Texas Beer Tour - Part V

I apologize to my readers. With things going on, I have neglected to posted to last legs of my Texas Journeys. I last left y'all in the Hill Country where my sister and I explored the rolling hills and sours of Jester King.

Back in Austin

My sister and her husband were ready to explore her city. We decided to make a couple days out of it. On day one Defonza and I headed out to sample some brews from two breweries and check the stock at a bottle shop.

WhichCraft Beer Store

We headed down to the southern part of Austin to see what this new bottle shop had to offer. The selection was outstanding. They are doing it right there for sure. I expect big things from them.

Adelbert's Brewery

This Brewery is very unassuming from the outside even so when you walk in.

You pay your money for either a normal taster glass or the fancy and bigger tulip glass (worth it) and get your wristband.

Once inside, you gather with the others waiting for the tour.

There is a bar where you can order up to 6 different tastings (or 3 big tastings). D and I mingled and met with some people who were visiting.

The tour was informative and fun, as it wove through the building.

It finished back at the bar, where we were able to have our remaining beverages and purchase some merch.

I was able to try several beers: Black Rhino, Dancin' Monks, Flying Monk, Scratchin' Hippo, The Traveler and Tripel B. I guess to be honest, I enjoyed the Tripel B the night before out of the bottle. It was delicious with a beautiful amber color and smooth head. The flavour had hints of pear with a nice malt. There was light banana aroma with a formidable alcohol presence. It is worth picking up a bottle for sure.

But my favorite was the Philosophizer. This beer should definitely be sampled at the tap room. It poured a great color nearly amber/orange. The aroma was intoxicating to me. It had fruits and spices that just danced together nicely. After the sip, I knew it was my favorite. I loved all the complex fruit flavours. Thumbs up from me.

D and I checked our watched and realized that we could still head on over to check out the next stop.

Austin Beerworks

The parking lot was SLAMMED. so this must have been a popular choice. Now it was time to see if all these people were making a good decision to be there. We had missed the tour, so D and I went in and got our glass and taster coins. We perused the choices. I went with the Karl Kölsch. It wasn't the best, but it was refreshing on that hot Texas day. We enjoyed some food from the truck.

The layout of the brewery is very open. This made it easy to explore the operation. So even though we missed the actual tour, we were able to see a lot of the workings.

We ended up running into our friends from earlier. This was fun to have some touring buddies for the day.

I then tried the Inspector Spacetime while D got the Heisenberg. His choice was tastier than mine, this round.

The next round was the Dunkel Father and the Double Deuce. The Double Deuce took that round for sure.  I am not a big fan of the dunkel style... so that might not be fair. My favorite two beers were the Gold Fist and the Sputnik. Highly different styles, but both tasty in their own right.

The award for weirdest, goes to Mr. Sparkle.

It is their Pearlsnap Pils but with gold glitter in it... hmmm. I mean I had to try it.

This concluded the first part of our adventures for Saturday, but we had a big Sunday planned.

Flying Saucer

Of course, we had to check this one out while we were around.

I needed to get some plate work in with some beers that I can't get in Memphis. I started off with the Weisse Versa Wheat by Karbach. It was refreshing. That Texas heat is nothing to play with. It is an enjoyable Hefe: mildly spicy with pleasant aromas. My next choice was the Iron Thistle by Rahr. It was a little thick for what I wanted, but it was a good beer. very malty flavour. I finished up with the Codex Triplex by Real Ale. I am glad I finished with this beer. It is a great beer. It has strong Oak presence that comes through the sour taste with a strong fruit aroma.

While this isn't my home Saucer, it was a pleasant experience. Quiet location with some cool stuff going on around it.

Draught House Pub & Brewery

From there, we headed to a place that I had been eager to check out all trip. My sister was telling me all about it.

There was a cool looking outdoor patio.

On the inside, it was dark and old feeling. I liked it. The bar had a sense of authenticity.

I surveyed my options and went with the 1836 by Buffalo Bayou. I enjoyed the malty flavour.

I am a sucker for some mead... so my next choice had to be the Frontier by Meridian Hive Meadery. It was Oh SO TASTY! Not too sweet, since it had some hop to it with a very crisp finish. My last choice was the Luchesa Lager by Oasis Texas. It was a decent enough beer but nothing special. Overall, the atmosphere at Draught House was a chill vibe. The bartender rubbed me the wrong way, but I let that slide. There was too much delicious beer to get upset.

We were now ready for a nice bite to eat and then relax and watch some lacrosse.

Pinthouse Pizza Craft Brewpub

When my sister told me about this place, I honestly did not know what to expect. I was imagining some kind of family pizza place mixed with a Gordon Biersch. I wasn't all too thrilled, but I trusted my sister. Man, was I wrong? This place was awesome.

The decorations were fun, the servers were on point and their beers were spot on.

An awesome bartender named Eli took care of us, as I told her it was my first time. She helped me through the different options. She really knew her stuff. If you stop in, she is a rockstar.

My bro and I shared the Fallen Cask IPA Batch #43 and the Czech Mate Imperial Pilsner first. D and I were torn. I liked the Pilsner more, and he liked the IPA. Good. We each got more of what we wanted. Next we tried the gamut. Oseary Drakoulias, Bearded Seal, the rare Burro's Breakfast, Man O' War, Nitro Dude, and Old Beluga. Of them all my favorites were the Oseary Drakoulias for its rich toffee and roasty flavouring and the Man O War for its clean crisp IPA flavour. Since she doesn't really do gluten, Karena opted for the Omission Lager.

I loved this place. The manager, Andrew, came over to introduce himself. I strongly recommend this place to anyone visiting Austin.

Austin was amazing. I got to hang with my family, explore with niece and nephews, eat good foods with my sisters and brothers, meet new people, see the open road, taste great beer, and add to my collection. Cheers to friends and family. 

This was my last stop in Austin. Stay tuned for my next segments. I promise it won't take as long to write it.

Texas Beer Tour - Part IV

Hill Country

My sister Karena and I loaded up the car and got out on the road. We were going to make a whole day out of it. My friend at Saint Arnold had recommended we see his friend at Real Ale, and I have been eager to visit Jester King since I tried my first sour.

Smoke 'N Hops

After checking through Yelp, we determined that this was going to be our stop for lunch. The Hill Country is absolutely breath-taking.

The meal was very well-done. The brisket was perfectly smoked, and I enjoyed the Smoke'n Blonde. It was a good beer. I was pleasantly surprised. The place had a good selection of beer.

Their meats were smoked over hickory wood. This made a rich smoke flavour.

We had a good lunch

Twisted X Brewing Company

Apparently, I misread the hours of operation at Real Ale, so we decided to kill some time at Twisted X.

Their beers were nothing remarkable. The have a Tex-Mex thing going on. I guess if you love pale lagers and cerveza-style beers, this is your jam. I did the flight to try them all. The Fuego was unique, so it got the most interest from me... but it doesn't compare to most the other beers I have tried on my journeys.

The best part of this brewery is the atmosphere. On a nice day, sitting outside, drinking light beers... It is a Texicans dream.

Their logo is emblazoned everywhere. For good reason. It is a great logo.

Flight Board

Bathroom Wall

 

Real Ale Brewing Company 

Now that we had killed some time, we headed back over to Blanco. The drive was beautiful, as expected. We were greeted by some smiling faces.

We got a nice behind the scenes tour of the new parts of the facilities. The new tap room is going to be amazing. It is so difficult to explain how beautiful the landscape is.

My favorite of the beers was the Anniversary Gose. But the beers were all tasty.
 I strongly recommend a day trip out to Blanco. The city seemed like a treasure in addition to the great brewery.

Jester King

After hearing hype for a while, the wait was finally over. Pulling up to the grounds, it feels like you are registering for camp. I dig it. The campus is lush and pristine.

While the employees weren't as nice here as they are at other breweries, they were knowledgeable. I decided to try all the offerings that day. When in Rome, right?

Taps

My favorite was the Black Metal Farmhouse Imperial Stout. It has a delicious roasted malt flavour with a strong cocoa, coffee, chocolate aroma. Even with an elevated ABV, it hides well.

Our picnic table

We did a little sprinkle of rain while we were there, but it wasn't enough to deter our good times.

Overall, we had a blast exploring some of the beautiful hill country. I strongly recommend this little day trip for any Austin local.

Texas Beer Tour - Part III

Onward

It was now time to head on up the road to the first big stop on my trip, Austin. In addition to an exploding beer scene, I have two sisters that live there, so this trip has been long overdue. Through the assistance of fellow Beer Advocate members, I procured a handy spreadsheet with Hours of Operation and Locations for most Texas breweries.

Austin

Approaching the Republic's capital, I noticed that the speed limits were above the normal number. Cruising along at 85 while observing the law felt good.

Once I had arrived, I worked with my sister to create the schedule that allowed me to visit the best beer places as while as some gastronomic treats.

Gordough's Food Truck

Of course I had to check this place out. They have a donut with fried chicken on it... Duh! It was fun hanging out with my nephew... I hope he appreciates the deliciousness of donuts.

I went with the Mother Clucker and the Flying Pig. This place hit the spot.

Hops & Grain

After a great day of exploration, my brother in law and I ventured out to the east side to check out a smaller brewery that has been doing a lot of great things.  It is tucked behind some other stores and it doesn't have the best signage, but once inside, you know you are in the correct spot.

I introduced myself to the bartender and got a great background on the brewery and beers.

The space is great. It has a beer-centric focus to it. I like this aspect.

My favorite two beers were the Bourbon Barrel-aged Alt-eration and The One They Call Zoe. Both were a great representation of their style and had solid flavour to back it up. 

Banger's

The next stop on the tour was a restaurant that has an amazing beer list. I had read this, and this place delivered! Not only did that have an amazing tap wall

Their bottle list was impressive as well.

The whole atmosphere and food was a great experience as well.

I recommend this place for groups or small get-togethers.

Craft Pride

One of my sisters and her husband walked down the street with me to check out a little beer shop.

My sister was happy they had Gluten Free options. I was happy that they carried so much Texas beer.

This wraps up the first part about my time in Austin. Stay tuned for the rest.