Event Preview | The Texas Craft Brewers Festival
Texans are gearing up for the largest craft beer festival in the state happening September 24, at Fiesta Gardens in Austin. The Texas Craft Brewers Festival features beers from breweries all over the state of Texas and is hosted each fall by Texas Craft Brewers Guild. This year’s event is expected to be the largest the Guild has ever hosted and will feature 65+ Texas breweries. I sat down with the Guild’s event manager, Caroline Wallace, to get a sneak peak on what to expect at this year’s event.
Tell us a little bit about the Texas Brewers Guild and how the festival originated.
The Texas Craft Brewers Guild has over 200 brewery members throughout the state. As a Non-Profit trade organization, the Guild exists for the purpose of promoting Texas craft beer, educating the public about the qualities and attributes of craft beer and advancing the common interest of Texas craft brewers.
The Texas Craft Brewers Festival has been around since 2003 when it was spearheaded by some pioneering Texas brewers. It’s grown exponentially since those early days, and today attracts around 5,000 folks to Fiesta Gardens in East Austin each Fall to experience beers from breweries all over the state of Texas.
What new things can festival goers look forward to this year?
This will be Texas Craft Brewers Festival’s largest year ever with 67 Texas craft breweries and nearly 200 beers! We’ve got several breweries making their festival debut, and a really good geographic representation from all over the state. Overall, the thing that makes the Texas Craft Brewers Festival extra special is that since it’s organized by the Guild, it really is an event for and by the brewers. Every brewery participating will have staff on-hand to mingle, so attendees will be able to meet the brewers behind their favorite Texas beers. We’ll also have local food vendors, tunes from DJ GrossYall, yard games, and more!
How do you select the breweries that can participate?
All of the breweries participating in the festival this year are members of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. Breweries are invited to sign up, and we try to accommodate as many as possible at the fest (a feat which gets tougher and tougher each year as the number of Texas breweries continues to grow).
What’s your one pro tip?
Make sure to check out the Beer List (including the extra special Rotating Tap list) in advance of the fest so you can plan your day around all the awesome tappings. Oh, and don’t forget to drink plenty of water! I know I cheated with a second tip, but hydration is important.
What’s on tap for the Texas Craft Brewers Guild next?
The Texas Craft Brewers Guild will be out representing the Lone Star State at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver in just a few weeks. If you’ll be out at the fest, be sure to come visit us in the Support Your Local Brewery Pavillon and taste some fantastic Texas brews you won’t find anywhere else on the festival floor!
Going into 2017, we’re gearing up for the next Legislative Session, where the Guild will work to protect and expand the rights of Texas craft brewers.
VIP tickets have been long sold out, but general admission tickets are still available.
Keep up with the Texas Craft Brewers Guild on Facebook and Twitter and follow the Festival on Facebook and Twitter.
And now to the beers. A note that this list is subject to change:
(512) Export Lager
(512) PALE
** ROTATING TAP @ 5:30 pm **
Long Walk
Renewal
Melo Rainbow
Pompous Monkey
Tripel B
Pablo’s Wild Pale Ale
Alamo Pilsner
Alamo Oktoberfest
Heavy Machinery Belgian IPA
Heavy Machinery Wet Hop IPA
Montecore
Bloodwork Orange
** ROTATING TAP @ 4:30 pm **
Saison Hop – Orbit
Berliner Hop
Barrel-aged SW15
El Corazon
Balmorhea dry-hopped w/ Mosaic
Blood & Treasure
** ROTATING TAP @ 3:00 pm **
Pneuma
Waterloo
** ROTATING TAP @ 2:30 pm **
Contract Killer
Timber Snake IPA
Hop Totem
Czech Czech
Little Gose
Wet Hops Van Dayum!
** ROTATING TAP @ 12:30 pm & 5:00 pm **
Dry Hopped Wheat
GRITz
** ROTATING TAP @ 4:00 pm **
7 Spanish Angels
Mama Tried IPA
Scottish Beer
English Beer
1836
Don’t Fear the RIPA
Patio Pounder
Barrel Aged Spinning Mule
BLUR
Tuxedo Tshirt
** ROTATING TAP @ 1:00 pm **
Mosaic IPA
Community Witbier
Yessir!
Texas Helles
** ROTATING TAP @ 1:30 pm **
Deep Ellum IPA
Neato Bandito
Hatch Chili Stout
Barrel Aged Four Swords
Saison De Walt
Satellite
Santanna Ray Equinox Lager
Heart of Texas
Bat Outta Helles
Soul Doubt IPA
Rye Wit
Noisy Cricket
Urban Chicken
78702
So Pitted IPA
WinoWeisse
Vienna Lager
** ROTATING TAP @ 4:30 pm **
Cucumber Redbud Berliner Weisse
Liberty Lunch IPA
Power & Light
Stash IPA
Sweep The Leg
Sex A Peel
Kollaborationsbier
Montmorency vs. Balaton
** ROTATING TAP @ 1:30 pm & 5:30 pm **
Karbachtoberfest
BBH
** ROTATING TAP @ 3:30 pm **
All Call
Hopochondria
The Temptress
** ROTATING TAP @ 2:30 pm **
SMaSH Citra IPA
Simcoe Pale Ale
Legal Blonde Lager
Chief Justice Stout
Grodziskie
Berliner Weisse
667 The Neighbor of The Beast
UnDeadHeadEd
Salty Lady
Cuvee Pumpkin Latte
** ROTATING TAP @ 3:00 pm **
Black Lab Porter
Garnet
Nightmare on 1st Street
Peanut Butter Chocolate Time
Bridesmaids’ Tears
Sex in a Canoe
Porch Time
Cactus Jack
** ROTATING TAP @ 4:00 pm **
Freaky Deaky
Oktoberfest
** ROTATING TAP @ 5:00 pm **
London Homesick Ale
Metamodern Session IPA
Dale’s Pale Ale
Pinner Throwback IPA
Mama’s Little Yella Pils
Bitter Battle
Lobo Oktoberfest
Velvet Hammer
Too Soon
** ROTATING TAP @ 5:30 pm **
Electric Jellyfish
Calma Muerta
Rapture Brown Ale
Off With Your Red IPA
** ROTATING TAP @ 3:00 pm **
THE REGULATOR
Iron Thistle
Take it Easy
Ranger Creek Oktoberfest
** ROTATING TAP @ 3:30 pm **
Axis IPA
Four Squared
Oktoberfest
New World Pils
** ROTATING TAP @ 1:00 pm & 4:30 pm **
Wilco Wit
HapSlappy IPA
** ROTATING TAP @ 12:30 pm **
Hefeweizen
Weizenbock
Blood & Honey
Land Grab Ale
Full-Tang IPA
Redshift Ale
Texas Reserve IPA
Running Walker Kolsch
Art Car IPA
5 O’Clock Pils
2013 Pumpkinator
Divine Reserve 16
** ROTATING TAP @ 2:30 pm **
San Gabriel Texas Red
San Gabriel Honey Porter
9-Pin
Oktoberfest
Shannon IPA
Shannon Chocolate Stout
** ROTATING TAP @ 4:00 pm **
Shiner Homespun Cream Ale
Texas Warmer
Dauntless IPA
Big Drought Stout
Conspiracy Theory
Oktoberfest
** ROTATING TAP @ 5:00 pm **
Pivo Pils
Bohemian Lager
Fire Ant Funeral
100 Million Angels Singing
Mexican IPA
Cucumber Gose
Austin Lager
Oktoberfest
Later Days
Schizopetal Honey Hibiscus Ale
Berdoll Candied Pecan Brown Ale
Lovely Day IPA
Cedrela Hefeweizen
DL
Post Oak
Tafelbier
Brutus 10
** ROTATING TAP @ 3:30 pm **
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