In spite of my ridiculous work schedule of late, I have managed to squeeze in a couple of brews for spring.
Now carbonating in the beer fridge: Steaming Pile, a California Common style (ala Anchor Steam) and “shake off the rust” brew that officially ended my 4 month brewing hiatus; and Reinvention Ale, a special brew created to commemorate an upcoming project launch.
I’m glad to get the beer fridge full again. I can’t wait for these to get carbonated!
Westmalle dubbel…
In a Westmalle chalice…
All on a Westmalle coaster.
It’s Alison & my 12th dating anniversary. Time for a beer and getting to know each other…
We stomped around the UT campus for our last few hours before heading home.
In the background is the tallest building in Austin (and the site of one of the more infamous killing sprees in Texas history) — the university’s belltower. While we really wanted to explore the Humanities Center, its galleries are closed on Monday. Hence the mug in front of the tower.
In all, this trip was just long enough to scratch the surface of the town, and encourage another trip back. We can see a trip to the Alamo Drafthouse in our future (too tired to tackle it last night), as well a stay at the Austin Motel. For now, we’ll have to leave knowing that Austin is still wierd and has better beer than I expected.
Cheers!
After strolling the length of South Congress looking for places to deposit our earnings (Andrea found a costume shop, which means more wacky hats), we found a pleasant surprise in Woodland.
The place is thoughtfully designed in a non-traditional wood theme, and definitely looks like it fits this ‘hood. The tonal paint on the shake single wall coverings behind Courtney is a clever counterpoint to the 4′x7′ pixellated mosaic tree wall art. The light fixtures are shrouded in large oak silhouettes.
Naturally, the tap list consists completely of beers from Live Oak Brewing here in Austin. I’m having the Big Bark Amber, an earthy beer with loads of flavor and a clean finish that makes me want to brew one when I get back to the A. Courtney is having the Liberation IPA, my mystery brew from last night. Anri is cozying up to a wheat beer to keep things breezy.
Next stop: Alamo Drafthouse!
I can hear it now…”What happened to you guys last night?”
We decided to get a beer and check out the downtown Austin scene. First up, The Ginger Man, a quality tap room that has sister locations around the state. I had a damn good Liberation IPA from some local brewery. We then rolled out to the Longbranch Inn on the east side of town. By then the hamburger steak and other beers filled me up so that I had to resort to getting a refreshing PBR.
This morning, after sleeping in for a spell, we scored a walk in Zilker Park and a trip to Rudy’s for their self-proclaimed “worst BBQ in the world”. More on that some other time.
Which brings us to these iced coffees from Jo’s. This coffee shop/urban drinking space is in a parking lot between the Austin Motel and Hotel San Jose (arguably the two hippest lodgings in town). Serving both coffees and beers, this place is hopping morning and night. The cold-brewed iced coffee really hit the spot, and will give me the energy needed for a shopping run down SoCo.