Real Ale Brewing Company has been brewing beer since 1996 in the Texas hill country. Dedicated to quality, they make craft beer with unique and clean flavors, and also offer special cask conditioned versions of their home brews. Over the past fourteen years they have grown rapidly, and are currently producing between 54,000 and 72,000 barrels of beer a year, shipped all over the state of Texas.
Day Trip from Austin for Blanco River Swimming
A visit to the brewery along with a swim on the Blanco River is a great day trip from Austin. Or stay at a Hill Country bed and breakfast to enjoy the area for longer. The square in Blanco has lots of shops and restaurants for lunch or souvenirs.
Brewery tours happen every Friday at 3pm and 4 pm, led by one of the brewers (possibly the head brewer). Large groups should call ahead.
Learn About Home Brewing and Brewing Equipment
During the tour visitors receive detailed information about beer making processes from milling, creating the mash, boiling, fermentation, checking specifications for all varieties, and all the way up to bottling. Processes that create different flavors and styles of beers are also explained, as are the ins and outs of the brewing equipment used at Real Ale.
At the end of the tour visitors learn about some of the experimental home brews created at Real Ale using wine barrels, stainless steel or some combination thereof. Through fermentation and absorption of the wood and other flavors, a new beer is created.
Those interested in home brewing can ask more detailed questions after the tour and brewers are more than happy to impart their extensive knowledge, as they are passionate about their jobs. It is very hot in the brewery due to the processes occurring there, so dress accordingly.
Drink Beer Where They Brew Beer
The tasting room is open from 2pm-5pm and can get quite crowded during this time. A rotating choice of five is usually available on the tasting room taps, including occasional special brews or barrels. Visitors are welcome to taste beers during this time. Merchandise for sale includes t-shirts and tank tops, pint glasses, koozies and metal signs.
Year Round Varieties of Real Ale Brews include Rio Blanco Pale Ale, Brewhouse Brown, Full Moon Pale Rye Ale, Fireman’s #4, and ESB (draught only). Seasonal Brews are Sisyphus Barleywine, Lost Gold IPA, Oktoberfest, Devil’s Backbone and others.
Texas Hill Country Beer Brewing
Real Ale Brewing Company is located just off Highway 281, a few blocks from the Blanco square.
231 San Saba Court
San Marcos, TX 78606
(830) 833 2534
For Texas things to do, a brewery tour and beer tasting at Real Ale brewery is a fun and cheap option. Learn a little more about a growing Texas company dedicated to brewing great beer and sharing it.
Rebecca Rosenberg - Austin based writer, traveler, music enthusiast, and budding information scientist. M.S.I.S. Candidate, University of Texas at Austin, ...
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