This week in, The Brew! We are getting close to the holidays and that means the new year is just around the corner but before we start looking forward to 2016 in the coming weeks we have enough to look forward to this week. This week, we see what brewery is hosting a vulgar event in the suburbs of Houston, we see what other Houston area brewery is celebrating 5yrs, we see what north Texas brewery is celebrating 1 year and lastly, we now have a store where you can pick up a signed copy of Beer Lover’s Texas. We have setup a book signing in Houston coming up in January so stay tuned for more information coming soon. Check it out now in this weeks edition of, The Brew!

Houston – While many are feeling festive for the upcoming holidays, signing tired Christmas carols, decorating and awaiting Santa Claus, something darker is coming. In the spirit of Germanic folklore, Brash Brewing Company is organizing a Krampus Krawl though Sugar Land’s Town Center. If you are not familiar with Krampus, he is the opposite of Santa. While Santa rewards the good boys and girls, Krampus takes the bad kids and eats them. Don’t worry, for beer loving fans this Krampus Krawl will feature a special firkins of Brash Brewing’s Vulgar Display of Power at each stop along the crawl. The event kicks off this Saturday at 2pm and attendees are encouraged to dress in your most vulgar Krampus costumes. Click here for more info.

Katy – Time flies when you are having fun and the great folks at No Label Brewing are proud to be celebrating 5yrs this weekend. To kick off the celebration they are hosting a party at the brewery with dinner, live music and of course great beer. Today they announced that the event is sold out so if you decided to wait to buy tickets at the door, you are out of luck. For those that chose not to procrastinate they are going to be in for one heck of a night. They have not released the beer list but they did just install a new tap wall with 42 taps so we can only expect a stellar line up to mark the occasion. Along with their 5^th anniversary, No Label has some new beer releases worth checking out including their Hop Solo Series of beers Galaxy, Orbits and Calypso; as well as the very limited release of their Perpetual Peace which is a Wee Heavy that has been aged in Old Forrester barrels for 5 months. We would like to say congratulations to our friends at No Label on all their hard work and wish them continued success going forward.

Fort Worth – This weekend Panther Island Brewing Company is ready to celebrate their 1^st year in business. They are celebrating at the brewery with an ugly Christmas sweater party, live music and beer. Attendees will have a chance to take some of sweet swag and other special giveaways. Panther Island is marking the occasion with the release of their Here Comes Santa Czar which is a holiday spiced coffee Russian Imperial Stout that comes in at 10.5%. They will have their core year round releases along with some very special releases including a limited release of bourbon barrel aged beers. Tickets start at just $10 so be sure to get your tickets now before they sell out. Click here for tickets and information.

Store – Just in time for the holidays we now have a store on Texas Beer Guide. We will be getting Texas Beer Guide swag made soon but in the mean time you can purchase a copy of Beer Lover’s Texas: Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars which is signed by yours truly. Be sure to pick up a copy now and give it to your beer loving fans on your gift list. Click here to view the store.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, we are back and we have so much to catch up on. This week, we say goodbye to a true Texas brewing legend, we recap the Untapped Festival in San Antonio, we give you the heads up on who is celebrating 4yrs, talk about a very special event going on in Austin for a great cause, we give you the scoop on the newest brewpub celebrating their grand opening this weekend and lastly, we talk about the scene and how you can help a local brewery. We will be selling personalized signed copies of Beer Lover’s Texas just in time for the holidays so be sure to follow us on social media for the upcoming details. Check it out now in this weeks edition of, The Brew!

Alpine – Last week Texas lost a true pioneer in the craft beer community. Steve Anderson was the founder of Big Bend Brewing Company in Alpine but he was much more than that. As soon as brewpubs were legalized in Texas, Steve and his business partner Billy Forrester started Waterloo Brewing Company in downtown Austin which was the first brewpub in the state. Unfortunately, Waterloo closed its doors in 2001 but that took Steve on to his next great position with Chip McElroy as the headbrewer at Live Oak Brewing Co. After 11yrs with Live Oak Brewing, Steve decided he wanted to move out of Austin into the Big Bend region of west Texas where he and his wife owned a vacation home. It was in 2012 when Steve opened a brewery of his own in Alpine and Big Bend Brewing Company came to life. Steve was 53yrs old and passed away after a long battle with cancer. Steve has inspired many in the Texas craft beer community and I had the pleasure of speaking with him last year while writing my book. We raise a pint to all that Steve has given to the community and we will never forget the legacy he left behind.

San Antonio – The other week the Untapped Festival rolled into San Antonio for an amazing day of craft beers and a stellar musical line up. The festival took place on the old historic grounds of the Lone Star brewery. This was the first time Untapped made a stop in San Antonio and while the event seemed smaller than past events, it was a great turn out none the less. We got to try some really great beers from across Texas including most of the San Antonio breweries. San Antonio has a thriving craft beer scene that is growing rapidly and Untapped was a great addition to bring more attention towards craft beer to the city. I think the great group of people that worked to bring Untapped across the state this year did a great job and we can’t wait to see what they have planned for next year. The San Antonio stop is the last event for the year for the Untapped crew as they have postponed the upcoming Canned Festival. They have said on social media that they have a big announcement coming up in the coming week so we will be sure to let you know about any upcoming events.

Wimberley – This weekend Middleton Brewing Company is ready to celebrate their 4^th anniversary and it was then when they realized that they had never brewed an anniversary. To kick off this weekends 4^th anniversary, they will be releasing their 1^st anniversary ale. It may be three years late but better late than never. The anniversary ale is expected to be a big Imperial Milk Stout which they brewed with chocolate and vanilla. They describe the beer as having “flavors of bitter chocolate, vanilla, and hints of coffee and dried stone fruit. The finish is expansive with lingering chocolaty notes”. The event kicks off this Saturday at noon and will feature live music, giveaways and good beer. Click here for more info.

Austin – In September, the 1400 Mile Crew and the Beerliner trekked from Austin to Denver to spread awareness about prostate cancer and of course craft beer. The event leads the group to the Great American Beer Festival where the Beerliner posts up just outside of the festival to promote Texas craft beer. This year they came back to Austin with plenty of beer in tow and this Sunday they will be hosting Beersgiving 2. The event will help raise money for the 1400 Miles organization and in return attendees will have access to some of the best beers from across the state. This will be a potluck style event and they are asking attendees to bring $15 and a dish or $20 with no dish. The event will place in downtown Austin at the Waller Ballroom on Sunday from 2-6pm. Click here for more info.

Garland – This Saturday, Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery celebrates its grand opening as one of the newest brewpubs in the state. Founded by brother-in-laws Cary Hodson and Casey Vincent along with their pitmaster Tex Morgan, they have a winning combination of the two that’s that make Texas great, barbecue and beer. They will have five house beers on tap along with a housemade sangria which is also served on draft. Intrinsic will also feature guest taps along with cans and bottles from other local breweries. The event kicks off this Saturday at 11am and is free to the public with the exception of the cost for beer and food. We wish the guys the best of luck and look forward to checking out the beer soon. Click here for more info.

Buna – This year has been a booming year for the Texas craft beer community with many new breweries and brewpubs opening up. With this added competition, it makes it hard for the smaller breweries to get their name out there or even stay afloat. This year we saw the closure of Fort Bend Brewing, Kahl Brewing, Wicked Beaver Brewing and recently FireWheel Brewing. One Texas brewery is hoping they can get support from the craft beer community to help keep their brewery open. Texas Big Beer Brewery out in Buna has setup a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds so they can pay for their licensing fees with the state. Brewery owners John and Tammy McKissack have reached out to the Governor of Texas for an explanation of why Texas breweries face such scrutiny and why the fees are much high than that of a brewpub or a winery. In the state, it costs a winery $851 and a brewpub $1,426 but for a brewery it is an outrageous $6,789, So far they have reached half of the money needed which will not only help them cover the state license but they plan to buildout their taproom bar. Please click here to help your local brewery.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! We took a little vacation last week and got out of town so unfortunately we missed a few things. A big hats off to our friends at 512 Brewing for celebrating their 7^th anniversary and Texian Brewing celebrated their 3^rd anniversary. Thank you to those great breweries for continuously making great Texas beers. Next week is Thanksgiving so we will have an early edition of The Brew! But until then we have a lot to talk about. This week, more shameless self promoting for my book signing this Saturday in San Antonio, then we talk about a beer festival that is taking over San Antonio this weekend. Lastly, we head up north for a brewpubs special bottle release and festival taking place in Dallas. Check it out now in this weeks edition of, The Brew!

San Antonio – This Saturday, yours truly will be at the Twig Book Shop at the old Historic Pearl Brewery from 11am-1pm signing copies of “Beer Lover’s Texas: Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars”. Come out to pick up a copy and check out their weekly farmers market. Afterwards I strongly suggest checking out Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery or the Granary ‘Cue & Brew for a delicious lunch and some great beers.

San Antonio – This Saturday the Untapped Festival Indie Music & Beer Festival rolls into San Antonio for the first time. Like usual you can expect a great line up of live music and the best beers available in Texas. Friday night the official kickoff party will be hosted at Big Hops (The Bridge) starting at 7:30pm. Be sure to head out and pick up your Untapped wristbands so you don’t have to wait in line on Saturday. They will feature beer specials all evening and Alamo Brewing will be showing off their new Winter IPA. Saturday the festival will take place at the old Lone Start Brewery at 3:30pm (2:30pm for VIP). They will have over 275 beers from more than 70 breweries along with a great lineup of music acts such as GZA, Tokyo Police Club and Metric. Tickets are still available so be sure to get some in case they sell out. We will be out at the festival covering the event so be sure to say hi. Afterwards, Untapped will host an official after party at The Mix starting at 10pm. The event is free but you must RSVP through Do210. Click here for tickets and all of the weekends events.

Dallas – BrainDead Brewing is ready to finally release bottles and they are throwing a party to celebrate with their friends at Big Texas Beer Fest for the first annual Festicle. This Saturday, they will be hosting an event in their parking lot to celebrate the release of their first barrel aged Red Wine Barrel Wiere Gardes and Bourbon Barrel Hammer of the Gods. The event kicks off at 2pm and attendees will have a chance to buy bottes of BrainDead’s new releases. You will also get a tasting glass and sampling card with access to over 70 different beers. They will have live music and Chef David will be selling food. Click here for tickets and information.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! We missed you all last week and we hope everyone made it through the storms ok. We hope everyone had an enjoyable Halloween. Now this weekend is going to be a busy one all across the state. We see what Austin brewpub is celebrating 3yrs, we talk about another Austin brewpub that is celebrating 47yrs, we give you the details about Austin’s newest brewery, we see what big festival is taking over Dallas on Saturday, see what delicious event is kicking off at a Houston brewery, talk about the North Texas Beer Week, talk about a free San Antonio festival going on Saturday, give you the details about our upcoming book signing and lastly talk about a 10 day celebration of sausage. Check it out now in this weeks edition of, The Brew!

Austin – Local brewpub Pinthouse Pizza has a lot to celebrate lately. Just the other week they opened a second location in south Austin but this Saturday they will celebrate their 3rd anniversary at their original Burnet St. location. The celebration kicks off at noon with special beer tapping’s throughout the day including a limited edition of Man O’ War which they say “We developed a new technique for using these hops to give this beer an even juicier, oily, resinous hop profile” which sounds good to me. They will have limited edition and quantity glassware to mark the occasion and live music from an “award-winning” Elvis impersonator from 2-9pm. The kitchen will be open, making some of the best pizza in Austin. Parking can be tricky so consider taking Uber or public transportation. Click here for more info.

Austin – It is crazy to think how much over the 4yrs I have been here and I can only imagine how much the city has changed to the folks at Draught House Pub & Brewery. This weekend they will host their 47th anniversary party which was rescheduled from October 24th due to bad weather. As is the norm for Draught House, they will have a killer line up of beers ranging from rare, cellared, barrel aged, soured, reserve and otherwise exceptional beers. DJ JBL will keep the evening entertained and food will be available from Garbo’s Food Truck along with a pig roast. Lastly, Balcones Distillery will be on hand sampling their great Texas whiskey. The event kicks off at 1pm so bring your lawn chairs and help Draught House celebrate 47 amazing years of supporting craft beer. Parking is limited so consider public or alternative transportation. Click here for more info.

Austin – As the craft beer community continues to grow we have the privilege to explore new beer. This week Austin’s own 4th Tap Brewing Cooperative hosts their grand opening on Saturday. It has taken them 4yrs to get the brewery up and running and they are excited to finally show Austin what they have in store. This is a free event and all are welcome, you just have to purchase your beer. They will have their three core beers along with a handful of special beers that they will only have available in the tap room. Chi’Lantro BBQ will be on hand selling food so bring your appetites. This event will go on rain or shine from 1pm-midnight. Click here for more info.

Dallas – This Saturday the Untapped Festival returns to Dallas at the Fair Park grounds. Once again they bring together a stellar lineup of craft beers and awesome bands. This year they will have over 400 beers from 100+ breweries, many of which come from Texas. With live music from act such as the Pharcyde, Dr. Dog and the Flaming Lips, you know it is going to be a fun day. VIP is sold out but general admission tickets are still available and you will kick yourself if you miss this event. For $45 you will get access to all the live music and a tasting card for a dozen 2oz samples of beer. For tickets and more information click here.

Houston – If you live in Texas then you know that there is nothing better than BBQ and beer. This Sunday, the Houston Barbecue Festival and Saint Arnold Brewing Company are teaming up for the Houston BBQ Throwdown! which will be hosted at the Saint Arnold brewery. The event will put local pit masters head to head in a blind taste testing competition. Attendees will get to sample the barbecue and wash it town with Saint Arnold beer. Only a limited number of guest tickets were available and unfortunately tickets are officially sold out. For those lucky enough to have tickets, be sure to stop by and say hi to our friends at Feges BBQ and prepare your taste buds for a delicious afternoon. Click here for more information.

North Texas – Last Sunday Austin Beer Week officially came to a close and starting tomorrow the North Texas Beer Week kicks off all across the northern Texas cities. From the November 6^th– 15^th, bars, restaurants and breweries will host special events with craft beer in the focus. From special tapping’s and beer samplings to beer brunches and beer dinners, it is a great time to get out a check out some great events. Be sure to check out their website here for all of the events lined up by clicking here.

San Antonio – For all the San Antonio homebrewers and craft beer fans, get ready because the San Antonio Cerveceros are hosting their 2015 San Antonio Homebrew Festival and Competition this Saturday at 2015 San Antonio Homebrew Festival and Competition from 10am-4pm. This is surprisingly a free event and all are welcome to attend (21+ only). They will have a ‘People’s Choice’ Homebrew competition, homebrew demonstrations, raffle tickets with great prizes, live music and of course local food trucks selling food. Click here for more information.

San Antonio – Save the date, November 21^st we will be in town that afternoon at the Twig Book Shop signing copies of “Beer Lover’s Texas: Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars”. The shop is located on the grounds of the old Pearl Brewery just outside downtown, where you will also find Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery and The Granary ‘Cue & Brew. Later that afternoon make your way to the Untapped Festival San Antonio at the old Lone Star Brewery just a few miles away. Come out and say hi, we look forward to seeing you there!

New Braunfels – Tomorrow kicks off a 10 day salute to sausage and beer at Wurstfest. You will feel like you are in Germany as you walk into the park grounds. Polka music will play and beer will flow as the event has every year for the last 52yrs. It is a great event that you must experience at least once in your life. This may be a German festival that is dedicated to sausage but the beer is second to none. You will find any classic German beers but every year the craft beer list continues to grow. Many of the Texas breweries will be represented at this years festival. It kicks off tomorrow and runs until next Sunday. This is a family friendly event but the later it gets, the more people let loose. Click here for tickets and information.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! We had to take a little time off to recover from Denver and the Great American Beer Festival but we were able to celebrate with our friends at Independence Brewing Company last Saturday for their 11^th Anniversary and we congratulate them on all their hard work. This week, we talk about the loss of a Texas brewery, we talk about a week long craft beer celebration kicking off this weekend, we see who is turning 7, I post an article of Austin bucket list beers and lastly we announce an upcoming book signing in San Antonio. Check it out now in this weeks edition of, The Brew!

Wolfforth – When an industry is exploding it brings in more competition and it means that you have to work even harder to get noticed. While the Texas beer industry is seeing a rapid growth in major cities, breweries out in rural Texas towns struggle to make it. Unfortunately, due to the lack of craft beer interest the area and the costs it takes to run a brewery can become a burden for a smaller brewery. With this said, Texas has lost another brewery this week. On Tuesday, Wicked Beaver Brewing from Wolfforth announced that after 6yrs they have decided to close the brewery down. Whether you like their beer or not, you have to respect people who follow their dreams and take on the difficult role to open and operate a brewery. We wish Michael Adams and Che Shadle all the best in their future endeavors and thank them for their contributions to the Texas craft beer scene.

Austin – For all of you Austin beer lovers, it is that time again for the 6^th Annual Austin Beer Week. For those of you that are not familiar with this, it is a weeklong celebration of craft beer and it takes place from Oct 23-Nov 1^st with special events all across Austin. The festivities kick off at one of the biggest Texas craft beer supporters, Craft Pride on Friday evening. They will be tapping rare and specialty beers throughout the night. Draught House Pub was supposed to host their 47^th anniversary on Saturday but due to the expected nasty weather taking over the area, they have rescheduled their party for November 7^th but don’t worry there is still plenty of great events to check out this weekend so be sure to check out the Austin Beer Week website for a full lineup of events by clicking here.

Austin – Fresh of a gold medal win at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival, Austin based 512 Brewing Company has a lot to celebrate. As if winning gold wasn’t enough, this Saturday 512 is celebrating their 7^th Anniversary this Saturday. With a new year means the perfect time to release a new beer. 512 will be celebrating with the release of their 7^th Anniversary English-style nut brown ale and they will have all of your other 512 favorites including the gold medal winner Wild Bear. The event takes place on Saturday from 12-6pm rain or shine. They will have large tents setup so you can stay dry but you might want to dress accordingly for the rain. The cost is only $15 which includes an anniversary glass and eight 4oz pours plus a bonus pour of their anniversary beer. Congratulations to the great folks at 512 for all of their hard work and great beer. Click here for more information.

Austin – A good beer is like a good bucket list: it’s made up of wonderful things, it can add immense enjoyment to your life, and it doesn’t work well in analogies but most importantly, it can be debatable. Because Austin’s esteemed breweries are putting out such spectacular suds, we decided to put together this bucket list of the 20 greatest local brews. Check out my article for the Thrillist here.

San Antonio – Mark your calendars San Antonio, we are headed your way. We will be hosting a book signing for Beer Lover’s Texas at The Twig Book Shop on the grounds of the Pearl Brewery complex on Nov. 21st, which is the same day that the Untapped Festival San Antonio rolls into town. We will have more information coming to you in the coming weeks so be sure to mark your calendars and we will see you next month San Antonio!

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

We know that we are late to the game but it took time getting these videos edited but better late than never is how we like to see it. As you may know the 2015 Great American Beer Festival took place in Denver Sept. 24-26 and Texas proudly brought home 15 medals. We got to meet a lot of great people, made some new friends and tried a lot of amazing beers. At the end of the day we had one mission and that was to report on the Texas breweries present at the festival. Below are the 15 medals brought home, congratulations to all of the breweries that competed in this year’s festival and a big hats off to all the medal winners.

This week in, The Brew! We are gearing up for our first trip to Denver next week for the Great American Beer Festival to cheer on all of the Texas breweries competing so we will not have an article next week but be sure to follow us on Twitter @TexasBeerGuide because we will be Periscoping live from the festival. Once we return we will have a full recap of the festival including a rundown of all the Texas breweries bringing home medals. Until then we have a lot of great news coming from Texas. This week, we talk about Texas’ only beer festival dedicated solely to Texas craft beer, we talk about a couple of north Texas breweries suing the TABC and we talk about an Austin bar that is defying the TACB and their ban on Crowlers. Check it out now in this week’s edition of, The Brew!

Austin – This Saturday the Texas Craft Brewers Festival returns to Austin. It is the only festival dedicated solely to Texas craft beer and is organized by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild which promotes Texas craft beer, educating the public about the qualities and attributes of craft beer and advancing the common interest of Texas craft brewers. The festival will bring together over Texas 60 breweries from all across the state and for many, this will be their first time showcasing their beers in Austin. This will be a great chance to meet the brewers and owners of your favorite breweries and wish them the best as many of them get ready for the Great American Beer Festival. Tickets are still on sell but they will not be available so get them now. If you can’t make it out to the festival or want a few beers before heading to the festival, be sure to stop in at Craft Pride which will also be hosting the official festival after party and will be tapping special releases starting at 1pm. For tickets and more information, please click here.

Texas – While it might seem like a battle between David and Goliath, a couple Texas breweries are ready to take on the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Don’t underestimate the little guy, if you will remember it has only been a little more than a year since the laws were changed to allow Texas breweries to sell beer for on premise consumption. This time north Texas brewers Deep Ellum and Grapevine Brewing are suing the TABC because they want the right to sell beers to go directly from the brewery. Many agree that it is unfair that wineries and distilleries are allowed to sell directly to the public but breweries are only limited to selling pints to be consumed on location. While the breweries are ready to battle, this fight is not going to be cheap. Yesterday, Deep Ellum launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help them raise the funds for legal costs which they have dubbed Operation Six-Pack. They are looking to raise $100K and so far they have raised almost $23k. This is expected to be a long fight but the breweries and confident as the lawsuit gains exposure. As you may recall we reported earlier in the year a group of Texas breweries sued the TABC over their laws for Distribution Rights. This lawsuit is still ongoing but hopefully many will take notice to the archaic laws that the TABC enforce and join Texas breweries as they fight to change the laws.

Austin – While breweries are battling against the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission over rights to sell beer directly to the public and distribution rights, Austin’s Cuvee Coffee is staring down the TABC over their ban on crowlers. Crowlers are 32 ounce cans of beer that is sealed at bars with the Crowler canning machine. This is a great alternative to glass growlers as it allows consumers to take their beers to places where glass is not welcome and it is also better at keeping beers fresh longer. In July, the TABC ruled that Crowlers were banned because it was considered repackaging beer and only breweries can package their products. To Mike McKim, owner of Cuvee Coffee, TABC’s interpretation of the law. He has vowed to refuse TABC orders and has even made t-shirts that read “Come and Take It” with and image of a Crowler machine. McKim is ready to be taken to court because he believes there is no difference between growlers and crowlers. Many are standing behind Cuvee and they have seen an increase in customers getting crowlers filled. We will be watching for any updates and hope that TABC comes to their senses to life the ban on crowlers. Click here to order your t-shirt and stand with Cuvee.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! This post is coming late because the website was compromised and hackers took the page down but we’re up and running. The summer is coming to a close and hopefully soon we will get cooler temps. Festival season is coming up, along with fall beer releases. Mentioning beer festivals, we have a lot coming up. This week we talk about a beer festival doing down in Houston , we talk about a beer festival in Dallas and let you know how you can show off your homebrewing skills at an upcoming Houston homebrew competition. Check out now in this week’s edition of, The Brew!

Houston – This Saturday the Untapped Festival returns to Houston brewing another great line up of beers and awesome bands to make the festival complete. The festival descends upon downtown Houston at the Discovery Green Park with 275+ beers from over 70 breweries. The Cold War Kids are the musical headliners to cap off the event but may will be focused on the beers. We can only expect a great day for the festival organizers who have found success in bringing the festival to Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Ft. Worth. Tickets are still available but they could sell out at any moment so be sure to get your tickets soon. Click here for tickets and more information.

Dallas – For those that are in need of a beer festival but live in north Texas, the 5^th Annual Dallas Observer BrewFest is taking place Saturday evening at the Dallas Farmers Market. Enjoy samples of over 350 types of beer from breweries around the globe including a very impressive collection of Texas breweries. Live music will keep attendees entertained and local restaurants will be selling food but if you are lucky enough to snag VIP tickets you will get score catered food and liquor samplings. Something that is causing a lot of buzz bout BrewFest is this will be the first time a beer festival will have growler fills from Lone Star Taps & Caps. Before you get too excited, you cannot bring your own growler. They will have a special growler for sell on site and it will set you back $25. Click here for tickets and more information.

Houston – The Dixie Cup homebrewers competition is coming up soon so hopefully you brewers have your beers ready. Early entries are Saturday the 19^th with the final deadline for Saturday the 26^th. The Dixie Cup is one of the nation’s oldest homebrewing competitions and is noted for its great mix of irreverent fun and its seriousness about beer. It was founded by Houston’s Foam Rangers homebrewing club. Each year has a unique theme. This year the theme is “CHIXIE CUP!!!” The gals of the club have taken over all the leadership roles of the competition and have selected the Special Beer Category. You must be a Foam Ranger member to partake in the events so sign up today. Click here for more information.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! Summer is coming to a close and before we know it fall will be bringing in cooler weather along with fall seasonal beers and of course Oktoberfest. We have a lot of great things to look forward as the season start to change. This week, It’s Labor Day weekend and were talking about Texas’ latest brewery to open their doors to the public this Saturday in Cedar Park, we talk about a great art and beer event in Austin, we talk about a three day beer festival down in Galveston and lastly, we say thanks for everyone that came out to the book signing in Austin. Check it out now in this week’s edition of, The Brew!

Cedar Park – This weekend, IronSight Brewers opens their doors for their long awaited grand opening. Founded by brother-in-laws Robert Chaney and Grady Reynolds, IronSight is housed in the former space where Twisted X Brewing Company started before they relocated to their current location in Dripping Springs. This weekend guests will get to try their four core releases Amber Ale, IronSight Cream Ale, Oatmeal Pale Ale, White IPA as well as a few specialties brewed just for this big event. If you didn’t get your tickets yet then you are out of luck because the grand opening is officially sold out. For those lucky enough to attend, the party will take place Saturday from 12-4pm. Mission Dogs will be selling food and Bear Creek Wilderness will keep the crowd entertained. If you didn’t get tickets fear not, IronSight will host brewery tours on weekends coming soon. Until they are able to expand their production, their beers will be limited to the brewery and a few select accounts in Cedar Park and Leander, with Austin coming after production expansion. Congratulations to Robert and Grady on opening their brewery and we wish them all the best!

Austin – Craft beer is an art form and this weekend local Austin artists will display art inspired by 20 local breweries. Art of the Brew is the crossroads of contemporary art, craft beer, music, and food. This one-day event demonstrates the connections and influences these creative communities have on one another and encourages greater collaboration between them. Inside artists will showcase their art while breweries will be setup outside in the beer garden pouring samples of their artfully crafted beer. The event takes place at the Canopy Arts Complex, on Saturday from 3-10pm. This event is free and open to the public but they are suggesting a $20 donation to assist offsetting the cost of the event. This will be a great chance to meet the breweries and check out some of the state’s latest breweries. Click here for more information.

Galveston – This weekend, the annual Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival descends upon Galveston once again for the 3 day event. The festival is centered around two big events, the BrewLicious Brews and Foods Pairing and BrewHaHa Grand Tasting. The BrewHaHa Grand Tasting is for those who are coming down for the beer. The event takes place Saturday from 3-6:30pm and features Over 400 beers from over 80 breweries. The BrewLicious Brews and Foods Pairing event will take place Sunday from 5-8pm and will bring together professional chefs and featured restaurants pairing specialty beers to compliment the delicious food. Tickets are still available so if you are still looking for Labor Day plans there is nothing better than a weekend on the beach along with a beer festival thrown in. Click here for tickets and more information.

Austin – On August 21^st I had the pleasure of hosting a book signing for “Beer Lover’s Texas: Best Breweries, Brewpubs and Beer Bars” at BookPeople in Austin. I met a lot of great people and I would like to say thank you to everyone that came out and purchased the book. A huge thank you to Rahr & Sons Brewing and Infamous Brewing for coming out and pouring samples of their great beers. It was a fun evening and it was a very special moment to finally share the book with you all. I have booked a signing in San Antonio coming up in November and I am currently in the works of putting events together in Houston and Dallas. Thank you all for the continued support!

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers

This week in, The Brew! We took a couple weeks off to decompress but we are back this week with great news from the Texas brewing community. This week, we talk about the big book signing event coming up on Friday in Austin, we talk about a funky little beer festival going on this weekend in Houston and we learn about a new brewpub that will be opening soon in Houston. Check it out now in this week’s edition of, The Brew!

Austin – The time has finally come, the “Beer Lover’s Texas” book has been selling online and at book stores across the state but this Friday I will be hosting the first book signing at BookPeople in Austin. The event will take place this Friday at 7pm. Come out to hear me talk about the journey across Texas visiting all of the breweries, brewpubs and craft beer bars mentioned in the book. Of course I will be bringing along my friends with Rahr & Sons as well as Infamous Brewing Company to pour samples of their great beer. Please click here for more information.

Houston – This weekend Houston is going to get a little funky thanks to our friends with the Drink of Ages radio show. Host Jon Denman is organizing the beer festival dedicated to wild sour and farmhouse style ales. Attendees will get to pucker up with over 65 rare and specialty beers from both local Texas breweries and beyond. Tickets are still available but this is a 21+ only event. The Journey Agents will be taking to stage to funk the crowd up. For tickets and more information, please click here.

Houston – This week Houston Chronicle writer Ronnie Crocker broke the news about a new brewpub to be opening soon in the Heights neighborhood of Houston. It will be located in the former El Cantina Superior and will soon reopen as a new brewpub with veteran brewer Erik Ogershok (Real Ale) taking on the role as the brewmaster. The new brewpub will also feature an in-house butcher shop as well as a pizzeria. Aside from the great beers we can expect from Ogershok, the new brewpub will also feature guest taps to sell other local beers. Delicious Concepts, the group behind the new brewpub have not released the name of the brewpub but they expect to release more information by the end of the month. We will definitely keep you posted as more information comes available.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.