favorite brewery in TEXAS?

[5pound_bass]

Just trying to see what people are in to in the Lone Star State. There seems to be some nice breweries poppin' up around and was just curious as to what peoples favorites are. I've been to Shiner, Celis, Saint Arnold's and the Coppertank. I think I liked the Celis brewery the most for it's design and unbelievable beer, but I do like the sit down hominess of the Saint Arnold's Brewery also.

[Seymour]

Real Ale, hands down. The Full Moon Rye Pale Ale is fantastic. I like some of St. Arnold's beers, especially the Elissa IPA.

Coppertanks is okay. North by Northwest is supbar and WAY too snooty. Haven't yet been to the Draught House or Live Oak's brewpub (though I like their bottled beers okay). There's another brewpub in Austin that's well thought of, but for the life of me I can't call it to mind just now.

RIP, Waterloo:( .

[5pound_bass]

Originally posted by Seymour
Real Ale, hands down. The Full Moon Rye Pale Ale is fantastic.

I couldn't agree more. I love the Rye Ale. I heard they moved location, but are still located in Blanco. Have you heard / visited the new facility yet? I also heard that Celis was working with them to come up with some new beers possibly.:D

[Sladek]

Oh, Full Moon...strange that I should have nostalgia for TX, as I really hated living and working in the Metroplex. But Austin, and the Gingerman...I still remember, wet-behind-the-ears beer geek that I was, how blown away I was by Full Moon at the Gingerman.

[I'mRocketMan]

Real Ale!! their Phoenixx Double ESB was awesome!!!

[Seymour]

Originally posted by 5pound_bass
I couldn't agree more. I love the Rye Ale. I heard they moved location, but are still located in Blanco. Have you heard / visited the new facility yet? I also heard that Celis was working with them to come up with some new beers possibly.:D

I bumped into a distributor for Real Ale this weekend. He said that, yes, they're moving to a bigger facility. This may be one reason their beer is relatively hard to get, since they apparently scaled back production a bit in preparation for moving to the larger facility. And yes, I'd read about the Celis connection, too.

The Bitter End was the other Austin brewpub I was trying to remember.

[Wilson]

Real Ale for sure!! I was in Canyon Lake about two weeks ago and sadly...I couldnt find any Real Ale products. Went into Gruene and same story...no one even had heard about it. :( I tried to tell the lady at an "upscale" wine/beer store there in Gruene that she was neglecting the best brewery in Texas, but I dont think she cared.

[Seymour]

I love Gruene--It's in one of the prettiest parts of the state--but let's face facts, they're all about getting the tourist's dollar. Doubt you'd find anything there beyond the common denominator as far as beer. Next time you're there, just ease on over to th' Gruene Dance Hall and order you an ice-cold Lone Star, and watch the Guadalupe burble on by;) .

[Wilson]

Originally posted by Seymour
Next time you're there, just ease on over to th' Gruene Dance Hall and order you an ice-cold Lone Star, and watch the Guadalupe burble on by;) .

Thats what we wound up doing! As was pointed out by my buddy, "it just seems wrong to order anything but a Lone Star when at the Dance Hall." Maybe...maybe not, but its what we did.

[Seymour]

I've revealed my dirty little secret around here more than once, Wilson, but...I just love an ice-cold Lone Star. Sure, sure, I know it's crap beer, but oh, that good ol' nostalgia...

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by Seymour
I've revealed my dirty little secret around here more than once,

Are we going to see you on that show Intervention?

[Seymour]

:p

Nah. I'm comfortable with the few skeletons I have in my closet.

[HarkJohnny]

I had a Shiner Bock once. Once was enough... gawd awful!

heard good things about St. Arnolds though. I'll be watching this thread with some interest though as I'm thinking I should drink some texas microbrews now.

[Seymour]

Hark, St. Arnold's puts out some pretty good beers. The Elissa, as I stated, is their best, in my opinion. They have a brown ale and an amber year 'round. In the summer you can pick up the kolsch style, the pilsner, and the wheat. Of the lot only the kolsch makes me come back for more. I wasn't too impressed with their bock, truthfully, but I'm willing to try it again next spring; maybe mine was just a bad batch/mishandled.

But Real Ale, down in Blanco, is just superb. Their Rio Blanco Pale Ale is understated brilliance, and the Full Moon Rye Pale Ale is just fantastic. They also have a brown ale; I'm not a fan of browns, but theirs is pretty good for the style. They also make Fireman or Firehouse No. 4 Blonde Ale, which is also bottled and sold as Alamo Ale. Good stuff. I've heard of some of their seasonals, but have yet to try them. Some day...

[Beermaker]

St Arnold is my favorite. I prefer the winter stout and the Oktoberfest.

[revjack]

In order, I'd go Real Ale, St. Arnold's, Shiner, Rarh, and (for per sentimental reasons) Lone Star.

[skahtboi]

Originally posted by HarkJohnny
I had a Shiner Bock once. Once was enough... gawd awful!

heard good things about St. Arnolds though. I'll be watching this thread with some interest though as I'm thinking I should drink some texas microbrews now.

The bock, for all its fame, is probably the worse beer from Shiner. The blonde is a more than acceptable pils, the Kolsch is a decent example of the style, but you should really try to get your hands on the 97. It is a truly good beer from Spoetzel. I wish that they would make it a full time brew.

[revjack]

Originally posted by skahtboi
The bock, for all its fame, is probably the worse beer from Shiner. The blonde is a more than acceptable pils, the Kolsch is a decent example of the style, but you should really try to get your hands on the 97. It is a truly good beer from Spoetzel. I wish that they would make it a full time brew.

As long as you can ignore the label, Shiner Bock ain't bad- it's just not a true bock. (I know for some, failure to reflect the claimed style is a deal breaker.) Hey- if they re-named it "Shiner Amber" I bet it would get a more favorable shake from some folks.

I don't care for the blond much, but for my money, their hefe is the best American wheat beer I've tried.

I'm still trying to find the 97. I've heard it's the best thing they've ever done.

[ratman03]

Wait, is Celis open again?

I heard that Pierre was in the U.S. again and ready to make some noise. Anyone know?

[Seymour]

If/when he comes back, he won't be allowed to use the Celis name; that operation was bought by an outfit in Michigan, if I remember correctly, and is still brewed and bottled. But supposedly he's collaborating with the folks at Real Ale. I haven't seen any product on the shelf yet, but when I do I'll raise a shout.

Revjack, when you finally find the 97, don't just buy one six-pack. It is dee-licious!

[5pound_bass]

dang it.

I just saw some 97 in Buda TX the other day. I wasn't familiar with it so I got something else instead. I guess I'll have to go back and get it. What type of beer is it?

[Beerbilly]

For some reason shiner gives me the worst headaches, even after just a few. I dont know why either, its the only beer that does this to me. I just got back from spending all day Saturday at Wurstfest, my brother and I pounded back 9 pitches of the stuff. It was really fresh and tasted pretty good.

Costly though @ $17 a pitcher, a bargain considering what they wanted for Spaten or Warsteiner.

[Seymour]

The 97 is a schwarzbier. Very nice.

[PeterMorton]

+1 on the 97 from Spoetzl... a black lager and fantastic! Much better than the Sam Adams black lager. I was so impressed I started a batch of Schwarzbier. It's a Sprecher clone, and I've never tasted Sprecher! We'll see!
And, yes, Shiner Bock doesn't taste like Bock beer, in the classic sense, and it will give you a serious hangover!

[chazwicke]

I drank a Black Lager from Barley Creek in PA yesterday. I enjoyed it.

[BikeNBrew]

Hi all- I was reading this thread with great interest- just found this site. I met and fell in love with a woman from San Antonio. I live in Michigan, and during the courtship made several trips to Texas. Always found it hard to find decent beer in SA, though I really didn't know any better than the local HEB. My now wife is not a beer person- everyone there seems to drink Margaritas. Looking at the beer selection, I understood why. I was happy when I could find Molson Canadian, but it was typically old. The one beer that I did find was Bohemia- Thats a pretty nice Mexican beer- several notches above Dos Equis- Which, on a hot day in Cancun can taste like liquid heaven.

Anyway, we got married in Boerne and even though I had not been really impressed by Shiner Bock, it ended up being on tap for the reception. Say, is there any alcohol in that s**t? I have tried on several occasions to get a buzz off of it to no avail. Reminds me of that 3.2 beer I accidently bought in Denver once. Nice to know they make some good beer- but all I ever see is the bock and light.

Back to the Celis Brewery- I just picked some up fresh at the brewery- The Michigan Brewing Company owns the recipes now, and they are also one of our local homebrew shops (Things Beer). Not a great location- in an industrial park- but they tell me that in this new facility they have the largest capacity in the state, though there actual production is less than Bell's. Nice product but lacking on presentation.

I am constantly running into people from Texas up here, and while in Texas I would run into Michigan people. Seems to be a strong link between the two- maybe because of Dow Chemical, but it seems deeper than that. Well, carry on and it is good to know that there is decent beer in Texas! I will look harder next time.

[PeterMorton]

If you liked the Bohemia beer, you might like Negra Modelo. It's actually a Bohemian Lager!

[BikeNBrew]

Originally posted by PeterMorton
If you liked the Bohemia beer, you might like Negra Modelo. It's actually a Bohemian Lager!

Yep, Negra Modelo is a fine beer. And we can get these up north, though Bohemia is a little hard to find retail. The better Mexican restaurants have it though.