When you visit a lot of breweries. You will soon soon realize that just because it is craft beer doesn’t mean it’s great beer. But sometimes you do find great beer. After visiting Live Oak Brewing I now know why they were voted best in Austin.
The roads here in Austin are crazy. The highways split and split again. I’m not looking forward to taking the camper through town when I leave. Anyway, I’m passing the airport, following Apple Maps on the highway beside the highway and there’s my turn. Hmmm, small creepy road, there’s a field, a trailer park, come around the curve and there’s airport long term parking on one side, wilderness on the other. Then on the left there’s a building. Is that a fire station…nope it’s Live Oak Brewing.
The building is modern in appearance but it doesn’t scream brewery at you when you pull into to parking lot. There’s a decent amount of parking and today there were two food trucks, although one was closed. The setting is pleasing. You enter on the back side where there is a fairly large indoor area and long bar topped with a beautiful oak slab the runs the length of the room and was cut from a single tree. There’s a disc golf course and they even rent discs or you can bring your own.
The far end has packaged beer in coolers and a merch store. There’s a covered patio with plentiful seating. All the tables inside and out are long giving you that Biergarten feel. I prefer this type of seating as it encourages you to interact and make new friends. Beyond the patio there are three areas under the canopy of large live oaks that provide near total shade. All three areas have plenty of extra long picnic tables that probably 12 people each.
It’s a pleasing setting with birds chirping and easy to carry on a conversation, until…. Did I mention it was located across the road from airport parking annnd the end of the runway? So I’m just sittin’ here watching airplanes. It really wasn’t bad and who doesn’t like to watch airplanes? It will however, affect your conversation occasionally when a plane is on a certain path. The food truck was BBQ and Crepes, I had BBQ pork wrapped in a crepe and it was amazing.
If you are a regular reader you know I evaluate breweries on certain criteria. The venue is important and I’m very high on this one. However, a venue will not overcome bad beer and/or beer tenders. I’m a firm believer that your beer tenders make or break your experience and I will get to them shortly. The key ingredient is after all the beer.
I’ve been on a bit of a Pilsner and Kolsch kick lately and you can usually find one or the other on the menu at most breweries. Live Oak has 4 on tap at the moment. Just imagine a whole flight of pilsners. An American, Czech, German and Polish. Served in a wooden tote that looks like a craft class project. With a little card slot by each glass with a card inserted that tells you about the beer you are drinking. Oh and each glass is 8oz. I mentioned this and Taylor, the beer tender smiles extra wide and says “Everything’s bigger in Texas!”
I enjoyed a second flight that included a Hefe, Dunkelweizen, IPA and a Gratzer. Two of these were smoke beers. The Hefe was good and the IPA was solid. They also had another IPA and an Amber Lager on tap. The Amber was very good. But my favorite was named Gold, the German Pilsner.
So now you know the venue was great and the beer was very good. So it must be time to talk about the beer tenders. When I first walked in Taylor greeted me with a big toothy grin full of warmth and enthusiasm. He points out some things about the brewery and answers some questions. Really started my evening off on a positive note.
After my flights I went in to try the last to beers on the menu and struck up a conversation with Josh, the other beer tender. We talked beer, football stadiums and more. He kept getting me beers and we kept talking. Before I knew it I looked around and everyone was gone. I said what time to do you close and he said, “Oh we are closed, want another beer”. Then he asked if I wanted a tour of the brewery.
I’m not one to pass up an opportunity like that. I learned a few things about how pilsners are made, the differences in tanks and some other things. Josh and Taylor gave me some guidance on other breweries to visit. It really made my first night in Austin a great one.
I capped the night off sitting by my fire pit enjoying a cool Texas breeze.
- Campgrounds, Curveballs, and Cold Beers
- Chateau Le Coeur
- Sunday Morning Musings Ep. #6
- WildEdge Brewing Collective
- Sunday Morning Musings Episode #5