I'm planning a trip to Austin the end of March and plan on hitting up a few breweries while out there. Jester King is a given (seems like Friday early might be the time to go) but I'm wondering what else is a must visit. Seems like the scene is growing a little quicker and most places I've looked don't really have a consensus. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I'm sure there are countless threads if you give a search in the forums, but: Hops and Grain is a great visit. You can visit there, East 1st Grocery store for shopping, Kerlin's or La BBQ for grub, Zilker Brewing, Cuvee Coffee and Wright Bros Brews and Brews (for coffee AND beer at both) all in a close 2-5 minute drive of one another. Austin Beerworks is worth the trek up north of downtown if you are there on the weekend. And of course you should hit Rainey Street to hit Craft Pride and Banger's. Oh and Pinthouse Pizza is worth it for some pizza and great beer.
I think a consensus may have used to be more around Live Oak, H&G and Austin Beerworks as the top tier along with Jester King. I would personally add Pinthouse Pizza to that list. Real Ale would also be on that list, but is out in Blanco (but could be done in a day with JK). There are so many new places or places that have gained more recognition that I don't think you'd get a lot of agreement on who the best 3 or 4 places are anymore, but I think the ones I mentioned would all be "should definitely visit if you have time" with pretty much anybody. Also, as mentioned, if you go to Craft Pride or Banger's or various other good beer bars, you can probably try some good offerings from several places (including other Texas things that you'll never see in Illinois).
We did a little Austin Beer Tour last summer. I really enjoyed Zilker Brewing Co. They have a coffee milk stout that makes the 3 hour ride down seem like nothing. We would be happy visiting them all again. We hit these places on a Saturday. http://www.512brewing.com http://2016.independencebrewing.com http://www.zilkerbeer.com https://www.facebook.com/hopsandgrain http://theabgb.com On Sunday we hit Last Stand and Jester King. They are neighbors and their hours worked with each other. http://www.laststandbrewing.com
When I'm on the north side, its always, Austin Beerworks, Pinthouse Pizza, and Draught House. All are very close to each other(the latter 2 only being a half mile or so apart). 3 of my favorite spots in Austin. There is a Pinthouse in south Austin now, too, if that better fits your travel plans.
With ABW up there, Adelberts, 4th Tap and Circle are all within a mile of that as well (or something close like that)
Oasis has a great view. It's relatively close to Infamous, where I always have a great time. But it's not touristy.
If you make it up north, Austin Beerworks and Adelbert's are both very close to one another, i would highly recommend both. Adelbert's taproom is a really excellent value in my opinion.
