Austin Beer Guide - Winter 2012 Issue

Page 1



FROM THE EDITORS

Contents

Thank you. When our lame brains first began tossing the idea around for this rag-tag publication, after several (read: responsible) beverages, we could not have conceived that we would have made more than one issue. And we won’t pretend that it has been so successful (read: not a sinking ship) in part to our great talent at guiding folks around beer in Austin. No, we acknowledge that we have grown from 1,000 puny issues to 5,000 almost real-magazine-thick publication due to the magnanimous embrace from you, the reader. So I say again, thank you. Since the first Spring issue launch, it has dumbfounded us how many folks we’ve surprised when revealing that we all have day jobs outside the production of the guide. It is nice to know that many of you think we are “pros” at this. Where most publications have very separate advertising and editorial divisions, we often find ourselves wearing multiple hats. This has forced us to be keenly aware of the possibility of advertising influencing editorial. We try to make it very clear, we are very appreciative of their support, but we cannot grant any extra consideration or concession to their brand simply because they advertise. Wow, that got a little preachy. We just want you to know that although we often choose to take the tongue in cheek approach, we are aware of (some) of our blind spots, and try to do our best by our readers and Austin’s great beer community. So again, thanks for all the love and support. We hope you enjoy this issue. Chris Troutman Aaron Chamberlain Josh Spradling Shawn Phillips

www.austinbeerguide.com Cover design:

News & Brew-mors .......................................02

season’s drinking .......................................04

Best Of 2011 Poll .......................................06 Beer & loathing .......................................12

BREWERIES .......................................18 Brew pubs .......................................42 Beer Porn .......................................46 BP: Daytrippers .......................................48

MAPS .......................................52 PODCAST .......................................57 Brewer’s brain .......................................58

OVER A PINT .......................................60 BONUS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHY.....................Aaron Haley PROOFREADERS.............Sofia and Sarah


NEWS & Brew-mors

This is the News Open and Opening

Award Good Food

Two new breweries are open for brews-ness in Austin: Adelbert’s Brewing and South Austin Brewing. Actually, South Austin was not actually selling beer at press time, but chances are as you are reading this, they are. Easy Tiger Bake Shop and Beer Garden is open, as of January 23. Finally, get that scone and ale! Then, just when you thought Austin was beyond flush with breweries and brew pubs, along comes Pinthouse Pizza. This new brew pub is set to open in mid-2012 on Burnet Road, smack dab between the Draught House and Billy’s on Burnet. They recently received their brewhouse, which will soon be helmed by Odell veteran Joe Mohrfeld. And don’t forget, Whip In will be selling their own beer soon.

Just as we were finishing the guide and about to send to the printer, it was announced that Independence Brewing had won a Good Food Award for their Convict Hill Stout. The Good Food Awards recognize outstanding American food.

Leg-ale Do you get that headline? Legal and ale. You are so lucky we don’t charge for this shit. It’s golden. Jester King, Authentic Beverage and Zax recently celebrated a partial legal win in their suit against the TABC. They succeeded with their First Amendment argument. Now breweries will be able to label their beer correctly and truthfully and tell consumers where they can purchase brewers’ beer. A win for all.

Whoops

Pinthouse Pizza’s Brewhouse

This is the section reserved for blunders and screw ups in past issues. But guess what, last issue was perfect. Well, at least, we haven’t heard from anyone yet. Take our word for it though. It was perfection in print. Typos don’t count, only nerds notice those.

Austin Brew-mors (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) Billy’s on Burnet resident trivia emcee, Larry, rumored to replace Regis Philbin for new talk show, Live with Larry and Kelly.

l

Known fans of math, Black Star Co-op to offer free pitchers for A’s in arithmetics to all AISD students. Must present current report card to bartender to receive beer.

Live Oak Brewing released a press release stating they would no longer participate in any charity events or fundraisers, unless of course they involved growing facial hair.

l

l

Hops and Grain making beer fulltime and as a result dogs are starving across the city.

l

Uncle Billy’s throws charity fundraiser for YouStayHoppy after he loses house and savings to Nigerian prince.

l

Real Ale brewer Erik Ogershok named new publisher of Austin Beer Guide.

l


T S E D L O ’ S A TEX Y R E W E R B CRAFT ngs i t s a T & s r u o T Monday Saturday

2000 Lyons Avenue Houston, TX 77020

Sign up for our Austin newsletter at www.saintarnold.com


Season’s Drinking

Winterlong by AARON CHAMBERLAIN

Let’s face it, the best thing to drink on a

cold winter night is a mug of hot cocoa. But this is a beer guide, so let’s talk beers, shall we. Last issue Chris claimed there was such a thing as a “beer jacket.” It’s true, I’ve experienced it myself. Even with no spots near a heater at Draught House one winter’s eve, I was perfectly warm with a couple (few) beers under my belt. You just need to drink the right kinds of beer. Try that Sputnik from Austin Beerworks. It’s literally (almost) alcoholic coffee. Warm it

up and drink it around a hobo fire. Live Oak Old Tree Hugger is around town again. It’s rare, but if you find it, it will definitely keep you toasty. Wanna turn up the heat another notch? Then grab a (512) Cascabel Stout. The addition of cascabel chiles gives this jacket another layer of protection from the winter chill. These are only a few beers to suit up with this winter. Figure out your favorite style of beer jacket and stay warm.

Beer & Cheese Dip

What kind of beer publication would we be without some kind of beer/food recipe? People love this stuff. Contributed by our friend Beer Bitty (Heather Lewis) of www.beerbitty.com This is my favorite ‘go to’ dish when there’s any type of gathering. It can be served hot or cold and its versatility makes it perfect any time of the year. Jazz it up to fit the occasion or use one of the variations below. INGREDIENTS - 1/4 cup beer* - 1/3 cup monterey jack or mild white cheddar, grated - 1/4 cup flavorful cheese*, grated - 4 ounces cream cheese

- 2 tbs. sour cream - 2 tbs. minced yellow onion (optional) - 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or 1 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

*See variations below for suggestions STEPS 1) Mix everything together in a large bowl until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 2) If serving hot, cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the cheese has melted and the dip is warm. 3) Serve with vegetables and bread.

VARIATIONS Chipotle Chorizo Dip Beer: Austin Beerworks Peacemaker. Cheese: Muenster. Chop 2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo. Add during Step #1 with 1 tbs. adobo sauce and 1/4 cup cooked Mexican chorizo. Serve hot. Spinach Artichoke Dip (pictured) Beer: St. Arnold Lawnmower. Cheese: Parmesan. Saute the onion and garlic in 1 tbs. butter with 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes. Add remaining ingredients and proceed with Step #2. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in 3/4 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach and a handful of artichoke hearts. Serve hot.



ide u G eer B n sti Au

Best of 2011 Readers’ Po ll Everyone loves a list. Everyone loves to vote in silly online polls, except for Josh. He hates them. So we were not surprised when thousands of you cast your vote in our first ever best of the year reader’s poll. Austin is a big city, beer-wise. We now have 13 breweries and 5 brew pubs . . . 6 if you count both Uncle Billy’s locations . . . 7 if you count BJ’s Brewhouse . . . 8 if you count both of their locations. And for the record, we don’t count BJ’s, nothing personal. You get the point, we got a lot beer stuff happening for a city of our size.

How do you narrow all this down into 10 categories. It’s tough. It’s not fair. There is too much brew goodness going on right now. But we have to, we must choose our favorites. It is our duty as Austinites. And for all you “Austinites” who did not vote this year, you better get your cyber asses out to the cyber polls next year. This is no joke, this is beer. You will also notice we gave you our “Editors’ Choice.” These were decided by our vote (Chris, Josh, Shawn and Aaron).

Best Brewery JESTER KING CRAFT BREWERY Picking your favorite brewery is hard. It’s like choosing a favorite child, near impossible. Although I am pretty sure I was my mother’s favorite. In the end Jester King came out on top. They received a little over 20% of the vote. Their lawsuit probably had something to do with it, but most likely it was their killer beer and beautiful, evolving hill country brewery.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Real Ale Brewing Company

Jester King


Best New Brewery AUSTIN BEERWORKS This was no competition, Austin Beerworks came through big with 71% of the popular vote. They kept busy this year, brewing four regular beers (all on draft and three in cans) and two seasonals. If that wasn’t enough, they went out to Denver for GABF and came back with a silver medal. Not bad for a first year.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Austin Beerworks

Best Brew Pub DRAUGHT HOUSE PUB & BREWERY What makes a great brew pub? Is good beer enough? How much does food play into the equation? Is a relaxed, fun atmosphere important? Everyone has their own ideas about these questions. And for most people in Austin (at least the ones answering this poll) the Draught House fits the bill. Black Star Co-op and Uncle Billy’s were no slouches either, but they just could not put together the votes like DH did. With a constantly changing menu of house beers you could almost never go in and have the same beer, unless that double red (which needs to come back, HINT HINT) is on . . . I always order that.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Uncle Billy’s


Best Overall Beer FLIX BEER OF THE DEAD Don’t look at us, we’ve never had it. But now we will, just have to wait around until next fall. Flix Brewhouse was definitely the best at turning out the vote. They did well in many categories and came up number one with Beer of the Dead. Take note breweries. Flix did it right. Jester King Black Metal Stout and Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle IPA were a hair away.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Live Oak Primus

Best New Beer JESTER KING FARMHOUSE BLACK METAL STOUT We were surprised Farmhouse Black Metal Stout took the win in this category, not because it is a bad beer. It is a really good beer, but we can’t imagine all the people that voted for it actually drank it. We’ve hypothesized that a lot of people thought they were voting for the original BMS. But maybe we are wrong and thousands of drinkers enjoyed FBMS this year. Either way, it is a worthy choice. Only one vote separated FBMS from Real Ale’s 15th Anniversary Ale, another stellar imperial stout. Real Ale should really think about making that, at least, a seasonal.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Real Ale 15th Anniversary Ale


Best BEER BAR DRAUGHT HOUSE PUB & BREWERY Didn’t we just talk about the Draught House? Oh yeah, they won for best brew pub too. You can’t keep the DH down. We all love the Draught House, but can we all make an agreement now to stop calling it the “Draught Horse” or the “Drot House”? Our readers are not the only ones that recognize the glory of DH. They were (again) just named one of the top 100 beer bars in the nation by Draft Magazine. They are no Austin Beer Guide, but still, that is pretty good. Ok, back to the Draught House. Did you know they have free sausages on Saturday? Of course you did. You voted for them, right? Still miss the pizzas on Wednesdays though.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Draught House

Best Personality, Brewer, Owner, Advocate DUDES FROM JESTER KING With their recent lawsuit, Jester King was a shoe in for this category. Sure others have taken on the fight, but suing the TABC just feels more exciting. Along with Authentic Beverages and Zax restaurant, their partners in crime, Jester King helped change the Texas beer landscape.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Brian “Swifty” Peters of Uncle Billy’s and Texas Craft Brewers Guild

Michael Steffing of Jester king with Attorney Pete Kennedy and Jim Houchins of Authentic Beverages Talking about the TABC Lawsuit


Best Beer Event TEXAS CRAFT BREWERS FESTIVAL After a six year hiatus, the Texas Craft Brewers Festival was back and better than ever. Actually, we don’t know if it was “better than ever” since this was our first one. But, it was a lot of fun and obviously we are not the only ones that thought that. This was the clear winner in the category. Can’t wait until next year.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Texas Craft Brewers Festival

Best Bottle Shop WHIP IN No place came close to Whip In in this category. Sunrise Mini Mart and Spec’s (if you add up all locations) had strong showings, but Whip In is a hard place to beat. You can buy a bottle, enjoy number of beers on tap, nosh (hate that word) on some killer Indian fare or do almost anything else you can do in any other corner store in town. AND they will be selling their own house brewed beer this spring. I think Whip In is trying to take over the world.

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Sunrise Mini Mart

Best Branding and Design AUSTIN BEERWORKS It was a death match between Austin Beerworks (designed by Helms Workshop) and Jester King (designed by Josh Cockrell). JK put up a good fight, but ABW emerged victorious with their bold, crisp design. On a related note, these two designers also designed our last two covers: Winter (Helms) and Fall (Cockrell).

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Tie between Jester King and Austin Beerworks



Beer & Loathing

Daytripping: Off the Wagons West

by CHRIS TROUTMAN

For this edition we brought the Beer and Loathing back to Texas; central West Texas, to be exact. You may recall the last time we took wagons West and made camp at Thirsty Planet, Jester King, and Barber Shop. For this expedition, we went even further into the wild unknown outside Austin and paid visits to some of Texas’ newest brewers. It was a rainy Friday morning in early December when Austin Beer Guide friend Jason Wallace, the man behind @ACL_ Craftbeer, and I rendezvoused at Jester King for a quick sample of the Le Petit Prince and Bonnie the Rare. With some low ABV beers in our tummies, we continued West on 290 and took a right at the 281 intersection to our next stop, Pecan Street Brewing in Johnson City. Pecan Street Brewing Sitting right across from the courthouse and sharing a sidewalk with the jail, Pecan Street’s spacious footprint was formerly occupied by a hardware store. Jason and I arrived in time for lunch and pulled up a seat at the bar. We both ordered the sampler to sip on as we attempted to peruse the menu while also updating,

Pecan Street Brewing

checking in, instagraming, tweeting, and stroking our social personas like crack addicts. I ordered the lamb burger and I forget what Jason had. Mine was outstanding. I love lambs and burgers, so it really hit the spot. I’m sure Jason’s food was good, too. At least I don’t recall him complaining about it (and if you follow him on Twitter, you know this guy can complain). The afternoon we visited, they had on their wheat, holiday ale, pale ale, and stout. We both really enjoyed the latter, aptly named Judge and Jury Stout, and I think we maybe had seconds on it. Rich and roasty, this beer got the job done on that chill wet December day. We asked around and learned that brewer Sean Elliott was on the premises, and after flashing some Austin Beer Guide credentials, finagled a quick tour of their brewhouse, upstairs game room and bier garten. It’s a great space, but we were most impressed with the 30 foot wing-span Big Ass fan in the bier garten. That thing was a monster. I should have taken a picture of it. Pecan Street; go for the beer, stay for the fan. At this point we decided to continue our journey west out to Marble Falls to visit Central


Texas’ other new brew pub, Double Horn, but we realized we wouldn’t have time. So I’ll have to use a little literary creative license and just fill the story gaps with a later solo trip I took to Double Horn (stick with me). Double Horn Brewing Company So we, um, yeah, we got back in the car and took full advantage of the 75 MPH speed limit on that stretch of 281 to get to Double Horn in less than 20 minutes. Double Horn sits right off the main thoroughfare in Marble Falls and is not hard to find. As we entered the building, I was surprised at how nice it was. Please don’t interpret that as a backhanded comment; it is really pretty nice in there. We sat down at the bar and ordered the sampler. That day they were pouring the wheat, pale, porter, black IPA and barrel aged IPA. All the beers were well made and tasty, but the barrel aged IPA was outstanding. I’m sure Jason also liked it. Remember, he was totally there. We missed brewer Eric Casey, but the other times we’ve met he’s always been a gentleman and a scholar. Real Ale Brewing Company After polishing down the tasty Double Horn sampler, we backtracked down 281 south to Blanco for our final destination, Real Ale Brewing for the Friday tour and tasting (OK, back to the previous timeline). This particular Friday, the Real Ale wizards were tapping a ghost chilly, cocao nibs, and bacon porter cask named Ghost Bacon Portah. Yeah, it was pretty tasty. In addition to that special one off cask,


on the outside patio. He showed us his newest fermenter, which allows Barber Shop to keep their house beer on more consistently. After successfully enjoying a little of Mr. McIntosh’s beer and letting enough time pass to make the drive back into Austin bearable, we called it a day, and put another Beer and Loathing in the books.

REAL ALE BREWING

Photo: Debbie Cerda

they were also pouring samples of their barrel aged IPA, Empire, and the new 2011 Sisyphus. All tasty beverages, to be sure. Things were starting to get toasty, so we left the tasting room in favor of the tour. And we were rewarded with a world class tour from Real Ale brewmaster and Austin Beer Guide hero, Erik Ogershok. With a healthy level of dry wit and an “is he kidding” tone, Mr. Ogershock walked us through the expansive brewhouse and brewing process at a level of detail that was appreciated by most but over the heads of others, although everyone came out of the experience better than they had entered. The barrel cellar was the most exciting part of the tour, in my opinion, but the whole thing was thoroughly entertaining and educational. I think the cable producers call this “edutainment.” After the tour we got one more sample, Jason bought a t-shirt, and we got back in the car and headed to Austin. But before we gave up hours of our lives to Friday evening traffic on Mopac, we dropped into Barber Shop for one last pint. Owner/ brewer John McIntosh was present, serving beers and putting up plastic weather guards


First Course

Hoisin BBQ pork tapas with jalapeĂąo escabeche and cilantro sour cream paired with Golden Ale.

Third Course

Marinated King Trumpet mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, shaved horseradish and walnuts over ‹„„ Ž‡––—…‡ ƒÂ?† †”‹œœŽ‡† ™‹–Š ‹Â?‰‡” ”—ƍ‡ ‹Â?ƒ‹‰”‡––‡ ’ƒ‹”‡† ™‹–Š ƒ–‡ŽŽ‹–‡ ‡Ž‰‹ƒÂ? ‡†Ǥ

Fifth Course

Cinnamon Pecan cake with baked apples and caramel sauce paired with Black Gold Imperial Stout.

Second Course

Guajillo Pozole with hominy, green chilies and turkey topped with fresh avocado, limes and cabbage paired with Lupulus IPA.

Fourth Course

Cold smoked Akaushi brisket slow roasted with a white bean bacon sautee with spinach. Topped with a roasted garlic demi glace paired with Kill Shot Scotch Ale.

$59.95 per person. Includes tax and gratuity. Make your reservation today! ‹•‹– ™™™Ǥƪ‹š„”‡™Š‘—•‡Ǥ…‘Â? ƒÂ?† …Ž‹…Â? Dz’—”…Šƒ•‡ –‹…Â?‡–•dz –‘ ‰‡– ›‘—”• –‘†ƒ›Ǩ

Š‡ Ƥ”•– ‘ˆ ‡˜‡”› Â?‘Â?–Š ƒ– Ž‹š ”‡™Š‘—•‡ǥ ™‡ –ƒ’ ƒ Â?‡™ „‡‡” ˆ”‘Â? ‘—” •‡”‹‡• ‘ˆ a rolling pro-am competition for local homebrewers. The winning homebrewer choses a charitable organization and we donate 10% of the proceeds from their „‡‡” –‘ –Š‡‹” ‘”‰ƒÂ?‹œƒ–‹‘Â? ‘ˆ …Š‘‹…‡Ǥ ‡šƒ• ‡…ƒÂ? ”‘™Â? Ž‡ •—’’‘”–‡† Š‡ Šƒ’–‡” ‘ˆ ‘—–Š ‡šƒ• ‹Â? ‡…‡Â?„‡” ƒÂ?† Žƒ…Â? ‘Ž† —••‹ƒÂ? Â?’‡”‹ƒŽ –‘—– ‹• supporting the American Cancer Society throughout January. Stop in every month and enjoy a beer for the cure! 2200 S IH 35 ÂĽ Exit Hesters Crossing Round Rock, TX 78681 www.flixbrewhouse.com ÂĽ (512) 244-FLIX




BREWERIES

(512) Brewing Co. INFO Brewer/Founder . . . . Kevin Brand (Owner), Nate Seale (Brewer) Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer 2008 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rotating Open Houses url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.512brewing.com

Year Round Beers

Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smooth, slight burn, Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . Refried beans, quesadillas, corn

we recommend Pecan Porter, Cascabel Stout *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com

(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) 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

Current Seasonal (512) Cascabel Cream Stout Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chile Stout ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Kevin Brand and his wife moved to Austin from California in early 2008 to start the brewery and were brewing beer that same 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 have released a limited number of bottles of Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter in the past and sprinkled them around town. These hot commodities moved off shelves in increments of minutes and created a city wide scavenger hunt/craze/mania/wild goose chase akin to the Saint Arnold Divine Reserve releases in Houston. Keep your eyes open for (512) THREE, their third anniversary ale, which was released in early October. While you are looking for THREE, don’t forget Wild Bear, (512)’s first sour ale.


WIT

PALE

PECAN PORTER

IPA

Now available: (512) Cascabel Cream Stout Next Up: (512) Black IPA Untitled-1 1

1/11/12 11:09 PM


BREWERIES

Adelbert’s Brewery INFO Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Hovey Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2011/12 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Check website url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.adelbertsbeer.com

Year Round Beers Rambler Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Style Blonde Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . . . Bright, semi-spicy, drinkable Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Chicken, cheese, grilled tilapia, rustic bread

Tripel B Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Style Tripel Ale Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Naked Nun Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Witbier Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Philosophizer Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saison Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle

we recommend Scratchin’ Hippo, Rambler Ale

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

coming soon Dancin’ Monks Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Style Dubbel Ale Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Flyin’ Monks Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Style Quad Ale Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle 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. Inspired by his brother’s willingness to chase his dreams, Scott decided to turn his homebrew hobby into a career. 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 to Austin 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.



AUSTIN BEERWORKS

BL AC K T H U N DE R

G E R M AN -ST YLE S C HWARZ



r inne W l eda M F GAB 1 1 0 2

Austin Beerworks INFO

Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . Adam DeBower, Michael Graham, Mike McGovern and Will Golden Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer 2011 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Check website url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.austinbeerworks.com

Year Round Beers Black Thunder German Schwarz Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Schwarzbier ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2% 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, piney Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . . Thai, steak, spicy Italian

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 Sputnik Russian Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russian Imperial Stout Imbibing Options . . . Draft/Specialty Growler Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coffee, sticky, big Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . Cream, cigarettes, biscotti, morning paper

we recommend Fire Eagle, Black Thunder, Sputnik

Peacemaker Extra Pale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans 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. With their regular lineup of four beers, including 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.


RAISE YOUR PINT, NOT YOUR KILT!

RAHR & SONS BREWING CO. FORT WORTH, TX www.rahrbrewing.com


BREWERIES

Circle Brewing Co. INFO Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ben Sabel and Jud Mulherin Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2010/11 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Check website url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.circlebrewing.com

Year Round Beers Blur Texas Hefe Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft 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 Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Light hops, spicy, biscuity malt, crisp Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . . . Grilled meats, chips and salsa, seafood

Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roasty, dry, cocoa Food it Chases Down Well . . . Raw oysters, shepherd’s pie, stew Epic Hop Bock Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bock Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slightly hoppy, malty Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . Any food served out of a food truck

Current Seasonal Nameless Winter Amber Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter Warmer Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spicy, hoppy, malty Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Fruit cake, ginger bread cookies, honey baked ham

we recommend Blur Texas Hefe, Nightlight Dry Irish Stout

Nightlight Dry Irish Stout Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irish Dry Stout ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Ben Sable 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.”


BREWERIES

Hops and Grain Brewery INFO

we recommend

Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Josh Hare Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2011/12 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Friday 2-6pm Saturday 12-4pm url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hopsandgrain.com

Alt-eration, Greenhouse Beers

Year Round Beers Pale Dog Pale Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0% Imbibing Options . . . . . Draft/Cans (To Come) 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 (To Come) Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Malty, nutty, moody Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . . . .Grilled fish, any kind of meat on a stick The Greenhouse Style . . . . . . . Rotating series of small batches Imbibing Options . . . Draft/Bottles (In future) Bringing his Colorado beer knowledge and inspiration to Austin, Josh Hare has opened one of Austin’s latest craft brewery. They started out with two year-round beers that will be canned for easy use during your outdoor drinking endeavors. Additionally, Josh has plans to brew up to 10 more experimental beers in his first year on the 3 barrel pilot system they’ve dubbed The Greenhouse. You may have had their porter. Expect more styles like a barleywine, Belgian pale ale and schwarzbier to show up on draft and in 22 ounce bottles. 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 (from what we’ve seen at beer festivals, people can be quite fond of them after a few drinks too).


BREWERIES

Independence Brewing Co. INFO Brewer/Founder . . . Rob & Amy Cartwright Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2004 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . 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 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 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

Current Seasonal Jasperilla Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Old Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottles Quick Sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big, boozy, dark fruits Food it Chases Down Well . . . .Wild game, rich cheeses, plums

we recommend Stash IPA, Convict Hill, Jasperilla *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. This year 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



BREWERIES

Jester King Craft Brewery INFO Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . Jeffrey Stuffings and Michael Steffing Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fall 2010 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Most Saturdays url . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.jesterkingbrewery.com

Year Round Beers Farmhouse Wytchmaker Rye IPA Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drinkable, hoppy, quenching Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Burgers, pizza, chips and salsa Farmhouse Black Metal Imperial Stout Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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

Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dry, hoppy, bitter Food it Chases Down Well . . . . Scrambled eggs, pinto beans, chorizo

Current Seasonal Das Wunderkind! Sour Saison Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saison/Farmhouse Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Funky, earthy Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . Apples, roasted turkey

we recommend Farmhouse Black Metal, Das Wunderkind! *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com

Noble King Hoppy Farmhouse Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Golden Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Conceived in the fire of a homebrewer’s heart, Jester King was birthed by brothers Jeff Stuffings and Michael Steffing in the early fall of 2010 amongst the hills in Southwest Austin. Ambitious from the start, the brothers made their commercial debut with a session beer, wearing the moniker Commercial Suicide. It was anything but. They followed this shortly with the wildly popular Rye IPA Wytchmaker, a beer that bars could rarely keep on tap. The brothers could not fail. Recently, they have moved their original lineup to farmhouse versions (Farmhouse Wytchmaker, Farmhouse Black Metal, etc.), in part won a court ruling against the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and brewed a second collaboration beer with gypsy brewer, Mikkeller, called “Ale”/“Malt Liquor” in TX Geek Brunch. Look for it later in 2012. Jester King has challenged conventional beer thinking while raising the bar high for the local Austin palate.





BREWERIES

Live Oak Brewing Co. INFO

current Seasonal

Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . . . Chip McElroy Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saturdays at Noon url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.liveoakbrewing.com

Primus Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weizenbock ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~8% Imbibing Options . . . Draft (Fall/Early Winter) Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bananas, booze, clove Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . Coffee and scone on a cold night, by itself

Year Round Beers Big Bark Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Lager ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . Smooth, quenching, malty Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Burgers, chips and salsa, fish and chips, sausage 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

Old Tree Hugger Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Barleywine ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.7% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft (Winter) Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, toffee, boozy Food it Chases Down Well . . . . .Perfect by itself­—it is food

we recommend Pilz, Primus, Old Tree Hugger *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com

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

Built by hand by Chip McElroy and Brian Peters (now of Uncle Billy’s fame) 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.



BREWERIES

Real Ale Brewing Co. INFO

Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . . Philip & Diane Conner (Founders), Brad Farbstein (Owner), Tim Schwartz, Erik Ogershok (Head Brewers) Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1996 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fridays 2-5pm url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.realalebrewing.com

Year Round Beers Full Moon Pale Rye Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . Sweet caramel, hoppy, gulpable Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . .Tex-Mex, burgers, fried foods

Quick sip . . . . . . Bitter, hoppy, toffee, caramel Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . Sharp cheeses, beef, hearty stews

Lost Gold IPA Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Citrusy hops, strong malt background Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . . Fried chicken, gorgonzola, gumbo (spicy or otherwise)

Sisyphus Barleywine Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . English Barleywine ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . . Coffee, slight roast, quaffable Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . . . Rich cheeses, by itself

Current Seasonal

we recommend

Phoenixx ESB Style . . . . . . . . . . . . Double Extra Special Bitter ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle

Full Moon Pale Rye, Coffee Porter *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com

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, kicking off with the excellent Shade Grown Coffee Porter. Last year they began turning out a series of experimental Mysterium Verum (Real Mystery) beers, including seasonals aged in oak barrels or entirely new brews.


No other movie theater in the world puts as much emphasis on craft beers as we do at every Alamo Drafthouse location. In addition to our large selection of bottle and draft beers, be sure to experience our rotating Badass Taps at all four Austin locations showcasing a range of rare, aged and premium beers.

D R A F T H O U S E .CO M


BREWERIES

Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. INFO

Current Seasonal

Brewer/Founder . . . Brian & Tammy Smittle Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer 2010 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . Saturdays, 11am & 1:30pm url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.thirstyplanet.net

Silverback Pale Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale Imbibing Options . . . . . Limited Draft Release Quick sip . . . . . Fruity, yet hoppy, lemon, crisp Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . .French fries, curry dishes

Year Round Beers Buckethead IPA Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slightly sweet, bitter finish, hoppy nose Food it Chases Down Well . . . .Pâté, pizza, fish and chips

we recommend Buckethead IPA, Silverback

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 Yellow Armadillo Wheat Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Wheat ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . Crisp, refreshing, drinkable Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . .Sausage, crawfish 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 a brewery in Vail. 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. While successful, Brian wanted to get back to the brewing operations so he and his wife Tammy looked for a location to set up their own operation. They chose Austin and started putting their beers on the market in the summer of 2010 beginning with the Buckethead IPA.



BREWERIES

Twisted X Brewing Co. INFO Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Sampson and Shane Bordeau Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring 2011 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Check website 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

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% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Since our first issue in April, Austin’s beer scene has changed (it seems to change and grow each month). One of those changes: Twisted X. Started by Jim Sampson and Shane Bordeau in Cedar Park, they are one of three breweries that has opened since then. 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 the 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!


More TX Breweries

*

Alamo Beer Company Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.alamobeer.com

Franconia Brewing Company Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McKinney Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008 url . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.franconiabrewing.com No Label Brewing COMPANY Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katy Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nolabelbrew.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 breweries with beer currently available in Austin


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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4pm-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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale Double Dee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale Vulcan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye IPA Moontower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Imperial Stout Epsilon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scotch Ale

we recommend Vulcan, Moontower

Draught House INFO

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4112 Medical Pkwy Austin, TX 78756 Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-452-MALT Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mon-Thu 5pm-2am, Fri-Sun 1pm-2am url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.draughthouse.com

House Beer sampling Red Planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Ale Bombay IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA Jubal Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter Warmer Big Tex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Strong Ale Malt Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Porter

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 Malt Ball, Red Planet (also Double Red Planet), Bombay IPA



Brew pubs

Lovejoys INFO

Brew pub Snapshot

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604 Neches Street Austin, TX 78701 Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-477-1268 Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4pm-2am url . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.myspace.com/lovejoys

Located off 6th Street, but a world away. Lovejoys is unlike the frat-packed-shot-bars that surround it, hosting an eclectic mix of patrons and beer styles. With Todd Henry at the helm of the four barrel system, the beers have greatly improved over the past three years. Now with a solid lineup and the gnarliest jukebox in Austin, this is the place to drink freshly brewed beer downtown.

House Beer sampling Samson’s Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale Sad Family Somber Ale . . . . . . . . English Bitter AJ Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Porter Oktober Lovefest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oktoberfest Dr. Shock IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA

we recommend Samson’s Best, AJ Porter

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. Their sour cherry ale, Barton Kriek, won a bronze medal at GABF this year.

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

2011 GAB FM edal Win ner

we recommend Pyjingo Pale Ale, Barton Kriek


2011 GAB FM edal Win ner

Uncle Billy’s INFO

Brew pub Snapshot

Location #1 . . . . . . 1530 Barton Springs Road Austin, TX 78704 Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-476-0100 Location #2 . . . . . . . . . . 6550 Comanche Trail Unit B - Suite 201 Austin, TX 78732 Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-266-0111 Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website 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. Brian Peter’s has been crafting beer in Austin for over ten years and it shows in his solid house beers. Now with two locations, Uncle Billy’s is the ideal spot after boating on the lake or a day of festival-ing at Zilker Park. Along with their regular lineup of four beers, you’ll find 2-3 rotating house beers and a handful of Texas guest taps. Bottle Rocket Lager won a silver medal at GABF this year.

House Beer sampling Back 40 Blonde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Hill Country Organic Amber . . . . . . . Amber Ale Hop Zombie IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pilsner UBT_AustinBeerGuide_5.1857x3.9_GTP.pdf Ax Handle Pale Ale . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

we recommend 1

1/9/12

11:52 AM

Hop Zombie IPA, Ax Handle

C

M

Y

M

Y

Y

MY

K

• Back 40 Blonde Ale • Agave Wit • Hill Country Organic Amber • Ax Handle Pale Ale • Hop Zombie IPA

Specialty beers also available!

Visit us at our Barton Springs Rd. & Lake Travis locations! unclebillys.com


Beer Porn

Barton Kriek, NXNW



Brew pubs: Daytrippers

Barber Shop

Darkside Fermentation

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Mercer Street Dripping Springs, TX 78620 Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-829-4636 Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.barbershopbar.com

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 North LBJ Drive San Marcos, TX 78666 (Located in Root Cellar Cafe) Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-392-5158 Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tues-Sun 7am-4pm, Thu-Sat 6pm-10pm url . . . . . . . www.rootcellarcafe.com/dark.html

INFO

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.

INFO

Brew pub Snapshot Silas Parker makes great beer, but get there soon and stock up, for he is parting with the Root Cellar Cafe to open a production brewery later this year. Root Cellar will continue with another brewer, but will not be called Darkside Fermentation. That’s Silas’ baby.


Brew pubs: Daytrippers

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

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 Middletons, hale 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

INFO


Brew pubs: Daytrippers

Flix Brewhouse

Pecan Street Brewing

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

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 East Pecan Drive Johnson City, TX 78636 Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830-868-2500 Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website url . . . . . . . . . . . www.pecanstreetbrewing.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.

INFO

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

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.

INFO

Brew pub Snapshot



51 st

A

LA

MA

RB

LV D.

45 th

ST.

N

ST .

U GU AD AL UP ES T.

N.

V

ST.

38 th S

X

DU VA L

P

MEDICAL PKWY.

BU R

NE

TR

D.

central Austin

T.

L W. 30

PY. / RT. 1

R

th

M

ST.

MO PAC EX

B

N.

DEAN KEATON ST.

University of Texas

D.

RR MANO

19th ST. / MLK

15th

C

ST.

E. 19th

ST.

K J

I

5

Q

INTE RSTA TE 3

H

JACIN TO B LVD .

6th G ST.

SAN

F

COL ORA DO S T.

W

Texas Capitol GUA DAL UPE LAV ST. ACA ST.

AM

ST.

N. L

E

AR BLV D.

D 12th

O

S T

BARS & restaurants A. Flying Saucer 815 West 47th Street B. Crown and Anchor Pub 2911 San Jacinto Blvd C. Dog and Duck Pub 406 West 17th Street D. Scholz Garten 1607 San Jacinto Blvd E. 24 Diner 600 North Lamar Blvd F. Opal Divine’s Freehouse 700 W 6th Street

G. Little Woodrow’s 520 West 6th Street H. Haddingtons 601 West 6th Street I. Alamo Drafthouse-Ritz 320 East 6th Street J. The Ginger Man 301 Lavaca Street K. Frank 407 Colorado Street L. Hopfields 3110 Guadalupe Street M. Contigo 2027 Anchor Lane N. House Pizzeria 5111 Airport Blvd

O. Easy Tiger Bake Shop and Beer Garden 709 East Sixth Street

BREW PUBS P. Draught House Pub & Brewery 4112 Medical Parkway Q. Lovejoys Tap Room & Brewery 604 Neches Street R. D ouble Horn Brewing Co. 208 Avenue H, Marble Falls

BrewERIES S. Hops & Grain Brewery 507 Calles Street T. Live Oak Brewing Co. 3301-B East Fifth Street

STORES U. C entral Market 4001 North Lamar Blvd V. Hyde Park Market 4429 Duval Street W. Whole Foods Market 525 North Lamar Blvd X. Antonelli’s Cheese Shop 4220 Duval Street


C F F S t GP P E t DP D L U B J M T XXX IPQmFMETBVTUJO DPN t (VBEBMVQF 4U


South Austin

.1 RT

U

BAR TON SP

AR C HAV EZ

RIN GS R D.

B

ST.

A E ID RS VE RI

C PA MO . S

./ PY EX

CES

J

. DR

OLT ORF

F

X RD .

BE N

CH AC A

RA

DA M

WO OD WA RD S

H W

HI TE

LN .

BL VD ./

MA N

R

ST AS SN

35

V

71

STA TE

S. 1 s

W

ER

tS T.

O

P Q K

ST.

IN T

S.

. VD BL

I

S. C ON GR ES SA VE .

G

AR M LA

C

D

E

T.

/29 0

T EY L

L

N.

BARS & restaurants A. Zax Restaurant & Bar 312 Barton Springs Road B. Alamo Drafthouse / Highball 1120 South Lamar Blvd C. Hopdoddy Burger Bar 1400 South Congress Ave D. Barley Swine 2024 South Lamar Blvd E. Black Sheep Lodge 2108 South Lamar Blvd F. Whip In 1950 South Interstate 35

G. Red’s Porch 3508 South Lamar Blvd H. O pal Divine’s, Penn Field 3601 South Congress Ave I. Draft Pick 1620 East Riverside, #1618

BREW PUBS J. Uncle Billy’s, Barton Springs 1530 Barton Springs Road K. The Barber Shop 207 Mercer Street, Dripping Springs L. Darkside Fermentation / Root Cellar 215 North LBJ, San Marcos

M

M. Wimberley Brewing Co. 9595 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley N. Middleton Brewing 9595 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley O. Pecan Street Brewing 106 East Pecan Drive, Johnson City

BREWeries P. Jester King Craft Brewery 13005 Fitzhugh Road Q. Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. 11160 Circle Drive

S N

ST. EL

MO RD .

R. (512) Brewing Co. 407 Radam Lane, F200 S. Independence Brewing Co. 3913 Todd Lane T. South Austin Brewing Co. 415 E Saint Elmo Rd, Ste 1D

STORES U. T hom’s Market 1418 Barton Springs Road V. Central Market 4477 South Lamar Blvd W. Spec’s-Brodie Lane 4978 West HWY 290 X. Live Oak Market 4410 Manchaca Road



North Austin J N

A PA RM ER LN .

B

K

H CAP. OF TX HWY.

BR A

P

O

KR

M L

R 183 /

C

NL

N.

35

RS O

STA TE

Q

INT

ER

BU RN E

TR D.

AN DE

. BLVD RCH

N. M OPA C EX PY. / RT. 1

LN .

ESEA

D

I MA RB LV D.

LN .

LA

EN IG

G F

. AIRPORT BLV D

W. KO

A. The Dig Pub 401 Cypress Creek Road, Cedar Park B. Alamo DrafthouseLake Creek 13729 Research Boulevard C. Mister Tramps 8565 Research Boulevard D. Alamo DrafthouseVillage 2700 West Anderson Lane E. Pour House Pub 6701 Burnet Road

LN .

AM ER

S

E

BARS & restaurants

KER

F. Billy’s on Burnet 2105 Hancock Drive G. Thunderbird Coffee 1401 Koenig Lane

BREW PUBS H. N orth By Northwest (NXNW) 10010 N Capital of TX Hwy I. Black Star Co-op 7020 Easy Wind Drive J. Flix Brewhouse / HomeField Grill 2000 S I-35, Round Rock

R

US 290

BrewERIES K. Circle Brewing Co. 2340 West Braker Lane L. Austin Beerworks 3009 Industrial Terrace M. Adelbert’s Brewery 2314 Rutland Dr, Ste 100 N. Twisted X Brewing Co. 3200 W. Whitestone Blvd, Cedar Park

STORES O. Whole Foods Market 9607 Research Boulevard P. Specs-Arbor Walk 10515 N Mo Pac Exwy Q. Sunrise Mini Mart 1809 West Anderson Lane R. Specs-Airport 5775 Airport Boulevard S. Austin Homebrew Supply 9129 Metric Boulevard


ABG Podcast

Back Door Podcast?

Welcome to the first Austin Beer Guide podcast, brought to you by Draught House. Oh boy, are your ears in for a treat. A delicious morsel of aural candy. Like a beer for your ears to hold you off until you can have one for your mouth. We’re still settling on a name (Hot Tracks, Back Door Podcast, Boobs, Free Porn Podcast, BBQ for Your Boobs Podcast were all thrown around), but I’m sure we’ll settle on one soon. You’ll have to go to the podcast section of www. AustinBeerGuide.com to find it, but for now we’ll treat you with some of the tastier bits.

I want to talk about the bathroom.

Fuck his dad.

(hiccup)

Boston loovvess Shiner Bock.

Congratulations if you made it to the end. Brought to you by:


brewer’s brain

From the Minds of Hops & Grain . . .

It’s a beautiful thing. I mean seriously

beautiful. From the color to the smell to the taste, every bit of it is a marvel of modern science, culinary expression and behind the scenes engineering know how. The process is as much a part of the beauty as the end result sitting there before you. Beer is the dream, the nightmare, the gold at the end of the rainbow, the gray hair growing on your head and the glimpse of absolute wisdom that comes just between your second and third pint. I find it very hard to sit across a table or bar from someone, sip on a finely crafted cup of coffee or pint of beer, and not socialize. These beverages of socialization are imperative to learning about humanity, experiencing people for who they are and not necessarily who they want to be and constructively growing alongside our community. Unabashed honesty usual comes as a result of the fourth or fifth pint so tread lightly, else you might say something that will cause you to waste an entire morning trying to recollect. Let’s throw out a few facts before we progress any further with my one-­sided ramblings. We live and operate a brewery in Texas, which is arguably one of the toughest states to conduct business in as a brewery. We are cursed by our legislative process, enamored with the unfairness of our Alcoholic Beverage Code and repulsed by our antiquated labeling laws. But, we all chose to operate a brewery in TX and therefore subject ourselves to this nonsense. We also, thankfully, get to operate a brewery in TX, which is pretty damn cool. Let’s exercise our collective optimism and look up rather than down and forward rather than back. But despite all of that, Austin is now,

and has been for years, building what will be a craft beer culture worth publishing articles about, worth traveling cross country for and definitely worth changing legislation to enable those of us who have chosen this noble path to operate as free commerce intended. Onward through the fog we go. The fog that is Austin culture, that makes us so weird, turns us on to local and drives us to produce something worth recognition. The fog that we at Hops & Grain have chosen to wade through is rich with culture, skinny jeans and endless passion for community. We’re talking about east Austin, a veritable mecca for everything great. I’ve been living it for years and can proudly say that my wardrobe consists of every form and fashion of the prodigious “Jort” and I like my beard very much, thank you. At the end of it all, beer brings us together and it passes no judgement. Beer, at its core, just wants to be enjoyed. And preferably, enjoyed with a crowd. That being said, we’ll be waiting for you in our tasting room at the dead end of east 6th, and you better bring a good attitude and an open mind.



Over a Pint

Adelbert’s Brewery We were recently granted an audience with the man behind one of Austin’s newest brewery, Scott Hovey of Adelbert’s Brewery. We sipped on their Belgian style Biere de Garde, Scratchin’ Hippo as Scott and I discussed his brother Adelbert (the brewery’s namesake), His beers, and how he got into the Austin brewing game.

BTA: Alright, so what are we drinking here? Scott: The Scratchin’ Hippo. It’s a Biere de Garde. One of the first beers we’ve put out. Lots of Munich malt in it. It’s a rich, malty kind of beer. I like to carbonate them pretty heavily so it’s got a good effervescence to it, but it’s definitely a good malty strong flavored beer. Cool, alright. So this one’s out on draft and in bottles? Yes. Everything we’re doing we’ll do both draft and bottles. We’re doing the 750 cork and basket bottles as well as standard half barrel and pony kegs. And then we’ll do some of the styles in 330 little stein bottles. Tell me a little bit about the history of the brewery, where it came from, the name and the logo. So I named the brewery after my brother, my older brother, he died back in 2000. He loved beer, he was kind of a bigger than life character. Everybody loved him. He was a story teller. He lived a very exciting lifestyle. He lived in Columbia for several years in the Peace Corps. He lived in Africa for seven or eight years. He was the kind of guy that people just loved. He was the life of the party. He’d give the shirt off his back to you. Anything anyone asked him for, if he could afford it, he would help anybody out in need. It was in honor of him. Ok. I kind of fell in love with Belgian style beers at the Craft Brewers Conference last year in 2010. Kind

of looking and checking out starting a brewery as a business and went to a tasting one of the nights and they had up on the bar 50 or 60 Belgian ales that had been aged six to ten years and started tasting all those. And just the complex flavors, the earthiness, just blew me away, the flavor profiles you could develop aging a beer. So that’s where I really fell in love with Belgian style beers. I always kind of liked them a little bit, but when I really started getting some aged ones, that’s when I really loved it. So what got you into brewing and deciding to open a brewery? So I was looking at mid-life and I wanted to change careers, and I always wanted to start a business. So I started looking at the breweries, and it’s a good time to start a brewery in Austin; everyone’s selling all the beer they can make. But I wanted to do something different, and something I really loved and a style of beer I really loved, so that’s what we decided to do. Last year I worked through a business plan and financing. Got money raised pretty fast and bought equipment and built this out and now we’re producing beer.

Check out the full interview online at AustinBeerGuide.com to learn more about Adelbert’s upcoming beer releases, their brewhouse, and some special things they have in store.




Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.