Day Trips

Twisted X Brewery's new tasting room on the outskirts of Dripping Springs is a nice place to drink in the country sunshine.

The brewmaster, Jim Sampson, is brewing up some enjoyable Mexican-style beers. Currently they have four beers on tap, with two more in the works. New state beer laws allow patrons to purchase flights of taster glasses or go for pints of their favorites.

The selection ranges from a blond lager that can quench a hot summer day's thirst to a chewy IPA. In between are a jalapeño-infused pilsner that begs for a plate of nachos and a sophisticated dark lager.

One wall of the tap room opens to a patio and the Hill Country. Rows of picnic tables covered with colorful Mexican blankets and a friendly waitstaff make it a comfortable place to hang out.

The founders, Sampson and Shane Bordeau, rotate giving the brewery tours. The former homebrewers love to talk about beer almost as much as they love drinking it. In one corner of the 10,000-square-foot brewery is their original system dwarfed by the giant new tanks. "We'll use that for small batch experiments," Sampson says. You'll get to taste them first at the brewery's new tasting room.

Twisted X Brewery is at the intersection of RR 12 and RR 150, just south of Dripping Springs. The tasting room is open Friday through Sunday afternoons. For the hours, go to www.texmexbeer.com.

1,174th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips," is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.