Austin Beerworks Meet 'n' Greet at Black Star

And yet another brewery on the Austin scene. Damn this town is getting good.

The newest kid on the block is Austin Beerworks, and I finally got to taste their wares at a meet 'n' greet party at Black Star Co-op. Like more and more craft brewers are doing these days, Austin Beerworks is canning instead of bottling.

I sat down for a taster flight, and was easily moved to try full pints. Nothing that blew my mind, but they aren't really attempting the mind-blowing stuff yet — just the basics you expect from a craft brewery. Something drinkable, something hoppy, something dark. Their lineup:

• Pearl Snap German-style pils: A very sold pils, perfect for the godawful heat wave we're having in Texas right now. Stronger hop presence than you usually get from a pils.
• Fire Eagle American IPA: actually underwhelmed me a bit, surprising since I'm fairly easy to please with the hoppy stuff. Nonetheless, still a good beer.
• Black Thunder German-style Schwarz: Very nice. Rich. I really wish I'd had a full glass of this roasty goodness, but after full glasses of the pils and IPA, I was getting pretty pickled (I hadn't had dinner yet, plus I've been losing weight, so I'm a cheap date these days). I definitely want to go back and try more.
• Peacemaker Extra Pale Ale: They didn't have any of this at the tasting, but I'm looking forward to it.

I interviewed one of the owners at the party, but don't have time to transcribe it right now. I'll try to post it later.