On The DL is a weekly series of reflective journal entries inspired by beer journeys past. Be it state, city, brewery or locale, the Drink Local crew loves to share a look back at the big things, the little things and the people that make the beer community so special.
Hey friends! Welcome to the first volume of On The DL. Today we’re going to talk about one of most pleasant surprises that the Drink Local crew has come across in our quest for delicious beer and a good ass time. Of course I’m talking about Austin, TX. Being that we’re LA-based, it may seem strange for us not to start with our own local beer community, and while that may be true, we chose Austin for two very important reasons; 1) because we love hidden gems within the beer community. That is to say that while Austin is a fantastic and well-developed craft beer city that commands respect, we don’t feel that it is talked about as much as say, the San Diegos or the Portlands of the world. 2) Of all the local communities that we’ve been fortunate enough to experience, we feel that Austin has been the most immediately emblematic of the qualities that have kept us a part of the craft beer community so long. Those qualities being kinship, humanity, willingness to share and of course, love of beer for beer’s sake.
If you’ve been to Austin or are from there, then you likely already know that it’s a beautiful city with a rich history and a diverse collection or artists, foodies, people with passion and a ton of good food. But what you may not know is that Austin is absolutely brewing beer that can stand up to any community in America. We’ll discuss that of course, but what we are also going to discuss is the people. The people of Austin are what makes the city tick in its especially unique way and the people we were fortunate to meet were all so absolutely wonderful that we can’t wait to go back and we’d also like to think that we’ve taken a little bit of Austin’s hospitality with us everywhere that we’ve gone since our visit.
At Drink Local, we love basketball, and our trip to Austin was really a detour that we took while we were in the process of visiting every NBA arena in Texas. So unlike the other places, when we went to Austin though, it was exclusively to eat, drink and take in the sights. Of course we did that, but what we came away with was so much more.
The first place that we went when we arrived was a bar called Workhorse. Visually, Workhorse Bar is your classic rustic dive. It’s dimly lit, there’s wood everywhere, there is this perfectly purposeful weathered veneer that envelops the entire establishment. It all seems somewhat low key and unassuming, while at the same time, charming and inviting. Full disclosure, I’m not sure that they get many tourists because when we walked in, there was definitely a feeling of, everyone there already knew each other well. But you know what? It’s Austin, so that didn’t stop the regulars from bringing us right into the fold.
Being a bourgeois Angeleno with a lot of deep roots in the south, I’m very used to the old ‘You’re not from around here are ya?’ treatment. This was the opposite of that. I tend to be a talkative, friendly guy. I ask a lot of questions and try to figure out from the locals exactly what the cool things are to do in towns that I travel to. In my experience, placing my trust in the locals makes for a positive, individualized tourism experience that rarely ever disappoints. But this time I didn’t even get the opportunity to do any of my usual digging. Once the regulars confirmed that we were indeed out-of-towners, they instantly surrounded us with a level of love, attention and patience that was frankly, unusual.
It all started when a young lady said, “Hey! These people aren’t from here! Get a napkin!” She whips a pen out and starts writing, and then she starts passing it around. There is a ton of commotion and everyone is talking all at once. Honestly it was a bit disorienting. “Food! Drink! What’s your favorite? Write that shit down!” Next thing you know everyone’s chiming in. The list is getting long! And then it gets crazy.
We’re all surrounded and then a guy walks in. I believe he introduced himself to us as Wiley the Overlord. He’s like, “What the hell is going on in here?” The woman who began this snowball effect of boundless generosity goes, “Tourists.” His eyes light up. “Ooh!” He gets right in the conversation. “So you guys like craft beer? What are you guys doing? How long are you here? Where do you want go?” Ridiculous. After we wrap it up, Wiley follows us outside. “You guys need a tour guide?” Are you fucking kidding me Wiley the Overlord? What the fuck were you planning to do with your day Wiley the Overlord? WHY are you so unnaturally nice Wiley the Overlord!?
Anyway, as charming as this guy was, we just couldn’t see ourselves allowing someone to put themselves out like that for little old us, so we respectfully declined. We had more beers than we had intended to at Workhorse Bar because they were just so damned awesome! So we went to our cute little motel and took naps.
When we woke up, Wiley the Overlord was right there. Nah I’m just kidding. Actually we felt a bit better and we decided to engage in a little more craft beer enthusiasm. One of the places recommended by the gang was Austin Beerworks. So we went.
Austin Beerworks is your quintessential brewery and tasting room. It’s spacious, gorgeously decorated, very modern, well-lit and of course, dog-friendly. They also have such a refined aesthetic! Both their merchandise and can art are absolutely pristine! With a slogan like ‘Quality of Beer, Quality of Life’ we certainly had high hopes for their beer and we are glad to say that it was all absolutely delicious! We had a few flights between the two of us and managed to taste all of our favorite styles, all of which we found to be either on-profile or just simply super tasty. After we finished our beers, we went to settle up and the gracious woman behind the counter wouldn’t take our money. At first we were confused, at least in some part, you have to be doing this for the money. Then she clarified for us. It wasn’t that it was on the house, it’s that anything we had ordered there was already taken care of, by Wiley the Overlord.
We were taken aback by this level of generosity. To this day, when I think about it, I get a little misty-eyed. Before we left, I wrote that guy a letter. I asked the bartender to give it to him but I’m unsure if he ever got it. Essentially what it said was that if Wiley the Overlord ever comes to LA, he’s taken care of. Mr. Overlord, sir, if by some chance you read this, that offer still stands.
Next, we went to Spokesman. By this time it was late at night and we had clearly arrived at the right time. We got the opportunity to meet Nathan, who was tending the bar. He’s a really cool guy, and a dedicated Dallas Mavericks fan. Since we had just been touring NBA arenas, Dallas being one of them, we were instantly able to establish a rapport based on that commonality.
Spokesman resides in that nice little cranny between being a gastropub centering on quality, 100% unique deli-style sandwiches and a cafe, and it is absolutely beautiful at night. It’s the kind of place where you can be productive during the day and then get your drink on at night. It’s mildly lit and filled with LED and neon lights, beautiful signage, and emblazoned with various forms of gorgeous graffiti. What I really like about Spokesman is that it’s clearly a creative space. It appears to be both inspired by and to inspire artistic expression. They’re a bar, so as far as we know, they don’t brew their own beer, but their taps are primarily populated with a variety of aromatic and flavorful Texan brews. They are also known for their coffee. Coffee? Art? Beer? Sandwiches?! Sign us the fuck up! I’ll be honest here. I don’t remember what I drank! We had already had quite a few by then! But there is one thing that I do remember so vividly that I can never forget it. On the wall of Spokesman, behind the bartender, right above the beautiful tap handles, there was a photograph in a frame with ‘Employee of the Month’ jokingly (????) written under it. On that photograph was a man in a ski-mask, wearing a 70s style suit with the big collar and the whole shebang. I thought, “That has to be somebody important…” and I asked the bartender, “Who is that?” If you don’t know by now then you haven’t been paying attention. Wiley! The Motherfucking! Overlord!
There’s so much more to say and so many more places to gush about, including honorable mention Easy Tiger but we’ll have to save that for another time. For now, go to Austin. Drink their beer. Catch a ride share. See some sights. Meet the folks. Drink some coffee. Eat some tacos. That’s what we did! And look at us now, happy, healthy, hearts full, minds enriched! Beautiful place, wonderful people! We can’t recommend it enough!
If you want to see more of Austin, TX through the eyes of the Drink Local crew, we’re always populating our Instagram and will be spending this next week dropping images directly related to this week’s volume of On The DL! And we’d love for you to follow us on Twitter so that you never miss an update!
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