craft beer - 3/4 - The Austinot

Waller Creek Pub House: Your Haven from Dirty 6th Madness

April 27, 2015 by Bill Tucker 1 Comment

Good food and great beer await you at Waller Creek Pub House

Picture this. You’re walking eastward on 6th Street in the midst of Friday night madness. People shouting drink specials. Pounding house music. The street is thick with UT kids and tourists. In desperation, you consider the 15 minute hike to East 6th for respite.

But imagine if there was a chilled out craft beer pub in the dark space between Red River and Route 35. A place with a relaxed vibe, quality beer and spirits and a yummy food menu.

Well, go ahead and open your eyes. Waller Creek Pub House, nestled on Sabine between 6th and 7th, will become your new favorite spot and a safe haven from the downtown hustle. [Read more…]

4 Reasons to Visit Twisted X Brewing in Dripping Springs

April 3, 2015 by Edwin Ochoa Leave a Comment

View from the outside of Twisted X Brewing and tasting room
(Credit: Peary Photography courtesy of Twisted X Brewing)

The Austin area is home to about 20 craft breweries and counting. One of them is located in Dripping Springs, an area where you will find some of the best craft breweries in Texas.

Twisted X Brewing Co. sets itself apart by making great Tex-Mex beers and housing an impressive tasting room. Their beers are approachable, unique and straight up delicious.

Here are 4 reasons why you should pay them a visit soon. [Read more…]

Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co. Opens in Cedar Park

March 23, 2015 by Matthew Champion Leave a Comment

Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Company Stage for Live Music

Stage at Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Company hosts live music

Coffee. Beer. Good vibes. This is the mantra of Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co. and I stand behind it.

As I walked up to the brewpub on an overcast morning, I could smell beer brewing in the breeze. It was early, so I got a latte, but you can bet I’ll be back for a beer soon. Cedar Park needs a place like this and I’m happy it’s finally here.

The heart and soul of Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Company lies in owners Chad Misner and Jon Lamb, along with part owner and head brewer Zack Gardner and coffee connoisseur Jered Hill. I was able to meet all these friendly guys on this breezy morning, and they were happy to show me around less than a week after opening. They take pride in being locally owned and owner-operated, and do business with one simple mission: Do good. Be positive. Have fun. [Read more…]

Hops and Grain: Austin’s Sustainable Brewery

February 18, 2015 by Bill Tucker 1 Comment

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…]

Go Inside the Private Cellar of Austin’s Top Beer Bars

February 10, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena 1 Comment

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…]

Austin Brewery Tours Highlight City’s Growing Industry

November 19, 2014 by Matthew Champion 3 Comments

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…]

Austin’s Newest Brewery Preps for Biggest Beer Festival in U.S.

September 22, 2014 by Edgar Barguiarena 2 Comments

The spectacular views at Oasis Brewing are amongst the best at any brewery, anywhere in the country (Credit: Oasis Texas Brewing Company)

Hops, Grain, Yeast, Water. A combination of these basic ingredients drives competitive brewers and beer nerds alike to Denver every year for the Great American Beer Festival.

Just as the first snow begins to coat the top of the Rockies, breweries and beer fans from across the country gather at the Denver Convention Center for a three-day beer festival of epic proportions.

By the end of the festival, only a few of the 600+ breweries that formally enter the competition will walk away with a coveted GABF medal.

Bringing home a medal can put a brewery on the map. Just ask Josh Hare of Hops & Grain. In 2012, Hops & Grain brought home a gold medal for their ALTeration, a German style alt-bier.

Yes, bringing gold back to Austin before even celebrating your first anniversary in business buys you instant credibility. This is the level of success Spencer Tielkemeier of Oasis Texas Brewing Company hopes to achieve less than two weeks from now. [Read more…]

Radio Coffee and Beer Is Austin’s Newest Hangout

July 7, 2014 by Matthew Champion Leave a Comment

Radio Coffee & Beer at 4204 Manchaca

Though it’s not even a month old, Radio Coffee & Beer has already managed to fit in seamlessly with the Austin community. Located on Manchaca near Ben White in the heart of South Austin, Radio Coffee & Beer brings together two things Austinites are absolutely obsessed with…and then some.

Owner and singer/songwriter Jack Wilson got the idea for the place from the countless bars and coffee shops he experienced while touring. He wanted to bring all the good he experienced in those places together in one spot for the local community to enjoy.

Wilson earned his coffee chips through time spent living and working in the Seattle coffee scene. Through friends and former co-workers, he’s managed to pull Portland’s Stumptown Coffee for everything from espresso beans to their Cold Nitro Brew on tap. [Read more…]

Jester King Brewery: Austin Attitude in Hill Country Setting

June 2, 2014 by Edgar Barguiarena

Enjoying a Jester King Ambree, a farmhouse Amber Ale

I hate funky sour beers, yet I love going to Jester King. If you’ve paid a recent visit to the farmhouse brewery 20 minutes southwest of downtown Austin, you’d see I’m not the only one.

Their overflow parking lot has an overflow parking lot of its own. The farmhouse estate located on a four-acre plot in the beautiful Hill Country is equipped to handle large crowds, with dozens of picnic tables spread throughout the compound and two separate beer stations. The primary tasting room has 10 taps and is set up adjacent to the barn house where the huge fermenters are located. The outdoor station is set up on the opposite end of the brewery and usually houses a few casks of Jester King’s latest brew. [Read more…]

WhichCraft Is Austin’s First Craft-Only Beer Store

April 28, 2014 by Matthew Champion 2 Comments

WhichCraft opened on April 19, 2014 in Austin

Do you ever get tired of sifting through all the crappy domestic beers at the grocery store to get to what you want? Come on, guys. I drank that stuff in college, but I’m grown now. I look for quality over quantity and I like to actually taste my beers and distinguish them from one another.

If you’re not looking for what you’re forced to drink at a baseball game, head over to WhichCraft, where you’ll probably be interested in nearly everything on the shelves.

WhichCraft has impressively filled a niche that was still available for the taking in Austin, by becoming the city’s first craft-only beer store. No sifting through the shelves here. You won’t find any of the watered-down lighter lagers from the big beer companies, or wine or liquor for that matter. When WhichCraft says craft beer only, they mean it. [Read more…]