When Meg and I agreed that we’d be traveling to Austin and San Antonio for our birthdays, I immediately started researching breweries in the area. Austin, like many “hipster” destinations, is crawling with breweries. I mean, I dare you to look at the map of breweries shown below and not be overwhelmed. No, that isn’t the effect of your fourth IPA, you drunk (but kudos) – there are THAT many breweries. In the words of Clark Griswold, “Hallelujah! Holy shit!” Moving on. We made our first brewery stop at the St. Elmo Brewery.
Location
St. Elmo Brewing is located RIGHT next to the Austin airport. Our plane landed at 4:05pm and we got to St. Elmo’s by 5:15. That’s called having your priorities in line, ladies and gentlemen. What I immediately liked about St. Elmo was the layout of the brewery. Open the door and boom, huge fermentation tanks on the left churning out liquid greatness for the masses. The American Dream.
St. Elmo had ten brews on draft when we visited, along with coffee and homemade strawberry basil soda. Needless to say we did not get a flight of “wholly” water, coffee, and soda. St. Elmo offers a flight of five for $12. That’s about as good as it gets in America. A damn bargain if you ask me. The brewery also is dog-friendly (free dog biscuits!) and has a large outdoor space with a stage, corn hole, and picnic tables. They actually had a bluegrass band playing that night but unfortunately we were not able to hang around that long. Just a cool brewery through and through with a friendly staff. Alright, let’s take a look at the casualties.
The Beers
Amarillo American IPA (7.5%): An IPA I can get down on. The beer had a great citrusy aroma and taste. It is a testament to how this beer was brewed. In other words, the beer has numerous hops added to it during the brewing process to give it a distinct aroma and taste properties (mash hops, first wort hops, whirlpool hops, and dry hops on the tail end). Impressed with my sheer amount of beer knowledge? Na, I had to google most of that shit although I am doing my best to get into brewing (just brewed an Amber ale!).
Jan German IPA (7.0%): Ah yes, our German friend Jan. I’m a sucker for anything German so this was a no-brainer. The beer had the body of a German style pilsner with a hoppy, floral taste. It was a tad too hoppy for my liking so I enlisted Meg to take this Deutscher down.
Rosa Raspberry Sour (4.0%): HERE WE GO! Hola Señorita Rosa – me llamo Cristobal. Anytime there’s some fruit action going on with a sour, I start sweating like a cornered nun. It’s all about balance. I don’t want that fruitiness stealing the sour flavor away however Señorita Rosa assured Bailey-ito todo esta bien! The sour bite was there with a subtle raspberry flavor. St. Elmo has perfected the balance between fruitiness and sour taste. Amen brother.
Dampf Hefe-Barley (6.1%): There aren’t many things better than a Hefeweizen on a hot, winter day. There’s no mistaking this for anything else. As soon as the glass comes within an arm’s reach, you can smell that bold Hefeweizen wheat flavor. If I closed my eyes, I’d be taken back to my time on the front lines in Hanover, downing just about any Hefeweizen in my sight until I went blackout to sleep. Lots of love for this Hefeweizen between the strong aroma and incredible taste.
Angus Stout (5.1%): Hell yes. This just screams George Washington crossing the Delaware kind of patriotism. No doubt named after the Angus cattle breed (shoutout to my friend Suzie and the American Beef Industry). This is billed as a full-bodied, earthy stout. While not the best stout I’ve ever tasted, I thought the smoky, roasted flavor was enjoyable and its dry stout nature makes it a creamy, drinkable stout without getting blasted after two. If you’re in the mood for a stout, make it a part of your flight!
St. Elmo Brewing Co. is extremely accessible and should be on your itinerary as you pass through Austin.
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