The Unofficial Texas Beer Tour

I have to admit, spending five years in Colorado I was more than a little spoiled when it comes to good beer! And just as spoiled when it came to "beer tours," beer festivals, and just the sheer amount of beer produced in Colorado. I have had this notion in my head that Texas was significantly more deficient in beer and, even worse, beer festivals. I am very happy to report that neither of these facts are true. And in order to help dispel this unsavory myth I've created the Unofficial Texas Beer Tour. It focuses on the best and biggest; there's more to do and taste, but everything has to start somewhere. Let's take a look at it in chronological order starting in the now time frame:

Beer Festivals:
          - Oktoberfest Fredericksburg Sept 30th through Oct 2nd; Fredericksburg is a true German town, as such this celebration is pretty damn authentic. The menu is incredible, the entertainment runs all day, and there is plenty of beer; German and otherwise. There will be a full report on this one in the future, as there will be for.....

          - Wurstfest  Nov 4th-13th; New Braunfels is another German settlement north of San Antonio. This celebration is the largest, AND longest, in Texas. It also has the greatest volume of brautwurst and sausage, as well as good beer!

Breweries:
          - (512) Brewing Company is a MicroBrew based in Austin, they have a number of different beers including two versions of their Pecan Porter. One being a double which is aged in whisky barrels. Personally, I'm looking forward to trying some of their "ONE" Belgian Strong Ale.

          - Spoetzl Brewery is perhaps the most well known of Texas' breweries being the producer of Shiner Bock, named after the town the Spoetzl Brewery calls home. It's also the oldest independent brewery in Texas, which along with its notoriety makes it an easy addition to this list.

          - Wicked Beaver Brewery, currently producing Wicked Beaver Black ale, is a Craft Brew in Lubbock. According to their website they designed their brew kettles, mashtuns, etc. themselves and had them custom fabricated by a steel fabrication shop. I find that reason enough to make the visit since it means getting a look at something a little different than every other brewery tour out there.

          - Thirsty Planet Brewing will be the last "brewery" on the tour for now. Also located in Austin they currently serve three beers; an IPA, a Wheat, and an Amber. And not only do these guys serve beer, they are also green and give back to the community (community being a worldly noun in this case)!

- Brew Pubs/Draft Houses
           - Fredericksburg Brewing Company is "the oldest and most acclaimed" brewpub in all of Texas! You can find it in, yep you guessed it, Fredericksburg, TX and get this: they're a "Bed and Brew"!!! That means that you may even be able to get by claiming this is a romantic getaway for you and your other half, in case they are less beer inclined. They brew in 500 gallon batches, with up to 7,500 gallon capacity, and currently are serving 6 different brews!

           - Cypress Street Station and Abiline Brewing Company offers a selection of rotating craft brews throughout the year. The brew house has the capacity to have 3 brews tapped at any time with their 3 five-barrel tanks (that's 155 gallons of beer in case you were wondering!!). This touted as "Abiline's Landmark Restaurant and only Brew Pub!"

           - The Draught House Pub and Brewery just made it to the TOP of the Upship! Unofficial Beer Tour list. Here's why: They have a number of house brews on tap, including a cask ale! Not only that, they've got standard pub fare, including real pizza made to order - which hits a soft spot for me. This place has over 50 different beers on tap, and just shy of 20 more available bottled. Bonus! - they have daily specials including, $2.75 pints, buy a pint keep the glass, and free brautwurst day!
           Awesome.

           - Blue Star Brewery located in San Antonio also serves cask beer - another "Awesome." Additionally, they've got 6 other brews currently on tap, and you can take a 1/2 gallon growler for $10. And interestingly enough, they've even got full kegs you can take home. Still better - more pizza, and a huge selection of additional food on the menu...and, yep, wait for it...live music! These guys have probably figured out the equation for the perfect beer drinking atmosphere, and I'm excited to test that theory.

           - The Flying Saucer in Fort Worth is a pretty sweet draft house. I wish I could say it was awesome...but they had a cover. Lame. Very very lame. And the service was a little slow to boot. Now that I got that out of the way, the rest of the experience was pretty good. They have HUNDREDs of different brews on type from all over the world and in every possible style you could want! It's about $5.50 a pint for pretty much anything and if they don't have what you ask for they are quick to suggest a similar brew you may not have tried. They also had a small bar menu if you're hungry, although I didn't look at it too closely. If you're in the area, or looking for a destination where you can get good brews try Fort Worth and the Saucer.

Biergartens:
           - The Auslander Biergarten and Restaurant is located in Fredicksburg, but unlike the Oktoberfest they're open all year round...meaning good food and beer can be had all year round - German and otherwise. Finally, not only does The Auslander look like it was literally plucked out of a small German Dorf it's another establishment that provides live music regularly too.

And for now ladies and gentlemen, I will leave it at that. This, for the moment, is the Upship! Brewing "Unofficial Texas Beer Tour." Disclaimer: admittedly, many fine establishments have surely been left out, and less surely one or two herein listed may not quite live up to our unquestionable taste, but that is the point - to add, modulate, and perfect the "Unofficial Texas Beer Tour" to truly experience it. After all it's not the destination that makes for a good time, it's the experience, so get out there and fill your gullet with good food and great beer! And report your findings for others to enjoy!

Prost!
Jack