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.

Texas Beer Tour - Part II

Recap

After a great time in Houston, I knew I had to keep my game at a high level to make this trip awesome. I got out on the road and headed on over to Shiner, Texas.

To say that the drive was romantic and beautiful would be an understatement. The weather was perfect, the traffic was minimal and the whole trip felt magical.

When I had my first beer with my father, it was a Shiner... Nearly a decade and a half later, and I am finally getting to visit the famous Spoetzl Brewery. Needless to say, I was excited.

Next Stop 

 

Spoetzl Brewery

I immediately noticed that my phone dropped to a level below roaming. Well I guess I was going to enjoy this trip all to myself.

I arrived a little after the tour started, so I ended up doing a little self-guided wandering. This brewery is huge. I felt a sense of aw as I finally looked upon the glory.

I had my samples of beer and was impressed by the  White Wing. So much so that I bought the snifter for it.

I was also finally able to get the Ram tap handle.

As I finished my tastings and made my purchases, I was informed of a little beer garden I should check out called Howard's on the edge of town.

Sure, why not.

Howard's

This was a real-life, small town experience. I was greeted by several older gentlemen who were trying their best to keep the denim industry alive.

The walls were covered with beer relics from days past.

I had a nice local brew, but time was going by and I needed to head up to Austin.

I would say that my time in the midlands was productive.

Next up... AUSTIN TEXAS.

Texas Beer Tour - Part I

Introduction

As my year was coming to a close, I decided that I needed to explore some of the breweries in the Republic of Texas. I browsed through the different websites and created a route with some good stops.

The Journey

First Stop: Houston

I had made a nice connection with a guy who works at Saint Arnold. I knew I needed to check it out. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to any other breweries in the city, as I only allotted one day.

Saint Arnold

After a long day of driving through Louisiana, it was a welcome sight to see this sign:

It was great to get past the traffic and see the grain silos of St Arnold.

The brewery's exterior has a small parking lot, but a lot of street parking. After I got in, I met up with Dennis.

He was awesome and passionate about crafting some delicious beers. The tap room area was full of beautiful paintings.

It was great to see the speed of a brewery this size. I was able to taste some fresh Santo off the line.

Yet with all of the mechanical attributes the care and effort was still put forth for the beer. The barrel room was truly beautiful:

I would recommend anyone in the area to check out this brewery.

 

My favorite two beers were the Icon Series: Brown Porter and the Endeavor IPA.  

Exploring

After the brewery I decided that I needed to swing by the local Flying Saucer in order to get a good comparison. Downtown Houston was full of some cool sights and of course, construction.

But I finally made it to the Saucer. It was time to do some work on my plate. I figured I could enjoy some more local Texas beers. 

I was then able to meet up with one of my good friends from my days at SMU. Debs and I ventured to a great place that had a lot of beers, The Yardhouse. 

The next day I was able to grab some donuts with one of my mentors before I rolled out of the city...

After some delicious treats, I hit the Spec's to grab a couple bottles on my way out.

Check back for the next part of my trip.