Austin 2020

Let me know when are you going to be around and see if we can meet.

 

The dont-miss breweries (aside from JK) are:

1) Pinthouse
2) Oddwood
3) ABGB
4) Live Oak

Other to breweries worth a visit:

Zilker
Southern Heights
Austin Beer Works
Draught house
St Elmo
Skull Mechanix



.

 

Jester King has been one of my favorite brewery visits, anywhere.

I was just down in Austin a couple of weeks ago and went the new to me route. I thought the beers I tried at Oddwood, especially the Italian style Pilsner, were great. Lupulin Rodeo at Hops and Grains was definitely worth this WCIPA fans time too. Screw Lazarus and their forcing me to have to choose bebetween a 20 ounce or 5 ounce pour of their Pilsner, which wasn't anything special, I won't be back to that one.

Last time I also enjoyed my time at Live Oak a lot and ABGB.

Pinthouse is up next for my next time down there.

 

I think this would basically be my exact response except I haven't been to Pinthouse in years so I don't think I could personally recommend them. I had a good experience with them but I just want to go other places.

Other places in my opinion worth a visit are:
Celis Brewery
Adelberts
Blue Owl

In fact, I think it'd actually be easier for me to list the places that I would NOT want to go back to in Austin. I can only think of 4 breweries in Austin.

 

Would add these to the others to visit list:

Red Horn Coffee House & Brewing
Frontyard Brewing

 

Yes, you can get growler/crowler fills almost everywhere now. And if the brewery cans, they'll have em' for sale in the taproom.

FYI, the Draught House is brewing again and the beer is worth a visit.

 

Lot of great recs above. I'm surprised at the lack of Lazarus love (saw the one negative comment on them). Next to Jester King, Lazarus is the one brewery I'd add as a must.

Huge on JK, Lazarus, Red Horn, Austin Beerworks, St. Elmo, Adelbert's, and ABGB.

Austin is big geographically and traffic can be fucked. You would be best served to cluster breweries together (e.g., North Austin breweries like Red Horn, ABW, Adelbert's in a single day, then south next day).

There are also a handful of breweries along/near our light rail, beginning in North Austin and ending downtown. Fun way to see a lot of spots and save on Uber costs.

 

I didn't mention Lazarus because they're on my short "Don't go" list.

They seem to be very popular.

But I couldn't finish a pint of the English Mild due to astringency.
The couple of saisons that I had were more drinkable but still had a wierd astringency. (I don't throw around that word loosely. I think this is the first brewery where I've really detected it.)

The Pilsner was alright but it was definitely below average in a town with many excellent examples of the style.

The tacos were poor. Very bland despite being $4.00.

I'd go to Adelberts over Lazarus any day although Lazarus is more hip and is a great place to be seen.

 

I want to like Lazarus, but alas, their beer is... inconsistent. It's not the worst brewery you could end up in, but I would't cross the street for em'.

 

Nothing but love for Adelbert's. It's a very worthy stop and one I make with all visitors.

 

Adelberts is good. They're definitely my cousins favorite brewery.
I don't drink as many Belgian style beers as he does though.

I was really impressed with their Lagerboy Pilsner as well as their Belgian beers.

 

I had the same feeling about Lazarus originally. Stopped in last week for the first time in a year. The mild is a lot better. They must have tweaked the tea addition to remove the astringency. They had a really cool rice lager on with Black Peppercorns. One of my favorite beers I've had lately. I still get irritated by their higher prices and seemingly random glass sizes.


Here's my attempt at a quick guide:

All Around
Austin Beerworks - An institution at this point. They really excel at clean beers , mostly american styles.

For Hops
Pinthouse Pizza - You know this
Southern Heights - These guys were nailing them out of the gate. It's nice to see both hazy and west coast styles.
Zilker - They added the old brewer from Hops and Grain, and it shows. Their IPAs the past 1.5yr have gotten so much better.
Hi Sign - I always forget about them, but their IPAs are the best things they do. Their Irish Red was outstanding before they changed the recipe.

Malty
Draughthouse - I frequent there way too much. Josh's malty beers have only gotten better since they started brewing again.
Red Horn - Probably the best stout maker in town. I don't haven't been overly impressed by the coffee one, but Suburban Ninja is outstanding.

Lagers
Live Oak / ABGB - of course
St Elmo - Carl has really honed in on being a great kolsch, but their lagers are awesome as well.
Brewtorium - cool space. They seem to catch a lot of slack from people, but their German Lagers are good.

Saison/Wilds
Jester King - Yup
Central District - Haven't been yet. The pulled out a GABF gold after just opening for their Wit, which is impressive.
Odd Wood - Cool taproom. My favorite beers here are the foudre/hoppy blends. They're usually amazing, and are something don't often see. They're putting out a lot of lagers lately as well.
Batch (Kolaches) Brewing - just opened up a few months ago. If you're stopping into Oddwood, make sure you hit them up too. They're experimenting a lot, but have a really good hit rate on what they're putting out.
Blue Owl - Stop in and get the small taster tour/flight. They have a pretty cool kettle sour only setup that's worth checking out. They're starting to hit their stride as well with their seasonals.


Try if You're Near
512 - They make great beer, but never have had a good taproom experience.
Adelberts - They're okay, but never really knock it out of the park.
Beerburg - I'd recommend stopping here after JK. They just opened and are already making great beer. Really unique/impressive space as well.
Blue Bonnet - I've been 50/50 on their stuff. Really liked the Wit and Oktoberfest.
Independence Brewing Co - kind of an oxymoron since they're partially owned by Heineken now. However, after that happened, their beers have gotten a bit better. Red Bud (and variants) is usually worth trying.
Family Business Beer Company - I really liked my visit, but they're down here because they're so far away. Won GABF gold for their german pils.
Front Yard - Probably won't be open yet, but try their Coffee Milk Stout when you're at PHP. One of my fav coffee beers of all time.
Last Stand - Close to JK. Some people really love them. They're a solid all-rounder, but don't knock it out of the park.
Lazarus - see above
Nomadic - Just fine, but also new. I don't know why they make a Kolsch when it's overly grainy and St Elmo is around the corner. A lot of people seem to like them.
NXNW - Might be your last chance to try them since they've shrunk from 5 restaraunts to 1. Northern Light is my fav beer.
Oasis Tx - Go here for the view. Their beers have gone downhill the past 2 years.
Oskar Blues - I actually like the taproom. But you've probably had most things on tap already. They're suppose to have a pilot system going soon.
Skull Mechanix - Mostly session ales. They're well made, but rarely spectacular. The space/concept never made sense to me though.

Unknown to me
Central District - Haven't been yet. The pulled out a GABF gold after just opening for their Wit, which is impressive.
Compadre - Haven't heard a lot about them. Took over the old Idle Vine space.
Suds Monkey - ?

Skip/Avoid
4th Tap - Too inconsistent. They originally got off to a good start, but quickly had a lot of quality issues. Hit up Fairweather Cider next door instead.
Black Star Coop - If you're into Co-ops, then go I guess. They probably have the same beers on from 4 years ago still.
Circle Brewing - Mediocre to subpar beer. They were about to jump ship and move to the country, but stayed after the soccer stadium was announced next door.
Celis - Fuck Celis. They screwed over so many local contractors and suppliers. I know people appreciate their legacy, but when they hose a non-profit (Barks for Beers, Divine Canines), they've lost my support.
Central Machine Works - Cool space, but that's about it. They're contract brewing for now.
Hitmaker - not good.
Flying Man - They sell a lot of old beer in the taproom, and are trying to cash out.
Friends and Allies - Haven't been a fan of them. A lot of potential, but their beers are never dialed in.
Hops & Grain - They use to be an Austin staple, but not anymore.
Hop Squad - Just opened. Cool space, but all of their beers have issues.
Nland - I think they might be brewing again, but probably won't be open. It's a shame, because they were low-key putting out amazing beer.
Infamous - Edgey and meh.
Orf - He's a great guy, but his beers often have problems, and the space is a bit dicey. The Oocheenama is a must try though if you see it at a restaurant.
Rensch - Strangeland - No.
Whitestone - These were some of the worst beers I've had in town. I've heard that they've improved as a few months ago, but don't bother.
Thirsty Planet - No taproom yet since the move.

Meadery / Cideries - I don't visit these really.
Argus Cidery - Close to JK/Last Stand.
Austin Eastciders - Sweeter ciders.
Texas Keeper Cidery - Heard the property was cool.
Fairweather Cidery - Very very dry.
Meridian Hive - Worth checking out.
Moontown Cidery

 

Great list. Out in Hill Country I would add Acopon (English Style), Roughhouse (Farmhouse Beers), and Vista (clean and barrel aged beers).
Full disclosure, I work at Vista.
Cheers.

 

That's a very good bit of information on all of them.

I'd want to add that in addition to very good foeder beers Oddwood makes my favorite IPAs and I have felt that a lot of their lagers were some of the best I've had.
I really like the malt flavors they have going and they don't rely on caramel malts like so many breweries.
Their IPAs normally have a good malt flavor with the great hops but without being overly sweet.

Hi Sign was one of my breweries that I don't want to go back to but I didn't have any of their IPAs. Everything else was sub par.

I didn't know there has been some drama with Celis. I still like their beers but I only come to Austin to visit family so I don't hear all the gossip like that.

Also Austin Eastciders is not as dry as the other options but their Original is the only cider I buy because it has a much more complex flavor than the other ciders I have available. Again I don't live in Austin so the only time I've really seen Texas Keeper is at Oddwood but I'd probably buy that more if I lived in Austin.
I wouldn't recommend going to Eastciders because the only cider of theirs that I'll drink is the Original and I can buy that anywhere.

 

@Chadzero
Couple follow ups from the (great) post above.
What happened with Celis?
Interesting that you noted Hops & Grain as Skip/Avoid. I've never had a bad beer from them (been awhile, granted). Has quality gone downhill? Or are there just better options these days?

 

I hit up Hops & Grain last month, only tried one beer while there, but it was Lupulin Rodeo and I thought it was an enjoyable beer I would go out of my way to have again. I do go for the WC IPA though, so that beer played into my wheelhouse.

I know EVERYONE else that day ordered one of their hazey Pale Ales they had on top. It was kinda crazy how one after another everyone ordered the same thing.

 

Celis is going through Bankruptcy. They denied it up until filing, and have been radio silent. Documents revealed so many small businesses and contractors that they owe money too (who will probably get hung out to dry). One of which is a local non-profit, Divine Canines. They never paid them the money they collected during their yearly Barks for Beers fundraiser. So essentially, they've stolen donations.

H&G has gone downhill in my opinion. A lot of rumors have been flying around, but they essentially let go most of their senior staff, and all of their experienced brewers left. (One went to Zilker, which is why their IPAs have gotten better). The whole San Marcos location #2 project was a disaster. I feel bad for anyone that invested in that WeFunder. They've stopped dating their cans. The last few IPA I've tried from them have been muted, with an astringent finish. I'd avoid them for now until they get things back under control.

 

Oddwood is doing a bangup job right now. I can't get enough of their lagers and hops.

PS. Chadzero is on point!!