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You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that some of the best watering holes in town are in North Austin. Tucked away in strip malls and surrounded by business parks, these gems north of 183 are easy to overlook.
I’ve compiled my list of favorites for those who call North Austin home, and those who are unfamiliar with the area. So take a look at this guide to North Austin bars to see why up north is the place to be. [Read more…]
A glass of fantastic beer welcomes you at Hops and Grain (Credit: Hops and Grain)
Walking into the Hops and Grain taproom is like stumbling upon a hip family barbeque. Long picnic benches line the modest space. Board games are stacked up, ready to be played. A psychobilly band plays circus rock from the brewery loading dock.
Not only is this East Austin original one of the best breweries in town, but it’s also one of the most well rounded. With a fun vibe, great brews and an eye towards ecological sustainability, Hops and Grain has quickly become one of the crown jewels in the Austin beer scene. [Read more…]
Deep inside your your favorite bars in Austin, tucked away in cool, dark corners, are some of the rarest beers in the city. These brews are made in extremely limited quantities and are typically the priciest beers in a brewery’s lineup. They will be stored, or “cellared,” for years to allow time to enhance the unique qualities of each brew.
This is the subculture of aging beer—and it is big business in Austin and throughout the rest of the country. The practice of saving limited-release beer has taken off over the last few years, as Austin’s best breweries and overall distribution networks have matured.
To be clear, these aren’t your pale ales and lagers that are being aged for years at a time. If you’ve ever opened a Firemans 4 that has been hiding in your refrigerator’s veggie tray for too long, you’ll know why some beers have an expiration date. Instead, Austin’s bars store your stouts, porters and dark ales. The boozier, the better.
Don’t stop reading now. You’re about to get a behind the scenes look into the cellar programs for storing rare beers at some of the top bars in Austin. [Read more…]
Whether you’re celebrating your relationship with your mate or single-handedly revolting against Cupid, there’s plenty of room in your Valentine’s Day for beer, right? It falls on a Saturday this year and those of us in Austin are lucky enough to be surrounded by all kinds of fun, local beer events for the occasion.
Credit: Twisted X Brewing Company
Take a beautiful drive out to Texas Hill Country and partake in Twisted X Brewing Company’s Dia De San Valentin, an elegant 5-course meal prepared by the folks at Verde’s Mexican Parilla and paired with special Tex-Mex beers. With course selections like bacon-wrapped quail and chocolate [Read more…]
Jesse and Andrew of ATXcursions (Credit: ATXcursions)
When I was offered a chance to check out ATXcursions, Austin’s newest craft brewery tour company, I jumped at the opportunity. Austin has one of the fastest growing beer scenes in the nation and quality beer is popping up in every corner, so I figured I was bound to have a good time. I love being right. [Read more…]
Emerald Tavern is located at 9012 Research Blvd.
In the last few years, the North Cross area of town has become more and more exciting and lively. One of the newest additions to the neighborhood is Emerald Tavern. It’s not just another coffee shop and bar because it’s also a store and hangout for tabletop gamers.
Opened in October 2013, Emerald Tavern features a unique and relaxing atmosphere for gamers and anyone else who wants to sit down and have a drink. Owners Marshall Geyer and Erich Weidner “really wanted to recreate something that we do every weekend that we love: games, beer, food, coffee. Something we would do with our friends,” explained Geyer. “There are a lot of game stores in town. There are a lot of places to go drink in town. But there aren’t a lot of places that are friendly to do both at the same time.”
The atmosphere at Emerald Tavern is quite comforting as you walk in. It’s decorated in an English tavern style with a beer selection to your left and a game selection to your right, while being audibly blanketed with music from your favorite film and video game scores. [Read more…]
Black Star Co-op is a revolutionary new Austin brewpub. So when I was told to review their food and beer, I solemnly bowed my head to the orders of Austinot Eric.
What can I say, we all must sacrifice occasionally. Neither stout nor IPA nor pilsner nor gloom of porters will stay this blogger from the swift completion of his appointed rounds.
Since its opening in 2010, Black Star Co-op has built its reputation around mixing the novel and traditional.
First, the business is a co-operative. All of its members, from top to bottom, own part of the business. All decisions are made through a democratically-controlled voting system. The first community-owned brewpub in America, one of Black Star’s tenets is to pay each employees a living wage, so they will respectfully decline if you try to tip them.
And you can become a shareholding member of Black Star as well! A hundred and fifty bucks gets you a membership. That means voting power, patronage ref [Read more…]
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It’s halftime for South by Southwest (SXSW) 2012 in Austin, Texas. By now, you have played with the latest technology and software on the market. You have wined and dined at the swankiest parties and after parties. The film segment of SXSW is rolling along and the music segment just began. So much to do. So many choices.
Three things remain constant no matter where the festival takes you:
You gotta eat, you gotta drink, and you gotta get around town. So do as the locals do – live like an Austinite.
You can’t expect to party hard on an empty stomach. Luckily for you, Austin is famous for it’s local food stands.
People sell gourmet-style cuisine from their trailers, trucks and even smart cars. And we’re not talking about grimy peddlers trying to [Read more…]
