Austin - Insider Guide 2026
Austin's Best Beverages
2025-09-18 08:39:53
Drink up the Austin way, where beers, spirits and wines are made with passion by masters of the small-batch craft.
BREWERIES
There’s more to Meanwhile Brewing than great beer — like a soccer field, volleyball court and food trucks. Central Machine Works is an industrial-meets-breezy beer hall with traditional small-batch beers. Hopheads love The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. (ABGB) for their hop-forward brews and roomy warehouse.
Mark your calendar for Austin Beerworks’ ever-changing seasonal lineups and frequent collabs. Jester King Brewery crafts farmhouse ales with wild yeast on a 41-acre ranch. Sip refreshing lagers at European-style Live Oak Brewing under the shade of sprawling oak trees.
Modern Zilker Brewing Company has a neighborhood feel, with an urban taproom and spacious patio. Inside a 1970s Quonset hut, Hold Out Brewing specializes in balanced IPAs, light lagers and wine-based cocktails. Relaxed Texas Hill Country spot Vista Brewing makes traditional beer styles with local limestone-filtered water.
Fast Friends Beer Co. has something for everyone, from light lagers to bitter IPAs. Try the signature Celis White at Celis Brewery — it was the first Belgian-style witbier brewed in the U.S. Popular Pinthouse Brewing is beloved for both their award-winning beers and their chewy sourdough pizzas. Lazarus Brewing Co. serves up craft beer, house-roasted coffee and tacos in a cozy, community-focused space with eclectic decor and a story behind every detail.
DISTILLERIES
At Texas Saké Co., try local oak-aged saké or a saké bomb dropped into house-made rice lager. Nearby, Still Austin Whiskey Co. uses 100% Texas grains in their ryes and bourbons. After a tour of Dripping Springs Distilling, play lawn games and enjoy comfort fare in the oak grove. The flavored spirits at Deep Eddy Vodka are summer favorites, including sweet tea and ruby red grapefruit.
Zero-waste Fierce Whiskers Distillery features a special five-story whiskey rickhouse that’s designed to beat the Texas heat. Taste the complex whiskeys at 28-acre Treaty Oak Distilling while bluegrass bands play from a semi-truck stage. Southwestern-chic Desert Door Texas Sotol distills an earthy, agave-like spirit from wild-harvested sotol plants.
WINERIES
The 100% Texas Tempranillo at C.L. Butaud is a must-try in their sleek, upscale tasting room. Relaxed urban spot The Austin Winery partners with Texas growers for their low-intervention wines. At Wanderlust Wine Co. Tasting Rooms, sample wines from around the world with their self-pour tap system.
To explore Hill Country wineries, see the 15 Central Texas & Hill Country Day Trips article at the back of this guide.
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