Last time it was mudbugs.
That is, I went on my first tour of Austin breweries via Tap Beer Tours a couple of weeks ago. Which means that I and about 50 other people rode in a bus to three different local companies devoted to the propagation of Mr. John Barleycorn, with last year’s Funniest Person In Austin, Ramin Nazer, providing stand-up comedy sets en route. And after the final brewery had been visited, with the day of much beery information and laughter and swigging drawing to a close, there was more beer and a Crawfish Boil with more’n two hundred pounds of mudbugs for us at Festival Beach Park. Yeah: A pretty sweet deal all around.
And this time, it’s tamales.
The upcoming (Saturday, May 11) beer tour will visit Austin Beerworks – where there’ll also be cheese samples from Antonelli’s – and Thirsty Planet (which is one hell of a fancy brewery) and end up at the venerable Tamale House East for a buffet feast enhanced with live music from Nikki Jensen.
And of course there’s another stand-up professional bringing the funny ha-ha on the bus between stops on this tour. And that comedian, ladies and gentlemen, is none other than Charlie Hodge.
[I know, right? Going on a sort of pilgrimage … with a Hodge?
Comedy gold.]
Soon it’ll be too goddamned hot for this sort of thing, won’t it?
But right now, ah, the weather’s about perfect … and the beer is waiting just for you.
This article appears in April 19 • 2013.