Josh Hare (Hops and Grain), Jake Maddux (Thirsty Planet Brewing) and Tony Drewry (Rahr Brewing)

After 2 months abstaining from alcohol to be in better physical shape for a pending trip to Europe, my liver needs its own training for the French wines, Belgian ales, and German zoigl beer I’ll be imbibing over the next few weeks. What better place to indulge than our Austin Beer Guide Summer Release Party with great friends and fabulous local craft beer?

The line into the Draught House was the longest that I can recall in all the years that I’ve been frequenting this pub and brewery. Our Fu Manchu glasses were a hit, although I didn’t get one before they sold out.

Real Ale Mysterium Vernium XIV and Austin Beerworks Peacemaker

I selected the Real Ale Mysterium Verum Volume XIV and Austin Beerworks Peacemaker Extra Pale Ale which aren’t sold in regular pint glasses. Aged for six months in American oak, the Mysterium Verum affirms Real Ale’s place as the top producing Texas craft beer.

Meanwhile newbie Austin Beerworks has blasted out into the market with a firm grasp on the sparsely populated can beer market. My prediction is that Austin Beerworks will redefine the term “river beer” — beer that will quench the thirst while floating down the Guadalupe while adhering to the “no glass” restrictions. No more “sex in a canoe” beer, I’ll be packing the tastiest canned beer on my camping trips and float trips.

The summer issue for the Austin Beer Guide was well-received by all, especially the patient folks who waited in line for their local craft beer served up in a Fu Manchu pint glass.

[Photo Credits: All photos by Debbie Cerda, copy or reprint allowed with attribution]

Drink Beer. Save Texas. We tried our best on Sunday at Uncle Billy’s on Lake Travis.

Thanks to the Uncle Billy’s crew and Texas Beer Freedom for having us out for their fundrasing event to help improve the future of Texas craft beer. We heard good bands, drank some House Brown 660, toured the new brewhouse and enjoyed the views. Not a bad Sunday.

If you read this blog semi-regularly you should know about House Bill 660 and its efforts to allow brewpubs to sell their beers off-site. If you don’t know anything about it just go here, here or here to get schooled on what’s going on.

There’s still a long way to go, but it’s not too late to help. Check out the Texas Beer Freedom website for ways to donate, get involved or catch the next event.

As I already said, there were a plethora of great beer folks at the Draught House 41st party, and between awesome cask tappings we were able to spend a few minutes with Travis Poling, author of Beer Across Texas.

In Beer Across Texas, Travis, along with Paul Hightower, put together a comprehensive body of work detailing the history of brewing in Texas with an exhaustive lexicon of breweries and brew pubs. It’s a great book. Honestly, I’m very jealous he get’s to tour breweries, taste beers, and interview brewers for his day job. With several years experience in beer journalism, Travis has the chops for it, and does an excellent job.

Travis is a great guy, has good beer taste, has been a journalist for several years, and is living the dream of writing about beer. I’ve been excited about meeting Travis for a while and had a great time talking shop and beers with him. He’s got a second book in the works, and is currently doing book signings all across the state in support of the book.

Look for him at Book People in January for a special signing paired with local beer tastings. You can also pick it up at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

We we’re both sipping on Draught House’s housebrew Double IPA… yup. Get some while they still got it.

Enjoy!

(we got a new mic for this one… it’s not my favorite as I have to Kermit THE Frog News Flash style hold it up the whole time… still holding our breath for a new fancy mic sponsor/donor…)