Top 3 Microbrews in Texas

There is nothing like a good cold microbrew beer on a hot, humid day in Texas. It is one thing to drink a good cold microbrew beer in Texas, but quite another thing to make a good cold microbrew beer in Texas. When I think of the best microbrews in Texas, I define microbrew as those beers that are brewed in Texas and that almost all Texans drink even though they are sold outside of the region.

Almost everyone has heard of Lone Star beer that is brewed in Texas, but Lone Star beer has an almost cult following of loyal Texas fans since it is known as the National Beer of Texas. Around our house, you hardly ever see a Texas Longhorn coozie without a Texas Shiner Bock microbrew bottle in it. Texas has some great microbrews in each city, but here are what I call the Top 3 Microbrews in Texas.

Top 3 Microbrews in Texas

Shiner Beer Brewed at K. Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner Texas
603 East Brewery Street
Shiner, Texas 77984
(361) 594-4294

Shiner, Texas is deep in the Texas Hill Country between San Antonio and Houston. It has around 2,000 people and was started with a 250-acre land donation by Henry Shiner for a railroad right-of-way. Shiner, Texas also happens to be the home of the K. Spoetzl Brewery that makes the finest microbrew in Texas named Shiner Beer. Kosmos Spoetzl brought his family beer recipe made with pure malt and hops to Shiner, Texas in 1909 after he went to brewmaster's school in Germany and worked for eight years in the Pyramid Brewery in Cairo, Egypt. In 2009, Shiner microbrew celebrated its 100^th birthday!

Shiner Bock is my husband's favorite because it is like a true Bavarian beer with a deep amber color, smooth taste, and no aftertaste. It is 4.4 percent alcohol by volume with a 13 IBU Bitterness and 18 SRM Color. Another great Shiner microbrew is the Shiner Bohemian Black Lager, brewed with imported Czech Saaz, Styrians Hops and selected roasted malts. It is the darkest beer made by Shiner with 4.9 percent alcohol by volume, 18 IBU Bitterness and 50 SRM Color.

Other Shiner favorite microbrews are Shiner Blonde, Shiner Hefeweizen, Shiner Frost and Shiner Light. Shiner Light is one of the best low fat beer, low carb beer that I have ever tasted. Shiner Light Beer has 4.0 alcohol by volume, 0 Fat, 120 calories, and 9.1 carbs. All in all, Shiner Beer brewed at K. Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas is the number one microbrew in Texas.

Spoetzl Brewery Tours: (Monday - Friday)
10:00 a.m. (in the summer only)
11:00 a.m.
1:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m. (in the summer only)

Spoetzl Brewery Gift Shop Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Shiner Gift Shop and the Spoetzl Brewery are closed on these holidays:
Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas

Lone Star Beer Brewed in Fort Worth, Texas
Not to be confused with the new Lone Star Brewery multi-use development in the old Lone Star Brewery location near located less than two miles from Downtown San Antonio, Texas:
600 Lone Star Blvd
San Antonio TX, 78204
210-757-4530

The original Lone Star Brewery that brewed Lone Star beer was the first mechanized brewery in Texas and began in 1884 using brewing water from an artesian well that ran 800 feet deep under the brewery. After Prohibition ended in 1933, Lone Star beer became the National Beer of Texas. By 1959, the Lone Star Brewery was known as the most beautiful brewery in the world! The Lone Star Brewery closed in 1996 and moved to Longview Texas. Since then, Lone Star was sold to Pearl Brewery but now, Lone Star is brewed by Miller Brewing Company in Fort Worth, Texas.

The old San Antonio Lone Star Brewery building is now being renovated in the trendy South Flores District near Downtown San Antonio not as a brewery but as a multi-use revitalization project with condos, German beer gardens, live music concerts, shops, restaurants and the Lone Star Tasting Room. Although financially strapped, the developers of the San Antonio landmark filed bankruptcy in March 2010 to save the property from foreclosure. Not sure what will happen there, but the beer is still winning awards as Texas born and brewed.

Lone Star Beer is also known as Texas Gold in a Bottle. Lone Star beer uses hops from the Pacific Northwest, grains from the Northern and Central Plains, and Malted barley and corn to achieve its Texas Gold reputation. The Lone Star brewing process actually has a proprietary mashing process that creates the perfect balance of alcohol, body, and character. Lone Star beer has 136 calories, 4.65 percent alcohol by volume, and gets it unique taste from a robust carbonation level of 2.7 volumes of CO_2.

Draught House Brewery in Austin Texas

4112 Medical Parkway
Austin TX 78756
Ph 512.452.6258

Open Monday - Thursday 5pm to 2am
Friday - Sunday 3pm to 2am

In the tradition of great local town microbrews, microbreweries, and brewpubs, my favorite Austin microbrew selections are at the Draught House Pub & Brewery. The Full Sail Session with floral hops is my favorite microbrew at $3.25 a bottle and 5.1 percent alcohol by volume. You can also get the Full Sail Session Black that has a great caramel malt flavor.

My husband likes the Scimitar that is very smooth, more Bavarian-like microbrew. He also likes the Ayinger Celebrator and the Duvel for $6.75 a bottle. The Duvel microbrew is a Belgian strong ale with a light pineapple flavor and 8.5% alcohol by volume. If you go out with friends, but you do not drink alcohol, try the Clausthaler Amber with minimal hops and only .45 percent alcohol by volume.

We also like the atmosphere at Draught House. They have a nice outdoor beer garden that we enjoy in the great Texas climate. The Draught House has a Euro feel and is less noisy than some of the other local brewpubs in the Warehouse and 6^th Street districts of Austin where the college students like to go.

Sources:

Texas Breweries
http://www.texasbreweries.com/shiner.htm

My SA Business
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/local/Lone_Star_Brewery_files_for_bankruptcy.html