 "Photo: Maxx Scholten/The Daily Texan")
Water, yeast, malt, hops. All of these small steps that add up to a witch’s brew, a master craft that can bring strangers together and friends even closer. So what is it about Austin that seems to draw in these beer lovers, especially the ones determined to bring multicultural taste and appreciation? Well, if Austin is as unique as its breweries, Austin’s microbrews boast some of the best fermented creations with enough soul to refill your stein a hundred times over. So get ready kids, this city has you covered.
Live Oak
There are beers, and there are tiny art forms you can drink. Live Oak Brewing Company, nestled safely on the east side of town, has been running and carefully brewing old-world-style German and Czech Republic beer for years. The owners, Chip McElroy and Brian Peters, are purveyors of such a rare and revered type of antique brew that it is hard not to appreciate the dedication that goes into bringing Germany to Texas.
“We like to brew beers that we love,” McElroy said, referring to the glassful of fermented livelihood that can turn a simple social beer drinker into an insatiable aficionado.
Live Oak harbors a variety of beers — from the Pilz-a, a classic brew from the Czech Republic that juggles the delicate relationship between hops and malt, to the seasonal Liberation Ale.
“We’re more like old-world chemists,” McElroy said.
An Austin favorite and served at such places as the Alamo Drafthouse, Clementine, The Gingerman and Flying Saucer, Live Oak beers can be spotted by their signature old wood taps. Try the Big Bark Amber Lager for a smooth and friendly drink, made with German malts and hops. And like a tamed beast, it’s “all bark, no bite.”
Independence Brewing Co.
Husband and wife duo Rob and Amy Cartwright started out modestly. In 2004, with the help of each other and their dog, Rob and Amy decided to bring ingenious, easy-to-drink beers to Austin with full force. From their ambitious Austin amber ale to their Jasperilla old ale, these handcrafted individuals feel like a family of hops and variations, all as individual as Austin itself. Independence prides itself on being drinkable and easy to bring home, with multitudes of six-packs sold all over Austin. Hey, you can’t blame a true beer-head for wanting to bring the party home, and Independence has a great distribution area all over town. From the pub to the refrigerator, a bit of Austin can be brought home for any enthusiast to enjoy after class — or before.
(512) Brewing Company
There is nothing like enjoying a handcrafted beer made from down the street. (512) Brewing Company took this homegrown creation methodology and made it its own. From the bottom up, Kevin Brand has been moving the skill of brewing back to Austin, focusing on old English and Belgian recipes and letting Austin reap all of the benefits. Brand, a native Austinite and UT Engineering graduate, took his love for adventure and creating and funneled it into a giant fermenter, ready to be enjoyed by his home town. The relatively young brewery, which has been up and running for less than two years, has had no trouble filling orders with local area bars and pubs. To the creator, beer is more about cultivating both sides of his personality — the creative and the logical. Since 2007, this city has held some of its more appreciated pale ales, IPAs, wits and a creative concoction called the Pecan Porter, which is made with chocolate and black malts. Oddly enough, this may even be the famed crowd pleaser of the family. Dessert, anyone?
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