Austin Beer Guide — Fall 2011 Issue by Austin Beer Guide

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

FROM THE EDITORS It took three issues, but I (Aaron) finally got a crack at this editorial/introduction. I wanted to start with a quote from Dave Carnie. Don’t know who Dave Carnie is? He is just the best writer ever. Well, that is an exaggeration. He is the best writer who ever worked for a skateboarding magazine and has a “food” blog. That narrows it down. Anyway, as I was saying, I wanted a quote from Dave, but how could I apply it to this issue? In this issue you will find the usual stuff: brewery and brew pub write ups (updated!), news and brew-mors (surprise hit last issue), maps, etc. But really, this is the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) issue. I know what you are thinking: “This is an Austin beer rag . . . why should I care about beer stuff outside Austin?” Well, you should. Plus most coverage is about Austin (and Texas) brewers at GABF and it gives an Austinite’s perspective on GABF. So there you go, it works. I’ve looked and I’ve looked, but can’t come up with a good Dave quote. No worries, another time. I guess we’ll have to do with a Hemingway quote. From one of my favorite short stories “Hills Like White Elephants”: “Let’s drink beer.” That pretty much says it all.

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

BREWERIES .......................................06 Brew pubs .......................................31 GABF’ed .......................................38 Beer & loathing .......................................44

MAPS .......................................48 .......................................52 OVER A PINT

Games .......................................54 Brewer’s brain .......................................55

Chris Troutman Aaron Chamberlain Josh Spradling Shawn Phillips

www.austinbeerguide.com

My last pint .......................................56 BONUS STAFF PROOFREADERS.... Sofia, Sarah and Leti COVER DESIGN................... Josh Cockrell

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NEWS & Brew-mors

This is the News Return of the Fest

Hops & Graining

Remember when the Texas Craft Brewers Festival went away in 2005? That sucked. But, it came back! And it was better than ever. 18 Texas brewers converged upon Fiesta Gardens bringing 75+ beers with them. There was something for everyone’s palate. You should really think about going next year.

They have been listed in our brewery write ups since the first issue, but Hops & Grain are officially open and brewing. As you are reading this you could be drinking an H&G beer.

not so weak week As you are reading this Austin Beer Week is happening (October 22-30). Visit austinbeerweek.com to plan out your week.

Overheard at GABF “Before you say anything, prepare to shut the fuck up. I’m walking on air.” —Our new favorite Texas brewer

Whoops TExas success at GABF Texas breweries took home four medals at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. Three of those medals were from Austin Breweries (Uncle Billy’s, Austin Beerworks and NXNW). More GABF fun starting on page 38.

We strive to fill this guide with useful and accurate info, but sometimes we slip up. Last issue we incorrectly listed Real Ale’s “XV” Anniversary ale as “XXV.” If you see a mistake in the guide, please don’t jump on Twitter and shout about it. We prefer you write us a nice letter, walk out your back door, dig a hole and bury it.

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) City of Austin health inspectors cite popular bar Flying Saucer Draft Emporium, for over 200 counts of improper storage of plates.

Due to the overwhelming positive response to Austin Beerworks’ canned craft beers, brewers venture to expand into other canned products. Look for Arrow Head Chicken Broth, Trail Dust Baked Beans, and Ten Gallon Tomato Soup on shelves this fall.

72 Texas beer festivals planned for 2011/12.

GABF revokes Texas blogger’s credentials and bans him from festival for asking brewer, “How did you come up with the stout and oyster pairing?”

Billy Forester of Billy’s on Burnet visits popular brew pub on Barton Springs to discover he has nieces and nephews. He also enjoys beers while there.

Season’s Drinking

Fall on a Few . . . by Chris Troutman

With the weather getting colder, our bodies naturally crave more beer. You’ve heard the term “beer jacket”? Yeah, it’s true. Science and stuff. It’s just in the high 70s tonight and I’ve already had maybe 6 beers since I’ve started writing this. See? If you’re anything like me, autumn is your favorite season for drinking. The leaves start turning darker and so does the beer. Fresh hop pales and IPAs, oktoberfests, pumpkin ales, browns, and even some porters start to pop up on taps and shelves around town. Here in Austin you can look forward to the (512) Bruin a hoppy brown, the semirecent Real Ale Oktoberfest (now in bottles!), Live Oak’s near perfect Oaktoberfest, Austin Beer Works’ imperial red, aptly named Battle Axe, Independence’s ESB, the Thirsty Planet Smittlefest and Circle’s HOOLIGAN Hoppy Irish Red.

And for any of you Austin beer scene vets, you know that this is the busy time of year for beer events. You can get your fill at the Flying Saucer Fall Beer Fest, Texas Craft Brewers Festival, Independence Anniversary party, the Draught House anniversary party, the (512) Fall seasonal release open house, and of course, the multitude of events going on during Austin Beer Week*. Oh, and everyone and their dog are throwing Oktoberfests these days. So whether you’re hitting up the festivals, anniversary parties, Oktoberfests, sneaking away for a well deserved camping trip, wrapping up an afternoon of leaf raking, or just wanting to appreciate being outside and not instantly soaking your clothes with sweat, do it with one of the seasonally appropriate beers found all over town. *Some of these events have already occured, but next year is just 12 short months away.

An Autumn Brew

by Chris Troutman

Like drinking seasonal beers and also making your own? Try our autumn seasonal homebrew recipe. If you don’t homebrew, skip to next page, because below will just look like some insane shopping list. John Brown’s Sweet Potato Pie Ale 5 Gallon recipe 7 lbs 2-row 2 lbs Munich 10L 1 lb Caramel 10L 1 lb Victory 1 lb Belgian Aromatic ½ lb Red Wheat ¼ lb Chocolate Malt 5 lbs Cubed Sweet Potatoes (roast at 350 degrees for ~1 hour until lightly caramelized) 1 lb Rice Hulls (for preventing stuck mash) ½ oz Hallertau at 60 minutes ½ oz Hallertau at 10 minutes

1 oz Pumpkin Pie Spice at flame out 1 oz Pure Vanilla Extract at flame out Wyeast Rogue Pacman Ale 1764 Mash for 1 hour at ~154 degrees Boil for 60 minutes Ferment at ~65 degrees for 5-10 days Give this beer time to condition as the spices will be more pronounced than the malt and subtle sweet potato flavor at first. Tastes best 5 weeks after brewing. If you make this recipe, you are legally required to share one bottle with us. Enjoy!

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 (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) 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) 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 (512) THREE Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tripel Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Banana, grain, dry Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Lobster, scallops, crab

coming soon (512) Wild Bear Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sour/Wild Brown Ale Imbibing Options . . . . Limited Bottle Release

we recommend IPA, Pecan Porter, Bruin, THREE *See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com/breweries/512-brewing-co

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.

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 Peacemaker Extra Pale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1% 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 Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, sticky, big Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Cheddar popcorn, Chicago style hot dog

coming soon Sputnik Russian Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russian Imperial Stout Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

we recommend Fire Eagle, Pearl-Snap, Battle Axe

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 winnner Peacemaker Extra Pale, the four friends have come storming out of the gates and onto the Austin beer scene. The Austin Beerworkers fellows aim to make super tasty, yet drinkable beers, perfect for our refined, but also often heat-parched Austin palates.

BREWERIES

Circle Brewing Co. INFO Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ben Sabel and Jud Mulherin Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2011 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 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 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

Coming Soon Hooligan Hoppy Irish Red Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irish Red Ale Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

Note: At press time Hooligan Hoppy Irish Red had not been released. For that reason, we have forgone descriptions/pairings until a later date.

we recommend Blur Texas Hefe, Nightlight Dry Irish Stout

*See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com/breweries/circle-brewing/

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

Year Round Beers

Note: At press time Hops and Grain had just begun brewing, with beers to be ready to drink by the time this issue is circulating. We’ve tasted Josh’s beers and thought they were great, but we’ve had a lot to drink since then so have forgone descriptions/pairings until a later date.

Pale Dog Pale Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans Alt-eration Alt Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Düsseldorf-style Altbier ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans The Greenhouse Style . . . . . . . Rotating series of small batches Imbibing Options . . . . Draft/Bottles (Limited)

Bringing his Colorado beer knowledge and inspiration to Austin, Josh Hare has opened the city’s latest craft brewery, with beer available by mid October. They’ll start 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. Expect styles like a barleywine, Belgian pale ale and schwarzbier to show up on draft and in 22 ounce bottles. 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). Head to the east side and stop by the brewery to check out their regular and experimental offerings. Don’t forget to take your furry four-legged friend as well; they’ll have some Brew Biscuits waiting.

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, carmel, 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 . . . . . Ruebens, 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 ESB Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Extra Special Bitter ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

we recommend Stash IPA, Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout

*See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com/breweries/independence

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 Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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. The most recent (early October) being Braggot.

www.independencebrewing.com

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 Commercial Suicide Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dark Mild ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smooth, malty Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . . . . Aged chedder, fish and chips Wytchmaker Rye IPA Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drinkable, hoppy, quenching Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Burgers, pizza, chips and salsa

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

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

we recommend Black Metal Imperial Stout, Das Wunderkind

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 - an oak aged English mild - 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. Then with a one-two-punch they released their first brewery one-offs, the Whiskey Barrel Aged Commercial Suicide and Black Metal Imperial Stout to resounding applause. The brothers could not fail. Most recently, they’ve released Das Wunderkind Farmhouse Table Beer at the Texas Craft Brewers Festival with draft and bottles coming soon. Jester King has challenged conventional beer thinking while raising the bar high for the local Austin palate.

BREWERIES

Live Oak Brewing Co. INFO Brewer/Founder . . . . . . . . . . . Chip McElroy Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saturdays at Noon url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.liveoakbrewing.com

Year Round Beers Pilz Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Czech Pilsner ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, dry, refreshing Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . .Sausage, pizza, burgers, anything really HefeWeizen Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bananas, cloves, hazy, super refreshing Food it Chases Down Well . . Blue cheese! Liberation Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6%

Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, great malt balance Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Tobacco, foie gras or other duck dishes

current Seasonal Oaktoberfest Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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 *See full listing of available beers at http://www.austinbeerguide.com/breweries/live-oak

Built by hand by Chip McElroy and Brian Peters (now of Uncle Billyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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. Last year they reintroduced their Liberation Ale, a balanced IPA, after a two-year absence due to the hop shortage. Live Oak has purchased land on the outskirts of Austin and has plans to expand into a new facility in the future, with hopes of bottling their beers for the masses. If you have never been to one of their tours, take one in when you canâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Chip and the gang are more than happy to host everyone!

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 Rio Blanco Pale Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . English Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . Light hops, biscuity malt, crisp Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . . Seafood, grilled chicken, chips and salsa Full Moon Pale Rye Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye Pale Ale ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7% Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle Quick sip . . . . . Sweet carmel, hoppy, gulpable Food it Chases Down Well . . . . . .Tex-Mex, burgers, fried foods 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

Current Seasonal Oktoberfest Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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 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 Full Moon Pale Rye, Coffee Porter

*See full listing of available beers at www.austinbeerguide.com/breweries/real-ale

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. They always seem to have something special on tap at their tasting room, whether a cask or barrel aged beer, so make the scenic drive to Blanco one Friday and give them a visit. If you are lucky you might still be able to find their fantastic 15th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout. If you see it, get it.

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 Brewer/Founder . . . Brian & Tammy Smittle Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer 2010 Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . Saturdays, check website url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.thirstyplanet.net

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 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

Current Seasonal Smittlefest Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oktoberfest Imbibing Options . . . . . Limited Draft Release Quick sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Malty, bready Food it Chases Down Well . . . . Bratwurst, baked potatoe, pickles

we recommend Buckethead IPA, Smittlefest

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. Try their new seasonal and first lager: Smittlefest.

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 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 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

Coming Soon ChupaHOPra Tex Mex India Pale Ale Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IPA Imbibing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

Note: At press time ChupaHOPra has only been announced on Twisted X’s website. For that reason, we have forgone descriptions/pairings until a later date.

we recommend Fuego, Señor Viejo

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 seasonl 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!

BREWERIES

More TX Breweries

Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Houston Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1994 url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.saintarnold.com

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010 url . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.drinkrangercreek.com

Franconia Brewing Company

Southern Star Brewing Company

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McKinney Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008 url . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.franconiabrewing.com

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conroe Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008 url . . . . . . . . . . www.southernstarbrewery.com

Rahr & Sons Brewing Company

Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner)

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Worth Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2004 url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rahrbrewing.com

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shiner Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1909 url . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.shiner.com

*Texas breweries with beer currently available in Austin

Brew pubs

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

House Beer sampling Floyd’s IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA Bald Spot ESB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ESB Pig Snout Stout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stout Mullet Mild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . English Mild

Brew pub Snapshot Barber Shop is another testament to the iron will of homebrewers. First announced in mid 2010 by business partners John McIntosh and Dave Niemeyer, the duo planned to take Dripping Spring’s barren beer landscape by storm. 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, a strategically occupied tap wall and roomy outdoor quaffing area in the rear. Brewer John McIntosh intends to focus on English pub ales. He has scored best in competition with those styles including 2nd place in Uncle Billy’s “Keep Austin Beered” pro am competition for special bitters.

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 Recalcitrant Dockhand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter Elba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Wheat Ale

we recommend Vulcan, High Esteem

Darkside Fermentation INFO

Brew pub Snapshot

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

Silas Parker offers an impressive list of handcrafted Belgian beers which becomes even more remarkable if you see his brewing conditions. He slaves away in the Root Cellarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kitchen long into the night, after the restaurant closes, on his one barrel system. From the use of local ingredients and area well water to hand corked bottles with screen printed labels, Darkside is the embodiment of a craft nanobrewery. They plan to become a full-fledged brewery, but until then make the short drive south to grab a few bottles.

House Beer sampling Mark of the Yeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quadrupel Golden Mean . . . . . . . . . . . . . Strong Golden Ale Pale Rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Pale Ale Sirius Dubbel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dubbel Saccromancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barleywine

we recommend Mark of the Yeast, Sirius Dubbel, Saccromancer

Brew pubs

Draught House INFO

Brew pub Snapshot

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

Brewer Josh Wilson likes to keep his beers moving. Josh doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

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

we recommend Pumpkinhead, Red Planet (also Double Red Planet), Bombay IPA

Flix Brewhouse INFO

Brew pub Snapshot

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

Sure you have had good beer at the movie theatres here in town. But have you ever had house brewed beer while enjoying the latest Brad Pitt flick? The answer is no, but now you can. Not technically in Austin, Flix Brewhouse is open and brewing their own beer now. Since opening, they have acquired Justin Rizza, formerly of Independence Brewing, as their brewmaster.

House Beer sampling Golden Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Golden Ale Lupulus IPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American IPA 10 Day Scottish Ale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scottish Ale Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Ale Beer of the Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . Halloween Ale

we recommend Recommendations pending. None of us seem to leave our neighborhoods much. Try them all!

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, Texas 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 Agave Wit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Witbier Bottle Rocket Lager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pilsner Ax Handle Pale Ale . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

we recommend Hop Zombie IPA, Bottle Rocket Lager

! d e ’ F B GA

by Chris

Great American Beer Festival: we came, we saw, we drank, we peed (a lot), we slept (a little), and now we’re writing it all down. And we also put a copy of Austin Beer Guide in Mr. Charlie Papazian’s hand (Relax, don’t worry. Have an Austin Beer Guide). The last weekend of September, Denver, CO witnessed a flood of brewers, drinkers, beer nerds, snobs, connoisseurs, media, bloggers, and lots and lots of great beer descend upon the mile high city. The Austin Beer Guide crew were there to document it all and also drink some of those great beers. For the 30th year of the Great American Beer Festival there were 2,375 different beers available in the festival hall, more than 36,000 gallons of beer, over 49,000 attendees expected and 466 U.S. breweries serving in the festival hall. Wow. This year saw one of the highest numbers of Texas brewing participants with 22 breweries and brew pubs submitting beers to the contest and pouring samples in the festival hall. Of those 22 Texan breweries, four came home with medals: Uncle Billy’s for the Bottle Rocket Lager, Austin Beerworks for

man Trout

their Peacemaker Extra Pale Ale, NXNW for their Barton Kriek, and Humperdink’s for their Uberbrau. In addition to the medal winners, there were several standouts among the Texas brewers present. Uncle Billy’s represented with a mini-mock up of their bar to serve their 1 ounce samples of beers made with Texas love. The Live Oak crew brought out the big guns, serving their legendary Tree Hugger barley wine along with the super popular HefeWeizen. Twisted X quickly floated kegs of their Señor Viejo, a tequila barrel aged imperial schwarzbeir, and their newest beer Siesta, a Mexican style lager with a healthy dose of prickly pear. Real Ale showcased some of the best of Texas’ beers in the Farm to Table Pavilion with their ceviche and Oktoberfest pairing along with the very popular raw oyster and Fifteenth Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout pairing (some of us had more than a few of these . . . ). The Jester King booth was always busy with lots of love for the Black Metal in Denver. Darkside Fermentation’s Saccromancer and Sirius Ale were very popular among the sour fans, as was the

Freetail Bandito (only available at the media lunch. Yeah, we got the hookup, then some of us spilled it on the brewer). Independence was pouring the latest hopped up version of the Stash and many got their first taste of Flix Brewhouse’s beers. And as always, the (512) Pecan Porter proved to be a big hit. Beyond the Texas borders we enjoyed samples from several other great American breweries. The Deschutes Abyss, Stoic, and XXIII were amazing, as were the Russian River Pliny the Elder, Sanctification, and Supplication. The numerous barrel aged and sour beers being poured by Destihl were all incredible (we found them via an eavesdropped tip waiting in line for the urinals). Nearly every beer we had from Chuckanut Brewery was outstanding and many won medals. The line for the New Glarus Raspberry Tart was worth it. So were the lines for the outstanding Firestone Walker pours, especially Parabola. The Bruery’s Hottenroth Berliner was outstanding, as was the Our Barrel by Anchor Brewing. But the greatest highlight of the event, in my opinion, was the Alaskan Smoked Porter vertical tasting with the 2000, 2008, and 2010 bottles. With all the brewery booths visited, the Austin Beer Guide crew noticed a fair amount of trends. Sours and barrel aged beers were very popular as were Cascadian Dark Ales/ Black IPAs. I don’t believe I visited one table

that wasn’t pouring an IPA. One of the more surprising trends was the amount of flavored beers. Shorts brought out a slew of odd flavored beers including a tomato beer, a white Russian inspired beer, and a carrot cake flavored beer while Rocky Mountain Brewery focused their efforts on pie flavored beers with key lime, peach, and blueberry pie inspired beers. Was Austin Beer Guide ready for this event? Maybe not so much. Did Austin Beer Guide make the most of it? If skipping the last session for Pasta Joe’s and a 7:30 PM screening of Money Ball in Boulder are included in “the most of it”, then YES. Will Austin Beer Guide return next year? Maybe some of us. Maybe. Did some of Austin Beer Guide switch to ice tea on Saturday due to “liver quivering”? Fearfully, yes. Did we drink more varieties and styles of beers in a period of 96 hours than we had ever before? Yes, and there within lies the victory. So Denver, thanks for the beers, the stories, the multitude of free glasses, the gross amount of farts in the festival hall, that one cab driver who almost ran over a girl while he was busy telling us about all the hot girls in Denver, the inspiring prairie dog fields, the gloriously clean and private toilet stalls in the Four Seasons’ bar and lobby, the eternal aroma of cannabis in our AirBnB lodging neighborhood, and for the awesome amount of breakfast tacos, omelettes, breakfast burritos, and eggs of multiple styles that kept our punished bodies functioning for those four days in late September.

TOO EXcited

REAL ALE TABLE

MORE GABF’ed

GABF: Beer & Loathing

Day Tripping to Ft. Collins

by josh spradling

Having missed the first Beer and Loathing trip down 290, Shawn and I knew we had to go big to make up for lost pints. So we headed to Fort Collins, CO. To be more accurate, we went to GABF then tacked on a day trip 65 miles further north. We arose for our first full day after a night of hugs, rare beers and awkward cab rides. With bellies full of bad coffee and microwaved eggs from Denver’s take on a Brooklyn deli, we set out to see what damage we could do before GABF even officially began. Our photographer fell on the sword to be the driver for the day. He acted like he was just being generous, but we suspect it may have been due to fears he had about us driving the rental car tied to his work account. Either way, thanks Shawn. The short trip was made slightly longer due to Aaron reading excerpts from his diary entries during his last trip to Colorado a decade ago. His entries were short on beer news but long on the 20-year-old’s dislike of the Dave Matthews Band. Eventually we pulled into Fort Collins and were immediately greeted by dozens of prairie

Odell

dogs zig-zagging across open fields. This was more of a treat than it should have been and even prompted some in the car to roll down the windows and “bark” the way any Texan would moo at cows. As you can imagine, things only got better once we actually had beer in our systems. Odell Brewing Co. Finally, the beer part of this journey. We pulled into Odell just as they were opening their tasting room doors at 11:00 AM. Odell is an impressive brewery that many advocate for distribution here in Texas. They had grown noticeably since some of us had been here a few years ago. We opted to split flights of their seasonal, special and taproom-only selections. Thanks to our American Homebrewers Association membership granting us one free flight, it was a steal. All of the beers were solid representations, but standouts included the pumpkin ale, Cutthroat Porter on nitro, Myrcenary Double IPA, Bourbon Barrel Stout and Friek lambic (the latter two being the first of many, many of those styles we would have on

New Belgium

our trip). We were excited to see Friek go on to win a medal later in the week. New Belgium Brewing Before we knew it, we were having to move just down the road to New Belgium Brewing for our VIP tour set up through the help of Thirsty Planet’s “Beer Evangelist” Jake. We blew past the commoners waiting in the tasting room to the red carpet where we found a special media room waiting for us. We had our choice of a taster or full pour of any of the New Belgium offerings paired with a fine selection of food. Eric’s Ale, La Folie, La Terrior and the Dunkleweise from the Lips of Faith series were the Austin Beer Guide favorites. We quickly grabbed our full pours and made way to the tour. Our guide Simpson treated us to an extensive tour. Sometimes you think if you’ve been on one tour you’ve been on them all, but the size, story, growth and quality of their facility is truly impressive. The pit stops for refills and cans of Ranger IPA didn’t hurt either. One of the biggest highlights of the entire Colorado trip came when we were given access to the barrel room. Massive 30 foot wood barrels towered above us as we learned about the process of how they blend their sours. Then we all jumped the barrier to taste two souring ales (Oscar and Felix) STRAIGHT FROM THE BARREL. Even the most cynical of us were geeking out just a little bit as we puckered from the sweet and tart goodness. One more refill of La Folie and we were on our way.

The day was getting short and with at least two stops ahead we ducked out to grab some lunch. Mayor of Old Town Needing to refuel, we drove into Old Town Fort Collins for lunch and beers at Mayor of Old Town, a bar that just opened earlier this summer with more than 100 beers on tap and a pizza/sandwich/burrito-centered menu. Little did we know, we were stepping into some space bar from the future. The sparse decor, stark white bar and hard surfaces

Mayor of old town

felt like we were drinking in some sort of Stanley Kubrick meets IKEA set. With beer. Lots of beer. My Firestone Walker Union Jack hit the spot after all the sours battling it out in my stomach, but Aaron’s Crooked Stave Petite Sour was the first drink I’d ever seen that guy turn away. Nonetheless, our primary goal here was to line our stomachs for the rest of the day, and the big-as-your-face breakfast burritos did not disappoint. After my attempts at mindless banter with our bartender turned into awkward come-ons, we decided it was best to take off, destination unknown. Funkwerks Head back to Denver and rest before the evening’s events or squeeze in another stop? Back and forth we debated as we left Old Town. Why were we even wasting our breath when we knew our destiny? Funkwerks occupies the old Fort Collins Brewing Company building (which has moved to a larger space since we all last visited) and brews nothing but saisons with a focus

on organic ingredients. The aforementioned Crooked Stave also operates out of their space and makes a nice saison of their own. We got a few flights to cover all the offerings from each brewery and were given generous samples. Begin saison overload. We worked our way through the different takes on the style while watching the bartender threaten to take out a drunk patron trying to help out behind the bar. Things got a little hazy here. It could have been a culmination of the days drinking, but we’ll attribute it to powering through the 10 or so saisons sitting in front of us. Despite the overload of farmhouse ales, there were standouts, including a chardonnay barreled saison from Funkwerks and wild ale from Crooked Stave. We finished what we could and looked at our watches knowing Fort Collins had done as much damage to us as our time allowed. If we wanted to be back in time to get the most from our first GABF session, we were due to hydrate and hit the road back south. As we left Fort Collins, we made one last loop by the prairie dogs just in time to watch one go down in his hole, lamenting the fact there was not an over-sized plastic mallet in sight. Even with the non-stop action, we left a few stones unturned that day, such as Equinox Brewing, Fort Collins Brewing Co. and Choice City Butcher & Deli. Beer and Loathing: GABF 2012?

FUNKwerks

South Austin

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BARS & restaurants A. Zax Restaurant & Bar 312 Barton Springs Road B. Alamo Drafthouse / Highball 1120 South Lamar Boulevard C. Hopdoddy Burger Bar 1400 South Congress Avenue D. Barley Swine 2024 South Lamar Boulevard E. Black Sheep Lodge 2108 South Lamar Boulevard F. Whip In 1950 South Interstate 35 G. Red’s Porch 3508 South Lamar Boulevard

H. Opal Divine’s, Penn Field 3601 South Congress Avenue I. Draft Pick 1620 East Riverside Drive, #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

BREWeries M. Jester King Craft Brewery 13005 Fitzhugh Road

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N. Thirsty Planet Brewing Co. 11160 Circle Drive O. (512) Brewing Co. 407 Radam Lane, F200 P. Independence Brewing Co. 3913 Todd Lane

STORES Q. Thom’s Market 1418 Barton Springs Road R. Central Market 4477 South Lamar Boulevard

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BARS & restaurants A. The Dig Pub 401 Cypress Creek Road, Cedar Park B. Flix Brewhouse/HomeField Grill 2000 South Interstate 35, Round Rock C. Alamo Drafthouse, Lake Creek 13729 Research Boulevard D. Mister Tramps 8565 Research Boulevard E. Alamo Drafthouse, Village 2700 West Anderson Lane F. Pour House Pub 6701 Burnet Road

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G. Billyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on Burnet 2105 Hancock Drive

BREW PUBS H. North By Northwest (NXNW) 10010 North Capital of Texas Highway I. Black Star Co-op 7020 Easy Wind Drive

BrewERIES J. Circle Brewing Co. 2340 West Braker Lane K. Austin Beerworks 3009 Industrial Terrace

L. Twisted X Brewing Co. 3200 W. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park

STORES M. Whole Foods Market 9607 Research Boulevard N. Specs, Arbor Walk 10515 North Mo Pac Expressway O. Sunrise Mini Market 1809 West Anderson Lane P. Specs, Airport 5775 Airport Boulevard

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

G. Little Woodrow’s 520 West 6th Street H. Alamo Drafthouse, Ritz 320 East 6th Street I. The Ginger Man 301 Lavaca Street J. Frank 407 Colorado Street

BREW PUBS K. Draught House Pub & Brewery 4112 Medical Parkway L. Lovejoys Tap Room & Brewery 604 Neches Street

BrewERIES M. Hops and Grain Brewing Co. 507 Calles Street N. Live Oak Brewing Co. 3301-B East Fifth Street

STORES O. Central Market 4001 North Lamar Boulevard P. Hyde Park Market 4429 Duval Street Q. Whole Foods Market 525 North Lamar Boulevard R. Antonelli’s Cheese Shop 4220 Duval Street

Over a Pint

Twisted X Brewing Not long ago we drove north and west to see our friends Jim Sampson and Shane Bordeau out at Twisted X brewing Company in Cedar Park. They focus on premium craft Tex-mex style lagers and they do a pretty good job of accomplishing that. We were sipping on the Senor Viejo, Fuego, and Siesta.

BTA: Alright, this is good. Tell me what I’m drinking here. Jim: That is Señor Viejo. That’s an imperial schwarzbier that has been aged in tequila barrels. We took a schwarzbier, bumped it up a little bit, and we’ve been working with Republic Tequila in Austin to get some of their tequila barrels and doing some aging of our beers in their tequila barrels to give it a little of that tequila sweetness on the back end of it. Yeah, you definitely get some of the vanilla from the oak. Shane: We saw a lot of companies out there doing barrel aging using mostly bourbon barrels, so with the whole Tex-Mex beer format, we thought tequila may be a little better angle for us so we made it happen. I think of this as our little baby. I think it turned out well. So what does “Tex-Mex Beer” mean? Shane: I think we really came out on the market wanting to create a slightly different craft beer market. There’s a huge import from Mexico of Mexican style beers, there’s $6.9 billion worth of beer being brought into the USA. So we thought let’s make a little more full flavored beer. Take Mexican lager yeast, take a little bit different recipe profile, stick to the craft brewing guidelines, but create a beer concept that maybe is something that could gain some loyalty from the Texas crowd or the southwest corridor of the USA. So we came up with a craft beer concept, and Jim and I just kind of created as we went. Jim: So let me give you an example of what the Texas part of it is. Richardson Farms is a local

grower around the Austin area, we get some corn from them, some yellow corn, some red corn. And we’re using some of that in some of our premium lager recipes. So we’re trying to use Texas style ingredients, things that are grown locally here, prickly pears that we picked out of the fields locally ourselves, and using those in the beers that we’re serving in the local market. So putting a Texas swing on the Mexican style lagers. Yeah, yeah. So at this point, we’re standing in your 3 barrel brewhouse here in Cedar Park, tell me where are we going from here? Jim: This is our pilot brewery, it’s a 3 barrel brewhouse and we’re making beer here to put beer out on the market and prove this concept. We’re actively raising funds right now to build the next brewhouse to go on to the next level and we hope to pull the trigger by end of November this year, and hope to be spring or summer next year at our new location doing this at a much bigger style. That’s the idea. So what would the new location look like? Shane: Here, obviously, we’re pretty small. We’d definitely start with something more like a 30 barrel system.

Huge thanks to Twisted X for having us out. To view the video interview in its entirety, log on to the World Wide Web and visit: www.beertownaustin.com/category/over-a-pint

Cross worT

TX BREWERIES

Across 4. T hey worked hard to earn their first GABF medal. 8. N ever mind their name, they do in fact make a couple good lagers. 9. L ike Ludacris, they got beers in this area code. 12. F reedom ain’t free, neither is their beer. Think free, you know as in freedom. 13. I f Jesus’ parents followed this star he would have been born on a bed of hops, instead of stinky hay. 14. S ending divine beers from Houston for quite some time now. Down 1. R ound and round, day after day, making beer. 2. T wo brothers farming for ales, not tomatoes, out towards Dripping Springs. 3. “ This” and “that” are what they use to make the beer that bears their name, which is the same as “this” and “that.” 5. Q uenching Austin’s thirst first, later . . . Earth’s. 6. F amous for their bock. That is all you need. 7. T he tree in East Austin where Chip resides. Dale is elsewhere. 9. G erman inspired beers from North Texas. Is McKinney considered North Texas? 10. A family affair, Fort Worth style. 11. W ant some jalapeños with your nachos? Try their pilsner.

Wort Search The biggest problem when drinking beer is chooosing a favorite style.

Altbier Old Ale Barleywine Rauchbier Braggot schwarzbier Doppelbock Tripel Faro Wee Heavy Gose Weizenbock Helles Wheatwine Oatmeal Stout

brewer’s brain

From the Minds of Independence. . .

Since you have taken the Head Brewer’s position you have made a quite a few changes, can you tell us about them? My goal is to implement a true enthusiasm for the beer we’re making. The seasonal beers and limited Brewluminati releases are a good way to keep us interested and striving to make great interesting beers.

A dedicated and creative homebrewer, Michael Waters started at Independence Brewing Co. in October 2009 working on the bottling line. He quickly worked his way up to Cellar, and then Brewer by learning how to translate his homebrew experience to the 15-Bbl system. Earning the opportunity to lead the Independence team as Head Brewer in July 2011, Michael set out to put his own personal stamp on the Independence beers. With a focus on increasing production to meet growing demand, while continuing to improve quality across the board, Michael reflects on what it means to lead the brew team at Independence on the verge of its 7th Anniversary. What are some things that you have done as Head Brewer in pursuit of quality? I think good breweries make improvements as they are able. I have been able to add some higher quality malts and a different selection of hops. I have also become more focused on quality at each stage of the brewing process, from adding to our dry-hopping additions to how beer is moved from tank to tank, to how it is filtered and packaged.

I have been inspired by and learned a lot from brewers like Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River, Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker, and Jeff Bagby of Pizza Port. So it was natural for me to want to apply what I’ve learned. With the Independence Pale Ale, I increased the hop profile considerably with Centennial and Apollo hops to create a very robust classic American Pale Ale. With Stash IPA, it makes sense to go to the source, and IPA for me is defined by the West Coast. Three pounds of hops per barrel, 100 IBU, and a large dose of Columbus hops so that the aroma matches the name. Is quality all about ingredients? Of course it is an element. It’s also about pride and enthusiasm. Everyone in the brewery has to be committed from the brew to packaging. If you have an exceptional team, exceptional beer will follow. Do you have any closing thoughts? Austin is one of the best cities in the country and the only place to be in Texas. If we can stand side by side with California and Colorado as a beer destination, life will be even sweeter.

MY LAST PINT

Silas Parker of Darkside Fermentation

My Last Pint is about your last beer. It is a celebration of beer. Sur e you are about to die, but look on the bright side, you can choose your last bee r. www.mylastpint.com

Austin. With Silas’ plans to expand Darkside into a full production brewery, San Marcos may eventually become the destination.

photo: silas

What would be the last pint of your life? Rodenbach Grand Cru, the epitome of Flanders barrel-aged sours.

Silas Parker is the brewer (Silas prefers Saccromancer) and owner of Darkside Fermentation. Darkside is a nanobrewery in San Marcos, TX run out of Root Cellar Cafe. They are true craft beer—small, hand bottled, hand labeled and tasty. They’RE quickly becoming the best reason to stop in San Marcos whilst driving between San Antonio and

RODENBACH GRAND CRU

What would be the setting for your last pint? Canoeing down the San Marcos River during the springtime, heading towards the Gulf of Mexico to meet my oily maker. What would you eat with your last pint? One half ounce of Psilocybe Cubensis. With whom would you drink your last pint? Nobody! 8 ounces of beer is a tease. If he brought his own, I would invite Aleister Crowley to sit in the FRONT of my canoe. He’s not the kind of guest you turn your back to.