Top 25 Austin Breweries of 2021: Our annual list of Central Texas’ top beers returns – Food

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Psst, hey. You hear the latest Austin Chronicle Power Rankings dropped? You’re looking right at ’em, pal. And this is the year, at long last, that brought us a true Top 25, just like in SPORTS!

That’s right, the corollary here is that brewing is a game tough as nails – so tough, you can eat the nails. Then wash ’em down with one of Austin’s magnificent lagers being brewed right here in the capital city.

You see, reader, this is a lager town. We’re of the Lagerpeople, which, back in the founding days, ended up being like a 25-letter compound word in German, so the leaders just decided on “Austin,” a shorthanded tribute to Sam Adams’ famous Boston Lager. Later, the Czechs brought their spicy lagers to the region, along with the Mexicans who brought their own biscuity amber lagers. Fully anticipating midnight lager munchies, kolaches and tacos were created, and that’s how Austin’s famous food trucks came about so that they could get delicious lager-friendly cuisine to the settlers. It’s a beautiful history of melding cultures, really. Recently, the French and the Italians have entered the local lager chat, but we’re still processing how to integrate them, so be on the lookout for future historical columns like this one.

Looking for the rest of the list? Check back here tomorrow for the top 10, or pick up our Drinks Issue on stands October 15.

Anyway, all of that is to say that Austin began as a lager town and it remains a lager town. Even when it snows. Twice. In one year. Sure, it’s a challenging task to drink a crispy boy in the cold, but not an impossible one! And all of those photos up on the ‘Gram of temporarily snow-shuttered Austin breweries with cans of beer smooshed into fresh powder like wholesomely dressed neighborhood kids experiencing it for the first time inspired us to create a more elevated power rankings. Because those breweries worked so hard to get back up and running through a sweeping pandemic and a paralyzing winter storm, we had to match their tough as nails energy.

Per usual, we rated Austin(ish) breweries within the county and the counties that immediately border Travis according to Google images (we’re beer knowers, not geographers). Our rankings are based on breweries’ commitment to evolving as local legends as based on their seasonal, rotational, and specialty beers, along with interesting brews that have been pushed out to market within the last year (“What’s New”). We considered how a brewery maintains its quality of product, particularly with its mainstay beers and the quality of experience in its taprooms and beer gardens (“What’s Consistent”). Finally we noted the accolades a brewery has collected in 20-21 (in the year of a darkened Austin Beer Guide Awards, no less!), what the brewery provides culturally for the Austin beer scene, and any other important intangibles, like a notable food truck, great branding, live music, live art, or heck, live animals (“What’s Unique”). These are Austin’s best 25 breweries, POWER RANKED!

Others Receiving Votes: Independence Brewing Co. Indy’s branding is clutch and Convict Hill oatmeal stout is still a big, fun bastard; Nomadic Beerworks Peak Season Juicy Tropical IPA slaps, brewery has it dialed way in; 4th Tap Add Sound Check Crispy Boy to the upper totem of Austin’s highest quality lagers; Frontyard Brewing Most entertaining beer garden in Austin, Coffee Milk Stout is a rated rookie; Yokefellow Beer Absolutely love Garrett Crowell’s delicately handcrafted beers and minimalist vibe, but perhaps too minimalist. Where’s the beer?

Dropped from Rankings: Yokefellow Beer (18), Nomadic Beerworks (20)

Trend Tracker: The “AC Power Rankings Trend” move from oldest to newest. GREEN indicates a brewery moved up in the rankings; RED indicates a brewery moved down; and BLUE indicates a new entry or no movement. Looking for previous Power Rankings? See 2020, 2019, 2018 (Part I), 2018 (Part II), and 2017.

courtesy of Beerburg

25 | Beerburg Brewing

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NEW ENTRY

What’s New: The Mother Earth-doting, 15-acre-having Beerburg Brewing has expanded the breadth of their beer program while you were away on pandemic, growing from three core beers at their debut in January 2020 to over 15 offerings, including their foraged-ingredients “Wildcraft” program. The 3.5% Mugwort ESB is a low-octane fist bump to a classic pub ale. Beerburg has long had an evolving, in-house, scratch kitchen concept, but landing on Taqueria la Violeta, Beerburg’s Mexican-style kitchen, has been a smash. Their barbacoa birria tacos with consommé are petite works of art.

What’s Consistent: Beerburg’s shady beer garden is one of the best in the region with its Ashe juniper trees providing the merciful shade during Austin’s unreasonable summer days. The brewery’s “nature-style”’ playscape of fallen cedar balance beams and rope course make it a nice team-building exercise for your little shits who have to work together to survive until the queso arrives.

What’s Unique: Few of Beerburg’s beers ebb over the 5% ABV mark, making Beerburg a much-welcomed low-ABV experience. Nobody is trying to get smashed on a Sunday afternoon. People just want some refreshments to go with their tacos.

courtesy of Blue Owl

24 | Blue Owl Brewing

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ 6, NR, NR, 18, NR

What’s New: Blue Owl went out and found their niche and then perfected it. But lately, they’ve given themselves little bit of leeway with non-sour beers, like Bob’s Fine Pilsner, a classically clean lager that made its triumphant debut in Sixties-era evocative cans at the latter end of summer.

What’s Consistent: Okay, so sours are still your flavor. Great! Blue Owl continues to shine with gorgeous summertime jams, like Little Gose and Tropícal Brut. But the brewery’s weekly discounted growler deals makes sampling their entire lineup a very soft landing on a tight beer budget.

What’s Unique: Blue Owl is Austin’s 2021 Brewery of the Year according to Austin CultureMap, taking home the award over local powerhouses Austin Beerworks, Holdout, and Meanwhile Brewing.

courtesy of Circle Brewing

23 | Circle Brewing Co.

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NEW ENTRY

What’s New: Circle’s plan to leave* Austin altogether for the chillass Elgin countryside got the rug pulled from under when Austin FC announced plans to play right at Circle’s front yard. But the reprieve from decamping Brewery Row has allowed the 10-year-old brew house to refocus on updating uppercuts like Hop Overboard, a West Coast Style IPA (now in cans!), and drove them towards iconic Austin beer status with Austin Anthem, a golden ale made in collaboration with one of the football club’s larger supporters groups.

What’s Consistent: We’ve been enjoying Ladybird American IPA and Epic Playlist Pale Ale (now in volume 3 flavor!) as we exit the stadium and get into post-game celebration mode. The goals are infrequent, but not the party.

What’s Unique: *Ok, the Circle is still leaving for Elgin, but not completely abandoning Austin. The new site is currently in the foundational stages of buildout, but the original brewery will stay on as a small-batch, experimental operation right off the MetroRail Red Line. That’s plenty visible enough to grab a “walkie” beer on the way to Q2 Stadium.

courtesy of Family Business

22 | Family Business

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NR, NR, 16, 17

What’s New: We’ve been appreciating all the new accounts and larger visibility for Family Business around Austin-proper. That’s important because driving out to Hamilton Pool Rd. from anywhere north of the river IS. A. TREK. Besides, enjoying a Golden Age Pilsner in an urban setting has a sense of place, too.

What’s Consistent: A Family Business’ mainstay lineup is one of the best in the biz, with Cosmic Cowboy American IPA and Hamilton Pale being stylistic 10s. However, Golden Age makes a strong run at being the best prepackaged, midweek, grilling pilsner in town.

What’s Unique: It’s hard to match the vibe of Family Business’ ethereal taproom and beer garden with frequent country/Americana live music bookings. Just be on the lookout for our errant horseshoe tosses.

courtesy of Red Horn

21 | Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co.

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NEW ENTRY

What’s New: A second storefront for this beans/hops juicery recently opened in Leander with a very Starbucks-y nine-minute door-to-door from their other store in Cedar Park. That’s okay – the ‘burbs need nice things, too – but we’ve been craving all of the new experimental stuff going up constantly on the tapwall, like Oranges & Cream Trail Runner Golden Ale, a riff on their flagship beer. We also like that the extra brewing space allows for more to-go packaging.

What’s Consistent: The giant, 20-plus-beer tap wall of Red Horn’s serves a huge spectrum of palatal desires, from the golden ale puritans to the double IPA goblins. All of it has been top quality throughout the brewpub’s six years of service.

What’s Unique: Providing high quality beer and service up north without indulging in Austin’s lecherous need to have everything centralized to its own beer culture has been both necessary and alluring. We need more great beer up north. Way more.

courtesy of Lazarus Brewing

20 | Lazarus Brewing

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NEW ENTRY

What’s New: This four-year-old, turquoise curio mined right out of the hub of E. Sixth has had an intriguing progression from bar-hopping stopover to destination brewery. An ever-expanding outdoor area and evolving beer program has helped to make Lazarus the best urban beer garden experience in the city.

What’s Consistent: Lazarus’ flagship beer, Prodigal Pils, is one thought to have been inspired by Victory Brewing’s Prima Pils, but stands on its own merit as one of the superstars in the Austin pilsner scene. This crisp cold boi pairs flawlessly with Lazarus’ marvelous tortas, tacos, and enchiladas that fly out of the brewery’s kitchen, a triumph given the competition with Mexican cuisine on the Eastside.

What’s Unique: Yet another Austin-area brewery looking to expand locations, Lazarus will be popping up in North Loop sometime in the near future and looking to replicate their urban beer garden vibes.

courtesy of Batch

19 | Batch Brewhouse & Bugroom

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ 14

What’s New: Batch’s new and improved beer garden has a breath of feng shui probably meant to harmonize Batch’s blossoming mixed culture beer program with its airy outdoor aesthetics. Or maybe we’re overthinking that. But now, with a full year under its belt and a dozen interesting beers on the wall, Batch has really dialed into its theme: Boozy Breezy Bakery. Those are three things we like! Azios, an ale co-fermented with Syrah Grapes and Lavender, and Comal Blanc, a wild saison ale with Texas-grown Blanc Du Bois grapes, have been notable standouts.

What’s Consistent: Kolaches! And beer! A very sensible pairing. And apart from all Batch’s new saison-y stuff are the beers that put ’em on the Austin beer map in the first place: hazy IPAs. Shogun Assassin, a juicy brew made with mango and sticky rice, is a beer you can practically eat if you’re still feeling hungry. But that’s only after a half-dozen pours of their inimitable hallmark beer, Sjöfn, a farmhouse ale made from strawberries, lavender, and a single grandmother’s hug.

What’s Unique: Batch is Austin Monthly’s Best of ATX 2021 readers poll winner for Best Kolaches. You’ll need a soft landing after all of those Sjöfns.

18 | The Draught House

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NEW ENTRY

What’s New: Even though The Draught House is over 2,000 years old, it is still adapting extremely well to current times, particularly in its small-batch, seven-barrel brewhouse which appears to be slinging out as many as 20 house beers at once. Though we love beer bars with guest taps, we appreciate that early-2000s-era Draught House terroir. We’ll take as much of it as we can get! We’ve been especially enjoying Nut Bush ESB (brew a great ESB, get a power ranking!), Guy Smiley English Dark Mild, and Red Planet Red Ale with Rye. They may not be new beers, but they are revitalizing our memories of Draught House’s peak.

What’s Consistent: Draught House beer has always been up to par, but their classic Trophy English Bitter exceeds the desire for just a single pint. It’s comin’ home, baby! Right to our mouths. Pub-owned, onsite food truck Little House provides all the sopping mechanisms for brewer Josh Wilson‘s classic English ales – their pitch perfect fish & chips, in particular.

What’s Unique: Draught House’s uncanny ability to stay embedded in the neighborhood in the era of haughty NIMBY-ism is a testament to how fantastic this brewpub truly is. Every effort should be made to keep this half-century-old beer palace upright.

courtesy of Hi Sign

17 | Hi Sign

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NR, 15, 13, 15

What’s New: This four-year-old East Austin brewery has improved on its iconic New England IPA, Hi-C, by transforming its thirst-terminating DNA from T-800 to T-1000. Hasta la vista, dry mouth! For its brewing cycle, Hi Sign has shifted Hi-C’s compounds from something far less superior to pinnacle hops, Citra, Sabro, Mosaic, Azacca, Loral, Simcoe, and Cryo. All of that leads to a pillowy smack of mango and stone fruit up front, with a kiss of peachy-citrus Galaxy hops at the end.

What’s Consistent: Violet Blueberry Blonde Ale remains an Austin day-drinking staple, particularly when waiting out Disch-Faulk rain delays over at Sour Duck Market, where the Violet is always a-flowin’. Then again, Hi Sign has always been laser-focused on creating easy-drinkin’, game day beers, especially with another crushable mainstay in El Berto Mexican Lager.

What’s Unique: Hi Sign’s taproom and beer garden has long been an underrated feature of the Austin beer scene, complete with ample elbow room, a smattering of hammocks, plenty of shade, and an occasional eventful buzz of low-budget carriers screaming into ABIA. We’ll miss it when it moves to its larger, more conveniently accessed, Govalle digs sometime in 2022.

courtesy of (512) Brewing Co.

16 | (512) Brewing Company

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NEW ENTRY

What’s New: It was an eventuality that (512) would start packaging their classic, OMG-OLDAUSTIN brews for retail, but it practically took the threat of catastrophic financial ruin to give this old-skool brewery the slightest nudge. And look at ’em now! Twelve deep into a bottled beer roster that includes catchy bastards like Helles Lager, Cascabel Cream Stout, Black IPA, and their legendary Pecan Porter.

What’s Consistent: (512) is unabashedly the least flashy brewery in Austin. If this brewery was a head football coach, it would be Bill O’Brien. But that’s what we love about (512). We can count on every bit of beer that leaves the floor to be in top form and tasting perfect by the time it reaches us. Hey, maybe they’re less Bill O’Brien and more Eric Taylor after all.

What’s Unique: (512)’s Pecan Porter is on the Mount Rushmore of Austin beers. That’s it. That’s the whole hot take.

courtesy of Hopsquad

15 | Hopsquad

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ 19

What’s New: Hopsquad’s clout has increased by becoming Austin’s unofficial soccer brewery. It’s a rightly deserved ego! They rise early for Premier League games over in England and stay late for post-Austin FC celebrations with their own supporters club Los Verdes coming back from the ol’ footy grounds a few blocks away. Their rapid ascent in reputation as The People’s Brewery is only outdone by their developing tap wall, including the Los Verdes collaboration Mexican Lager, Zapatista. They also developed a very crushable, very pregame-friendly michelada recipe. Who else is doing that? No one else, that’s who.

What’s Consistent: Hopsquad’s quality of service is unmatched for a brewery, particularly on overpopulated events, like game day at Q2. Which is good, because when there are too many Verdes keeping us apart from one of our favorite beers in town, Architetto Ruffini Italian Pilsner, we tend to get a bit “CAH MAHN” [pinches fingers in Italian].

What’s Unique: Hopsquad has sort of embraced their cult hero status amongst football fans, hosting pre-match serenades by FC supporters’ band La Murga and semi-regular festivals dedicated to enhancing the Brewery Row football experience. Still waiting on that first Minister of Culture cameo, tho.

courtesy of The Brewtorium

14 | The Brewtorium

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ NR, 15, 16

What’s New: An astonishing outcome of the last 20 months of unpredictability and large-scale anxiety was that The Brewtorium actually found a way to, uh, improve their daily German beer hall volksfest, complete with an expanded beer garden and a rotating menu of classic German-style lagers on the big board. One low-key hack before an Austin FC match driving from other parts of the city is to street park on the cul-de-sac; pregame with some dark lagers, soft-baked pretzels, and flammkuchen; then take the rail all the way up to the front door of the stadium. Very Euro. Thank us later with a round of pilsners!

What’s Consistent: Dark lagers are the best play at The Brewtorium, so if you run across co-owner/brewer Chris Rauschuber’s Biscuit Eater ESB, Schwarzengiggles Schwarzbier, Confabulator Dopplebock, or Electric Lederhosen Vienna, to name a few, dump all other ideas you had about IPAs or Hazy IPAs or Black IPAs or Hazy Black IPAs and get some of the best beer available outside of Bavaria. That is the move.

What’s Unique: The Brewtorium are the U.S. Open Beer Championship gold medal winners in the Old Ale category for their beer Old Whistle Britches. The Chronicle also designated the brewery as Best “Dinner for the Kids Too” Brewery being that The Brewtorium provides for abundant breathing room, Honest Kids juices, and a menu that reads like a greatest hits for small, picky humans.

courtesy of Vista Brewing

13 | Vista Brewing

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ 11, 12, 11

What’s New: Three years in the biz, and Vista felt like there was still plenty of meat left on the beer garden bone. Then, in the year since the last rankings, Vista went off and opened not one but two new tasting rooms beyond their OG masterpiece in Driftwood. The first new concept is an open-air, great-lawn, live-music beer garden out in Bee Cave, while the second is a more urban, hipster-y warehouse approach just west of downtown San Antonio. All of it is a really creative gradient of ways to enjoy Vista’s top shelf ales. And you know what? Maybe it’s time San Antonio got something cool to be proud of, too.

What’s Consistent: Vista is a brewery all about balance. The aesthetics of OG Vista’s polished/unpolished design elements set a mood when visiting the brewery where the narrative is that of a refined, well-executed, and consistent beer program all while in the setting of the rugged, rustic outdoor elements of Hill Country. Its charming as FUCK! Vista’s approach as a destination is cemented with beers worth traveling all the way to Driftwood for – Stonewall lambic-style peach ale, for one, but especially one of our favorite Austin beers, Dark Skies, black “pilsner.” How’s that for symmetry?

What’s Unique: Vista is Austin Monthly’s Best of ATX 2021 winner for Best Outdoor Getaway, which totally plays because Vista is always coquetting with live music and Americana vibes. The brewery was also selected as a national Good Food Award winner for Hive Mind honey ale, an award that takes into account the quality and flavor of the beer as well as local sourcing, sustainability, and socially responsible creation of the product. This is the second consecutive year that Vista has won the award (Stonewall, 2020).

courtesy of Meanwhile Brewing

12 | Meanwhile Brewing

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ 13

What’s New: Meanwhile has kicked into galactic gear now that they’ve removed the training wheels from the brewhouse. Week after week is an introduction to finely tuned lagers and well-calibrated hoppy ales. Sometimes they’ll get brash and combine the two, like the hop-forward pilsner Galactic Disruption. But mostly, we enjoy the leafy beer garden through the lens of Meanwhile’s mandate on west coast IPA, given their pedigree. Still yet, Odin’s Hammer Kveik Hazy IPA has been Meanwhile’s standout beer of the year, as far as we’re concerned. We like to move our creaky old bones working off all those Nordic carbs on their on-site mini-football pitch.

What’s Consistent: Though in its infancy, Meanwhile has shined with the quality and consistency of a seasoned beer program, but one should never overlook grabbing a to-go coffee whenever the opportunity presents itself. Which is always. Always grab a coffee.

What’s Unique: Meanwhile are winners of the GABF gold medal in the German-Style Pilsner category for their aptly named beer, Pilsener, while also bringing home a silver medal for their Helles at the North American Beer Awards. Wait, are these Austin’s true Lagerpeople? The townies over at Austin Monthly named Meanwhile Austin’s Best New Brewery in their Best of ATX 2021 issue as well as denoting Dough Boys’ neapolitan pies as Austin’s Best Pizza of 2021. An impressive resume for the year-old brewery.

courtesy of Southern Heights

11 | Southern Heights

AC Power Rankings Trend! ▶ 9, 9, 7, 9

What’s New: Southern Heights has been tucked away and semi-quiet over the past year, yet clearly busy concocting inventive little stunners like the tropical New Zealand hazy IPA, Waka Taua, that uses notes of pineapple, guava, and passionfruit like a three-card monte. We’ve also enjoyed the fruit-aggressive hazy IPA, Chasin Bunnies, that summons hops Vic Secret, Strata, Simcoe, and Chinook the same way “Dawn” summoned Ric Flair out of the Astrodome tunnel. Feel free to keep focusing on your business over there, Southern Heights, don’t let us bother you.

What’s Consistent: Like many Austin breweries, this operation demonstrates elite skill with the two primary Austin food groups: IPAs and lagers. Tahitian Dreamin’, the brewery’s closest thing to a flagship wall dweller, is a gorgeously constructed hazy that uses Citra, Centennial, Simcoe hops the way Belle and Sebasian use soft drums, gentle piano, and plucky horns. On the lager side, I Just Want a Pils is both a declaration and an appeal. In the face of all these complex ales, sometimes we just need a beer flavored beer, man. Southern Heights can give you that wide world of experience right in their cozy little taproom.

What’s Unique: With each visit to Southern Heights, one can anticipate something imaginative and assertive up on the tap wall since this brewery likes to keep things fresh by rotating their beers often. While unconcerned about mainstays, you might find some of the brewery’s biggest hits getting a shorter cigarette break than others, like Where’s My Flannel Pub Ale and the aforementioned Tahitian Dreamin’. That said, we’re up for a year round post for our favorite stout in Austin, Hoodie Weather.

Check back here Thursday, Oct. 14 for the rest of the the 2021 Power Rankings.

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