And the Winner Is …

My highly unscientific poll is done (see right) and Austin's (possibly) most popular brewery is: 512! Congratulations, Kevin.

Of course, results in these kinds of web polls have to be taken with a big shaker of salt, but I do think we can get a solid generalization from these results: 512, Real Ale, and Live Oak are far and away the best-loved Austin-area brewers. The reasons for this are numerous: First off is, yes, taste. But also, those three are more widely distributed than brewpubs, which can only sell on-site. And Real Ale and Live Oak have been around for a while and built up some brand loyalty. 512 is a quite a bit younger than those two, so 512 has done an impressive job of whipping up a fan base very quickly.

With all the new brewers trying to go pro over the next few months, it will be interesting to see if these results change a year from now.

Okay, this was a fun little exercise, but please don't mistake it for properly done market research.

Thirsty Planet at Zax

Another press release:

Zax Restaurant at 312 Barton Springs Rd. is pleased to announce that we have partnered with Thirsty Planet Brewing to host the Thirsty Planet Brewing kick off party at Zax Restaurant on Wednesday September 1, 2010 at 6:00. Come on out and meet the owner and brewer Brian Smittle. Enjoy the great food at Zax, paired with a variety of delicious Thirsty Planet Beers, and keep the commemorative logo glass. We will be serving 3 beers, Yellow Armadillo Wheat, a light, crisp, refreshing wheat beer perfect for hot Texas summers; Thirsty Goat Amber, a perfectly balanced, malty beer, not to hoppy, with a lot of love; Buckethead IPA, a hint of sweetness with a punch in the mouth of bitterness. Definitely a BIG and BOLD beer. You can find more information at www.thirstyplanet.net."

NXNW 11th Anniversary Party Coming Up

Sorry, I'm just gonna be lazy and reprint their press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 20, 2010

BREAST CANCER RESOURCE CENTER TO BENEFIT FROM NXNW CELEBRATION!
Restaurant and microbrewery celebrates with local music and fire dancers, all for a good cause

WHO:
North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery (NXNW)
Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas

WHAT:
NXNW’s 11th birthday is right around the corner on September 5th, and they are ready to celebrate with an evening of local music, NXNW-crafted brews and fire dancers, all for a good cause!

NXNW is encouraging guests to donate $5 at the door to enjoy the evening’s festivities. Some of Austin’s most popular musical acts will be part of the entertainment line-up.

Schedule of events: (Note: In honor of 11 wonderful years, expect something special at eleven past every hour!)

• 5:11 p.m. – Opening act Stephen Doster, Bill Carter and Will Sexton
• 6:11 p.m. – Jeremy Steding
• 7:11 p.m. – cask tapping of anniversary brew
• 7:30 p.m. – headliner Red Volkaert
• 9:30 p.m. – local fire dancers, Elemental Uprising
  

NXNW brewers Don Thompson and Kevin Roark will tap a cask of specially made German Pilsner anniversary beer to commemorate the occasion, and, of course, what’s a birthday celebration without cake? Pastry Chef Emily Tipps will prepare a not-to-be-missed anniversary dessert that is sure to delight guests’ taste buds.

Nate the Great Balloon Artist will also be a part of the evening’s festivities!

WHEN:
Sunday, September 5, 2010

WHERE:
North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery
10010 N. Capital of TX Hwy
Austin, TX 78759
512-467-6969

ABOUT:
Locally owned and operated by founder Davis Tucker, North by Northwest has been offering a mix of great craft brewed beer and fabulous food in a fun and interesting atmosphere since 1999. NXNW offers upscale food by chef George Powell and beer brewed on site. For more information, visit www.nxnwbrew.com or twitter.com/nxnwbrew.

Eola School Featured in Austin Chronicle

I'm not the only writer at The Austin Chronicle with a keen interest in beer. Eola School, the brewery and restaurant way out near San Angelo, was the subject of this week's "Day Trips" column. Read and enjoy. Damn, I still haven't made it out there, and not sure if I ever will now that the only person I knew in San Angelo no longer lives there. (Despite the column name, Eola is a bit more than what I consider a day trip from Austin – 185 miles away.)

Gerald didn't mention the eBay ad owner Mark Cannon (pictured) posted in November last year trying to sell the place. I'll try to find out the latest on that.

(Photo copyright Gerald E. McLeod – do not reproduce without his permission.)

Poll: What is your favorite Austin-area brewery?

For the Austinites, and those who have visited Austin:

At the newspaper for which I write, The Austin Chronicle, we're preparing for our annual "Best of Austin" issue. Which got me to wondering: Now that the number of breweries here is expanding enough to almost say we have an actual brewing scene, I want to know what is your favorite among our locals. Thus, please see the poll in the right-hand column of this blog.

Although I realize an argument could be made that Shiner qualifies as an Austin brewery, I decided I'm limiting it to nothing further away than Blanco – in other words, anything within about an hour's drive of Downtown.

I'm also limiting it to breweries that are actually fully operational and currently putting product out on the shelves and in the barroom taps, so you fans of Black Star and others will just have to wait until next year, when I'll hopefully remember to run another such poll.

Yes, the poll is unscientific, and you could get away with voting multiple times, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd just vote only once. I'm leaving this open for a good long time: a whole month.

Beer News in the Chronicle

The new Austin Chronicle is out, and I have a "Beer Flights" (my beer news column) in it. It has some of the same stuff that was in my "Random Beer News" post about a month ago, but with some new stuff, too.

Black Star Co-op: The Food

Dang it, Black Star Co-op's future location is walking distance from my house, but I almost always seem to have a conflict when they're having an event! Well, I need y'all to go in my stead and tell me how it was: This Saturday, July 17, the co-op will take its monthly beer socials beyond the brew and give you a glimpse at what its food menu will be like. Details here.

Last I talked with the co-opers, they said they were shooting for a September opening date. I'm really excited about it.

UPDATE: Black Star + Thirsty Planet = Yum. Black Star e-mailed me to say that they'll have some brews by Thirsty Planet at this event. How cooperative of them! Having gone to Thirsty Planet's grand opening just a few days ago (I'll update soon) I can tell that will be quite enjoyable.