Draught House Pub & Brewery

mbs

Texas

3.73/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 5 | food: 2.5 | $$

My favorite bar in Austin. Great selection of beer, surly bartenders, amazing home brews, awesomely varied clientele -- a true cross section of Austin. You will find yourself getting into some awesome conversations if you hang around here long enough. You can drink in the parking lot; I heard they got some special zoning so it's fully legal.

I usually drink only the homebrews here because they are often superior to even the european imported fancy schmancy stuff. Wednesday is free glass day (a slightly more expensive pint nets you an interesting glass). Tuesday/thursday will have 2.75 pints. Saturdays you can get a free excellent bratwurst.

Interior is styled after a british pub -- dark and dusty and grungy. Huge rough heavily-carved and lacquered tables. Toilets are horrifying. Food (other than the Saturday brats) is not great but not really necessary. Lately some weird taco cart has been coming around with some tastier grub but it's overpriced.

Highly recommended.

05-15-2012 03:57:08 | More by mbs

Lutter

Texas

4.81/5  rDev +15.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

The Draught House... I've been coming here ever since we moved to Austin from San Antonio... and believe me, it was a breathe of fresh air compared to the craft scene in SA at that time.

The place is supposedly modeled after The Tavern on the inside (ya know... "AIR CONDITIONED") further south on Lamar and resembles a german cottage on the outside. Inside it's as rustic a pub as you'll find in Austin with thick, worn wooden tables, a long bar with seats on both sides (and a walk-up area in the middle). Surrounding you is a lifetime worth of breweriana ranging from Belgian, German & English breweries to US craft brew. To the left of the bar: darts. To the right of the bar: a men's bathroom that could scare a gas station owner (try not to pee). Go out the door to the left (watch out for darts!) and you'll find an outside area with a long standing bar flanked by tables with umbrellas. Or just chill out by your truck or out in front on tables and benches in the parking lot. Very chill.

I've never had the food here, but I have eaten at various food trucks that station themselves there ... which are always delicious. They also do special pairings on occasion with a truck named The Seedling Truck and those have been absolutely spectacular. Can't beat Jester King's sours paired with bacon-wrapped figs. *drooool*

The beer selection is vast... they make sure to get very unique cask selections that you just don't see anywhere else made especially for them by the breweries (dry-hopped or with various other ingredients added to the cask like cocoa nibs or rum-soaked wood chips). They always seem to have the newest limited releases before other bars in the area and are one of the few bars in town that have Jester King on tap (and seem to have a good relationship with them in general). They have 70+ taps on draught including a number of nitro taps ranging from a great local selection to beers from around the country and the world.

New to the place this month are video screens that show you in big bright print exactly what beers are currently on tap, their ABV, oz-per-pour, and price. Very nice, as it was difficult in the past to eye all their taps without holding up the line. I'd love to see this at more bars around town!

People have called the bartenders/owners "surly"... but I always have fun chatting with them. They know their stuff and if they're slow (which they usually are if you go later in the night after 11pm on weekdays or before 7pm) they're glad to chat about beer with you and oftentimes about their house brews (the brewer is very often the bartender as well).

Prices are very fair when you compare them to other places in Austin and generally if they're serving a smaller 10oz or 12oz portion, it is at a cheaper cost than other Austin bars that serve only 16oz pints (most beers are in the $4-$5 range, which is very fair in the area). Even better is visiting on a night they are having a special... our favorite being Sunday, which is usually ver y sparse as far as visitors to the bar, but is also Texas Beer Night! All Texas-brewed pints are $2.75 or so... Hells yeah.

Overall... they aren't the biggest in town (that would be Banger's) but this is a bar made for drinkin'! If they'd only keep the bathroom sanitary, well-lit, and not lookin' like it belongs at a club on Sixth Street (actually, I've seen better bathrooms at Sixth Street) it would be absolutely perfect.

12-26-2012 10:01:51 | More by Lutter