Rail 'n' Ale Social

I've spent a great deal of my time at The Austin Chronicle over the past year spotlighting two great things coming to my neighborhood: Austin's new commuter rail line and Black Star Co-op Brewpub. Well, the former is now here, and the latter is coming. And in fact, they're coming to the exact same spot – the Crestview Station train stop is right outside the front door of where Black Star will be located (see photo).

For this first week of operations, the trains are free, and the afternoon trains arrive in Crestview between 3:10 and 7:01pm, so Black Star is celebrating with a Rail 'n' Ale Beer Social – from 4 to 7pm this Friday, March 26. Click on that link for more details.

(But remember: Chugging is for trains, not craft beer lovers.)

Where to Get Your SXSW Beer On

My newest "Beer Flights" column is in today's Austin Chronicle. If you're in Austin for South by Southwest, check it out for some Downtown area beer-drinking tips.

Circle Brewing Has a Home

Message from Circle Brewing:

Circle Brew Fan,

You will be pleased to know that we have signed the lease on our brewery location! We are located in North Central Austin, near the corner of Braker Ln. and Kramer Ln, at 2340 W Braker Ln, Suite B, Austin, TX 78758. You can view the location on Google Maps here. We are very excited about the new home for Circle Brewing, boasting a spacious 8,100 sqft for us to grow and expand our operations in the years to come. The geographic location also has a number of benefits for us, specifically allowing easy access to Mopac and I-35 for deliveries to Austin, Round Rock, and beyond. You can also go to the website and check out our blog for a few pictures of the space.

Our lease begins on April 1st, and we anticipate a timeline of approximately six months to build out the brewery and prepare it for operations. While we have much work ahead of us until we are ready for our first brew, we can't wait to get in the space and get our hands dirty. So, keep spreading the word about Circle Brewing Company, because it is a simple matter of time before we are in your favorite watering hole.

We will keep you updated as things progress. We will also keep a flow of information and pictures of the build out of the brewery space on the blog, so keep checking that for our development progress. It is a very exciting time for Circle Brewing Company and we hope that you are as excited as we are.

Cheers,

Ben and Jud

Austin Homebrew Supply Has Moved

Message from JB over at Austin Homebrew Supply:

We have moved to our new location at 9129 Metric Blvd, and we need to break in the new building. On Saturday, March 13th from Noon-5pm we are having a grand reopening party featuring 3 bands, munchies, and frosty refreshments! I hope that you can make it out! The new store is too cool!

Black Star Wants to Be Green (Upcoming Event)

Press release from the Black Star folks on their efforts to not only be the world's first co-op brewpub, but also an environmentally conscious one:

Black Star Co-op to Host Green Brewpub Investment Forum

Own Your Own Brewpub and Help Make It Green!

AUSTIN, TX, February 25, 2010 — The Black Star Co-Op is pleased to announce the “Own Your Own Brewpub and Help Make It Green“ investment forum scheduled for Saturday, March 6th, from 2pm-4pm. Located at the future location of the brewpub, 7020 Easy Wind Dr., Suite 100, 78752 (Midtown Commons), the forum will focus on educating attendees about the advantages of LEED certification in the construction of the brewpub, as well as the green building efforts underway, and the general Black Star membership.

The Black Star Co-op, scheduled to open in Summer 2010, is the world’s first co-operatively owned brewpub working to raise the majority of its start-up capital through local investors — members of the community — to remain free of debt financing.

Co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others, but it adds upfront costs to the build-out of the brewpub. That’s why Black Star is reaching out to the Austin environmental community to help them raise investment capital to achieve LEED certification. With investment support from Austin’s environmental community, Black Star will be a highly efficient, energy and water-saving brewpub.

About Black Star Co-Op

The Black Star Co-op is located in Midtown Commons, a 73-acre transit oriented, mixed-use development set on a remediated brownfield at Lamar and Airport, a few hundred feet from the Crestview station of Capital Metro’s Red Line rail service. With a diverse membership of more than 1,300 members and growing, the Black Star Co-op is based on the principals of co-operative ownership and worker self-management to create the best venue in Austin for the production and enjoyment of high quality beer and food. For more information, please visit www.blackstar.coop or call 512-452-2337.