Austin is HOT for beer

/in
Austin is known for its music, food trucks, and beer. There was so much to do and see, we really only got around to the beer. Our first stop was meeting Belgian beer enthusiast and founder of Adelbert’s Brewing, Scott Hovey.  Scott was operating on a small scale and focusing great attention to quality in the Belgian style bottle and keg conditioning. They have only been distributing since December 2011 and have plenty of room for growth within their facility. We left with two samples of their 750 ml bottles of the Philosophizer and Scratching Hippo.  The Philosophizer claimed to spark in-depth conversations and philosophies while drinking and Gabriel found this to be strangely true while relaxing with our hosts Neil and Amelia later that night.
Since Austin Beerworks was right around the corner, we popped in and met Michael, one of the owners. He let us try their seasonal beer “The Einhorn” a Berliner Weisse as we toured the facility.  Michael was really enthusiastic to show us their customized compact canning system (it was awesome and we were floored with how little space it took up!) and new fermenter. We thoroughly enjoyed the “bold and clean” taste of the Double IPA, the Peacemaker Extra Pale Ale, and the Fire Eagle American IPA. We were sad to miss the “shotgun Friday” that had become a local tradition at 3 o’clock each Friday.
We had heard that Hops & Grains Brewery tours were something not to miss so we headed across town after visiting Barton Springs Cold Pool. We got to meet Josh the owner, who won the Gold award for his brew ALT-eration at the World Beer Cup. We enjoyed ALT-eration as well as the Pale Dog Pale Ale.It was a busy evening and we were excited to meet fellow beer enthusiasts Joe & Dawn from Marion, NC! They were putting us to shame with visiting twice the amount of breweries in Austin during their stay. We later saw this energetic couple at future breweries and they had done an amazing job of marketing our Oowee Koozies to each tour they went on. Thanks to our new recruits!
Gabriel took a trip to visit Brian and Mike out at Thirsty Planet, and since I was absent, had a grand old time drinking all of their beers but his favorite was the Buckethead IPA. Go figure. Now, we have been asked about drinking responsibly on a beer tour across the country and let me assure you that we typically are having very small samples, switch drivers, or sober up before we leave the facilities. At Thirsty Planet, the tour guide was really knowledgeable about the beer processes and encouraged folks to get to know their beers as well as familiarizing themselves with the craft beer industry.
The last brewery in Austin he was was able to visit was Jester King Craft Brewery, just down the road from Thirsty Planet. It was in a really cool old barn out in the beautiful Texas hill country and had a real authentic cowboy feel. Sadly, it was last call when he arrived and did not have long to enjoy this fine establishment that the majority of the beers are Certified Organic. But we hear that the brother owners Jeffrey & Michael cannot even keep Wytchmaker on tap at local bars because its popularity.
Austin had so much to offer in the craft beer market world, but we had to move on to our next destination. We were sad to miss out on (512) Brewing Company, Independence Brewing, Live Oak Brewing, Circle Brewing, South Austin Brewing Company, and Twisted X Brewing Company. You can learn more about these Austin Breweries at www.AustinBrewingGuide.com