507200 Mon Apr 07 21:19:19 -0700 2008 25 61 Austin 0 3572081 What local brews do you guys like? What beers are hard to find in Austin? Where do you like to have them? To me nothing beats the Thursday night special at the Draught House, $2.25 for an imperial pint of their housebrews. You can have almost a gallon of beer for less than $16 after tip. My favorite homebrew of theirs they only make in the winter - the coffee stout. Right now they're serving among others, a homebrew called Red Planet. Be careful with it, though. There's a hangover in every third one. Mon Apr 07 21:19:19 -0700 2008 102217 KPeff 1 3572990 I love the Draught House, and enjoy many of their homebrews. The IPA that they have right now is very good IMO. I'm a big fan of the IPA's. So, another local brew that I really like is Live Oak's Liberation Ale. While the selection isn't as good as the Draught House, I also love The Dog & Duck pub. The fact that they have Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA makes the smaller selection a non-issue for me. This is hands down my "go-to" beer, and any establishment that has it on tap gets points in my book. The Gingerman is another great pub, with a great selection of beer. Also worth noting is Uncle Billy's Brew & Que. As far as places to buy beer for consumption at home... my top pick would have to be The Whip In. Spec's is also great, but I try to support the little local guy if at all possible. Tue Apr 08 08:23:38 -0700 2008 3572081 149511 kegsandkitchen 2 3573117 I like the Real Ale guys from Blanco. I enjoy Rio Blanco Pale Ale, Full Moon Rye Ale, and Fireman's #4. Their small run beers (like their Coffee Porter) are usually good also. St. Arnold's also does a great job with their Elissa, Amber, and I love their Christmas. I have not had anything I disliked from them. My favorite place to sample these is Zax Pints and Plates for a combination of their food to go with their small, but well chosen selection of local brews. Tue Apr 08 08:54:59 -0700 2008 3572990 79200 El General 3 3573203 I like the Real Ales too, and also enjoy Zax. Though not at all local, they had a Belgian tasting on Saturday, which I had to skip in lieu of the Swamp Thing Fest. They may have leftovers from this partial list: Tripel Karmeliet Kwak Deus Duchesse de Bourgogne(Flemish Red Sour) Urthel Hop It Urthel Samaranth Grotten Brown Grotten Flemish St. Feuillien Tripel Dubuisson Scaldis St. Bernardus Tripel St. Bernardus Wit Chimay White Chimay Blue D'Achouffe La Chouffe D'Achouffe Mc Chouffe Duvel LeFebvre Blanche de Bruxelles Lindeman's Framboise Orval Westmalle Dubble Westmalle Triple Rochefort 8 Rochefort 10 Tue Apr 08 09:24:04 -0700 2008 3573117 11162 Nab 4 3573371 Their Wednesday night pint night feature is Belgian Assortment this week. It is the leftovers from the tasting. I wanted to go, but couldn't make it. http://www.zaxaustin.com/calendar.htm Tue Apr 08 10:01:44 -0700 2008 3573203 79200 El General 4 3583971 Oh good Lord! Thank you for posting this. Rochefort 8 is my favorite beer of all time. I used to be able to buy it at Whole Foods, but not any more. I'm going to have to hit Zax ASAP! Fri Apr 11 08:36:53 -0700 2008 3573203 81120 foodiegal71 5 3609828 We bought Rochefort 8 and 10 at Grapevine in December. Delicious! Sat Apr 19 08:04:54 -0700 2008 3583971 123919 brunettepet 2 3601148 kegs if you love that dogfish head ipa ask draught house to get them a randall tap. it's an amazing and contoversial device, but it allows the pub to add their own live hops for a final "fresh" hop blast. your go-to brew is the one they usually randallize at the craft beer pubs out here in noo yawk. now that'll really do ya! Wed Apr 16 14:04:23 -0700 2008 3572990 11372 mrnyc 1 3575119 I would have to say the Draught House is a GREAT austin Gem! I love the variety! Nothing beats it! Tue Apr 08 17:29:41 -0700 2008 3572081 180227 GracieO 1 3575811 Local brewers: Live Oak is a favorite for many. I find their Pilz over-hopped but I'm in the minority. Blanco's Real Ale offers some good stuff in bottles (the Rye is very unique) and occasionally has a really good seasonal draft. The most recent was something they called a "double ESB," called Phoenixx. Independence has some quality beers that are very drinkable. I love the big stuff but it's nice to have some quality session brews in town, too. Pubs: Gingerman is great. One of the only places in town that pulls cask ale (Opal Divine's downtown is supposed to serve it but I've never seen them do it). Despite the crowds, I'm pretty fond of the Flying Saucer. They were the first place I saw serving the new Avery Maharaja (if you like IPA, go get one now!) Draught House and Dog & Duck are good choices, and Billy's on Burnet has a reasonably good selection with cheap prices. I have never been to NXNW or Zax. Tue Apr 08 22:14:04 -0700 2008 3572081 24991 mkwng 2 3576033 Live Oak Pilz was the first beer I had at B-Side Lounge (Are they gone yet?). I liked it a lot, but it never catches my eye when I'm at a bar for some reason. And whoa - Real Ale made a double ESB? And I'm just now finding out about it? Is there any place I can buy it still, or is it past the season? Wed Apr 09 03:54:09 -0700 2008 3575811 102217 KPeff 3 3811215 Just got back from Draught House, which I hadn't been to in a long while. First thing I had there was the Live Oak Pilz, and it was as good as I remember it being at B-Side Lounge. mkwng, the Pilz is hoppy, but that is what I like about it. It has bite. It's like the difference between Barq's and A&W. Nice selection of other beers written on their chalkboard menu. I also had the St. Arnold's Divine Reserve #6 which was good, too. Tue Jun 24 20:41:57 -0700 2008 3576033 102217 KPeff 4 3811777 I love a hoppy beer, I just think that the Live Oak is wrong for the style. When I order a pilsner I want that crisp, fresh-cut grass taste. Live Oak Pilz is a little to aggressively hopped for me. Wed Jun 25 08:09:23 -0700 2008 3811215 24991 mkwng 3 3815313 The Real Ale ESB was pretty dissapointing, but then again, can anything hold a candle to Fuller's ESB (other than say an ESB brewed in some out of the way place in England)? One of the brews at Draught House many people like is Hop Gold. I don't go in for overhopped, grapefruit tasting beers, so hopheads might not love that one; I think its pretty well balanced, though not as good IMHO as Live Oak Pilz. Thu Jun 26 08:02:23 -0700 2008 3576033 147913 taliesin15 2 3576473 regarding cask ale, there's lots of places that do it, though they're usually just a "once a month" thing. Opal's, NXNW and Uncle Billy's (on Barton Springs Rd.) all have regular cask ale events. While the selection at Flying Saucer is impressive, I can't get past the costumes they put their servers in and the "chain" feel that it has going on. Wed Apr 09 07:36:02 -0700 2008 3575811 149511 kegsandkitchen 3 3576505 re: Flying Saucer - I guess, but it's not like Gingerman and Opal Divine's aren't chainy too. I don't know if the Phoenixx is still available - they may be moving on to their next seasonal, which their site says is a wee heavy. http://www.realalebrewing.com/beer_styles.php Wed Apr 09 07:44:10 -0700 2008 3576473 24991 mkwng 4 3577936 Flying Saucer, at least the one in Houston, is not without a sense of humor and community, either. A friend of mine got engaged there. She and her then boyfriend had been sampling beers for a long time trying to get those plaques for hitting 200 - when he got his, his engraving asked her to marry him. And hers says "It's about damn time." I'll have to go to Draught House some time soon when it's late and see if Flying Saucer is making more room at DH for neighborhood drinkers. Can anyone comment on this already? Example - Hypothetical guy in town from Houston: "Draught House? That like the theater? Who wants to go there to sit at their bar? No, man. Let's go to Flying Saucer!" Wed Apr 09 12:57:30 -0700 2008 3576505 102217 KPeff 5 3580223 As a Draught House regular, I can tell you that the opening of the Flying Saucer has had little to no impact on the size of the crowd at DH. We're a loyal bunch. The sense of community that you mentioned at the Flying Saucer in Houston is alive and kicking at the Draught House. Thu Apr 10 06:47:24 -0700 2008 3577936 149511 kegsandkitchen 1 3577250 FYI - tonight Zax will be serving leftovers from the Belgian tasting (listed above) for the Wed. Pint Night special Wed Apr 09 10:32:15 -0700 2008 3572081 112453 cibodivino 1 3583168 Glad to see chowhounds are fans of draughthouse. Other places, "What Live Oak do you have on tap?" is always the first thing I ask. Hefeweizen and Pale Ale are the favorites and I will go places because they have it. Thu Apr 10 21:04:06 -0700 2008 3572081 168577 DrkBgrk 2 3583184 Mmm, Live Oak Hefeweizen . . . Thu Apr 10 21:11:02 -0700 2008 3583168 163159 RuthieBaby 2 3584808 Yes! All the Live Oak beers are excellent, but the Hefe and Pale Ale are really outstanding. Their Hefeweizen is the best of that style I've had outside of Germany, in part because it's usually fresh, which makes a huge difference but also because it's just a good beer - very well-made. Fri Apr 11 12:05:03 -0700 2008 3583168 98500 Bat Guano 1 3608654 for those up north there is a place called the dig on cypress creek. the have about 20 beers on tap. all from the states except the guinness on the end. they have a selection of live oak, real ale and st arnold among other ipa's, pale ales, porters, a couple tripels, ambers, lagers and stouts. it sits at the end of one of the new small strip shoppin centers. i didn't go in for a long time because of that. it's right around the corner from me. it was like finding a diamond in the rough Fri Apr 18 16:11:29 -0700 2008 3572081 100222 innominate 1 3609850 I love the Draught House. Their selection is first rate and they go through kegs quickly so there's seldom a problem with freshness. I'm also a big fan of NXNW's Pale Ale and their Belgian sours (not always on tap). The sours aren't listed on the board, but just ask the bartender. Uncle Billy's $2 Tuesday is hard to beat, and I really like the patio. Many of our brewer pals love the blonde, but I'm a hops gal and pretty much stick to the pale ale. Right now we're drinking Real Ale's Devil's Backbone. It's a Belgian golden. It's high in alcohol and very easy drinking (to me), so be careful. It's seasonal and we had it at The Draught House. Live Oak has just introduced an IPA that is delicious, too. I think it's going to replace the Liberation until the hops shortage ends. Sat Apr 19 08:18:46 -0700 2008 3572081 123919 brunettepet 1 3610141 Austin needs a better selection of Belgian Ales, period. Grimbergan, Piraat, Gulden Draak, etc.. Been so long I can't even remember the better ones. Oh, and throw in some Samichlaus, too (not Belgian, I know). -sw Sat Apr 19 10:38:25 -0700 2008 3572081 136775 sqwertz 1 3825461 By my assessment Real Ale makes the best beer in Texas, with Live Oak and probably St. Arnold tied for a close second. In the recent issue of Imbibe magazine they did a national survey of great beers by region. Real Ale's Full Moon Pale Rye was one of only three beers from the southern US that they listed, and the only one from Texas. Live Oak was mentioned as "under the radar" since they don't bottle their beer and are therefore known primarily just in Austin. Real Ale's basic four lineup of bottled beers are all great. I prefer the flavor of the Full Moon but their biggest commercial success has been with the Fireman's #4, which is a great gateway beer for people who are just getting into real (small r) beer. The limited run beers from Real Ale are often outstanding. The Coffee Porter is the best I've had of that style. Their Sisyphus barleywine is also excellent in its category and ages well. In January I had the pleasure of experiencing a vertical tasting of several Sisyphus bottlings dating back to 2002 and it was amazing to see how the beer developed. I have several bottles of the 2007 waiting patiently in the fridge. Last Thursday I attended a tasting of Independence beers in a food pairing at Blue Star Cafeteria. The beers for the most part were quite drinkable though they lack the full body of Real Ale or Live Oak. Blue Star is supposedly going to be doing these tastings on the last Thursday of every month, next month is Real Ale. For $15, you taste five beers paired with generously portioned small plates. As for the pubs I generally find myself at the Ginger Man. Tonight I drank two beers from St. Arnold that are worth mentioning. The cask-pulled Elissa had that great texture that seems to only come from the cask beers. They are also still pouring the Divine Reserve #6, which came out only a couple weeks ago but is already sold out in stores. The draft version of this barleywine was quite enjoyable, and tasted more rounded and less hop-forward than the bottled version I tasted last week. I highly recommend tasting this beer before it sells out; and if you can get a bottle or two, hide it in the back of the fridge for a couple of years! I would also like to mention Ty Phelps at North by Northwest, who specializes in an unusual style of Sour Ales. I have tried several of his lambics and a Flemish Sour Ale that were delicious and interesting, as a beer that tastes somehow like pickles would. I haven't seen that style being brewed anywhere else in town, but would like to know if anyone else has seen it. Sun Jun 29 23:57:50 -0700 2008 3572081 97950 tipsytexan