and every brew pub into another production brewery sending kegs and packaged beer to sell around town. Of course, it’s not that simple. There are a myriad of obstacles and variables presented from zoning, taxation and occupancy regulations to parking, distribution and dishwashing logistics. Most breweries who’v opened in Texas up until now did not have retail in mind when planning their business model or brewery layout. It turns out, to run a successful taproom, it takes more than just a bunch of tables, stools, tasting glasses and a bar. And on the other end, brew pubs are planned to run like a bar and restaurant—not a full on production and packaging facility a la the open credits of Laverne and Shirley. It’s like a pet shop deciding to suddenly become a zoo. Or vice versa. Despite the challenges and risks involved, there are a few brave folks in Austin who could barely wait for the ink to dry after Governor Perry signed the bills into law to take advantage of the new possibilities. Besides opening another avenue of revenue, making the change from either production only to on-site retail, or retail to off-site sales allows brewers the ability to engage with their customers (us), to an even greater degree. Be it expanding tasting rooms to full on beer gardens, bringing in new brewing equipment to roll out tasting room only small batches, hosting rare bottle release events at the brewery, or conveniently putting their once on premise only beers on retail shelves and taps around town—this move is great for brewers, and even greater for consumers. The two most conspicuous brewers making changes are Jester King and Hops & Grain. Both have been brewing under a brewer’s license, but are changing to a brew pub license in order to take advantage of the flexibility offered by the new laws. Since this past summer Jester King and Hops & Grain have already expanded their tasting room hours and begun selling beer, as opposed to the “pay for the glass, not the beer” approach, but these guys have much grander plans for their respective breweries, er brew pubs. “We see this as a big boost,” said Jeff Stuffings of Jester King. “We’re opening what is essentially a beer bar; so that is a lot of work to take on. We don’t quite have as much to do as a traditional brew pub—we’re not opening a commercial kitchen.“ Stuffings continues, “Our physical location is still the same for now, but we have plans to build a new bar and a retail space to sell our bottles, as well as other provisions

like cheese, coffee, bread and cured meats (you know . . . the main food groups!). We’ve already added a full-time bar manager to our staff as part of our change to a brew pub. We’ve also hired several part-time bartenders.” Since their opening in 2010, Jester King has quickly become a destination brewery with packed tours and tasting room nearly every Saturday. “We’ve had to turn away sales at our brewery for three years now. People would visit us all the time and ask if they could buy our beer, and we’d have to turn them down because it was illegal. Now when someone shows up wanting to buy our beer, we can sell it to them. As you might imagine, for a business to have the right to sell its products to people who want to buy them, as opposed to being legally prohibited from doing so, makes a big difference. We’ll be able to hire more people, purchase more equipment, create more space, and meet our goals much sooner and much more easily now that we can sell beer to beer drinkers.” Stuffings explained, “We’ve expanded our payroll and are in the process of investing tens of thousands of dollars in a new bar and retail space. We’re anticipating that people will be interested in visiting our brewery and drinking our beer. It’s always a little scary to spend a lot of money and hire new people when there’s no guarantee that people will regularly show up.” He goes on to say, “Learning how to run a tasting room smoothly and properly is certainly a challenge. We’ve had some experience with this over the past three years doing our Saturday tours and tastings, but now we’re not just giving away free samples anymore; we’re asking people to pay their hard earned money for our beer. Not only do we want the beer to be excellent, but we also want the experience to be first rate. It was easier not to care as much about creature comforts and amenities at our brewery when the beer was free. But now we’re trying to create a world-class beer drinking experience that people pay money for. There’s pressure there not to disappoint in any aspect of someone’s visit to our JESTER KING brewery. We plan to overcome these obstacles by hiring good people and being attentive to the various details involved in running a tasting room.” Being conveniently nested at the end of 6th street on the east side, Hops & Grain have opened their tap room doors Fridays and Saturdays to the thirsty Austin masses for a while now, and the tap room has become an even more popular locale since expanding the days and hours earlier this summer. “After the recent legislative change we have decided to pursue a brew pub permit so that we can begin selling our beer to go,” said Josh Hare of Hops & Grain, “Our location and overall culture will stay the same but we’ve begun expanding our tasting room hours and have added personnel to help out. We’ve never been the type of brewery to pursue exponential growth and would much rather focus more of our energy on driving traffic to the brewery rather than rapid expansion.” With an already healthy tap room culture, Hare sees the to-go opportunities being more beneficial.

“The major advantage that we see from pursuing a brew pub permit is to allow us to offer our beer in six packs and growlers to go.” Hare and the crew at H&G are hard at work putting the final touches on the new expanded tasting room (more like a hall) at the time we go to print, but you could very easily be reading this in their new location. “We have added a full-time tap room employee and are currently finishing construction on a much larger tap room,” said Hare. “Of all the recent changes, we are most excited about being able to expand our tasting room hours and spend more time in front of our customers. We feel that this is the best way for us to educate and communicate our message and since our focus is to expand the culture and community of craft beer, these new laws suit us perfectly.” As far as the risks involved with expansion, keeping up with production, and satisfying customers’ expectations, both Hare and Stuffings are feeling very confident. “We are currently maxed out on capacity and the only risk that I can imagine would be from a supply side. But, we’ve been behind on supply since we opened so that risk has always been there,” Hare said. “Our current customers have completely embraced our new model since we began selling beer on site in July. Our numbers have been great and I’ve not heard one complaint other than regarding the size of our tap room.” “The fact that we already had a tasting room helped us with the transition as well as our proximity to downtown.” Now to be clear, breweries do not have to switch to a brew pub license in order to take advantage of the opportunity to sell beer, like a bar, in their own taproom, thus expanding hours, facilities and staff. Austin Beerworks are keeping their license in its current state, but still making some exciting changes in their operation. “We’re currently in the process of tearing down the 20 foot by 23 foot cold room in the middle of our brewery and are replacing it with a 10 foot by 12 foot cold room,” said Michael Graham of Austin Beerworks. “The new cold room will feature 20–30 taps and a bar that can seat about 15 people.” He goes on. “We want to give our customers good reason to come visit our brewery so in addition to our core beers, the tasting room will regularly feature seasonals, Heavy Machinery, and experimental recipes from our new 7-bbl pilot system we’re borrowing from the Draught House’s Josh Wilson. We’re especially excited about that last part.” That last bit is exciting on a few levels, but we’ll leave that trumpet for Draught House to toot. Don’t worry, the pilot system will be a member of the ABW family for a while. “We’ve wanted to incorporate a pilot system for a long time, and this one just fell into our laps at a very opportune time. We know Josh’s system won’t be permanent and I’m sure we’ll quickly replace it when it’s time to give it back.” Hops & Grain and Jester King have higher hurdles to clear for their license changes, but Graham points out some that they share and will all have to tackle. “Breweries ultimately have two groups they have to keep happy—their accounts and their customers,” Graham said. ”We don’t want to piss off our accounts by undercutting their prices, and we don’t want to offend our customers by charging full bar prices when we don’t offer full bar services. It’s a fine line and I’m sure we’ll inevitably have complaints from both sides. But, the vast majority of feedback has been positive so far.” Now to look on the other side of the coin. Davis Tucker, owner of North by Northwest brew pub is in the process of expanding the NXNW operation to allow for off site distribution of kegs and

other packaged beer. “We’ve got two 30 barrel tanks on order, and two fifteen barrel tanks that we’ve jacketed and cladded from some of the stuff that we had from the old original Copper Tank,” said Tucker. “We’re going to drop those two fifteen barrels down in the back, we’ll pour a pad, and we’ve got a new glycol chiller in place. So the idea is those two tanks out back will basically add to the overall capacity, but we can dedicate those two just for doing beer that we’re going to be sending out for distribution.” Tucker said that they are walking a thin line between expanding, and not interfering with their regular business. “We thought initially about going to build a whole new plant right away, and then thought, well, we’ve got 25 hundred barrels capacity if not a little more here, cause of the tanks and brewhouse here. It’s just that the volume of beers we’re going through, it cuts that volume. But by adding these two tanks that are dedicated, we know we can put out two or three or four beers out into the market.” “And it’s draft only starting out. We’ll go draft only here until we max out our capacity and then a little further down the road then we’ll look into another facility where it’s packaging and the whole ball of wax,” Tucker said. Where the production guys have to take on the challenge of retail, NXNW and other brew pubs moving to sell off-site will have to either set up distribution (only if they only serve their own beer) or bring on a distributor, take on off-site sales, and marketing. “We’ll probably put three beers out in the market but probably start with one. We’re looking to target, to start literally with ten accounts then grow it from there. And eventually 50 accounts is the number I’d like to have for our draft accounts,” explained Tucker. “I’m hoping it takes two or three years to max out that extra volume. I think scarcity breeds interest if we’re not everywhere. And we’re lucky that as a brew pub we have a base to work from, and I mean a financial base, not just a brewing base. We have the income from the brew pub already, and we have for 14 years now. I don’t have to worry about getting out and selling beer right away. We can do it how we want to do it, when we want to do it. Put out the beers we want to put out.” Things are ch-ch-changing for the better and if these early adopters are any example of where Austin beer culture is moving, we’re heading into a bright future. Tucker put it best when he said, “For the first time since I started in the craft beer business in Austin in 1987, Texas is now (almost) on a level playing field with all these carpet bagger beers coming in from the north, east and west of the US. If we all make great beer and build our local craft communities, I don’t think anything can stop us. The world is going more local all the time. Embrace that, brew great beer and buy new sunglasses cause your going to need them. Here’s to the future!” NXNW

STARTING BEER LINEUP WORDS BY ERIC PUGA PHOTO BY SHAWN PHILLIPS This country yearns for the razzle-dazzle of sports entertainment, feasting on spectacular step overs and end zone tumbles with recreational hunger, chomping on the hot guts of point aggregation and victory with the unbridled emotion of unburied zombies buffeting at a senior living center. We feast our faces on the spoils of breads and grilled meats, natural bedfellows to this nation’s primary pastime potable: BEER—and unless you are reading this article from Kiev or Krakow—we, as Americans rely mainly on beer to take us from compliant office drone on Friday to defiant middle finger wagger by Saturday. It’s science. And yet, the single-most confounding abnormality about sports culture in the United States is the propensity to demonstrate all of this courageous backbone and undeniable intensity—pounding fists to stone in hopeless despair, barking with spirituous celebration in glory, and enduring subzero climates in shirtless solidarity— but then choose to drink a light beer with absolutely no fucking balls at all. It just makes no sense. Its like ordering a double bacon burger with a couple of veggie patties. The collective sports enthusiast—most notably ‘football fan’—appears to willfully endorse a spectacularly bland version of boiled lettuce as a means to invoke home team mania, and, of course helping along any social barriers one might experience with opposing fans in the parking lot of some shitty, back-road wilderness like Manhattan, Kansas or Ames, Iowa. The protocol for survival is typically a 24-count case of American corn lager, a styrofoam cooler from the party store, and $1.49 bag of ice. Now just what in the fuck? By all means, if tradition is your flavor, far be it from me as a horribly superstitious sports fan to alter your team’s good fortune with the suggestion of alternative beer brands. But if economics is your barrier, or quality your question, or laziness your impedance, or even intimidation your fear, allow us at the Austin Beer Guide to try to take your pre-

game to the next level. After all, this is Autumn; the season of receiving sweets and giving thanks, cooling off despite the sun shining brightly through depleted branches, raging benders on the patio. And football. Some might even call it “The Best Season.” Fortunately for many, living in Austin entitles its townspeople to good football and great beer. And while the city’s brewing tradition isn’t as legendary as its gridiron past, it is made up for with the talent and speed of a youthful upstart turning heads across the land. One way for Austin to immediately impart its brewing cachet on locals, was to create historically relevant and regionally appropriate beer. This is where many feel the local brew scene excels, and they are probably right in this sense; sessionable, yet flavorful beers that pair suitably with our unmerciful subjective temperatures—the summerinto-fall weather that appears to be every Austinite’s pet-hate. Here are a few of our recommendations to get you through the residual hot months before transitioning into the briskness of late Fall and early Winter. Most of these beers are easy on the alcohol percentage for sustainability, but remain bold on the palate for quality. But sometimes—just sometimes—you have to break out the big guns to get you through the tenuous moments. We included those too, because in incidents of high emotion, craft beer is almost as serious as football. Almost.

KICKOFF (AUGUST–SEPTEMBER) Austin is quickly becoming a city that is easily out-drinking its provisions in beer, and this is because local brewers are absolutely nailing it with mild-bodied American style ales and lagers. What is abandoning shelves city-wide are spruced-up version of classic American styles that once defined the country’s beer culture—sessionable swills like PBR and Bud Light, for example—and empowering them with quality ingredients like hops and all-malt profiles. This leads to approachable, palatable, and flavorful beers that allow for daylong imbibing without too much concern for falling out of your chair by game time. These are the Arial fonts of beer: simple layout, nice packaging, not too fussy, but imparting plenty of impact on your social game. These are best enjoyed during the hotFall, which, in geographic anomalies like Austin, extends well into the football season’s first rivalry week. Austin Beerworks peacemaker Style: Extra Pale Ale ABV: 5.0% Available: In cans, on draught Peacemaker Extra Pale Ale is as bright and merciful as an Adele/Taylor Swift duet. It has long washes of citrus and crystal clear notes of flavoring hops. Real Ale Hans’ pils Style: Pilsner ABV: 5.3% Available: In cans, on draught Hans’ Pils is the 2012 Great American Beer Festival Silver Medalist in a very difficult category. If Texas is to become as synonymous with Czech and German Pilsners as fried chicken is to Kentucky, then Hans’ Pils is the hearth that bears that flame.

Hops & Grain The one They call zoe Style: Pale American Lager ABV: 5.2% Available: In cans, infrequently on draught Austin’s defacto gateway beer, Zoe is considered a pale lager—the same style as a Bud or a Coors—but as similar technically as Toby Keith is to Keith Jackson. Try this robust homage to badassery. Live oak HefeWeizen Style: Wheat beer ABV: 5.2% Available: Draught only Considered Austin’s first (and as of yet, only) “World Class” beer, Live Oak HefeWeizen is the cornerstone of north campus pregaming at places like Crown & Anchor and Posse East.

THE SECOND HALF (OCTOBER–NOVEMBER) Late Autumn in Austin is not the unremitting gray drizzle of football hotbeds like the Northwest or the blustery mix of the Midwest, however, this time of year delivers to our city the sweet relief of cooler temperatures. We can feel thankful that our mild Falls allow for us to be outside much more than our northern counterparts because of the lack of moisture, however, we still need to find something weighty to dig our heels into as the subjective temperature dips all the way into the frosty 70s. Beer selection at this juncture is typically less bittered and more malt-driven with a slightly higher ABV to cushion against local hypothermia. Independence oklahoma Suks Style: Amber ABV: 4.8% Available: Very limited in bottles seasonally (Austin Amber available year-round in bottles, draught) Oklahoma Suks is just Independence’s Austin Amber dressed in Texas gear ahead of the Red River Rivalry in early October, but with a mild, roasted finish and low ABV, it’s a beer that will pal around with you through the emotional

ebb-and-flow of a typical Texas-OU match up like a familiar friend. Austin Beerworks Black Thunder Style: German Schwarzbier ABV: 5.3% Available: In cans, draught Grainy and malty, chocolatey and nutty—none of that matters because Black Thunder sounds football-y as fuck. Just buy it. It’s a perfect fall beer. Actually, it’s perfect any time.

Hops & Grain Alt-eration Style: Altbier ABV: 5.1% Available: In cans, draught Alt-eration was the 2012 World Beer Cup gold medalist for its category, which at that time, made it the best Altbier one could buy, anywhere, after only a few months in production. With that kind of hardware and credibility, it’s a safe bet to draft this one for your weekend plans.

oVERTImE (dEcEmBER - JANuARY) Ah, yes, finally you have to wear a hoodie to get your mail, and you begin driving to work while it’s still dark outside. Your team has either struggled mightily and it’s time to cashin on caring—OR—you’re team is thriving and it’s what’s keeping your pumping heart from rude health, despite overindulgence on holiday office party lamb and the trendy macarons your kid left for Santa in hopes of a Robo Fish. All this while your size 34 belt mimics a tourniquet to your lower extremities. All of them. These are demonstrative times, and demonstrative times call for bolder beers. It’s time to go big. (512) pecan porter Style: Porter ABV: 6.5% Available: Draught only Besides Live Oak HefeWeizen, (512)’s Pecan Porter might be Austin’s most iconic beer. If you got on your knees and licked Zilker Park’s earth, I don’t know if you could get a better sense of how Austin might literally taste. This should be it.

Independence convict Hill Style: Oatmeal Stout ABV: 8.0% Available: In bottles, on draught Lovely, and chocolatey and smooth and boozy before swirling back to lovely. The kind of beer that makes it nearly impossible for your bottom-dweller team to harsh the mellow.

Jester King Black metal Style: English Imperial Stout ABV: 9.3% Available: In bottles, draught rarely Well, now we’re talking about a ball-bustin’ beer beast. Drinking a Black Metal during the BCS Championship or Super Bowl would be like driving a Testarossa to Senior Prom. If you want to be a badass, you’ve gotta drink the badass.

BEER & LOATHING

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cAmINo dE SANTIAGo

ONE FINE MORNING The reason we went to Spain was to walk the Camino de Santiago. This is a beer article, so I won’t get into that. If you really want to know, Google it. There wasn’t really a single drop of “good” beer along the Camino. Don’t get me wrong, I had fun drinking what they had to offer, but it is not much to write home about. After a couple of weeks walking in Northern Spain we made our way down to Madrid to bum around for a few days before flying back to the USA. This daytrip (pub crawl) took place our last day in town. My family had actually all flown home, save for my sister-in-law and her husband, Leti and Eric. They were charged with being my companions. I warned them it would be a long day and loathing would most certainly ensue. I woke them up early so we could visit the museo del prado before lunch. Come on, we were in Europe, you have to see a bit of culture before getting tipsy (at lunch). Plus I had to see Goya’s pictures again. I gave the ticket girl a beer guide and I was rewarded free entrance, best perk of ABG yet! Before I go on I should mention El corte Ingles. I bought a handful of beers there the night before. They have a pretty good selection of local beer for a department store. Worth a pop in. Back to the Prado. We looked at a billion paintings until we were about to faint from hunger.

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING For our fist beery stop of the day we chose La Tape for lunch and libations. La Tape is a cute little cafe with a small, yet decent tap list and some surprisingly good food. We drank La Virgen Lager (solid), Spigha Gurugú (eh). Those were the only two Spanish beers on draft at the time. We asked for a recommendation from their extensive bottle list. Our server first brought us over dougall’s Haíti, a tasty double stout. She told us Dougall’s was her favorite Spanish brewery and that we should seek out their IPA. We also had a bottle of La pirata Black Block, which was easily the best beer I had in Spain. Try the burger. LIMITED CAPACITY Fat and fuzzy we opted for a walk over to cervezorama before catching a quick nap before sundown. Cervezorama is a cute little beer store, but it’s jammed from wall to wall with great beers. Spanish beers, Euro beers, American beers, they even had a few Jester

King brews for sale. Two separate people told me Cervezorama started the small craft beer renaissance that is happening right now in Madrid. I’ll take their word for it. We picked up a few bottles of Spanish beer I had not seen on tap yet (including dougall’s IpA) and booked it to the hotel. SLEEPY JOE Our naps went a little longer than we planned. That’s OK, things don’t get going in Madrid until at least 10pm. And by “things” I mean dinner. No early bird special happening over there. Post nap we were in search of food. Food and beer. I guided the crew on a quick jaunt over to El Tigre. There is nothing fancy about El Tigre. We drank cañas (small drafts) of San miguel. With each beer you are served a plate of tapas, gratis. You don’t really have a say on what they serve you, but if you hang around long enough you can work your way through all of their offerings. This place gets packed and you have to stand the whole time. Get over it. Oh, and don’t ask

cERVEzoRAmA

#theabgb #ouratx

Thanks for all the Instagrams and Tweets. Share more shots @theabgb #ouratx.

BREWPUB. BEER GARDEN. MUSIC.

1305 W. OltOrf

for Stoli vodka. I heard a girl ask for a vodka tonic then specify that she wanted Stoli. The server replied curtly, “we have vodka.” uNIVERSAL AppLIcANT After several cañas and several plates of tapas we were back on the streets headed for fábrica maravillas. Wait, let me stop for a second. At this point we were still having a good time. Eric and Leti did not believe me when I told them loathing was still to come. I assured them it was, but we should get back to the beer. We arrived at Fábrica Maravillas (FM) to find it overflowing with beer drinkers speaking

English. It was kind of bizarre to be surrounded in a loud bar setting with everyone speaking English in the middle of Spain. It was like the American Embassy. FM is a small, swanky brew pub pouring 5–6 house beers. I spoke with the brewer and cofounder who is an American fellow. Maybe he is the reason for of all these English speaking drinkers. Or it’s the beer, a solid lineup of mostly American craft beer styles. The IpA was fantastic. He offered me some almonds, which I turned down. He was baffled when I passed on the almonds. Maybe he was offering me something else besides almonds. Man, I should have said yes to the those almonds.

EL TIGRE

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IRREALE EId mA cLAcK SHAW Our last stop (we thought) was Irreale. Irreale boasts eight beers on tap (no crap) and a big selection of bottles from around the world, lots of American beers. While we were there a couple of bros were enjoying a bottle of Jester King El cedro. Irreale is clean, modern, and comfortable, pretty much all you could ask for in a beer bar. We stuck with Spanish beers. I also had an Italian black IPA, Revelation cat Bombay cat, that was outstanding, bone dry and hoppy. Next thing we knew we were walking towards the hotel.

“One more. There’s that cafe by the hotel. They may even have some food still,” I brilliantly stated. We sat on the street at the cafe by our hotel, which had no name as far as I was concerned. We ordered three cañas. Eric ordered a hot dog. There it was. That hot dog was the seed of loathing. Actually it was not that bad. Half way through the dog I could tell Eric was done for the night. We slowly and quietly finished our beers. I announced I was headed back to Irreale. Eric gave me a chuckle and Leti decided to stay on with me back to the bar. We said goodnight to Eric at the hotel and we rambled back into the Madrid night.

A BEER LINE-UP THAT KNOCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK.

2000 S. IH-35 • ROUND ROCK, TX 78681 • HOMEFIELDGRILL.COM • (512) 388-HOME

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BARS & RESTAURANTS 1. Flying Saucer 815 West 47th Street 2. Crown and Anchor Pub 2911 San Jacinto Boulevard 3. Dog and Duck Pub 406 West 17th Street 4. Chicago House 607 Trinity Street 5. Haymaker 2310 Manor Road 6. School House Pub 2207 Manor Road 7. Little Woodrow’s 520 West 6th Street 8. Kung Fu Saloon 510 Rio Grande Street 9. Alamo Drafthouse - Ritz 320 East 6th Street 10. The Ginger Man 301 Lavaca Street 11. Frank 407 Colorado Street 12. Hopﬁelds 3110 Guadalupe Street 13. Contigo 2027 Anchor Lane

14. House Pizzeria 5111 Airport Boulevard 15. Easy Tiger Bake Shop and Beer Garden 709 East 6th Street 16. The Brew Exchange 706 West 6th Street 17. Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden 79 Rainey Street 18. Jackalope 404 East 6th Street 19. Star Bar 600 West 6th Street 20. Gourmands 2316 Webberville Road 21. Austin Ale House 301 West 6th Street 22. Nasty’s 606 Maiden Lane 23. Spider House 2908 Fruth Street 24. Thunderbird Coffee - Manor 2200 Manor Road 25. Violet Crown Social Club 1111 East 6th Street 26. The Grackle 1700 East 6th Street

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27. The White Horse 500 Comal Street 28. Cherrywood Coffeehouse 1400 38 1/2 Street 29. Swift’s Attic 315 Congress Avenue 30. Hi Hat Public House 2121 East 6th Street 31. Craft Pride 61 Rainey Street 32. Salt & Time 1912 East 7th Street 33. in.gredients 2610 Manor Road 34. Hole in the Wall/East Side King 2538 Guadalupe Street

BREW PUBS 35. Draught House Pub & Brewery G 4112 Medical Parkway

BREWERIES 36. Hops & Grain Brewery 507 Calles Street

37. Live Oak Brewing Co. 3301-B East 5th Street

STORES 38. Central Market G 4001 North Lamar Boulevard 39. Hyde Park Market 4429 Duval Street 40. Whole Foods Market G 525 North Lamar Boulevard 41. Antonelli’s Cheese Shop 4220 Duval Street 42. Twin Liquors - Hancock 1000 East 41st Street 43. Rosedale Market 1309 West 45th Street 44. Wiggy’s on 6th 1130 West 6th Street 45. Quickie Pickie G 1208 East 11th Street 46. East 1st Grocery 1811 E Cesar Chavez Street 47. H-E-B, Mueller G 1801 East 51st Street

G = growler ﬁlls

BREWERIES

Hops and Grain Brewery INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Josh Hare ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2011/12 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . Thursday & Friday 2-8pm Saturday & Sunday 12-6pm* URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hopsandgrain.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS Pale Dog Pale Ale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dry, hoppy, bitter FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fish tacos, salt and vinegar chips, gummy bears Alt-eration Ale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Düsseldorf-style Altbier ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Malty, nutty, moody FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . . . Grilled fish, any kind of meat on a stick The One They Call Zoe STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Lager ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crisp, slight citrus FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . .Asian/Mex fusion tacos, Asian/Mex fusion pizza, good times

The Greenhouse Series STYLE . . . . . . . Rotating series of small batches IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taste the rainbow Volumes of Oak Series STYLE . . . . . . . . . . Oak aged small batch series IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oak & booze Del Roble Series STYLE . . . . . . . . . 100% barrel fermented series IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Subtle

Note: Follow H&G on Twitter, Facebook, or their newsletter for the latest Greenhouse, Volumes of Oak, and Del Roble beers.

WE RECOMMEND Pale Dog, The One They Call Zoe, Greenhouse

* Tap room hours will change to Monday– Saturday 12–8pm once new tap room is finished (late September–early October).

Bringing his colorado beer knowledge and inspiration to Austin, Josh Hare has opened one of Austin’s two East side breweries. With three year-round beers canned for easy use during your outdoor drinking endeavors, and a constantly rotating selection of Greenhouse beers, Hops & Grain has something for everyone. The ALT-eration took home gold at the 2012 World Beer Cup, and the Greenhouse lineup has grown to include a Baltic Porter, Belgian Porter, and the Volumes of oak series of oak aged beers. They even collaborated on a beer with us called Night RYE-der. If that isn’t enough, Hops and Grain is an environmentally sustainable operation that uses up-cycled malted barley from brewing to make natural and wheat free dog treats called Brew Biscuits.

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BREWERIES

Live Oak Brewing Co. INFO BREWER/FOUNDER . . . .Chip McElroy (owner, founder), Dusan Kwiatkowski (Brewer) ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.liveoakbrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS Big Bark Amber Lager STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Lager ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . Smooth, quenching, malty FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . . .Fish and chips, meat in a cone HefeWeizen STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bananas, cloves, hazy, super refreshing FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . .Blue cheese! Liberation Ale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, great malt balance FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Tobacco, foie gras or other duck dishes

Pilz STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Czech Pilsner ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, dry, refreshing FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . .Sausage, pizza, burgers, anything really

CURRENT SEASONAL Oaktoberfest STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M채rzen/Oktoberfest ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . Draft (Early Fall) QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . Malty and sweet, drinkable FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Grilled sausage and pretzel with beer mustard Primus STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weizenbock ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . .Draft (Late Fall) QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bananas, booze, clove FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Coffee and scone on a cold night, by itself

WE RECOMMEND Pilz, HefeWeizen, Primus

Built by hand by chip mcElroy in a small (and now worn) 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 use techniques such as open fermentation and secondary lagering on some of their styles to give their beers a very distinct Live Oak taste. This is best reflected in their pilz and much beloved HefeWeizen.

BREW PUBS

Draught House* INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4112 Medical Pkwy Austin, TX 78756 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .512-452-MALT HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mon-Thu 3pm–2am, Fri-Sun 1pm–2am URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.draughthouse.com

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Red Planet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Ale Bombay IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Guy Smiley Mild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dark Mild Ale Sidamo Milk Stout . . . . . . . . . Milk/Sweet Stout Pumpkinhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pumpkin Ale

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT Brewer Josh Wilson likes to keep his beers moving. Josh doesn’t adhere to the general brew pub rules that say you have to develop four solid recipes and keep those on year long while only reserving a few taps for experimentation and seasonals. After visiting draught House for a few years, you may notice that Josh keeps a loose yearly brewing schedule with styles and specific brews mirroring the seasonal calender.

WE RECOMMEND Pumpkinhead, Red Planet, Bombay IPA

*Draught House is not currently brewing, but still has plenty of good brews flowing.

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BARS & RESTAURANTS 1. Zax Restaurant & Bar 312 Barton Springs Road 2. Hopdoddy Burger Bar - SOCO 1400 South Congress Ave 3. Barley Swine 2024 South Lamar Boulevard 4. Black Sheep Lodge 2108 South Lamar Boulevard 5. Red’s Porch 3508 South Lamar Boulevard 6. Opal Divine’s, Penn Field 3601 South Congress Avenue 7. Draft Pick 1620 East Riverside, #1618 8. Snack Bar 1224 South Congress Avenue

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9. The Buzz Mill 1505 Town Creek Boulevard 10. Gibson Street Bar 1109 South Lamar Blvd

BREW PUBS 11. Uncle Billy’s G 1530 Barton Springs Road 12. Namaste Brewing / Whip In G 1950 South IH-35 13. Austin Beer Garden Brewing G 1305 West Oltorf Street

BREWERIES 14. (512) Brewing Co. 407 Radam Lane, F200 15. Independence Brewing Co. 3913 Todd Lane

16. South Austin Brewing Co. 415 East Saint Elmo Road, Ste 1D

STORES 17. Thom’s Market 1418 Barton Springs Road 18. Central Market 4477 South Lamar Boulevard 19. Spec’s-Brodie Lane 4978 West Hwy 290 20. Live Oak Market 4410 Manchaca Road 21. South Lamar Wine and Spirits 2418 South Lamar Blvd G = growler ﬁlls

BREWERIES

(512) Brewing Co. INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . .Kevin Brand (Owner), Nate Seale (Brewer) ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer 2008 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . Some Saturdays with RSVP URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.512brewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS (512) IPA STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, citrusy, solid FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . Spicy Thai, Tex-Mex, Italian, ALL pizza, BBQ (512) Pale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . .Drinkable, hoppy, quenching FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Burgers, chiles rellenos, fish and chips

(512) Wit STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wit or white beer ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . .Light, semi-tart, hint of grapefruit FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . White pizza, light pastas, hummus, salads, seafood

CURRENT SEASONAL (512) Bruin STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Imperial Brown Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . .Roasty, nutty, slightly sweet FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Grilled sausages, fish

WE RECOMMEND IPA, Pale, Pecan Porter *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com

(512) Pecan Porter STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . .Full bodied, roasty, pecans FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . .Red meats, ice cream, chocolate 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 released a limited number of bottles of Whiskey Barrel Aged double pecan porter (along with Wild Bear and THREE) in the past and sprinkled them around town. This summer they started their annual release of past anniversary beers. Their 5th Anniversary beer should pop up early this fall. This past winter they acquired two foeders to add to their barrel program. Only time will tell what sour and wild beers will start coming out of (512)’s doors.

CMY

ANNIVERSARY

IMPERIAL STOUT

Unique Ales Brewed in South Austin Local, Domestic & Organic Ingredients Hand Crafted & Self Distributed Family Owned & Operated Also look for: (512) English Strong Ale, (512) ALT, and (512) BRUIN

512brewing.com

BREWERIES

Independence Brewing Co. INFO BREWER/FOUNDER. . . .Rob & Amy Cartwright ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fall 2004 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fridays 4–8pm, first Saturday of the month URL . . . . . . . . .www.independencebrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS Bootlegger Brown Ale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Brown Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big roasty malt flavor, caramel, nutty FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Steak, roasted pork, Chinese takeout Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oatmeal Stout ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cacao, licorice, roast FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . . . Ice cream, chocolate, toffee Independence Pale Ale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5%

IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . Piney, hoppy, light malt FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . Reubens, sausage and peppers Stash IPA STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . Very hoppy, balanced malt body FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . Greasy-fatty Mexican, pizza

CURRENT SEASONAL ESB STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Extra Special Bitter ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . Malty, yet bitter, drinkable FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . Steak pie, ploughman’s lunch

WE RECOMMEND Stash IPA, Convict Hill, ESB *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.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. Rob began brewing at Austin’s Copper Tank (RIP) in 1994 and after meeting Amy decided to open the brewery. Prior to opening the brewery the couple embedded themselves in the Austin beer community by putting on the Texas Craft Brewers Festival in 2004 and 2005. Since opening, Independence has created a local niche for themselves by packaging the ou Suks bottles every fall for the UT vs. OU game, supplying the Alamo drafthouse house beer from 2004-2009, and hosting the largest monthly beer gathering at their first Saturday tasting and tours. They have been releasing one-off beers in their Brewluminati series. For latest info on this series stay tuned here: www.independencebrewing.com/our-beers/brewluminat

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BREWERIES

South Austin Brewing Co. INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . Jordan Weeks ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2012 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website , Groovy Sundays (most Sundays), 3–6pm URL . . . . . . . . . . .www.southaustinbrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS Belgian Style Golden Ale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian Golden Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . .Fruity esters, quaffable, bright, smooth FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . .Fish, fruits and honey, soft cheeses, frites Saison D’Austin STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Saison ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . Sweet, spicy, peppery FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . Salads, chicken, pheasant, fruit

WE RECOMMEND Belgian Style Golden Ale, Saison D’Austin

SouTH AuSTIN’S GRANd opENING

parked in the same neighborhood as Independence and (512) breweries, South Austin Brewing co. have been chomping at the bit to get to brewing since 2010. Founder Jordan Weeks has a rich brewing history in Austin, and with his trusty 50-barrel Newlands brewhouse plans to supply the fine folks of South Austin and beyond with yummy Belgian inspired beers. Out of the gates, SABC are slinging beers both on draft and in 750 ml cork and cage bottles to be found at finer locations.

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BREW PUBS

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . 1305 West Oltorf Street Austin, TX 78704 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-442-5337 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website Closed Mondays URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.theabgb.com

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

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German Pilsner Hell Yes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helles Lager Big Mama Red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hoppy Red Ale Day Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale

WE RECOMMEND Hell Yes, Big Mama Red, Day Trip

Namaste Brewing at the Whip In INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1950 IH-35 Austin, TX 78704 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-442-5337 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10am–12am URL . . . . . . . . . . www.whipin.com/brewery.htm

Born a simple family owned convenience store on the side of I-35, Whip In was not content to live its days out that way. After becoming one of the top bottle shops in Austin, they slowly crept tap by delicious tap to becoming one of the largest draft and Texas brewed beer selections in town. And now, they are home to Namaste Brewing.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Brahmale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Vishnavitripale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tripel Ganeshale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian Quad Kalidurgale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Barleywine Lakshmi Hefe . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spiced Wheat Ale

WE RECOMMEND Brahmale

Uncle Billy’s INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 1530 Barton Springs Road Austin, TX 78704 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-476-0100 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sun–Thur: 11am–12am, Fri–Sat: 11am–11pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.unclebillysaustin.com

Texas is BBQ heaven. Austin is Texas Craft Beer heaven. Put them together and you get uncle Billy’s Brew and Que. Uncle Billy’s is the ideal spot after a day of festival-ing at Zilker Park or cooling off at the springs. Brewer Michael Waters has kept on the Austin staple Ax Handle Pale Ale while mixing in a constant rotation of beers with an emphasis on hoppy ales and session-able lagers.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Ax Handle Pale Ale . . . . . . . American Pale Ale Green Room IPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Smoked Out Stout . . . . . . . . . . . . Smoked Stout Sgt. Stedenko . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Red Ale

WE RECOMMEND Ax Handle, Green Room IPA

Celebrate 25 Years of Brooklyn Brewery with our dopplebock strength, 100% bottle conditioned Silver Anniversar y Lager. Four labels. Four Brooklyn ar tists. Fitting for your bottle and your ar t collection.

Art of Beer

The Brooklyn Brewer y 79 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249 U BrooklynBrewer y.com Facebook.com/TheBrooklynBrewery U @BrooklynBrewery U BrooklynBloggery.com

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Facebook.com/TheBrooklynBrewery U @BrooklynBrewery U BrooklynBloggery.com The Brooklyn Brewer y 79 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249 U BrooklynBrewer y.com

8/28/13 7:30:08 AM

BREWERIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 60 BREW puBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 68 PA RM ER LN .

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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

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BREW PUBS 9. Pinthouse Pizza G 4729 Burnet Road 10. North By Northwest (NXNW) G 10010 N Capital of TX Hwy 11. Black Star Co-op G 7020 Easy Wind Drive

BREWERIES 12. Circle Brewing Co. 2340 West Braker Lane 13. Austin Beerworks 3009 Industrial Terrace 14. Adelbert’s Brewery 2314 Rutland Drive, Ste 100

STORES 15. Whole Foods Market 9607 Research Boulevard 16. Specs-Arbor Walk 10515 N Mo Pac Expwy 17. Sunrise Mini Mart 1809 West Anderson Lane 18. Specs-Airport 5775 Airport Boulevard 19. Austin Homebrew Supply 9129 Metric Boulevard 20. King Liquor 5310 Burnet Road 21. Growler Room G 6800 Burnet Road, Suite 2 G = growler ﬁlls

BREWERIES

Adelbert’s Brewery INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Hovey ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2011/12 HOURS . . . . . . Wednesday & Thursday 5–8pm, Friday 5–8pm, Saturday 1–4pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.adelbertsbeer.com

Scratchin’ Hippo STYLE . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Style Biere de Garde ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . Malty, earthy, semi-sweet FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . . Thai, steak, spicy Italian

YEAR ROUND BEERS

WE RECOMMEND

Barrel-Aged Naked Nun STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian-Style Witbier ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coriander, soft, zesty FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . .Fruit, salty and/or herb cheese

Scratchin’ Hippo, Philosophizer *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com

Philosophizer STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian-Style Saison ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . .Citrusy, spicy, balanced FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Grilled chicken, rich fish dishes, prosciutto and brie Tripel B STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Style Tripel Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cloudy, candy, fruity FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Spinach salad, strawberries, lobster In early 2010, Scott Hovey was ripe for a mid-life 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 Hovey (1953-2000), Scott’s brother. Always a fan of Belgian style ales, 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 Belgian style bottle and keg conditioned brewery, aptly named after his older brother. Of the six beers to be released in 2012, each one is named after an experience or story that his brother Adelbert loved to tell. Look for more barrel-aged ales to come out in 2013.

BREWERIES

Austin Beerworks INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . Adam DeBower, Michael Graham, Mike McGovern and Will Golden ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer 2011 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . Thursday & Friday 5–9pm, Saturday 11am–4pm, Sunday 10am–2pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.austinbeerworks.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS Black Thunder German Schwarz STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Schwarzbier ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Roasted, coffee, slightly hoppy, dry FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . S’mores, scones, beef jerkey Fire Eagle American IPA STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, piney FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . Thai, steak, spicy Italian Peacemaker Extra Pale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Extra Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Drinkable, crisp

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Vegan hotdogs, pickles, Sidora’s homemade Chex mix Pearl Snap German Pils STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German Pilsner ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Light, hoppy, crisp FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . .Sausage, breads, mustard, burgers

CURRENT SEASONAL Battle Axe Imperial Red STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Imperial Red Ale IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . .Draft (Late Fall) QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hoppy, sticky, big FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Cheddar popcorn, Chicago style hot dog Heavy Machinery Series STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rotating IPA series IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hoppy

WE RECOMMEND Pearl Snap, Black Thunder, Heavy Machinery

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 April 2011. With their regular lineup of four beers, including 2011 GABF silver medal winner Peacemaker Extra Pale, the four friends have come storming out of the gates and onto the Austin beer scene. The Austin Beerworks fellows aim to make super tasty, yet drinkable beers, perfect for our refined, but also often heat-parched Austin palates. Their new IPA series Heavy machinery can now be found in tallboy cans, but only in Austin.

BREWERIES

Circle Brewing Co. INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ben Sabel and Jud Mulherin ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2010/11 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . Friday Happy Hour 4–7pm*, Quarterly open houses URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.circlebrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS Alibi Blonde STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crisp FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . Chicken masala, hummus, sushi Blur Texas Hefe STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . Bananas, light, gulpable FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . .Pizza, salad, crab legs Envy Amber Ale STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Light hops, spicy, biscuity malt, crisp FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . . .Grilled meats, chips and salsa, seafood Nightlight Dry Irish Stout STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irish Dry Stout ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roasty, dry, cocoa FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . .Raw oysters, shepherd’s pie, stew

CURRENT SEASONAL Smokin’ Beech STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rauchbier ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smoky, as in smokin’ FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Swisher Sweets, Marlboro Reds

WE RECOMMEND Nightlight, Smokin’ Beech

*Friday Happy Hours starting October 25.

Ben Sabel and Jud mulherin were childhood friends in Tennessee. As youngsters they shared a dream to open a “shop.” Like many young friends, as they grew up, their lives took different paths, but they never lost touch. And they never forgot their dream. As adults they both loved beer, so it was inevitable that their dream would morph into becoming brewery owners. Circle Brewing appeared on the internet beer rumor mill in the second half of 2008. Fast forward two years, Ben and Jud were brewing their first batches of beer for Austin. Envy Amber and Blur Texas Hefe were their first beers to be released. They followed those with their Nightlight dry Irish Stout. 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.” If you can find Smokin’ Beech on tap somewhere, get it while you can.

Texas Tour

54 Taps and 2 Cask Engines Serving Texas Craft Beer 61 Rainey Street, Austin, TX www.CraftPrideAustin.com /CraftPrideAustin

/CraftPrideAustin

/CraftPride

/CraftPrideAustin /CraftPrideAustin

/CraftPride /CraftPride

/CraftPrideAustin

www.CraftPrideAustin.com www.CraftPrideAustin.com

www.CraftPrideAustin.com

/CraftPride

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BREW PUBS

Black Star Co-op INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7020 Easy Wind Drive Midtown Commons, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78752 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-452-BEER HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mon-Thu 4pm–12am, Fri-Sat 11am–1am, Sun 11am–12am 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 High Esteem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Golden Honey Ale Recalcitrant Dockhand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter Vulcan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye IPA Double Dee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Amber Ale TCBF13_Ad_ABG_FINAL.pdf 9/15/13

WE RECOMMEND Anything from their sour series, Vulcan 2:13 PM

THANK you Sponsors & EVERY Craft Beer FAN !

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Produced by

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SEASONALS

AUSTIN

TEXAS

HUBRIS AMERICAN PALE ALE WITH FRESH CITRA HOPS FLOWN IN THE DAY AFTER HARVESTING

EPSILON PEATED SCOTCH ALE AGED IN BALCONES BRIMSTONE BARRELS

CROTCHETY DOCKHAND ROBUST PORTER MADE WITH OATS AND DAMN FINE CUVÃ&#x2030;E COFFEE

MONDAYS

EVENTS

$12 PITCHERS OF RATIONAL BREWS

AUSTIN BEER WEEK TOURS, CLASSES, GUEST SPEAKERS, BREWER PANEL, CASKS GALORE, FOOD PAIRINGS, LIVE TAPINGS, AND MORE!

WEEK OF WOOD A WEEK DEDICATED TO RARE AND SPECIAL BARREL AGED BEERS. COMING IN NOVEMBER.

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BREW PUBS

North by Northwest INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 10010 Capital of TX Hwy N Austin, TX 78759 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-467-6969 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nxnwbrew.com

North by Northwest is Austin’s 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. The beers are solid and their monthly cask nights have a dedicated following.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

photo by alison narro

Northern Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pilsner Duckabush Amber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale Pyjingo Pale Ale . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale Okanagan Black Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black Ale Barton Kriek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sour/Lambic

courtney, awesomeness promoter shiner, complimentary s. lamar

e. 6th

s. congress

burnet

41st/red river

WE RECOMMEND Pyjingo Pale Ale, Barton Kriek

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BREW PUBS

Pinthouse Pizza INFO

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4729 Burnet Road Austin, TX 78756 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-436-9605 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sun-Wed 11am-11pm, Thu-Sat 11am-12am 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. Head brewer Joe Morfield brews a solid line up of staple beers, along with a series of special releases and his Fallen Cask IPA series. Go for the pizza, stay for the beer.

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING Calma Muerta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session Ale Iron Genny. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale Bearded Seal . . . . . . . .Imperial Dry Irish Stout Man O’ War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA Fallen Cask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IPA Series

WE RECOMMEND Bearded Seal, Man O’ War, Burro’s Breakfast

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BREWERIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 76 BREW puBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 88

CEDAR PARK

ROUND ROCK

22 6

23 7 PFLUGERVILLE

HUDSON BEND

GREATER ATX

MANOR

AUSTIN

12 15 16 17

OAK HILL

AUSTINBERGSTROM INT. AIRPORT

21 14 13

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. Westside Alehouse 1500 N IH-35, Round Rock 6. Alamo DrafthouseLakeline / Glass Half Full Taproom 14028 U.S. 183 7. PBK Stem & Stein 111 East Main Street, Pflugerville 8. The Brass Tap 204 East Main Street, Round Rock G = growler ﬁlls

BREW PUBS 9. Flix Brewhouse / HomeField Grill G 2000 S IH-35, Round Rock 10. Bastrop Brewhouse G 601 Chestnut Street, Bastrop 11. Double Horn Brewing Co. G 208 Avenue H, Marble Falls 12. The Barber Shop G 207 Mercer Street, Dripping Springs 13. Wimberley Brewing Co. G 9595 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley 14. Middleton Brewing G 9595 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley 15. Pecan Street Brewing G 106 East Pecan Drive, Johnson City

BREWERIES 16. Jester King Brewery 13005 Fitzhugh Road

17. Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. 11160 Circle Drive 18. Infamous Brewing Co. Hudson Bend, Austin 19. Twisted X Brewing Co. 3200 West Whitestone Boulevard, Cedar Park 20. Rogness Brewing Co. 2400 Patterson Industrial Drive, Pflugerville 21. Real Ale Brewing Co. 231 San Saba Court, Blanco

STORES 22. Hamrick’s Market 401 Cypress Creek Road, Cedar Park 23. Pecan Liquor 1912 West Pecan Street, #205, Pflugerville

BREWERIES

Infamous Brewing Co. INFO BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zack Perry & Josh Horowitz ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring 2013 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.infamousbrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS IPA STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Malty, bitter, solid FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . Salami, chili fries, gun powder

Hijack STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cream Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . Cream soda, creamsicle, coolwhip, duh FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . .Coffee, strawberry short cakes, peaches, pants

WE RECOMMEND IPA

zack perry, Josh Horowitz, and brewer matt Bitsche left various career backgrounds to start Infamous Brewing co. in Austin and got the wheels rolling for Infamous in June of 2012. In less than a they year got their brewhouse up and running. Infamous came on the scene this spring with their take on a cream ale and an IPA, with plans to release other seasonal and special releases.

BREWERIES

Jester King Brewery INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . Jeffrey Stuffings and Michael Steffing ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fall 2010 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Friday 5–9pm Saturday Noon–6pm Sunday Noon–6pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . www.jesterkingbrewery.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS Black Metal STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . Farmhouse Imperial Stout ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Big roast, coffee, chocolate FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . .Cheesecake, roast beef and other bloody meats

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spicy, earthy, dry FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . Tomato salad, soft cheeses, sardines Wytchmaker STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Farmhouse Rye IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Drinkable, hoppy, quenching FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Burgers, pizza, chips and salsa

WE RECOMMEND Le Petit Prince, Das Wunderkind, Funk Metal *See full listing of available beers at austinbeerguide.com

Le Petit Prince STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Farmhouse Table Beer ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Subtle hop spininess, yeast esters, wild flowers FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . Crackers and light cheeses, pears, grilled flaky white fish Mad Meg STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . .Provisional Farmhouse Ale Ambitious from the start, the brothers made their commercial debut with a session beer, wearing the moniker commercial Suicide. It was anything but. They have since transitioned this beer, along with their original lineup to farmhouse versions (farmhouse Wytchmaker, farmhouse Black metal, etc.), followed by a very popular series of sour barrel aged creations (Buddha’s Brew, funk metal, das Überkind, Ru-55, and ol’ oi), and most recently ventured into sour beer and fermented fruit blends starting with the raspberry Atrial Rubicite and the current strawberry omniscience & proselytism. In mid-2012 they shifted their packaging efforts to focus mainly on bottles with just few naturally carbonated kegs and gravity casks available for bars. Their tasting room at the brewery (see hours above) is most often the best place to find and grab their latest beers.

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BREWERIES

Real Ale Brewing Co. INFO

CURRENT SEASONAL

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . Philip & Diane Conner (Founders), Brad Farbstein (Owner), Tim Schwartz, Erik Ogershok (Head Brewers) ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fridays 2–5pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.realalebrewing.com

Oktoberfest STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Märzen/Oktoberfest ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . Draft/Bottle (early Fall) QUICK SIP . . . . . Smooth, slightly spicey, sweet FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . Smoked fish, pickles, schnitzel

YEAR ROUND BEERS Devil’s Backbone STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian-Style Tripel ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sweet, boozey, honey FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . Tuna salad, grilled cheese, tomato soup Hans’ Pils STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German Pilsner ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans QUICK SIP . . . . . . .Crisp, toasty, assertive hops FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . Smoked fish, pickles, schnitzel

Shade Grown Coffee Porter STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Porter ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . Draft/Bottle (late Fall) QUICK SIP . . . . . .Coffee, slight roast, quaffable FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . Chocolate, beef jerkey

WE RECOMMEND Hans’ Pils, Brewers’ Cut Series, Shade Grown Coffee Porter *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com

Brewers’ Cut Series STYLE . . . . .Rotating series of brewing projects IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle one of the longer running 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. Maxed out at 5,500 barrels a year, Real Ale moved just outside the downtown area in 2006 to a new facility that allowed them to produce 10-12 times that amount. In 2009 they started bottling their seasonal beers. In 2010, they began turning out a series of experimental mysterium Verum (Real Mystery) beers, including seasonals aged in oak barrels or entirely new brews. They recently celebrated their 17th anniversary with the release of a Belgian strong ale weighing in at a hefty 13%. This year they’ve also been rolling out their new Brewers’ cut small batch series. Up next in the series: a Kolsch and a maibock. Seek them out.

DRINK BEER THAT’S MADE HERE

™

HANDCRAFTED ALES FROM THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY REALALEBREWING.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/REALALEBREWING

BREWERIES

Rogness Brewing Co. INFO

FOUNDERS . . . . . . Forrest and Diane Rogness ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring 2012 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Friday 4–9pm, Monthly tours, 2nd Saturday 1–4pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rognessbrewing.com

Rattler STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Citrusy hops, malty FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . .Ramen, pad see ew

RECENT RELEASES

CURRENT SEASONAL

Beardy Guard STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biere de Garde ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slight spice, earthy FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . .HEB rotisserie chicken (you know, the kind you get at HEB when you are too lazy to cook)

Rogtoberfest STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Märzen/Oktoberfest IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . .Draft/Bottle (early fall) QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . Smooth, drinkable, malty FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Pretzels, spaetzle

Bella STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian-Style Golden Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fruity, smooth FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . . Pad Thai, macaroni and cheese Boomslang STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .India Pale Lager ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crisp, citrusy, hoppy FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . .Tacos al pastor, tabouli, flan

Holiday STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter Ale IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . .Draft/Bottle (late fall) QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spicy and sweet FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . .Roaring fire, roasted marshmallows

WE RECOMMEND Bella, Boomslang, Rogtoberfest *See full listing (eventually) of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com

founders forrest and diane Rogness, along with dan Wheeler, have been pumping out beers in pﬂugerville ever since this project was kickstarted in 2012. And they do it without too much concern over style guidelines or popular “safe bet” beers. With the ethos of a homebrewer, Rogness aims to change it up, and keep it interesting, while delivering high quality brewed beers. You can find year-round and seasonal beers on draft or in 22 oz bottles around town, but if you swing by their tours you’ll get to see that homebrew mentality in action and try out the latest small batch concoctions they’re testing.

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BREWERIES

Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. INFO BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Smittle ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer 2010 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saturdays, 11am–3pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.thirstyplanet.net

YEAR ROUND BEERS Buckethead IPA STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.9% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slightly sweet, bitter finish, hoppy nose FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . .Pâté, pizza, fish and chips Thirsty Goat Amber STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . .Malty, clean, drinkable FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . Sandwiches, chips and queso

IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . Crisp, refreshing, drinkable FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . .Sausage, crawfish

CURRENT SEASONAL Smittlefest STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oktoberfest IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Malty, bready FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . Currywurst, baked potatoe, pickles Double Buckethead IPA STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Imperial IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Uber hoppy FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . .Hot Cheetos and Takis

WE RECOMMEND Double Buckethead, Smittlefest

Yellow Armadillo Wheat STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Wheat ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1% Everyone remembers when they first really started falling in love with beer. For Brian Smittle it was while he was living in England studying British politics and experiencing true “real ale.” Following college graduation, Brian made the move to Colorado where he took his affection for beer one step further and volunteered at the Hubcap brewery in Vail at night while operating ski lifts during the day. He soon became a paid employee and full-time brewer (a.k.a. “living the dream”). Through his work there he met some college students who offered him an ownership piece of a brew pub in Oklahoma. They opened in 1993 and grew to include a brewery and four satellite stores. After his success in the brewing/restaurant industry he decided to escape the restaurant side of things and open a full production brewery in Austin, TX. On his 40th birthday he poured the slab for the location that would become Thirsty Planet Brewing Co.

BREWERIES

Twisted X Brewing Co. INFO BREWER/FOUNDER. . . . . . . . . . . .Jim Sampson and Shane Bordeau ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring 2011 HOURS . . . . Check website for Friday– Sunday hours starting in November URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.texmexbeer.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS Cow Creek Premium Tex Mex Dark Lager STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vienna (Dark) Lager ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . .Drinkable, slightly sweet FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Gorditas, tostadas, tamales

IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sweet, agave, oak FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . . Mole or by itself after a big meal of mole Twisted X Premium Tex Mex Lager STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Light Lager ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . .Light, very drinkable, clean FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . Elote, nachos, enchiladas

WE RECOMMEND Fuego, Señor Viejo

Fuego Jalapeño Infused Tex Mex Pilsner STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chile Beer/Pilsner ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . Crisp, slightly dry, hot FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Steak, roasted pork, Chinese takeout Señor Viejo Tex Mex Imperial Black Lager STYLE . . . . . Barrel Aged Imperial Schwarzbier ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2% Since our first issue in April 2011, Austin’s beer scene has changed (it seems to change and grow each month). One of those changes: Twisted X. It was started by Jim Sampson and Shane Bordeau in Cedar Park (though their new brewery in Dripping Springs will be open any day now). They held their initial release party on Cinco de Mayo, where they introduced beer fans to the fuego Jalapeño Infused Tex mex pilsner, Twisted X premium Tex mex Lager and then unnamed premium Tex mex dark Lager. The dark lager has now been blessed with the moniker: cow creek. Also be on the look out for Siesta, a prickly pear lager. It is a summer seasonal that proved to be quite popular and could still pop up around town. With a Tex-Mex theme they are bound to quench the thirsts of a large swath of Austin beer drinkers. Austinites love Tex-Mex. Austinites love beer. Tex-Mex beer? Forget about it, a match made in heaven. Could a pico-degallo beer be in the works? Let’s hope so. Mole Porter—that’s the ticket!

PBK Stem & Stein - Southern Comfort Cuisine - 2000 sq ft patio with misters & â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Ass Fansâ&#x20AC;? - Gorgeous speakeasy themed inside dining - 20 constantly changing crafts on tap - Sunday brunch 11-3

- Live Music Monday, Thursday Friday, and Saturday - Every Monday is $10 Burger & Beer Night, Live Music & All Night Happy Hour - Monthly Free Beer & Wine Tastings

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/PBKStemandStein www.pbkstemandstein.com

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BREW PUBS

Barber Shop

Bastrop Brewhouse

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207 Mercer Street Dripping Springs, TX 78620 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-829-4636 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.barbershopbar.com

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601 Chestnut Street Bastrop, TX 78602 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-321-1144 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bastropbrewhouse.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

Barber Shop is another testament to the iron will of homebrewers. With an emphasis on the “bar” in Barber Shop, they left the historical buildings name the same, while sprucing up the inside with a lush wood bar, rustic amenities and a strategically occupied tap wall. Brewer John McIntosh intends to focus on English pub ales.

About an hour west of Austin and picturesquely located on the banks of the Colorado River near charming downtown, Bastrop Brewhouse provide classic American craft styles and comfort food to compliment the riverside atmosphere. Like summer camp with beers! They brew a solid lineup of house beers and keep a decent selection of rotating local taps.

INFO

Double Horn Brewing Co.

Middleton Brewing

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208 Avenue H Marble Falls, TX 78654 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830-693-5165 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . . www.doublehornbrewing.com

LOCATION. . . . . . . 9595 Ranch Road 12, Suite 4 Wimberley, TX 78676 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-847-3435 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . www.middletonbrewingllc.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

double Horn, the first and only brew pub in Burnet County, is seated right off 281 in Marble Falls. Frustrated by the lack of quality beer, food and atmosphere to enjoy it in, owner Dusty Knight opened Double Horn last May. Knight and head brewer Eric Casey have made it their mission to supply residents with quality house beers and local craft brews.

The owners, the Middletonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, hail from the sunny state of California. They brought with them, like many other West Coast brewers, a love for the HOP. In addition to hoppy monsters, they specialize in subtle Belgian style ales. They are housed in the same complex as Wimberley Brewing company, a one stop pub crawl!

INFO

Flix Brewhouse INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 2200 South IH-35, Suite B1 Round Rock, TX 78681 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-244-3549 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lobby opens one hour before first show time (See website for show times) URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.flixbrewhouse.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT How many movie theatres have a brewhouse in their front window? Not many. You might even catch brewmaster Justin Rizza brewing up something tasty as you rush in for the latest Hunger Games flick. Drink from their four regular and two seasonal house taps or one of many guest taps.

INFO

BREW PUBS

Pecan Street Brewing

Smoke’n Hops

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 East Pecan Drive Johnson City, TX 78636 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830-868-2500 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . .www.pecanstreetbrewing.com

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3799 U.S. 290 Dripping Springs, TX 78620 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-655-3069 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.smokehops.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

pecan Street resides in a space formerly occupied by the town hardware store, in Johnson City’s historic town square. Owners Tim and Patty Elliott, with their head brewer and son Sean, aim to make the brew pub the town gathering center that the hardware store once was. Their house beers and guest taps are complimented by head chef John Yachimski’s eclectic brick oven pizza, salad and burger menu.

Smoke’n Hops is Dripping Spring’s newest brew pub, bringing more BBQ and fresh beer to our Hill Country playground. They boast pit style BBQ, fresh craft beer, and a welcoming outdoor atmosphere complete with picnic tables and a playscape for the kids (extra points!). They currently have a pale ale and porter brewed on their one barrel pilot system which they hope to upgrade to a seven barrel system soon.

INFO

Wimberley Brewing Co. INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9595 Ranch Road 12 Wimberley, TX 78676 PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-847-3435 HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website URL . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wimberleybrewing.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT Wimberley Brewing is housed in the same complex as middleton Brewing (Wimberley was there first). As you walk into Wimberley you will notice there are a lot of kids running around. Actually, they are not running around, they are working. This is a true family business. The beers are good here and the pizza is surprisingly fantastic. Try the spinach pizza.

More Texas Breweries *

ALAMO BEER COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.alamobeer.com BRANCHLINE BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2013 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.branchlinebrewing.com

CEDAR CREEK BREWERY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seven Points ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.cedarcreekbrewery.com DEEP ELLUM BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.deepellumbrewing.com FRANCONIA BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McKinney ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.franconiabrewing.com GUADALUPE BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Braunfels ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.guadalupebrew.com LAKEWOOD BREWING COMPANY ** LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Garland ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.lakewoodbrewingcompany.com LONE PINT BREWERY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Magnolia ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.lonepint.com NO LABEL BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katy ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nolabelbrew.com PEDERNALES BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fredericksburg ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pedernalesbrewing.com PETICOLAS BREWING COMPANY ** LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.peticolasbrewing.com RAHR & SONS BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Worth ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rahrbrewing.com RANGER CREEK BREWING & DISTILLING LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.drinkrangercreek.com

SAINT ARNOLD BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Houston ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.saintarnold.com SOUTHERN STAR BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conroe ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.southernstarbrewery.com SPOETZL BREWERY (SHINER) LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shiner ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1909 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.shiner.com TEXAS BIG BEER BREWERY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buna ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.texasbigbeer.com WICKED BEAVER BREWING LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wolfforth ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012 URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.wickedbeaverbrewing.com *Texas breweries with beer currently available in Austin **Limited releases

ABG PODCAST

Podcastin’ with Austin Beerworks

I don’t remember a damn thing about this podcast. I was practically sleeping through the entire thing. The only time I woke up was for the Austin Beerwork’s hat fashion shoot. The ABW boys were deep into renovating their taproom space when we sat down to chat. We talked about that and some other things. Use the QR code to link straight to the ‘casts. —AC

You guys should make a blogger lager. We don’t have shirts on right now. We’re just painted. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I don’t talk, I’m the photographer. This speciﬁc sample is laced with Antifreeze. Just kidding, TABC. I have a poster of Terry Gross over my bed. Brought to you by: