Austin Beerworks — Restaurant in Austin

I had the Helles lager called “Super Awesome,” and it was mos’ def’ SUPER awesome if you like the helles style lagers. I followed that one up with “Lotion in the Basket,” a German Keller bier style – this one was my favorite. Just like many breweries, some of the beers are seasonal and may rotate in and out, so these might not be here when you visit. (the pints I had were $5 each)

This brewery comes in at a VERY close second place to my favorite ATX brewery (Oskar Blues). They both get five stars from me, but I already said Oskar Blues was my favorite, so I can’t back down on that statement. The only reason this one comes in at a second is because the food from the food truck just wasn’t as good as Oskar Blues. It was still good, but not as good. But please don’t make this a reason to skip out on the venue or even partake in the food truck eats.

It’s a fresh, new environment with plenty of room to hangout both inside and out. Picnic table style seating both inside and out. The outside patio has a cover on it to protect you from the sun, but not sure if it would keep the rain off of you or not (no smoking or vaping on the patio please!). Located in and industrial park and parking isn’t too bad.

They really play some cool, laid back jams on their indoor and outdoor speakers. Lots of the Reverend Al Green (yeah baby), some obscure Prince songs, and some Sly and the Family Stone. The tunes were really laid back and added to the experience.

They own their own food truck that is kept on site at all times. If you are running a beer tab inside, you can walk outside, order your grub, and have them add it to your tab – that rocks! OR, you can find someone else who has a tab open and add your food to their tab (but who in the world would ever dot that?). They have burgers, sausage, tacos, and three vegetarian items to choose from. I had the vegan street tacos and they weren’t too bad. They were corn, black bean, and avocado tacos served on corn tortillas. The tortillas were really good, but the black beans overpowered the flavor of everything else and the seasonings. I will give them credit though, that they give you three lime wedges – yes, one for each taco folks – not everyone does that!

They also have a great selection of apparel, stickers, branded trinkets, etc.

When the temp is over 100 degrees F, beer is $1 off, they have free hot coffee, and 25% off tank tops, sweatbands, and sunglasses!

Dollar off beer and discount on apparel when....

I have partaken in Austin Beerworks' various beer offerings at pubs, bars, and parties for years, but I had never made it into the brewery itself until a friend's party a few weeks ago. I've been to plenty of beer tastings, but it's pretty rare that a brewery creates a tasting area as welcoming, distinctive, and just plain fun as the one at Austin Beerworks. Although the brewery itself, like most breweries, is set on a relatively undistinguished industrial lot (those giant tanks and brewing equipment take up a lot of space!), and the tasting room is housed in a large garage-like area that opens into the driveway, Austin Beerworks has managed to create the ambiance of a friendly neighborhood craft beer bar, with polished woods everywhere, plenty of seating, and a pretty hilarious unicorn motif which runs throughout the space. Be sure to check out the color-changing unicorn bar! Bar staff are friendly, generous with samples, and will readily answer any questions you might have about different beers on the menu- a far cry from the snobby attitude you encounter at some places. Of course, none of this would matter much if Austin Beerworks' beers weren't any good. I'm happy to report that this is far from the case. Austin Beerworks specializes in the classics, done well- a Pilsner, a Pale Ale, an American IPA, and (my favorite) a German-style Schwarz. All have a great, rich, crisp depth of flavor, and of course, there are seasonals and specialty variations available at the brewery. Like many breweries, Austin Beerworks will periodically hold tasting events in which $10 will buy you a souvenir pint glass and several rounds to drink from it. I will be keeping an eye on their schedule and making a point to make it out to these events from now on. Austin Beerworks has become one of the most successful additions to the burgeoning Austin beer scene, and when you drink their beers and witness the warm, friendly atmosphere they've created, it's easy to see where the...

This brewery has a pretty decent outdoor area with plenty of room for a nice conversation between friends. But when that vibe gets interrupted by the serving staff on site, you quickly tab out and leave. The staff here is more concerned with showing you who is in charge than treating you as a customer. In full disclosure, they did not serve my 24 year old friend alcohol because his ID was expired by 1 week. Which is petty, but I understand because technically they could get in trouble if TABC caught them (after further research, they could only get in trouble if the person was actually underage). So we did what any group of friends would do; go sit down at a table minding our own business while letting our friend drink the beers we had bought. Later on, the busboy comes and takes my friend’s beer away saying that the staff there could all lose their jobs and that we shouldn’t be visiting any other breweries in the area for the sake of the workers at those other breweries. We immediately go and tab out. While tabbing out (already a little bit upset), I asked why they would lose their jobs if I was the one who served my own, of-age friend, alcohol. Instead of exploring this problem with me and looking for understanding, they just call myself and my friends drunk and aggressive. Meanwhile, from my perspective, my group is maybe a little bit upset, but definitely not being aggressive in the slightest. From my perspective, the staff is just getting defensive and not seeing things from the customer’s point of view and abusing their power. So we left once we realized they were not interested in talking to us and more interested in being childish.

At the end of the day, it’s only a beer, and they somehow...