Ease Into Your Sundays at South Austin Brewing Company

This guest blog post is by Edgar Barguiarena.

Sometimes Friday and Saturday don’t give you enough time to take full advantage of the weekend. You’re left wanting more for your Sunday, but you want to try something different. After you go to brunch and get started with a few mimosas, you want to enjoy the last few hours of freedom you have left. If you’re still jonesing for live music and great beer, South Austin Brewing Company has your solution.

South Austin Brewing Company got their start in late 2010 with two signature brews that are still selling strong today: the Belgian Style Golden Ale and their Saison D’Austin. Each brew is featured in a hand-corked 750-ml bottle that looks almost as good as it tastes. Sound familiar? You may have seen these beers at your local grocery store or liquor shop.

South Austin Brewing has done an impressive job of getting their beer all over the Central Texas area, considering the young age of the company.

Groovy Sunday at South Austin Brewing Company

You may have been to brewery tours or open houses before. But this won’t be your typical brewery visit, and this isn’t your typical brewery. Groovy Sunday is an open house hosted at South Austin Brewery Company, located appropriately enough at 415 East Saint Elmo Road in South Austin.

South Austin Brewing Company invites folks who enjoy fine beer to visit their place, enjoy good craft beer, and listen to awesomely sourced local music, hand-picked by Chris Oglesby, Director of Events & Tours. $10 will get you a fancy tulip glass (designed to better enjoy South Austin Brewing’s style of beer) and four drink coupons.

A word of warning here: the glasses may be on the smaller side, but the beer is definitely stronger. The Golden Ale clocks in at 7.8% ABV, while the Saison ups the ante to 8% ABV, about twice as strong as your typical light beer.

Once you are done with your samples, you may even have the option to trade in your glassware for a snazzy South Austin Brewing Company t-shirt.

The brewery is located in a warehouse location that houses many amazing craft breweries, so there will be plenty of room to roam around and pick a spot to enjoy your beer and listen to live music. South Austin Brewing Co. provides a few lawn chairs, but it’s recommended that you bring your own. Jordan Weeks (head brewmaster) and Chris Oglesby are always happy to engage with fans who visit the brewery. They’re passionate about what they do, and very approachable if you want to have a conversation and learn more.

How May I Partake?

South Austin Brewing doesn’t have a set schedule every month, but they’ll be holding an event on an almost weekly basis through the month of June 2013. The next few shows are as follows:

• May 19 – The Hard Pans
• May 26 – Lisa Marshall
• June 9 – Herman the German
• June 16 – Dr Zog
• June 23 – TBA
• June 30 – Leeann Atherton

Your host, Chris Oglesby, is an avid local music fan. He has even published a book about music from the area. Because Chris personally curates the lineup of bands featured during each Groovy Sunday, you’re sure to hear quality acts during your visit.

You can check out an updated schedule of Groovy Sundays on their website, along with the local bands that will be featured. To get to Groovy Sunday at 415 East Saint Elmo, Unit 1D, Austin TX 78745, head south on Congress from downtown. About half a mile after passing Ben White, turn left onto East Saint Elmo Road. The brewery is directly south, across the street from Music Lab studios. Be sure to bring a designated driver, and get ready to enjoy some fantastic beer and great live music!

Edgar is an avid world traveler with a deeply rooted love for the city of Austin and the amazing craft beer scene that has sprung up recently. You can follow him on Twitter at @Crafty_Ed.