St. Elmo | Carl Kolsch
Look, there are gonna be some long days ahead of you and what you’ll be needing is a stone-cold sipper to digest all the UV rays and free Impossible tacos you’ll be handed all week. With its striking can design, Carl provides a crisp, full-flavored, and mild ABV (4.6%) that feels as good holding it as it does drinking it.
Oddwood | Ethics & Standards IPA
Oddwood Brewing just took home the gold medal over 93 other statewide entrants at last month’s Texas Craft Brewers Cup for their trademark IPA, Ethics & Standards, so if you’re a visiting hophead, this is literally the gold standard for what this state has to offer.
Live Oak | Hefeweizen
Iconic in every sense of the word, Live Oak Brewery and its hallmark hefe is the apex of Austin beer. The second 2024 Texas Craft Brewers Cup gold medalist on our list, this gorgeous, unfiltered wheat beer hints at clove, banana, and vanilla with a spongy meringue head that adds a creaminess to this smooth-textured baddie.
Zilker | Primos Mexican Lager
Eastside darling Zilker Brewing is an official SXSW venue this year, and to celebrate this benchmark, this nine-(nine!?)year-old brewery is launching Primos Mexican Lager as a taproom-only feature in both canned and draught format. Take the day off from your office park gig to enjoy some rad lagers and indie cryptorock.
Austin Beerworks | Pearl Snap Pilsner
Look, you’re not getting out of this city without holding at least one of these chartreuse bad boys with its legendary “A” beer drop logo while nodding to a third straight set from Petty Roosevelt. This slightly bitter and all-the-way refreshing German-style pilsner is still the beer that defines Austin. Now get outta here, and don’t forget to recycle, you vapelords.
Want more local beer guidance? Check out Eric Puga’s annual Austin brewery power rankings, Top of the Hops VIII.
This article appears in March 8 • 2024.