Jester King Brewery | Austin, Texas

Here’s the thing you need to know about Austin, Texas.

It’s awesome.

There’s all kinds of local attractions to visit and check out. Enter in Austin’s very own Jester King Brewery. Not wanting to neglect the beverages aspect of this blog, I deemed it necessary to take a drive and check it out.

It should be noted that I have zero knowledge of the creation process for any kind of beverage, let alone brewing beer. So not only was the tour helpful, but I learned quite a few things. For you beer connoisseurs, here’s some fun facts (at least to me) about Jester King.

Jester King beers are Farmhouse ales
It’s about making beer with a sense of place; a connection with where the beer is made
They don’t use city water, but rather from off a well with water from the Hill Country
They use hops from Oregon and are of traditional variety (they use aged hops like Belgium has for centuries)
They culture the wild yeast from the area; this why the beer has a bit of a sour taste (it’s from the bacteria in the area). It’s unique to the area
Using this method, beer can’t be made fast (2-3 months normally, but sometimes a year)
The beer naturally carbonates once bottled

The brewery used to be a machine shop. The oldest parts are the railings in the roof.

On the tour with one of the founders of the brewery.

Can’t be in Austin without live music!

Review of the Beers

Le Petit Prince Farmhouse Table Beer: Very light; nothing too serious. I liked it as it was refreshing.

Throughout Northern Europe, light-bodied, well-hopped, low alcohol table beers were often the beverage of choice with all meals at times and in places where the water wasn’t always safe to drink. Le Petit Prince is a dry, unspiced, highly attenuated Table Beer unique to our land in the Texas Hill Country. Naturally occurring wild yeasts impart a sense of place to this unfiltered, unpasteurized, 100% naturally conditioned ale.

Detritivore Farmhouse Ale Refermented with Cherries: They talked a bit about their beers being more sour and this was a good example of that. I wasn’t sure what I would think of it, but I enjoyed it. It’s different from what I normally enjoy, but still fun to try.

Detritivore is a dry, well-attenuated farmhouse ale refermented with the same cherries used in the production of Jester King Montmorency vs. Balaton. Naturally occurring wild yeasts impart a sense of place to this unfiltered, unpasteurized, and 100% bottle conditioned beer.

Provenance – Orange/Grapefruit Citrus Saison: Very tasty!

Our first batch of Provenance takes the vibrant flavors and aromas of oranges and grapefruits and presents them in the unique way that only wild fermentation with native yeast and bacteria can. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, and 100% bottle-conditioned.

Provenance – Tangerine/ Clementine Citrus Saison: My favorite one. Much like the grapefruit, but I like tangerines more. Plus it’s smoother.

Our third batch of Provenance takes the vibrant flavors and aromas of tangerines and clementines and presents them in the unique way that only wild fermentation with native yeast and bacteria can. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, and 100% bottle-conditioned.

Black Metal Farmhouse Imperial Stout: This reminded me why I don’t drink Stouts. No ma’am. If you are a Stout fan though, I bet you’d like this one.

Black Metal, a.k.a. Iron Sword, a.k.a. Blackened Death, a.k.a. El Martillo del Muerte, is a cruel and punishing beer fermented by the sheer force of its awesome will. Black Metal is dry, roasty, and fermented with farmhouse yeast.

Have you ever heard of @jesterkingbeer? It’s worth checking out in the ATX!
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My favorite fun fact was the origin of the name. Jester King is a play on Shakespeare, where the wise fools were able to poke fun at authority (in this case the big brewers of the world).

The Location

It’s on a beautiful piece of land. Tons of space, tables and tasty food. It’s a great place to celebrate something (or make something up to celebrate

Even if you don’t drink beer, they have other drinks and really good pizza. Plus it’s the lovely Texas Hill Country where you can connect with friends, relax and have a good time. I look forward to visiting again for sure!