Rank your favorite Texas Breweries.

I keep hearing good things locally but still haven't gone. They need to start filling growlers either way.

 

512
JK
Real Ale
Freetail
Live Oak
Karbach
Southern Star
Saint Arnold
Adelberts
Austin Beer Works
Franconia
Ranger Creek
Independence
Hops & Grain
Thirsty Planet
NXNW
Uncle Billy's
Spoetzel
Rahr

And after listing all those out I realize we have it pretty damn good down in Texas. I'd be content enough just drinking from the bottom half of that list.

 

I'll have to go along with WagenVolks tier'd system. I love different breweries for different reasons and can't pick a favorite.

Top:
Freetail
Austin Beerworks
Jester King

Second:
Live Oak
Karbach
Real Ale
512
Adelberts (borderline 2-3rd)

Third (I'd probably skip unless it was all there was on tap)
Independence
Rahr
Ranger Creek
Circle
South Austin
Rogeness
St Arnolds
Thirsty Planet
Deep Ellum

Hops and Grains. Seriously, they suck. No one should ever drink them or hype them up. Ignore them. Their BA Baltic Star on Cherries is terrible. I promise you you'll hate their Half Nelson too.

 

I like their Mint IPA, Pale Horse and El Hefe but the others I tried were blah...

 

The way you've laid out the tiers is probably the closest one to match how I feel. The top tier ones consistently produce a beer that I'd consider world-class, while 2nd has solid all-around offerings.

For my own preference, I'd move JK down to tier 3, and have ABW, Peticolas and St. Arnold in the 2nd tier.

 

Jester King
St Arnold
512
Deep Ellum
Karbach
Real Ale
Southern Star
Freetail
Live Oak
Ranger Creek
Independence
NxNw
Austin Beerworks
Rahr

 

This will be a happy, happy day. Had it at their anniversary party, and holy crap it was good.

 

Royal Scandal won a Gold Medal at GABF this year for English Pale Ale, so they must be doing something right!

 

I think that clown is the only person I have used the ignore function on

 

Real Ale

 

Their Alt won gold over 26 other entries at the World Beer Cup this year. I can understand not digging their beers, but no one is making an award-winning altbier by accident.

 

Haven't seen South Austin mentioned much on here... do people not like their beers? I personally have only tried their saison at the Texas Craftbrewer's Festival. I kinda liked it. Anyone else? What are they doing wrong? Maybe they just need to brew for a while longer for them to hit their stride.

 

They're peddling beer worse than my first homebrew for $12 a bottle.

 

South Austin and Circle...both competing for worst beer made by Texas craft brewers. Just my opinion of coarse

 

Heh I try to stay out of these discussions, but these 2 are far from the worst ones.

 

That's really not fair for Circle. They're forgettable, but don't have quality issues. Far better than places like Pedernales Brewing or Texas BIG Beer.

 

From what I've tried so far...

Top Tier
Saint Arnold
Deep Ellum (off of Wealth and Taste alone)
Real Ale

Mid Tier
Spoetzl
(512)
Jester King
No Label

Low Tier
Karbach
Southern Star

 

Beer should be rated based upon your enjoyment of it, not some arbitrary "style" rating. That's my opinion though, and I'm sticking to it.

 

That is why I said Circle is among my least favorite Its called my opinion. I tried the hefe and the amber at Draught House (maybe the ESB, can't remember now). Off flavors, looked like dirty pond scum, smelled of sulfur. Not a good experience, and won't try them again. Hopefully they have cleaned up since I last had them, but way to many other good Texas breweries around to waist my time and liver with these guys.

 

That's pretty much what I meant, although I don't think that was clear. But I think a lot of people want to be overwhelmed by every beer they try, instead of just enjoying an amber for being a good amber and that being enough. Ultra-high expectations are rarely met