Austin Beer Guide-Summer 2013

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Contents FROM THE EDITORS

The internet is a wonderful thing—a portal for ultimate knowledge and a festering hole of ultimate time suckage. My favorite weblog is a little bit of each, more of the latter truthfully. The blog is run by a South Austin family that for now will remain unnamed (Google my quote below if you really want to know). It is fi lled with the frivolous banalities of ever day life. It’s not well written. There is no cynicism, nor irony. Totally bland, beautifully bland. Good bloggers know to use keywords with their posts. This family is no different, they use a billion keywords. (In fact, I fi rst stumbled across this blog searching for “bagels austin.”). Each keyword in the sidebar shows number of posts related with said keyword. Some of my favorites: appointment (16), bacon wrapped pork tenderloin (4), eggs (5), mini vans (2), rocks (2) . . . You get the point. Your probably thinking, “this is a beer mag, get to the beer!” OK, relax. They have a keyword for beer too. Let’s here what this family of bloggers has to say about our favorite beverage:

I was trying to fi nd a bread recipe and then saw one that used beer. I thought that was great. We have a bunch of beer left over in the fridge from my birthday party in July. We never drink beer so it is a great way to use it up. For the beer bread I used whole wheat fl our instead and also added some fl ax seed meal as one person suggested on the site. We had the beer bread with dinner tonight and Morry said he liked it too.

Come to think of it, the internet sucks. Too easy to get lost in the chaos of it. Here, in the ABG, you are safe. Wander as far as you want within these pages and you will read about nothing but beer (mas o menos). Like Pilsners? Good, turn to page 6 and hear what area brewers think about them. Have you noticed all these popular out-of-sate breweries coming to Texas? We have and we wrote about it (p. 18). Anxious to see the latest Superman movie? Find out where you can watch it and drink a tasty brew (p. 26).

Stay off the internet. #PRINTORDIE –AC

Chris TroutmanJosh Spradling

Aaron ChamberlainShawn Phillips

CENTRAL AUSTIN

SOUTH AUSTIN

BEER & LOATHING

BREWER’S BRAIN

GREATER AUSTIN

SEASON’S DRINKING

NEWS & BREWMORS

MOVIES AND BEER

TX BEER RUSH

BONUS STAFFPROOFREADERS ...Sofi a, Sarah, and Kim

NORTH AUSTIN

PODCAST

OVER A PINT

Cover design: John [email protected]

NEWS & BREWMORS

● Unnamed sources reveal actual success to Texas beer legislation due to Gov. Perry stepping in after learning of the new contract brewer Guns & Oil’s launch hold up. Perry staff reports, “Now that’s a brand the Governor can get behind.” Legislation for the bold.

● Bitch Beer blog(hers) to pen book chronicling Austin’s brewing history. Everything before they turned 21 (2011?) subject to suspect.

● In reaction to the new beer legislation passing, South Austin Brewing is changing their license status to brew pub. In addition to their two year round beers, diners can expect to fi nd a steak and a pork chop on their menu. That’s all.

● Josh and Meg Hare of Hops & Grain looking to grow their family with a new dog, also seeking inspiration for a new year round beer.

● Black Star brewer Jeff Young reveals newest beer in sour mash series, Dr. Vainglory to much aplomb. Says Young, “You’re so vain, you probably think this beer is about you.”

● In another effort to align with the popular 1970’s New York punk movement, all Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. founders reportedly legally changing last names to “Swifty,” says brewer/founder “Swifty” Swifty and corroborated by brewer/founder Amos Swifty.

This is the News

Brewmors (brew·mor [broo-mer]: 1. a beer related story or statement in general circulation

without confi rmation or certainty as to facts. 2. brewing gossip; hearsay)

LEGALIZE IT

Some major laws passed in the Texas legislative session that will mean some great big changes for Texas brewers present and future. Davis Tucker, owner of North by Northwest and Red’s Porch, was a key player in the success of the bills and graciously shared his experience and thoughts on them.

“SB 515-518 passed the Texas House to applause, hoots and hollers. Representative Smith who carried the bills in the House said, ‘I was surprised—pleasantly surprised. I’ve passed a lot of legislation and this is the fi rst time I have ever heard applause.’ The applause was not just in the gallery but on the fl oor of the House where many members were glad to see craft brewers get a break in Texas.

It’s huge, really huge. I don’t think they (the legislature) really even know how big.

. . . TURN PAGE, MORE NEWS!

For the fi rst time ever a small brewer can take advantage of every opportunity to get his beer to the consumer; when they visit the brewery and in the market. If you sell only your own beer you can sell a pint to your customer, sell a keg or case for take home and sell 1,000 barrels into the market without using a distributor. This lets all new small brewers build their brand and gives beer tourism a chance to fl ourish.

In addition, all small breweries will be able to sell you a beer right in their tasting room and brew pubs will fi nd their way to market through the distribution network. So stop in to Real Ale or Saint Arnold for a cold one soon and, very shortly, you could see NXNW Green Menace Double IPA in a bar near you.”

SAVE THE DATE

Summer ain’t that long. Mark your calenders and prepare your livers. The Texas

NEWS CONTINUED . . .

Craft Brewers Festival is happening on September 28. How will the new bills affect the fest? Google it. About a month later Austin Beer Week will be upon us, October 25–November 3. SO ALMOST OPEN

Maybe you are reading this at the bar of Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. If not, you could be soon. They are close, very close. Check out the last page (Podcast) of this issue for more info.

or so options for beer. They’ll bring you up and bring you down. We can’t wait.

Strange Land Brewery to open in West Lake Hills using the Hat Creek warehouse for brewing operations. Not only will Hat Creek now have fresh brew, but they’ll have a constant supply of spent grain for their veggie burgers.

Guns & Oil Brewing Co. were supposed to open by now, but something happened on the way to the fi rst tapping at Chicago House. None of their beer (which will be contract brewed) is fl owing quite yet, but their truck is all over town and highly instagrammable.

BIGGER CANS

You knew it was happening. We talked about it before; it’s been all over social media; nerds were murmuring in the streets. And now it is really happening. Austin Beerworks’ Heavy Machinery 16 oz. cans are on the shelf.

FACEBOOK SPOTTING

Live Oak recently took hold a bunch of tanks. Check out their Facebook page for more photos. In other FB and brewery news, Circle Brewing posted a photo of their new bottling lines. No ETA yet on when Smokin’ Beech will hit the shelves.

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Wright Brothers Brew & Brew are planning to open this fall, occupying the current Progress Coffee location at 500 San Marcos Street. They will be serving up coffee and beer. Forty

A TREE FALLS IN AUSTIN

Uncle Billy’s had an old ass tree next to their brew pub/bbq joint. Not anymore. The 350 year old (we are calling bullshit) pecan tree got drunk and tripped over a dog. Don’t worry, no beer was harmed.

SEASON’S DRINKING

IF I AM BEING PERFECTLY HONEST, DURING

the summer I’d prefer to drink something as

light as possible. For example: Einhorn, Petite

Prince, or maybe a Peacemaker. Or how about

a blonde ale. Those are usually good summer

quaffs, light and fresh. But for Season’s Drinking

we need something a bit more ubiquitous.

Someone has to answer these questions.

Austin is a pretty outstanding pilsner town

(right?). That’s why we picked pilsners.

Lightish, crispy hops, sessionable. Summer is

for wheat beers . . . and pilsners too. —AC

Poppin’ Pils

MICHAEL GRAHAMAustin BeerworksOur approach with Pearl-Snap is to give beer drinkers spontaneous orgasms. It works on us, and we hope it works on you as well.

CHIP MCELROY Live Oak Brewing Co.We want Pilz to taste like a European pils—preferably Czech. Michael Jackson likened Pilz to a north Ger-man pils, like Jever which has a sharper bitterness. It is because our water is pretty hard in Austin. I don’t like the idea of totally stripping down the water and building it back up; “we dance with who brung us.”

Everyone thinks of hops generally and specifi cally Saaz hops when they think of pils beer. But, it really relies on a good malt character to support that healthy dose of hops. I have heard that barley malt experts believe a region in the Czech Repub-lic (Hana) is the fi rst place that barley was grown for the expressed purpose of malting. The malt there is fantastic, a wonderful fl avor. We import our malt from there—under-modifi ed, fl oor

malted, heirloom barley vari-ety. A decoction is good for a pils. We do a single decoc-tion for a 15 minute boil and get caramelization that looks like a chocolate swirl mixing back in with the main mash. Well, maybe not chocolate, but darker anyway.

JOE MOHRFELDPinthouse Pizza Haven’t made one yet, but I am planning to make a Bohemian Pils next Spring. I enjoy the slightly richer malt character in a Bohemian along with some nice spicy Czech hops.

ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing Co.Since ours is a German inspired beer, our approach is to be true to that tradition. We use all German ingredi-ents, yeast, as well as German brewing and fermentation practices.

MICHAEL WATERS Uncle Billy’s Simple and authentic.

MICHAEL GRAHAMAustin BeerworksPilsners hit the sweet spot between interesting and ses-

sionable. They’ve got enough going on to really savor, and are light and clean enough to enjoy repeatedly. The perfect pilsner was made recently and locally (Blanco totally counts).

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain The romance in its history, dating back to 1838 and the tragedy in the Radbuza River. And, well, the alcohol.

CHIP MCELROY Live Oak Brewing Co.I love the fact that you can drink a few and can drink them when it is really hot out. They are so crisp and clean and tasty and refreshing. It needs a nice fi rm maltiness without being sweet. Not too dry either because then you can’t hop it up as much and still balance.

JOE MOHRFELDPinthouse Pizza Spicy and herbal with a slightly sweet malt character in the nose. Rich and malty in the middle with a dry crisp fi nish. A pilsner should be dry and hoppy yet refreshing.

ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing Co. We like a pils to be crisp, dry, spicy, and hop forward. It has just enough malt to support a massive amount of

hops. The aroma should be so enticing that you cannot wait to taste it.

MICHAEL WATERS Uncle Billy’s Drinkability. Crisp, clean, dry and a bit hoppy.

MICHAEL GRAHAMAustin BeerworksGerman festival food. Brats and sauerkraut, pretzels and mustard, turkey legs. You know, stuff they serve at Wurstfest.

JOSH HARE Hops & GrainI’ve always preferred drinking pilsner on an empty stomach.

CHIP MCELROY Live Oak Brewing Co.Absolutely anything—well, maybe not a really sweet dessert.

JOE MOHRFELDPinthouse Pizza I don’t understand why people always want to fi ll up on food when they drink beer.

ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing Co. It is my opinion that pilsner is a popular beer style due to it’s ability to pair with almost any food. Asian, check. Hamburgers and pizza, check. Mexican, check. My favorite pairing would be sushi. Mmmmm sushi.

MICHAEL GRAHAMAustin BeerworksPrima Pils from Victory was the one that got me hooked. Between Live Oak Pils, Hans’ from Real Ale, and anything

by Swifty and Amos of the soon-to-be-famous ABGB, I think Austin might be the best pilsner city in the country. But, Pearl-Snap is my favorite. There’s nothing I don’t like about it and I never get tired of it.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain Our friends and neighbors over at Live Oak are doing a pretty damn good job. And while I think it’s completely silly to name a beer after a dog, I really like Hans’ Pils as well.

CHIP MCELROY Live Oak Brewing Co.Well, fi rst off it has to be enjoyed in its country of origin, right? In that case I like Pil-sner Urquell, Regent, Rothaus Tannenzäpfl e, Schonramer Pils, Live Oak Pilz (we’re com-mercial aren’t we?).

JOE MOHRFELDPinthouse Pizza Double Pilsner from Odell . . . well that’s the one I have been intoxicated the most on which should say something about my relationship with it.

ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing Co. Jever, Trumer, Prima, Pearl Snap, Pilsner Urquell, Live Oak. We like pils!

MICHAEL GRAHAMAustin BeerworksTexas German.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain I try not to judge by origin but I prefer the kind that go after your central nervous system. Show me that and you’ll fi nd a happy pils fan.

CHIP MCELROY Live Oak Brewing Co.Czech.

ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing Co. There are awesome examples of both, but the nod goes to Germany.

MICHAEL WATERS Uncle Billy’s I enjoy German and Czech pilsners. The Dutch are brew-ing some great ones as well.

MICHAEL GRAHAMAustin BeerworksI’d rather have 2 regular pilsners.

JOSH HARE Hops & Grain We brewed an imperial pilsner one time and called it Enlargement Pils. We were seeing a steady drop in our over 70 year old consumer base so we thought the name would be a catchy marketing move. It failed miserably. It’s still a sore subject.

CHIP MCELROY Live Oak Brewing Co.About the same as my thoughts on an imperial mild.

JOE MOHRFELDPinthouse Pizza They are what the original pilsner was meant to be!

ERIK OGERSHOK Real Ale Brewing Co. I like them if they are ex-ecuted with a similar profi le to a normal pils. It is easy to drift into Maibock. Boulevard makes a good one.

MICHAEL WATERS Uncle Billy’s No need to fuck with perfection.

OVER A PINT

ON A COOL SPRING EVENING WE MET WITH UNCLE BILLY’S BREWER AND BEARD EXTRAORDINAIRE, MICHAEL

WATERS OVER A PINT (OR A FEW). WATERS TOOK OVER THE REINS AT THE BARTON SPRINGS WATERING HOLE LAST YEAR WHEN BREWER AMOS LOWE AND BRIAN (SWIFTY) PETERS DEPARTED TO START AUSTIN BEER GARDEN BREWING

CO. PREVIOUSLY, WATERS MANNED THE BREWHOUSE AT INDEPENDENCE AND DEVELOPED MANY OF THEIR MOST POPULAR BREWLUMINATI RELEASES. WATERS HAS A PENCHANT FOR HOPPY AND ENGLISH STYLE ALES AND LAGERS.

ABG: Tell me, what are you drinking?MW: I am drinking the dry hopped pilsner, which is a German style pilsner that has been dry hopped after fermentation, which is usually frowned upon but something I’ve always wanted to do; so against my better judgment I did it and it’s pretty nice. It’s really, really extra spicy.

Yeah, it worked out. Yeah, it’s tasty. It reminds me of Hans’ Pils a little bit from Real Ale but dry hopped.Yeah, they are kind of the same vein. Very aggressive North German style pilsner.

Yeah, it’s really good. Have you gotten any kind of feedback, like some German guy coming in and like, “The fuck! You dry hopped my pilsner!”No, no. Not yet. I don’t know that I’ll do it again. Maybe. But no, I haven’t had that happen yet.

Alright. Well, let us know if it does, cause it’s a good story.I will.

I’m imagining the Sound of Music dad coming in and. . . anyway, I’m drinking the Green Room IPA. It’s really good. Tell me about this.

Michael Watersof Uncle Billy’s

Uh, yeah, the Green Room IPA. That’s just everything I’m kind of looking for in an IPA: bright, clean, dry, a lot of hop fl avor, citrus and tropical fruit and there’s even kind of a wild note in it, a little danky note from the large amount of Summit hops in there. So it gives it that kind of extra element, but still just really clean and crisp and really refreshing IPA.

Yeah, it’s good. I like it. Defi nitely, yeah, dank. It’s also a much lighter color, I think, than I would expect from an IPA with this kind of fl avor. What’s going on with that?Well, I think that there’s still confusion about IPAs in general, but for my money, there’s never much crystal malt in an IPA. I feel like it gets in the fl avor of the hops, so I add it in very small increments.

So what are you going for in your hoppy beers by aiming them that direction?Just to really let the hops shine. I mean, an IPA for me is all about the hops. I wanted the malt fl avor as clean and light as possible to carry the amount of hops that I put in there. That’s what I’m going for.

You’ve taken over the reins here in Austin for Uncle Billy’s, you are almost going on a year now, what do you have going on with your taps and what direction are your taking them right now?Well, I’m mainly trying to fi ll it with beers I would drink.

And you know, for me, hoppy beers have always been kind of a mainstay here and that was just fi ne with me and I have no trouble continuing that. That’s one of my favorite things. And right now, I’m also trying to always keep a lager on of some kind; whether it be a pilsner or a helles. To me, that just kind of encompasses the perfect beer and it’s what I drink when I’m not at the brewery or if I’m not drinking an IPA, I usually, my go to beer is a pilsner or a helles.

It’s a good reset beer. Like, it’s nice and refreshing, but it’s also, when you are drinking a lot of IPAs or stronger fl avored beers, it’s nice to kind of recalibrate with a solid pilsner.Yeah, and for me, a beer like that is more of a companion.

What can that person who has not been here since Amos and Swifty left expect as far as the lineup right now?Well, I think they can expect just a continuation of what Swifty and Amos were doing. It may not be the same exact beer

that they had when they came in before, but I guarantee it’s comparable and just as enjoyable and something that they will have every bit of ease with latching on to the same way they did with any of the other beers.

Tell me about what’s happening with the previous Uncle Billy’s menu, the legacy house beers that Brian and Amos created.A lot of people kind of ask me that and they’re wondering if there’s going to be drastic changes, but I don’t see it as drastic changes, I see it as a continuation of what they were already doing. Me, Brian and Amos share the same philosophies on beer and how they should be brewed and I just see this as the natural progression that they would have taken if they were still here as far as the beers are still going to be in the same style and vein, it’s just a little more selection based now.

So to the guy coming in looking for the Bitchin Camero, or the Agave Wit, what do you tell him is up with the classic lineup?Well, that’s it. It’s classic. Things are different now, and I do believe personally, and I think the feedback from the customers and employees and people in general has been positive. The entry level into craft beer has changed. I really don’t think you can get away with having a brew pub and having the same small selection of beers on all the time. I don’t think it’s going to really motivate interest.

That makes sense, cause I guess those beers are brewed for 2006 entry level palate.Exactly. And the Axe Handle’s still around; the Axe Handle is a beer with a history. It has a history with Tim Schwarz, it has a history with Swifty and Amos, and now it has a history with me, so I thought that was important to carry on. It has an Austin story to it. But like I said, there’s not much drastic difference. If anything, I think it’s only gotten better, because of those guys and what they’ve instilled in me. I said, we’ve been keeping the lagers on, so that’s really important and I think a valuable thing and I think people are really enjoying them.

You came from Independence, brewing the Independence lineup and also doing the Brewluminati, the monthly experimental beer. Now that you are at the helm and you can be more creative, what kind of beers are you making? What do you like brewing?Well, honestly, it’s kind of ironic, I’ve kind of ventured away more to not so much creative, but just to the more traditional lager brewing, which is where I’m really fi nding my most gratifying brewing experiences so far. There’s

just something so simple and perfect about it, and there’s a precision to it and they’re just beautiful.

It’s like a fi nesse beer.It’s just a beautiful thing to me. There are a lot of people that don’t know what a nice, fresh lager should taste like or could taste like and that’s kind of been a gateway beer here, honestly. It’s like I was saying earlier, the helles is like a companion. It’s kind of that common thread between maybe a non-craft beer drinker and a craft beer drinker. It’s a simple beer that is fundamental quality with quality ingredients. German malt, German hops, noble hops, European ingredients, whatever. It’s just a beautiful thing.

That’s cool. Tell me, what kind of beer drinking environment are you hoping to create here at Uncle Billy’s now that you’re at the helm?Well, I would hope that we would just solidify ourselves as a craft beer destination and that the environment will, in as many ways as possible, refl ect the direction and the quality of the beer. And hopefully we can get beer drinkers, not only from Austin and surrounding areas, but all over the country that would come here because they know the beer is quality.

Is there anything you want to add?The only thing I would add about the lager beer is that I do really owe it to Brian, to

Swifty. I don’t know how you would word that in there, but . . .

So I guess, you kind of stepped into some pretty big shoes here. I mean, Brian’s got a reputation and national awards as far as his lager beers go. How do you feel about coming in? You have this corpse of Brian hanging there in the brewery, watching you almost all the time. How do you feel about that?I was nervous at fi rst, but I will say that he taught me well. So there’s only a bloodline now.

Did you have to take some sort of oath or something? He sliced your palm and then poured a little lager yeast on it. . .It was certainly an unspoken oath. There are certain things in life that you just don’t give away to everyone because it’s important. You wait for deserving people. And I think that’s what I feel I fi nd my confi dence in, that he found me a worthy pupil to lager brewing. So, that’s all I need to know.

Must be a good feeling.Yeah, it is a good feeling. It’s a great feeling and I think it’s taken me to a whole new level of brewing.

Yeah, well you’re making great beers. I always liked what you did at Independence and I think this is a cool new step in your career. It’s fun to taste what you are doing now.Yeah, thanks man.

SAMPLING OF MICHAEL’S BEER

BREWER’S BRAIN

WHEN I WAS ASKED BY THE GENTS AT

ABG if I was interested in contributing

to this issue’s Brewer’s Brain I was sure

they were mistaken about my brewing

prowess. I have none, and I am pretty

sure that I hadn’t represented that I did.

But they made it clear that they wanted

a different view of the craft beer mind:

the brain of a tap wall curator.

For those of you who don’t know

about me, a brief history can get you

to where I am now. I started as a wee

tiny hippie born into the thick of the

movement in the Haight-Ashbury

area of SF 42 years ago. Four hippie

communes and 10 or so states later

my family settled in scary hat/boot/

gun tote’n/tumble weed-rolling Texas.

At least that was what I thought at the

ripe old age of 12. I fell in love with

craft beer at Whip In 15 years ago.

That little bottle shop on my way home,

where I could try different singles

every time, really changed it all for

me. Twenty years in tech industry and

many brews later, my wife (the brains

behind the whole thing) and I decide to

open a craft beer spot, Hopfi elds. It has

been a great ride and I have loved every

minute of it. I learned a lot from my

eclectic upbringing and have used it to

make an eclectic wall of beer, hopefully

for an eclectic demographic who likes

it. Enough about how I got here, let’s

talk shop.

My staff and I spend many hours

of, how do I say this, um, “discussing”

what to buy, when to buy it, and when

to put it on the wall. We really do love

beer so fi nding what is coming up is

usually the easy part. Getting it is a

little harder. Distributors have their

needs, brewers have their needs, and

customers have their needs. Balancing

all of those needs is sometimes

controversial, yet a very enjoyable job.

We at Hopfi elds really do want that wall

to represent our passions about good

beer and good people.

Deciding by committee is a good

way to ensure pleasing more than just

one’s personal taste in beer. We all have

different tastes and try to get others

to appreciate our favorites. There

are some moments where it seems

to come together easily. Other times

where the wall will have 10 stouts and

10 barley wines on in August. We take

pride in knowing how the brewer wants

From the Mind of Bay Anthon of Hopfi elds

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their beer represented. Brewers are the

sci-artist (yeah I made that word up).

We really are curating their creations

and attempting to get the public to

appreciate and purchase it.

But keeping a rotating wall has

its issues. We all have to be experts on

cleaning, knowing when a beer is “off”

and understanding how to fi x it if it is

wrong. Just like art we have to present

it how the artist wants it presented.

Clean glasses, proper carbonation

proper head, proper description, and

being able and willing to discuss to

the ends of the Earth with all patrons.

From the “I can’t believe you don’t have

Lone Star” to “I can’t

believe you don’t have

Cantillon” they all

have a place in the

heart of a tap wall

curator. Because at

the end of the day the

one thing that really

matters is the beer

and the people who

love drinking it. Our job is to bring the

two together without making it look

too hard. I could go on for way too long

about the geeky technical side of what

has to happen behind the wall to make

sure it tastes proper, but that wouldn’t

be that fun. Heck if that is your cup

of tea then just head into Hopfi elds

one slow day and ask one of our wall

curators. They get pretty fl attered when

someone wants to know how much

they have to do to make sure it is so

pretty on the outside. Thanks to ABG for

letting me ramble on.

Bay Anthon is the owner of Hopfi elds.

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IN 2011 JESTER KING BREWERY AND CO-PLAINTIFFS AUTHENTIC BEVERAGE

Company and Zax Restaurant & Bar broke the dam with their lawsuit victory over

TABC removing the ridiculous beer v. ale label notations, one of the major (but not

only) hurdles out-of-state breweries must jump to sell beer in one of the country’s

hottest young markets. Now Texas is as ripe for breweries as America’s west coast

was for gold diggers in 1848, as we’re being rushed by prestigious, long-sought-after,

“white whale” brands that are salivating to get their beer in our guts. And much like

the Oklahoma land rush (you didn’t know you were getting a history lesson here?)

tap walls and shelf space are becoming an even hotter commodity than they already

were in Austin’s own quickly growing market. So in an already competitive market,

these new heavyweight brands are entering our scene much like a fat man getting in

an already full bath. We think we know some things, but we can’t pretend to predict

what this shift in good beer will do to our beautiful budding beer landscape. Overall,

we want to say this will be better for you, the consumer. But will it? We’re unapologetic

cheerleaders of the local scene, and that’s for good reason. Well-made beer (not all

styles) is meant to be drunk fresh and like any product, we love knowing where it came

18

from and the motives and practices of the makers. And we understand that crafting a

great beer takes time. The monks didn’t brew the trappist beers after a few batches

then sit on their asses and drink. Our beer town is relatively young, and up until re-

cently, the breweries we champion were working against a beer-business-unfriendly

set of laws. But despite our relative immaturity and past “handicap,” Austin is mak-

ing some fucking great beer. Of course better beer in the market should mean better

beer in the market. But what about these young breweries still learning the ropes

that may drown in this flood of great new beer? Is what’s good for the consumer

now, actually good for the whole scene in the future? Do we shuck outsider beers,

despite the quality and craft, in order to keep an “incubator” climate for fledgling

young breweries?

These are not questions we can or want to answer, but hopefully some of the

folks we talked to can shed some light on the discussion.

When we started picking brains, the first thing most folks told us came as a bit of a

surprise. Where we expected hesitancy and possibly some territorial wariness, we

found optimism and even some open arms for new big brand craft beer. “Overall it’s

a pretty cool thing, cause it’s showing how the Texas beer market is maturing,” says

Real Ale head brewer, Tim Schwartz. “We hit a tipping point somewhere in the past

several years where there’s a lot of room for local and national players. Obviously,

there will be more competition, but bringing in more good craft beer from out-of-

state will keep the momentum going in the market. Getting more excited about craft

beer is going to help everybody.”

Black Star Co-op bar manager, Brian Meola agrees. “In regard to local brewer-

ies, I think the influx of high quality craft beer from other states is a good thing for

the consumer. I think there are some

breweries in Austin that initially got by

on being local without having to jump

over the bar set by some of the national

brands we’re starting to see available

now,” says Meola. “Anything that sets

the bar higher is good for the consumer.

I’m still a firm believer in supporting

local breweries first, but I’m glad to see

more options on the shelves when I want

something new.”

Pinthouse Pizza head brewer, Joe

Mohrfeld, formerly of Odell brewing in

Fort Collins, CO, offers a unique perspec-

tive as he hails from a more mature beer

scene. “We are a young market with a

lot of room for growth, both for local and

regional brands, and we will continue to

see more local breweries open as well

as more out-of-state breweries come to

Texas and the ecosystem will continue to

grow and evolve as long as we continue to

support it,” says Mohrfeld. “In short I think it will change the landscape but I think it

will only help this landscape grow and evolve into a destination beer town!”

An influx of top-notch brews sounds like it’s a good thing for craft beer in gen-

eral, but in regards to tap and retail space, it gets a little sticky. Josh Wilson, Draught

House brewer and manager says, “From my perspective, just being at the Draught

House, and then being in Austin in particular, it’s fucking thick around here. You know,

there’s only so much shelf space, there’s only so many faucets.” And the thickness is

not only coming from out-of-state. “Already you see so many breweries coming up, not

only out-of-state, but in state. And there’s competition everywhere right now,” says

Schwartz. “And that’s going to be an interesting thing—what happens to the Texas in-

dustry over the next five years. And it’s good to be involved in it, but who knows what’s

going to happen.” Schwartz continues, “Everyone can step their game up and hav-

ing more competition keeps everyone on their toes.” Even though new competition is

eventually good for the whole scene, competition is still competition.

With the stakes higher, and more options for the consumer, there is more on the

line now than ever before. Of course it’s good for the local scene to have a higher

beer profile, but that also brings competition for consumer dollars and retail space.

Where in the past a brewery (young or otherwise) would be cut some slack on a

myriad of sins ranging from low fill kegs, inconsistency in flavor/quality, undepend-

ability in supply, and even poor branding, now the tolerance for such things may be

less, as more quality options become available to consumers and retailers.

Schwartz warns that things will probably get harder for budding breweries. “I

think the one thing is everybody’s got to step up their game. There’s a lot of quality

beer coming in here and you can’t just be on the fringe and have issues. Everybody’s

got to tighten their shit up and make the best beer they can.” Schwartz continues, “If

you’re going to get into the market you can’t just jump in and throw something that’s

kind of half there, and I’m not saying that anyone’s doing that, but you got to get your

shit up. You have to have really good beer. The whole thing. Good looking packaging

and the whole thing. It is a business and you have to be prepared.”

“You’re more likely to support something local if it’s the same price, same quality,

than you are out-of-state,” says Wilson. “And so, the local brewers that are coming in

doing something that’s subpar or too

expensive, it’s just going to be harder for

them. The room for error is smaller, you

have to be savvier. You have to be sav-

vier with your branding and marketing,

and you see people coming to market

now that hire companies where in the

past you didn’t see that really. Hops and

Grain’s a good example, Austin Beer

Works too. You don’t have much room

to make beer that isn’t quality because

there’s so many choices out there. You

better know the marketplace. You can’t

just go in there and drop some products

without knowing what you are compet-

ing against, you know? You have to really

pay attention to what’s going on. Yeah,

there’s not as much room for error.” In

essence, the shallow end of the pool is

getting deeper. Ultimately, the “slack”

we extend new and local breweries is in

the hands’ of the consumer. To support

and foster a budding beer culture or by

the laws of free market, let your dollar

do the talking?

As Austinites, we live day in and day out under the weight of the “support local” man-

tra chewing away at our consciousness. And for the most part, we’re

lucky. Choosing local and the best quality are usually a synonymous choice, but

let’s be honest—that’s not always the case. So what is a socially conscious beer

drinker to do?

“What I hope will happen is that local people will get over the hype of some of

these brands and realize that our local beers are as good, if not better,” says Black

Star Co-op brewer, Jeff Young. “I’m more of a ‘drink locally’ kind of guy. Not only

are you supporting local businesses and craftsmen, but in general very few national

breweries, in my opinion, are able to keep up the same level of quality and freshness

that they can in their native areas.” Young continues, “I’m very protective and proud

of what we’re achieving here in the Texas beer scene. I support all craft breweries,

but I support ours the most! My fear would be that there could be a dilution of local

craft brands at a time where some breweries are still in a sensitive state of business

and might not be robust enough to deal with it.”

If you’ve lived in Austin more than a few years, your gut and probably your “Keep

Austin Weird” t-shirt agree with this, but it’s not always so black and white, right?

Schwartz concedes that the influx will initially affect local sales, but in the long

run he believes the consumer will come back around to their local options. “There

are a lot of states that have tons of beer out there, its not something to panic or be

weird about, it’s all going to be fine. Different breweries coming are going to have a

21

certain level of sales in Texas and the local

guys are going to have certain sales too,”

says Schwartz. “And their level is going

up and the excitement is going to go up

and it raises awareness over all and that’s

great. Over the long term it’s going to be a

very positive thing. There might be some

shakeout here and there, but everybody is

going to have a Founders and then a local

IPA and as more people become aware of

their options they’re going to get turned on

to those too.”

Everyone take a deep breath, relax, keep calm and carry on. This is not the first time

our market has seen such high caliber brewers enter our ecosystem. The ratio of

beers to wolves to bison has fluxed before, and we’ve always turned out alright, sans

the beer version of shooting coyotes via helicopter.

“I remember when Oskar Blues first came to Texas. I swore I couldn’t see myself

drinking anything other than Dale’s Pale Ale once I could get it again (I previously had

access in Florida),” says Meola. “I probably haven’t had a Dale’s in three years.” He’s

not the only one. Remember when Brooklyn Lager hit? We all lost our shit over it.

And it’s still as great a beer, but can you recall the last time you had one and it wasn’t

because it was the best Stubb’s or Mohawk had to offer? Same could be said for Maui

Coconut Porter, Bear Republic Racer 5, and Sixpoint’s Resin—all great beers, but

after the initial excitement to get them, we mostly fell back on our local mainstays.

Mohrfeld explains that “there is always a lot of noise and excitement when a new

brewery shows up in a market, city, or state it has never existed in before, but that

excitement does not last forever. These ‘big’ established brewers, many of which are

or will be distributed throughout the state of Texas, will still likely sell less volume of

beer then most of our local breweries sell here in Austin.”

Schwartz agrees, “We’ve seen in the past, breweries come in and we might have

seen a little slow down, but it’s usually a temporary thing, like the new thing’s coming

and everybody focuses on that a little bit, but craft beer is fresh and local and that is

sort of the whole deal about that. People get over the newness of the new guys and go

back to some of the local guys.”

So if everyone is going to be OK but we’re in the midst of a flood of new brewer-

ies, where does all this new beer go? “There is a finite amount of retail space but

the whole thing is dynamic,” says Wilson. “You see Pinthouse opening up a year ago,

Banger’s, and Work Horse, . . . and Hopfields. You see all these places opening up and

they’re all doing quite well, so there is obviously a lot more room for growth.” With

new product comes new tap real estate. The 78756 tap population has nearly tripled, if

not more, since 2008 (not an actual fact).

Hopefully our tone and framing have not cast the out-of-state brewer in a bad light.

They, like our own brewers, are mostly made up of good folk looking to make the best

craft beer they can. And they are at a point where they can make enough for their

22

thirsty cities (a place many Austin brewers are not, which is not a bad thing) and are

able to bring their fine products to our market.

And it wouldn’t be here if there were not demand from consumers and retailers.

Craft beer is at the popularity point where your father-in-law has a New Belgium

Trippel shirt in his weekend wardrobe. It’s at kids’ birthday parties (for the parents),

tailgates, major chain restaurants, bulk membership stores, and even sort of, kind of

at some major music festivals (ahem, ACL). So we cannot blame larger craft brewer-

ies for coming to our market when we in fact asked them to.

“We started off in Dallas in the state of Texas a little over a year ago. We would

not have spread beyond Dallas if there was not a demand for our beer in other parts

of the state. We have added distributors in Austin, Houston, and Galveston at all rela-

tively the same time, I believe about a little over 3 months ago,” says Ballast Point

Austin sales rep Chris Marin. “We are kind of all over the map, but we only send our

beer where there is a demand for it.”

So far all the local stewards have expressed nothing but goodwill and open

arms for the new kids in school, but what has it actually been like being the new kid?

“The reception has been absolutely incredible beyond belief. I feel so lucky ev-

eryday to get up and move halfway across the country and have a following and buzz

attached to Ballast Point beers. Having people working in the industry and consum-

ers alike tell you that they are excited you are here makes me grin ear to ear,” Marin

explains. “I can honestly say every single experience I’ve had with local brewers has

been so flipping positive. It reminds me of San Diego in the fact that the beer com-

munity is just so stoked on good beer we all get along and drink great beer together,

whether it’s in your brewery, or the brewery down the road.”

When new predatory species enter an ecosystem’s food chain, they are not aware

that their presence could possibly throw off a delicate balance fine tuned from years

of evolutionary potshotting. No. The dumb beasts just think, “Fuck, I’m hungry. What’s

there to eat around here?” Fortunately breweries are not

run by Chinese black sleeper Snakehead fish, and the

folks entering our market are aware of the potential im-

pact their presence makes and are sensitive to the years

of labor the local brewers have poured into our market.

Marin explains, “We don’t want to go to every store

or bar out there and try to steal space away from the local

breweries. We effectively would want to try to make more

space for everyone including Ballast Point. The consum-

ers that want to go try something new or go pick up their

favorite every once in a while will know where they can go

to seek it out.”

“I don’t think we are under the impression that our

brand will change the current environment as much as

it will just provide another option for someone to fall in

love with the world of craft beer,” says Marin. “We as

craft brewers have so much room to grow that I believe

the more options for great craft beer, the better.”

Time will tell, but as history shows, most folks en-

tering our market find their niche and adjust, or move on.

For the consumers’ sake, we hope this latest batch stick

around.

Where some folks may be a bit timid around the new kids in school and some are

accepting but hoping to keep the status quo, a few are embracing it and complaining

that there are not more new kids to play with.

“There’s going to be a lot of craft beer growth in Texas over the next few years,

and breweries recognize this. As a result, you see larger out-of-state craft breweries

that have the volume and resources to do so entering the Texas market,” says Jeff

Stuffings founder and brewer of Jester King. “The common denominator however is

that the new breweries entering our market are large ones. There’s nothing wrong

with that in and of itself. For instance, I really enjoy the beer from Sierra Nevada,

and they’re huge. The fact that the new breweries entering the Texas market are

large ones is symptomatic of a major problem with our beer laws that significantly

reduces consumer choice. The way Texas licensing fees are constructed creates the

message that if you are a large craft brewer, you’re welcome here. But if you’re a

very small brewery that isn’t poised to sell thousands of cases per year in our state,

you have no business being here.”

Essentially, Stuffings and the JK crew believe the party isn’t big enough yet.

Sure, we can get on board with that. It’s like when your party is rocking pretty hard

and then suddenly 50 folks from a party that got shut down across town crash yours.

It may be a little reckless at first, but in the end it’s that much better.

Stuffings continues, “We’re in favor of seeing Texas licensing fees being on par

with what you see in most other states, which is anywhere from zero to a few hundred

dollars. Again, Texas charges around $7k to sell both ‘beer’ and ‘ale’. We’d also like

to see the extensive level of paperwork required for a Texas Brewer’s Permit and/or

Manufacturer’s License decreased. Finally, we’d like to see an exception made for beer

festivals so that out-of-state brewers can sample their beer at our festivals without

having to purchase expensive licenses, undergo extensive paperwork and having to

submit each beer they’re sending to the festival for lab analysis.”

Stuffings elaborates on how this

scenario could look for the future of Texas

beer, “This would make for a better beer

environment and culture for Texas beer

drinkers. There would be greater diversity

of beer available from a much greater

number of breweries, many of them being

small, artisan producers. Festivals would

be a showcase of rare offerings from

breweries you may have never even heard

of before.”

Like we said in the beginning, we’re not

here to answer these questions or tell you

as a consumer how you should spend your

dollars. We hope we fairly spread out the

issues and presented a knowledgeable

and experienced assortment of perspec-

tives for you to build your own opinion.

So whether you land in the “it’s just beer,

drink it” camp or the “you can all go to Hell . . . I will go to Texas” side or somewhere

in between, at least you can’t say you’re not informed (assuming you made it this far

in our longest feature to date).

In closing we’d like to leave you with some pretty inspiring words to sum up

this whole discussion. Think of it like the last night of camp. You’re sitting in a circle,

wearing your pajama pants, rocking that new friendship bracelet or shaved head

your parents are going to fl ip out about when they pick you up in the morning. But

this time with cold beer in hand.

Schwartz succinctly puts it, “We respect the new breweries and they have great

beer and its nice to be able to buy it down the street and at the bar and I think every-

thing will just balance out in the long run.”

Wilson closes thoughtfully with: “I think that most of the pressure is on the

producers. I think that the retailers have it the best ‘cause you have the choices. It’s

a competitive marketplace in the bar business now too with so many choices, but

I think for the producers, it’s more competitive than it is for the retailers. And the

consumers are goddamn spoiled.”

Stuffi ngs passionately stumps, “We see it as an enrichment of our beer culture

that will only serve to grow the overall market for good beer. In order for Texas to

truly be a world-class place for beer, the laws that keep so many small breweries

out of our state must be changed.”

Marin, the new guy, gleams, “I love the Austin beer scene, it is booming with no

sign of slowing down.”

Let’s hope not.

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

®

SUMMERTIME MEANS BASEBALL, TUBING, FIREWORKS, LONG EVENINGSon the porch, grilling out, and big ridiculous summer movies—all of which pair well with tasty brews. And if you’re in the middle of a 100 day streak of 100 plus degree days in Central Texas, you’ll most likely gravitate to those dark AIR CONDITIONED theaters before some of those other summer pastimes. And in Austin we’re lucky enough to have a plethora of malt beverage friendly fi lm houses . . . fi elds . . . retired runways . . .

So whether you’re ready or not for a sixth (fucking seriously?!?) Fast and the Furious, another Superman reboot, Monsters University, Whitehouse Down, or the Smurfs 2 . . . we’re sure you’ll fi nd a place to enjoy [read: endure] these

fi lms with a few tasty bevies at least.

MoVIEs& BEER

The following THEATERS have been approved for

BEER DRINKERS

by the Austin Beer Guide

The following THEATERS have been approved for

BEER DRINKERS

by the Austin Beer Guide

Words by CHRIS TROUTMANWords by CHRIS TROUTMAN Photos by SHAWN PHILLIPSPhotos by SHAWN PHILLIPS

26

Alamo DrafthOuseRitz (320 East 6th Street), Village (2700 West Anderson Lane), Lake Creek (13729 Research

Blvd), Slaughter Lane ( 5701 West Slaughter Lane), South Lamar (1120 South Lamar Boulevard)

(currently under construction) l drafthouse.com/austin l Draught and bottles

The original Alamo is an Austin institution. Sure they have the movies and beer

thing down, pretty much hold the patent on that card, but they go above and beyond.

The nerds running the Almo show fucking know their shit. Under one roof they

could just as easy show the latest Ang Lee joint on one screen and Annie Hall on

another. Yeah, and you could pick from a beer list chock full of local and national

craft selections on draft(house) and bottle as long as the Christopher Walken

monologue in Pulp Fiction (yeah, we tried pretty hard for that one) to enhance your

air conditioned movie pleasure.

1901 East 51st Street, Austin l bluestarlitedrivein.com l BYOB

Blue Starlight is located on an abandoned runway behind Austin Studios, their third

location at time of print. It is an “urban drive-in,” meaning you can come in your car or

just show up and camp out in front of the cars on a blanket or other outdoor furniture.

They show a mix of camp, classic, and indie films and mostly double features with

loosely witty connections. With a modest concession stand, Blue Starlite is BYOB

friendly. So pack that cooler with all your favorite cans, bottles, growlers, and kegs if you

dare, and set in for some solid nostalgia (be it drive-ins if you’re old enough or just the

80’s heavy film picks) under the stars. Just remember, it’s a drive-in, so someone will

need to drive out.

Blue starlite Drive-In

27

Central Market 101X summer Cinema Outdoor MovieS4001 North Lamar Blvd, Austin l 101x.com/summercinema l Draft and bottle

Every summer Central Market and 101X team up with Alamo Drafthouse Rolling

Roadshow to show some great big old movies in their great big old park on the south

side of the store behind the playground. Movies kick off at sunset and the cafe serves

Blue Moon drafts on special, and if that doesn’t fl oat your boat (and if it does you’ve got

some splainin’ to do . . . ) you’re more than welcome to choose from hundreds of better

beers in CM’s well occupied beer section. Come early and bring your camping chairs and

don’t be that loudmouth dickhole who repeats all the funny lines as loud as the actual

fi lm to try to garner secondary runoff laughs from your other dickhole friends.

Violet CroWN Cinema434 West 2nd Street, Austin l violetcrowncinema.com l

Draft and bottle

Violet Crown is located in the 2nd Street district

downtown and primarily shows “art house” fare and

documentaries. The VC is more of a date cinema

than a take-the-kids multiplex, with small intimate

theaters, a hip but not too hip lounge, a well curated

seasonal menu, and a modest but calculated tap and

bottle/can selection. There is no theater service, so

be sure to show up early enough to order and eat in

the lounge or take it into the fi lm, and if you get lucky

enough to snag one, this is one of few theaters where

the best seats are in the front row. It’s pretty swanky,

but very accessible—like the Oceans Eleven of Austin

fi lm houses (yeah, I’m sure they’re on board with that

description).

28

Top Notch Hamburgers Drive-In Summer Movie nights 7525 Burnet Road, Austin l topnotchaustin.com l BYOB

Top Notch once starred in a movie, now it’s showing movies. Good for them. So nice to see

a former star use their former celebrity for good, and not just discounts at strip clubs. That

said, every Friday at 8pm this summer Top Notch will be showing some kitsch classics

from the 80s and 90s to compliment their tasty charcoal burgers and it’s totes BYOB.

So channel your inner David Wooderson and plan on taking down some tasty burgers,

“classic” films and whatever beers you feel up for bringing on your own. And if you’re

wondering if you should bring that second growler, it would be a lot cooler if you did.

FliX brewhouSe

2200 South IH-35, Round Rock l flixbrewhouse.com l

House beers, draught, and bottles

Flix is similar in format to Alamo, but they

turned it up to eleven by throwing a brewhouse

into the mix. Yeah, movies, beer/bar, and

brewhouse. So you can get your Pacific Rim (OH FUCK!) on here with a some incredible

beer brewed especially for you by head brewer

Justin Rizza. From solid hop delivery vehicles

to barrel aged and buggy sours, Rizza holds

a treasure trove of fermented gems rival only

to One Eye’d Willie’s Pacific northwestern

stash. Slightly north of honest Austin, Flix

is more than worth the excursion. Show up

early to pregame at the lobby bar and beat

the I-35 traffic.

29

The spradling Methodaka The Dad Method

Best place for a movie and a beer? My couch. For the price of a movie ticket I can get a good six pack and vending machine rental. Plus, I get to pause

This is 40 for the inevitable bathroom breaks.

1 2 3

Beers for BlockbusterS

Fast and the Furious Six/Real Ale Four SquaredIt’s a sequel of sorts, has a number in the name, and is like a tank driving through a 747 in

your mouth. Also Erik Ogershok could easily pass as the Rock’s metal loving cousin. Maybe. No offense, Erik.

Now You See Me/Austin Beerworks Super Awesome LagerIt has some quality folks involved, an air of the fantastic, and is made to be quickly enjoyed

and consumed without much lingering after taste (good for the beer, not so much for the fi lm . . . ). And if history repeats itself, you better grab that Super Awesome Lager while

you can because it did not stick around long last summer.

Pacifi c Rim/Jester King El CedroBoth bad ass, and deal in the arena of human engineering intellect and monsters. Courage, cunning, guts, animal instinct, Spanish cedar, wild yeast and aging over time make both the

beer and fi lm sit on the edge of your seat worthy.

World War Z/The One They Call ZoeBoth Zeds, epic and sexy.

BEER & LOATHING

SO WE USUALLY DON’T LIKE TO DO TWO IN-TOWNBeer and Loathing trips in a row, but we made an exception for this one. Our blogger friend, bloiend, frogger, Matt of the always fantastic You Stay Hoppy Austin had offered us an open invitation for his popular Bats & Beers event for a while now, and as luck would have it, the stars aligned that all four of us were free (we really don’t have a lot going on, actually). But it was oh so much more than Bats & Beer, it was Shawn’s birthday. So you know we meant it that night. Fucking meant it.

For the uninitiated, the Bats & Beers con-cept centers around watching bats while drinking beers. And you’re on a boat. That’s an important part. It will play a major role in our story later. Each Bats & Beers & Boat incorporates a brew-ery. Bats & Beers & Boat & Brewery. And there is also a food pairing with the beer. Bats & Beers & Boat & Brewery & thesarus.com let me down. This cruise combined the quirky powers of Hops & Grain (perhaps due to shared similarities in nomenclature?) and Pinthouse Pizza (AKA Pint-house & Pizza for the remainder of this story). The creative Frodos of each group (I did that for you, Matt), Josh Hare and Joe Mohrfeld com-bined to create a Fellowship of the Bats & Beers (again, it’s all for you, Matt). And this manifested in a Wes Anderson themed hodge podge of character homages (kudos to Bob for his stellar Max Fischer) somehow tied to the beer and pizza selections for the evening. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Our evening began on the southern tip of Rainey Street at the freshly christened Craft Pride. In ABG fashion, we unfashionably showed up kids in-tow, occupied an outside octagon table and plowed through a moderate enough amount of beers. We were debating the alcohol absorb-ing ability of fries with gravy versus fries with chili cheese, when suddenly we were gifted free samples of Dude (dü-tē, like doo-dee) Wipes, you know, for your ass. Gross. At a bar. Yeah, I don’t want to think about needing wet wipes for my ass while enjoying a tasty beer. Get the fuck

Boat-trippin’Downtownby CHRIS TROUTMAN Photos by SHAWN PHILLIPS

DÜ-TĒ

Pinthouse glasses left in it. Four glasses, four of us. We were the last on board, so of course those were all that were left. We grabbed them and quickly fi lled with beer because it was Shawn’s birthday, and we were dry about 30 minutes from hotel bar to boat. Pinthouse was slinging some of their tasty Bahn Mi pies. The downstairs bar was serving the mystery H&G Del Roble while upstairs showcased a fi rkin variety of an IPA collaboration between Frodo Hare and Frodo Mohrfeld with three pins, each featur-ing Mosaic, Nugget, and Simcoe hops. Fuck the bats, this boat ride was about drink-ing some great beers. Each of the fi rkins was mighty tasty with the Simcoe being my personal favorite. We ran into Matt, shared our gratitude for the invite and cool glasses, and were told those “last” four cool glasses were the raffl e prizes. So uh, sorry for using your glasses, raffl e winners. You can take two koozies at our next release party, no questions asked.

I don’t know if it was planned or in-tentional, but a good portion of the folks on this boat were either of the brewing com-munity, or the brewing press community. So there ended up being lots of familiar faces, which is fi ne. We have a great com-munity of drinkers in Austin, and it’s nice to know you can go to an event and easily run into someone you know. But most of these relationships are built upon “What are you drinking? Yeah, it’s solid. Did you try the other new one? Yeah, me too. It’s also good.” That doesn’t play so well on a two

out. So per our nature, we Instagramed it and made some lazy snide joke. Of course the Dude (dü-tē) owner was in the immedi-ate area, was notifi ed when our dü-tē joke hit the Internet, and found us to perform some ad hoc focus grouping. Instakarma.

Families parted ways and with beer and fries (both gravy and chili cheese variety) in our bellies we made our way to the Hyatt hotel dock. We were early, and it was Shawn’s birthday, so we took the liberty of knocking back a few in the hotel bar. Oh yeah, we meant to go to ZAX fi rst, but Aaron drove by and said it looked closed. It was never confi rmed, so we possibly missed out, but we’ll never know. The hotel selection was weak, but we were pleasantly surprised with some Independence Stash pints and enjoyed those while sharing stories of times we’d stayed in fancy hotels. Afterall, it was Shawn’s birthday.

After a few potty trips and scattering some guides around the Hyatt bar, we made our way to the dock. So for future Bats & Beerers, get in line early. We thought we were early, but we were maybe 50 folks back at the end of the line. Luckily the spring guides Matt had requested were able to skip the line and get on the boat, but we still had to wait. It wasn’t long and by the time we got on, most of the strangers had already start-ed socially lubricating so it was all good.

I’m not sure how this came about, but there was a box with a few Hops & Grain and

YOU STAY HOPPY MATT

Austin, we bellied up to their copper bar to order our last beers of the evening. The tap’s were populated by a mix of local and nation-al craft brands. Nothing to raise eyebrows, but very very nice for a place so close to dirty 6th. We got a little silly here, and if anyone from Austin Ale House is reading, we’re sorry. Aaron licked the copper bar on a very weak bet. I’m not sure how, but I’d imagine it was due to some type of mineral defi ciency from his “Vegan Before 6” diet.

Austin Ale House was a well executed bar, with a better than average craft beer lineup, but it was obviously new as they kept an unprotected drum kit with sticks in proximity in the back beside the bathroom. It was Shawn’s birthday, and he’s a drummer. None of us are in any position to say who was right and who was wrong in the situa-tion, but regardless, our time at Austin Ale House was cut short. Guess they’re a bring your own drums joint.

No Beer and Loathing is complete without some infi ghting and empty threats to quit, and this one is no exception. That night the quarreling centered around Whataburger and whether or not to spend extra minutes to get a B.O.B. or two. It was Shawn’s birthday, so his side won and we went straight home to bed.

Thanks to Matt & Bats & Beers for their hospitality, Dude Wipes for clean asses, BACON bus for fries with gravy and chili cheese, Craft Pride for being cool downtown, Hyatt for free parking, G-man for the memories, . . . and apologies to Austin Ale House.

plus hour boat ride so it oddly turned into a microcosm high school where you sort of know everyone, but don’t feel obliged to get out of your own clique. And the presence of Bob’s spot-on Max Fischer only made it more so. Hmm. In retrospect I’m not exactly sure how Wes Anderson got in the mix. This is purely speculation, but I think it originated with the Pinthouse Pizza bros’ Life Aquatic boners and the always ready to party H&G boys jumped in with some yellow jumpsuits and Rushmore formal wear. Either way, it made for a surreal boat ride. And there were bats, to boot.

Maybe we just got lucky on this one, but I’m ready to call Bats & Beers the trippi-est beer event. . . ever. And you can quote us on that, Matt.

The fi rkins drained fi rst, then the mys-tery Del Roble, and then some pies (as in dessert, not pizza) showed up. I guess they were there the whole time, as I doubt boats get pies delivered on Sunday evenings often enough that someone would do that. Push-ing hour three, pizza a distant memory, all were slamming cold cans of Alt and Zoe fee-bly attempting to ID buildings of the Austin skyline. And then, just as quickly we boarded this fl oating Bats & Beers circus, we were docking. Clamoring for cans, we all had one more as the boat deboarded and planned our next stop. Our night wasn’t over—it was Shawn’s birthday.

Josh used his jedi mind tricks (that one’s for me, Matt) to avoid the Hyatt parking fee and we made our way to the Ginger Man. In one fell swoop, Spradling had us perfectly parallel the curb on 5th and we hoofed it to the G-Man. For old time’s sake, we ordered a round of Maredsous 8 for Shawn’s birthday and dumped this heavy Belgian beer on top of the various hoppy beers, Bahn Mi, and pies. Thank god those gravy and/or chili cheese fries were down there to keep things civil.

Not exactly ready to camp in one spot, especially one within a stone’s throw of the ghost of their superior past (we know, it’s not their fault, but it still stings), we trod north to 6th/Lavaca to check out the semi-new Austin Ale House. Somehow these guys avoided our magnifying glass when we were sleuthing around town for new bars to feature in the Spring guide, so we walked in not knowing what to expect. Cause afterall, it was Shawn’s birthday.

After immediately solving the mystery of all the missing fucking Edison bulbs in

AUSTIN ALEHOUSE

BREWERIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 38BREW PUBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 42 C

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BARS & RESTAURANTS

815 West 47th Street

2911 San Jacinto Boulevard


607 Trinity Street

600 North Lamar Boulevard

700 West 6th Street

520 West 6th Street

510 Rio Grande Street

320 East 6th Street

301 Lavaca Street

407 Colorado Street

3110 Guadalupe Street

2027 Anchor Lane

5111 Airport Boulevard

709 East 6th Street

706 West 6th Street

79 Rainey Street

404 East 6th Street

600 West 6th Street

2316 Webberville Road

301 West 6th Street

606 Maiden Lane

2908 Fruth Street

2200 Manor Road

1111 East 6th Street


500 Comal Street

1400 38 1/2 Street

315 Congress Avenue


61 Rainey Street


2610 Manor Road

2538 Guadalupe Street

BREW PUBS

4112 Medical Parkway

BREWERIES

507 Calles Street

3301-B East 5th Street

STORES


4429 Duval Street


4220 Duval Street

1000 East 41st Street




1811 E Cesar Chavez Street

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Hops and GrainBrewery

Bringing his Colorado beer knowledge and inspiration to Austin, Josh Hare has opened one

of Austin’s two East side breweries. With three year-round beers canned for easy use during

your outdoor drinking endeavors, and a constantly rotating selection of Greenhouse beers, Hops

& Grain has something for everyone. The ALT-eration took home gold at the 2012 World Beer

Cup, and the Greenhouse lineup has grown to include a Baltic Porter, Belgian Porter, and the

Volumes of Oak series of oak aged beers. They even collaborated on a beer with us called Night

RYE-der. If that isn’t enough, Hops and Grain is an environmentally sustainable operation that

uses up- cycled malted barley from brewing to make natural and wheat free dog treats called

Brew Biscuits.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Josh Hare

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2011/12

TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Friday 2-6pm

Saturday 12-4pm

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hopsandgrain.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dry, hoppy, bitter

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fish

tacos, salt and vinegar chips,

gummy bears

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Düsseldorf-style Altbier

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2%

IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Cans

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Malty, nutty, moody

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . . . Grilled

fi sh, any kind of meat on a stick

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Lager

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crisp, slight citrus

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . .Asian/Mex

fusion tacos, Asian/Mex fusion

pizza, good times

STYLE . . . . . . .Rotating series of small batches

IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taste the rainbow

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . Oak aged small batch series


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oak & booze

STYLE . . . . . . . . 100 % barrel fermented series


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Subtle

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

WE RECOMMEND

Pale Dog, The One They Call Zoe, Greenhouse

BREWERIES

Live Oak Brewing Co.

Built by hand by Chip McElroy in a small (and now worn) building on the east side of town,

Live Oak has been an Austin staple since 1997. They use an old-world style of brewing mostly

practiced throughout Germany and the Czech Republic and use techniques such as open

fermentation and secondary lagering on some of their styles to give their beers a very distinct

Live Oak taste. This is best refl ected in their Pilz and much beloved HefeWeizen.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . .Chip McElroy (owner,

founder), Dusan Kwiatkowski (Brewer)

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997

TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Check website

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.liveoakbrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amber Lager

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . Smooth, quenching, malty

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . . .Fish

and chips, meat in a cone

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bananas, cloves, hazy,

super refreshing

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . .Blue cheese!

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, great malt balance

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Tobacco,

foie gras or other duck dishes

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Czech Pilsner


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, dry, refreshing

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . .Sausage,

pizza, burgers, anything really

CURRENT SEASONAL

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roggenbier

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . Smooth, fruity, drinkable

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . .Pastries,

mild cheeses, melon

WE RECOMMEND

Pilz, HefeWeizen, Roggenbier

BREWERIES

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4112 Medical Pkwy

Austin, TX 78756

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .512-452-MALT

HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mon-Thu 3pm–2am,

Fri-Sun 1pm–2am

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.draughthouse.com

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Ale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dark Mild Ale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Milk Stout

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gose

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

specifi c brews mirroring the seasonal calender.

WE RECOMMEND

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

Bombay IPA

Draught House BREW PUBS

LUNCH a DIN

NER

24

CRAFT BEERS

LIVE MUSIC

WINE

512.478.8700 @HiHatph HiHatPublicHouse HiHatPublicHouse.com

S. LAMAR BLVD.

MANCH

ACA R

D.

S. 1

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S. C

ONGRES

S AVE.

BEN WHITE BLVD. / 71 /290

WOODWARD ST.

OLTORF ST.

STASSNEY LN.

BARTON SPRINGS RD.

CESAR CHAVEZ ST.

RIVERSIDE DR.

INTE

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ST. ELMO RD.

RADAM LN.

S. MOPAC EXPY. / R

T. 1

BARS & RESTAURANTS

312 Barton Springs Road

1400 South Congress Ave

2024 South Lamar Boulevard



3601 South Congress Avenue

1620 East Riverside, #1618

1224 South Congress Avenue

1505 Town Creek Drive

BREW PUBS


1950 South IH-35

BREWERIES

407 Radam Lane, F200

3913 Todd Lane

415 E Saint Elmo Rd, Ste 1D

STORES



4978 West Hwy 290

4410 Manchaca Road

2418 South Lamar Blvd

BREWERIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 46BREW PUBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 52

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Kevin Brand moved back to Austin from California in early 2008 to start the brewery and

began brewing beer that summer. Brand’s initial lineup was the Wit, Pale, and IPA, but

quickly added the Pecan Porter to the year round line up after the enormous reception it

received as the fi rst winter seasonal.

Currently (512)’s beers are only available on draft but they have released a limited

number of bottles of Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter (along with Wild Bear and

THREE) in the past and sprinkled them around town. This summer look for their annual

release of anniversary beers, including their 5th Anniversary beer.

This past winter they acquired two foeders to add to their barrel program. Only time will

tell what sour and wild beers will start coming out of South Austin.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . .Kevin Brand (Owner),

Nate Seale (Brewer)

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer 2008

TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . Some Saturdays with RSVP

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.512brewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS


ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, citrusy, solid

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . Spicy Thai,

Tex-Mex, Italian, ALL pizza, BBQ



QUICK SIP. . . . . . . .Drinkable, hoppy, quenching

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Burgers,

chiles rellenos, fi sh and chips

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . .Full bodied, roasty, pecans

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . .Red meats,

ice cream, chocolate

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wit or white beer


QUICK SIP. . .Light, semi-tart, hint of grapefruit

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . White pizza,

light pastas, hummus,

salads, seafood

CURRENT SEASONAL

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Altbier

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . Draft (Late Spring)

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . .Roasty, nutty, slightly sweet

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Grilled

sausages, fi sh

Note: (512) ALT is technically a spring seasonal,

but will probably be found on taps in June.

WE RECOMMEND

ALT, IPA, Pale

*See full listing of available beers at

www.austinbeerguide.com

(512) Brewing Co. BREWERIES

Hand crafted American ales from the heart of Austin Over 80% organic ingredients in every pint

Available on draft at the finest bars in TexasFamily owned and 100% self-distributed

Currently available: (512) Double IPANext up: (512) TRIPEL 5

12b

rew

ing

.co

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DOUBLE

IPA

IndependenceBrewing Co.

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 fi rst Saturday

tasting and tours.

They have been releasing one-off beers in their Brewluminati series. For latest info on

this series stay tuned here: www.independencebrewing.com/our-beers/brewluminat

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER. . . .Rob & Amy Cartwright

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fall 2004

TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . First Saturday of the month

URL . . . . . . . . .www.independencebrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Brown Ale

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big roasty malt fl avor,

caramel, nutty

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Steak,

roasted pork, Chinese takeout


ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5%

IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . .Piney, hoppy, light malt

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . Reubens,

sausage and peppers



QUICK SIP. . . . . Very hoppy, balanced malt body

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . .Greasy-fatty

Mexican, pizza

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oatmeal Stout

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cacao, licorice, roast

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . . . Ice

cream, chocolate, toffee

CURRENT SEASONAL

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saison

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 %


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Light, drinkable,

refreshing, semi-yeasty

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . Salads,

sandwiches, breads, poultry

WE RECOMMEND

Stash IPA, Convict Hill, Sungazer Saison



BREWERIES

South AustinBrewing Co.

Parked in the same neighborhood as Independence and (512) breweries, South Austin

Brewing Co. have been chomping at the bit to get to brewing since 2010. Founder Jordan

Weeks has a rich brewing history in Austin, and with his trusty 50-barrel Newlands brewhouse

plans to supply the fi ne folks of South Austin and beyond with yummy Belgian inspired beers.

Out of the gates, SABC are slinging beers both on draft and in 750 ml cork and cage bottles

to be found at fi ner locations. They recently commemorated their one year anniversary with a

party, complete with a performance by quintessential South Austin band the Gourds.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . Jordan WeeksESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter 2012TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Check website URL . . . . . . . . . . .www.southaustinbrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian Golden AleABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/BottleQUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . .Fruity esters, quaffable,

bright, smoothFOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . .Fish,

fruits and honey, soft cheeses, frites

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian SaisonABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/BottleQUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . Sweet, spicy, peppery FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . Salads,

chicken, pheasant, fruit

WE RECOMMEND

Belgian Style Golden Ale, Saison D’Austin

SOUTH AUSTIN’S

GRAND OPENING

BREWERIES

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

Born a simple family owned convenience store

on the side of I-35, Whip In was not content to

live its days out that way. After becoming one of

the top bottle shops in Austin, they slowly crept

tap by delicious tap to becoming one of the

largest draft and Texas brewed beer selections

in town. And now, they are home to Namaste

Brewing.

WE RECOMMEND

Brahmale

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1950 IH-35

Austin, TX 78704

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-442-5337

HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10am–12am

URL . . . . . . . . . . www.whipin.com/brewery.htm

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tripel

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian Quad

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Barleywine

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Spiced Wheat Ale

Namaste Brewing at the Whip In

BREW PUBS

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

Texas is BBQ heaven. Austin is Texas Craft Beer

heaven. Put them together and you get Uncle

Billy’s Brew and Que. Uncle Billy’s is the ideal

spot after a day of festival-ing at Zilker Park

or cooling off at the springs. Brewer Michael

Waters has kept on the Austin staple Ax Handle

Pale Ale while mixing in a constant rotation

of beers with an emphasis on hoppy ales and

session-able lagers.

WE RECOMMEND

Ax Handle, Green Room IPA

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 1530 Barton Springs Road

Austin, TX 78704

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-476-0100

HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sun–Thur: 11am–12am,

Fri–Sat: 11am–11pm

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.unclebillysaustin.com

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

. . . . . . . American Pale Ale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

. . . . . . . . . . . . Smoked Stout

. . . . . . . . . . . . .American Red Ale

Uncle Billy’s BREW PUBS

BrooklynSilver Anniversary

Lager1988-2013

It’s been a long and, at times, bumpy road. But now more people than ever are able to enjoy Brooklyn beers all over the world. Throughout the years, some of the friends we’ve made have risen to ar-tistic fame. We could think of no better way to celebrate our 25th anniversary than to partner with Fred Tomaselli, Roxy Paine, Joe Amrhein and Elizabeth Crawford, all of whom agreed to contrib-ute art to grace the labels of a Silver An-niversary Lager. Our celebrated Brew-master Garrett Oliver crafted a double bock version of our first beer, Brooklyn Lager, to commemorate the anniversary.

This second label features Joe Amrhe-in’s piece, A Fallibility of Perception. We’ll be rolling out the next two through-out 2013. Cheers!

Steve Hindy, co-founder and president

LAM

AR BL

VD.

W. KOENIG LN.

BURN

ET R

D.

ANDERSON LN.

INTE

RSTA

TE 3

5

183 / RESEARCH

BLVD

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KRAMER LN.

BRAKER LN.

US 290

CAP. OF TX HWY.

AIRPO

RT BLV D.

NORTH LOOP53RD STREET

N. M

OPA

C EX

PY. /

RT.

1The

Domain

BARS & RESTAURANTS

8565 Research Boulevard

2700 West Anderson Lane

6701 Burnet Road

2105 Hancock Drive


207 East 53rd Street

100 North Loop Boulevard East

9611 Mcneil Road

6800 Burnet Road, Suite 2

BREW PUBS

4729 Burnet Road

10010 N Capital of TX Hwy

7020 Easy Wind Drive

BREWERIES

2340 West Braker Lane

3009 Industrial Terrace

2314 Rutland Drive, Ste 100

STORES


10515 N Mo Pac Expwy


5775 Airport Boulevard

9129 Metric Boulevard

5310 Burnet Road


NO

RT

H13

15

14

16

11

6

4

3

5

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In early 2010, Scott Hovey was ripe for a mid-life career change and when he looked for

inspiration he found it in the eclectic and exciting life of his deceased older brother, Adelbert.

Adelbert’s is a tribute to George Adelbert Hovey (1953-2000), Scott’s brother. Always a fan of Belgian

style ales, Scott was introduced to the complexities and fl avor possibilities in bottle conditioned

aged Belgian beers at the 2010 Craft Brewers Conference. He returned and set out to start Austin’s

fi rst all Belgian style bottle and keg conditioned brewery, aptly named after his older brother. Of the

six beers to be released in 2012, each one is named after an experience or story that his brother

Adelbert loved to tell. Look for more barrel-aged ales to come out in 2013.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Hovey


TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saturday, 1-4pm

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.adelbertsbeer.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Belgian-Style Witbier

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Corriander, soft, zesty

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . .Fruit,

salty and/or herb cheese

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian-Style Saison


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . .Citrusy, spicy, balanced

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Grilled

chicken, rich fi sh dishes,

prosciutto and brie

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Style Tripel Ale


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cloudy, candy, fruity

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Spinach

salad, strawberries, lobster

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . Belgian Style Biere de Garde


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . Malty, earthy, semi-sweet

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . . Thai,

steak, spicy Italian

WE RECOMMEND

Scratchin’ Hippo, Philosophizer



Adelbert’s Brewery BREWERIES

Austin Beerworks is a collection of four friends spanning from the East coast to Austin,

united and “hell-bent on excellence” in beer making. The beerworkers, Michael, Will, Adam

and Mike, have raised an impressive production brewery and cannery in the northwest sector

of town since April 2011. With their regular lineup of four beers, including 2011 GABF silver

medal winner Peacemaker Extra Pale, the four friends have come storming out of the gates

and onto the Austin beer scene. The Austin Beerworks fellows aim to make super tasty, yet

drinkable beers, perfect for our refi ned, but also often heat-parched Austin palates. Their

new IPA series Heavy Machinery can now be found in cans, starting with their double IPA.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . Adam DeBower,

Michael Graham, Mike McGovern

and Will Golden


TOURS. . . . . . . .Fridays, 5-8pm (RSVP required)

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.austinbeerworks.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Schwarzbier


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Roasted, coffee,

slightly hoppy, dry

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . .S’mores,

scones, beef jerkey



QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, piney

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . Thai,

steak, spicy Italian

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Extra Pale Ale


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Drinkable, crisp

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Vegan

hotdogs, pickles,

Sidora’s homemade Chex mix

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German Pilsner


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Light, hoppy, crisp


breads, mustard, burgers

CURRENT SEASONAL

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Berliner Weisse

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . Draft (Early Summer)

QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tart, effervescent

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . Salty

frites!, jalapeño and lime

grilled chicken, Austin Beer Guide

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Premium Lager

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . Draft (Late Summer)

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crisp, light

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . Fish tacos,

more beer, day time

WE RECOMMEND

Fire Eagle, Pearl Snap, Einhorn

Austin Beerworks BREWERIES

Circle Brewing Co.QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Light hops, spicy,

biscuity malt, crisp

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . . .Grilled

meats, chips and salsa,

seafood

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irish Dry Stout

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roasty, dry, cocoa

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . .Raw oysters,

shepherd’s pie, stew

WE RECOMMEND

Nightlight, Envy, Circle App

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ben Sabel

and Jud Mulherin


TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Quarterly open houses;

check website

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.circlebrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde Ale


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crisp

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . . . . . . . . Chicken

masala, hummus, sushi

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hefeweizen

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . Bananas, light, gulpable

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . .Pizza, salad,

crab legs

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale


Ben Sabel and Jud Mulherin were childhood friends in Tennessee. As youngsters they

shared a dream to open a “shop.” Like many young friends, as they grew up, their lives took

different paths, but they never lost touch. And they never forgot their dream. As adults they

both loved beer, so it was inevitable that their dream would morph into becoming brewery

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

Fast forward two years, Ben and Jud were brewing their fi rst batches of beer for Austin.

Envy Amber and Blur Texas Hefe were their fi rst beers to be released. They followed those

with their Nightlight Dry Irish Stout. Circle brews their beer following the Reinheitsgebot,

the German purity law from 1516. Their basic philosophy: to make beer “with only the best

ingredients and NONE of the other stuff.” If you can fi nd Smokin’ Beech on tap somewhere,

get it while you can.

BREWERIES

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7020 Easy Wind Drive

Midtown Commons, Suite 100

Austin, TX 78752

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-452-BEER

HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mon-Thu 4pm–12am,

Fri-Sat 11am–1am,

Sun 11am–12am

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.blackstar.coop

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Golden Honey Ale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . American Wheat Ale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rye IPA

. . . . . . . . . .Sour American Wheat Ale

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

Black Star Co-op is the fi rst 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.

WE RECOMMEND

Elba, Vector

Black Star Co-op BREW PUBS

TEXASAUSTIN

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

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. Identifi able by the grain silo

out front, the feel is very “Northwest lodge,”

rounded out by stone, wood and a fi replace. The

beers are solid and their monthly cask nights

have a dedicated following.

WE RECOMMEND

Pyjingo Pale Ale, Barton Kriek

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . 10010 Capital of TX Hwy N

Austin, TX 78759

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-467-6969

HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Varied, check website

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nxnwbrew.com

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pilsner

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale

. . . . . . . . . . American Pale Ale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black Ale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sour/Lambic

North by Northwest

BREW PUBS

BREW PUBS

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4729 Burnet Road

Austin, TX 78756

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-436-9605

HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sun-Wed 11am-11pm,

Thu-Sat 11am-12am

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.pinthousepizza.com

HOUSE BEER SAMPLING

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session Ale

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale Ale

. . . . . . . . Imperial Dry Irish Stout

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPA

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IPA Series

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

Pinthouse Pizza opened to much anticipation

in the fall of 2012, on the cusp of Austin Beer

Week. Following California’s Pizza Port model,

the brew pub slings beers from the bar, and

pizzas from the counter in the beer hall-esque

atmosphere. Head brewer Joe Morfi eld brews a

solid line up of staple beers, along with a series

of special releases and his Fallen Cask IPA

series. Go for the pizza, stay for the beer.

WE RECOMMEND

Bearded Seal, Man O’ War

Pinthouse Pizza

AUSTIN

CEDARPARK

OAKHILL

PFLUGERVILLE

ROUNDROCK

HUDSONBEND

AUSTIN-BERGSTROMINT. AIRPORT

MANOR

BARS & RESTAURANTS

5701 West Slaughter Lane

401 Cypress Creek Road, Cedar Park

12709 Mopac & Parmer Lane


1500 N IH-35, Round Rock


111 East Main Street, Pfl ugerville

BREW PUBS

2000 S IH-35, Round Rock

601 Chestnut Street, Bastrop

208 Avenue H, Marble Falls

207 Mercer Street, Dripping Springs

9595 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley

9595 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley

106 East Pecan Drive,

Johnson City

BREWERIES

13005 Fitzhugh Road

11160 Circle Drive

Hudson Bend, Austin

3200 West Whitestone Boulevard, Cedar Park

2400 Patterson Industrial Drive, Pfl ugerville

231 San Saba Court, Blanco

STORES

401 Cypress Creek Road, Cedar Park

1912 West Pecan Street, #205,Pfl ugerville


18

17

6

4 3

5

82

1

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22

9

21

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12

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13

1516

19

20

GR

EA

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R A

TX

Infamous Brewing Co.

Zack Perry, Josh Horowitz and brewer Matt Bitsche left various career backgrounds to start

Infamous Brewing Co. in Austin and got the wheels rolling for Infamous in June of 2012. In less

than a they year got their brewhouse up and running. Infamous came on the scene this spring with

their take on a cream ale and an IPA, with plans to release other seasonal and special releases.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zack Perry

& Josh Horowitz

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring 2013

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.infamousbrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS



QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Malty, bitter, solid

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . Salami, chili

fries, gun powder

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cream Ale

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . Cream soda, creamsicle,

coolwhip, duh

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . .Coffee,

strawberry short cakes,

peaches, pants

WE RECOMMEND

IPA

BREWERIES

Jester King Craft Brewery

Ambitious from the start, the brothers made their commercial debut with a session beer, wearing the moniker Commercial Suicide. It was anything but. They have since transitioned

this beer, along with their original lineup to farmhouse versions (Farmhouse Wytchmaker,

Farmhouse Black Metal, etc.), brewed a second collaboration beer on the market with gypsy

brewer, Mikkeller, called Beer Geek Rodeo / Whiskey Rodeo / Weasel Rodeo (you can still fi nd

these if you know the right places to look), and have most recently released a new round of their

sour barrel aged creations (Buddha’s Brew, Funk Metal, Das Überkind, RU-55, and Ol’ Oi!). In

mid-2012 they shifted their packaging efforts to focus mainly on bottles with just few naturally

carbonated kegs and gravity casks available for bars. Their tasting room is open most Saturday

afternoons at the brewery and is most often the best place to fi nd and grab their latest beers.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . Jeffrey Stuffi ngs

and Michael Steffi ng

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fall 2010

TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Most Saturdays, 1-4pm

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . www.jesterkingbrewery.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . Farmhouse Imperial Stout

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Big roast,

coffee, chocolate

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . .Cheesecake,

roast beef and other bloody meats

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Farmhouse Table Beer

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Subtle hop spininess,

yeast esters, wild fl owers

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . .Crackers and

light cheeses, pears, grilled

fl aky white fi sh

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . .Provisional Farmhouse Ale

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spicy, earthy, dry

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . Tomato

salad, soft cheeses, sardines

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Farmhouse Rye IPA

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3%


QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Drinkable,

hoppy, quenching

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Burgers,

pizza, chips and salsa

CURRENT SEASONAL

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hoppy Wheat Ale

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9% IMBIBING OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Draft/Bottle

QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hoppy, dry yet

super drinkable

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . Empanadas,

sunsets

WE RECOMMEND

Wytchmaker , Le Petit Prince, Drink’in the

Sunbelt


austinbeerguide.com

BREWERIES

Real AleBrewing Co.

One of the longer running breweries in central Texas, Real Ale has been in operation since

1996. The brewery originally operated out of a basement of an antique shop in Blanco (50

minutes outside Austin). In 1998, current owner Brad Farbstein took over. Maxed out at 5,500

barrels a year, Real Ale moved just outside the downtown area in 2006 to a new facility that

allowed them to produce 10-12 times that amount.

In 2009 they started bottling their seasonal beers. In 2010, they began turning out a

series of experimental Mysterium Verum (Real Mystery) beers, including seasonals aged in

oak barrels or entirely new brews. They recently celebrated their 17th anniversary with the

release of a belgian strong ale weighing in at a hefty 13%. This year they’ve also been rolling

out their new Brewers’ Cut small batch series. Up next in the series: a Kolsch and a Maibock.

Seek them out.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . . . . . . . . . Philip & Diane Conner (Founders), Brad Farbstein (Owner),

Tim Schwartz, Erik Ogershok (Head Brewers)ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fridays 2-5pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.realalebrewing.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blonde AleABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . .Draft/Bottle/CansQUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Light, bready maltsFOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . .Poultry,

pizza, whatever’s on the grill

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . German Pilsner

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3%


QUICK SIP . . . . . . .Crisp, toasty, assertive hops

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . Smoked fi sh,

pickles, schnitzel

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American IPAABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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)

STYLE . . . . .Rotating series of brewing projects


CURRENT SEASONAL

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Imperial BlondeABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/CansQUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pleasantly hoppy,

yet approachableFOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . Classic

burger and fries, fi sh and chips

WE RECOMMEND

Hans’ Pils, Brewers’ Cut Series, 4-squared



BREWERIES

Rogness Brewing Co.

Founders Forrest and Diane Rogness, along with Dave Heath and Dan Wheeler, have been

pumping out beers in Pfl ugerville ever since this project was kickstarted in 2012. And they

do it without too much concern over style guidelines or popular “safe bet” beers. With the

ethos of a homebrewer, Rogness aims to change it up, and keep it interesting, while delivering

high quality brewed beers. You can fi nd year-round and seasonal beers on draft or in 22 oz

bottles around town, but if you swing by their tours you’ll get to see that homebrew mentality

in action and try out the latest small batch concoctions they’re testing.

INFO

FOUNDERS . . . . . . Forrest and Diane RognessESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring 2012TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Most Saturdays, 1pm URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rognessbrewing.com

RECENT RELEASES

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biere de GardeABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slight spice, earthy FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . .HEB

rotisserie chicken (you know, the kind you get at HEB when you are too lazy to cook)

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgian-Style Golden AleABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fruity, smooth FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . . Pad

thai, macaroni and cheese

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . India Pale LagerABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DraftQUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crisp, citrusy, hoppyFOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . .Tacos al

pastor, tabouli, fl an

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Porter

IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . .Smooth, cocoa, malty FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Veggie

burger, fried anything

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pale AleABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Citrusy hops, malty FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . .Ramen,

pad see ew

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scotch AleABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7% IMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft/Bottle QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smoky, sweet, toffee FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Smoked

gouda, pork chop, brisket

CURRENT SEASONAL

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SaisonIMBIBING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

Note: Joie d’été unavailable for tasting at press time.

WE RECOMMEND

Bella, Boomslang, Rattler

*See full listing (eventually) of available beers at


BREWERIES

Thirsty Planet Brewing Co.

Everyone remembers when they fi rst 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.

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER . . .Brian & Tammy Smittle


TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saturdays, 11am-3pm

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.thirstyplanet.net

YEAR ROUND BEERS


ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.9% MBIBING OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft

QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Slightly sweet,

bitter fi nish, hoppy nose

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . .Pâté, pizza,

fi sh and chips

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amber Ale


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . .Malty, clean, drinkable

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL. . .Sandwiches,

chips and queso

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .American Wheat

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1%


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . Crisp, refreshing, drinkable


crawfi sh

WE RECOMMEND

Buckethead IPA, Thirsty Goat Amber

BREWERIES

Twisted X Brewing Co.

Since our fi rst issue in April 2011, Austin’s beer scene has changed (it seems to change and

grow each month). One of those changes: Twisted X. It was started by Jim Sampson and Shane

Bordeau in Cedar Park (though they have plans to move to a destination brewery in Dripping

Springs in the future). They held their initial release party on Cinco de Mayo, where they

introduced beer fans to the Fuego Jalapeño Infused Tex Mex Pilsner, Twisted X Premium Tex

Mex Lager and then unnamed Premium Tex Mex Dark Lager. The dark lager has now been

blessed with the moniker: Cow Creek. Also be on the look out for Siesta, a prickly pear lager. It

is a summer seasonal that proved to be quite popular and could still pop up around town. With

a Tex-Mex theme they are bound to quench the thirsts of a large swath of Austin beer drinkers.

Austinites love Tex-Mex. Austinites love beer. Tex-Mex beer? Forget about it, a match made in

heaven. Could a pico-de-gallo beer be in the works? Let’s hope so. Mole Porter—that’s the ticket!

INFO

BREWER/FOUNDER. . . . . . . . . . . .Jim Sampson

and Shane Bordeau

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring 2011

TOURS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Check website

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.texmexbeer.com

YEAR ROUND BEERS

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vienna (Dark) Lager

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4%


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . .Drinkable, slightly sweet

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . Gorditas,

tostadas, tamales

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chile Beer/Pilsner

ABV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2%


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . Crisp, slightly dry, hot

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . Steak,

roasted pork, Chinese takeout

STYLE . . . . . Barrel Aged Imperial Schwarzbier


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sweet, agave, oak

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . . Mole

or by itself after a big

meal of mole

STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Light Lager


QUICK SIP . . . . . . . .Light, very drinkable, clean

FOOD IT CHASES DOWN WELL . . . . . . . . . Elote,

nachos, enchiladas

WE RECOMMEND

Fuego, Señor Viejo

BREWERIES

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207 Mercer Street

Dripping Springs, TX 78620

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-829-4636


URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.barbershopbar.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

Barber Shop is another testament to the iron

will of homebrewers. With an emphasis on the

“bar” in Barber Shop, they left the historical

buildings name the same, while sprucing

up the inside with a lush wood bar, rustic

amenities and a strategically occupied tap wall.

Brewer John McIntosh intends to focus on

English pub ales.

Barber Shop

BREW PUBS

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601 Chestnut Street

Bastrop, TX 78602

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-321-1144


URL . . . . . . . . . . . .www.bastropbrewhouse.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

About an hour west of Austin and picturesquely

located on the banks of the Colorado River

near charming downtown, Bastrop Brewhouse

provide classic American craft styles and

comfort food to compliment the river side

atmosphere. Like summer camp with beers!

They brew a solid lineup of house beers and

keep a decent selection of rotating local taps.

Bastrop Brewhouse

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208 Avenue H

Marble Falls, TX 78654

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830-693-5165


URL . . . . . . . . . . .www.doublehornbrewing.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

Double Horn, the fi rst 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.

Double Horn Brewing Co.

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . 9595 Ranch Road 12, Suite 4

Wimberley, TX 78676

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-847-3435


URL . . . . . . . . . . www.middletonbrewingllc.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

The owners, the Middleton’s, hail from the

sunny state of California. They brought with

them, like many other west coast brewers,

a love for the HOP. In addition to hoppy

monsters, they specialize in subtle Belgian

style ales. They are housed in the same

complex as Wimberley Brewing Company, a

one stop pub crawl!

MiddletonBrewing

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . .2200 South IH-35, Suite B1

Round Rock, TX 78681

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-244-3549

HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lobby opens one hour

before fi rst show time

(See website for show times)

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fl ixbrewhouse.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

How many movie theatres have a brewhouse

in their front window? Not many. You might

even catch brewmaster Justin Rizza brewing

up something tasty as you rush in for the

latest Hangover fl ick. Drink from their four

regular and two seasonal house taps or one of

many guest taps.

Flix Brewhouse

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 East Pecan Drive

Johnson City, TX 78636

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830-868-2500


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.

Pecan StreetBrewing

INFO

LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9595 Ranch Road 12

Wimberley, TX 78676

PHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512-847-3435


URL . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wimberleybrewing.com

BREW PUB SNAPSHOT

Wimberley Brewing is housed in the same

complex as Middleton Brewing (Wimberley

was there fi rst). 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.

Wimberley Brewing Co.

BREW PUBS

ALAMO BEER COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.alamobeer.com

BRANCHLINE BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2013

URL . . . . . . . . . . . .www.branchlinebrewing.com

DEEP ELLUM BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011

URL . . . . . . . . . . . .www.deepellumbrewing.com

FRANCONIA BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . McKinney

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.franconiabrewing.com

GUADALUPE BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Braunfels

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.guadalupebrew.com

LAKEWOOD BREWING COMPANY **LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Garland

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012

URL . . . . .www.lakewoodbrewingcompany.com

LONE PINT BREWERY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Magnolia

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.lonepint.com

NO LABEL BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Katy

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.nolabelbrew.com

PEDERNALES BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fredericksburg

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012

URL . . . . . . . . . . . www.pedernalesbrewing.com

PETICOLAS BREWING COMPANY **LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.peticolasbrewing.com

RAHR & SONS BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Worth

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.rahrbrewing.com

RANGER CREEK BREWING & DISTILLING LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.drinkrangercreek.com

SAINT ARNOLD BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Houston

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.saintarnold.com

SOUTHERN STAR BREWING COMPANY LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conroe

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008

URL . . . . . . . . . .www.southernstarbrewery.com

SPOETZL BREWERY (SHINER) LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shiner

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1909

URL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.shiner.com

WICKED BEAVER BREWING LOCATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wolfforth

ESTABLISHED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2012

URL . . . . . . . . .www.wickedbeaverbrewing.com

*Texas breweries with beer currently available in Austin

**Limited releases

More Texas Breweries*

ABG PODCAST

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company is probably one of the most highly

anticipated brewing operations to open in the last 5 years. They were not quite

open when we recorded these podcasts and may not be when you are fi rst

reading this, but we know one thing: you are excited. Excited for what Brian

“Swifty” Peters and Amos Lowe are to release upon the Austin beer drinking

public. This is the cheesiest thing I have ever written. Just listen. Just drink.

You think that QR code over there works? Who knows, try it out. —AC

Austin Beer Garden Brewcast

Austin Beer Guide-Summer 2013

Documents

Transcript of Austin Beer Guide-Summer 2013