Spring Festival Season

Austin's first-ever Untapped Fest overflows with craft beer and live music

The concept of a spring beer festival is promising. Meeting your friends at a park to try new brews, soak in some sun and listen to music sounds idyllic. All beer fests, however, are not a safe bet. Thankfully, the group behind this weekend's Untapped Festival has assembled a great track record with previous events in Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston.

After reviewing the lineup of bands and beers, here are some pointers for getting the most of of your Saturday at Untapped.

Go early
Everyone attending this festival knows as much about beer as you. Going early and being at the gate when it opens will allow you to sample more beers with fewer lines, so plan ahead and don't meander in at 5 pm.

Target your favorites first
With so many quality breweries, lines will be spread out among a large number of quality offerings. If you've been dying to try that Goose Island Bourbon County or Founders KBS, make a beeline: Those offerings will disappear quickly due to high demand. To avoid line time, try several offerings from a notable brewery with your punch card. Great spots to post up for multiple tastings include 512, Ballast Point, Firestone Walker, Odell, Ommegang and Dogfish Head. All have several rare or fancy brews worth a punch from your selection.

Sample some rarities
Brewers will break out limited offerings that you're unlikely to find elsewhere. The small sample sizes and knowledgeable audience make it a great time for breweries to show off new ideas or small-batch experiments, so check the list for things you're unfamiliar with. Some fun things to look out for include the tough-to-find Bourbon County Barleywine from Goose Island, 512's barrel aged brown, Wild Bear; Austin Beerworks' coveted seasonal kristallweisen, Heisenberg; Real Ale's sour porter, Tenbrae Aeterna; and Founders' explosive raspberry beer, Blushing Monk.

Hydrate
Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout is delicious! That said, with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees Saturday afternoon, it would be wise to take a water break every 30 minutes. The added hydration will keep you in the game longer and make you less prone to a miserable Sunday.

Make music a priority
Beer festivals don't often have a significant music component, but Untapped's events are raising the stakes. We're especially excited for two scheduled performances. After years of touring, Phosphorescent broke to a wider audience with 2013's Muchacho, heralded as one of the year's best. Singer-songwriter Matthew Houck's songs are dark, hazy and should please fans of Daniel Lanois or "Streets of Philadelphia" era Bruce Springsteen. On the early side, don't miss Bop English, the solo vehicle for White Denim frontman James Petralli. A complete schedule of set times is available at the Untapped site.

Visit the food trucks
There's a thoughtful and varied list of food on site at Untapped. From Paul Qui favorite East Side King to hot dog kings of Frank, there looks to be something for everyone. Other top picks: the delicious French pub food from Hopfields, indulgent lobster rolls from Garbo's and locally made charcuterie from Salt and Time. As you enter the fest, head left to survey the food truck lineup, then pick something tasty to line your stomach with when imbibing.

Don't bring the puppy, but the kids are all right
One key note: no dogs. If you're coming more for the music than the drinking, note that your kids are allowed in with you. Kids under 10 are free, while those 11 and up need a $32 "music only" ticket. While we're on the subject of what to bring, don't forget the usual music festival staples: Sunscreen, a small blanket, sunglasses, an umbrella and earplugs are all a smart bet.

Remember that Uber and Lyft are your friend
Ridesharing has many uses, but we'd be hard-pressed to find a better one than getting home after a little too much fun at a craft beer festival. Download the Uber or Lyft apps now to have some options at the end of the fest. Since Carson Creek Ranch is right by the airport, there should be a steady supply of area drivers to help you home if you need them.

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Untapped Austin takes place Saturday, April 18 at Carson Creek Ranch in East Austin. Doors at 2:30 pm for VIP and 3:30 pm for general admission. General admission tickets ($39 plus service fees) are still available.

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News You Can Eat

Glam club's closure and beer passport map out Austin food and drinking news

Photo courtesy of Estelle's

Looking beautiful can only get you so far.

Buckle up, Austin. Hope you're ready for a lot of food news, since it seems like restaurants were holding out until Labor Day to make big announcements. This week we have more than five openings, a surprising closure, and some fun ways to change up your happy hour drinking routine.

Openings and closings

The life of Estelle's in the Warehouse District was short and beautiful; the social club has now closed after less than a year and a half in business. "We are heartbroken to share that Estelle’s has closed its doors and will not be reopening," says a message on the website. "Thank you to our employees, partners, and guests who brought Estelle’s to life." When it opened, it caught the eye of many Austinites thanks to its old-fashioned, stately-yet-airy decor. But despite the apparent readiness for a lounging upscale crowd, the actual venue was known for being very loud and tightly packed.

Another short-lived venture was Bacalar, a Mexican restaurant that was embattled from the start in September 2023, thanks to the relatively recent controversial past of Chef Gabe Erales. As of July 2024, the chef had departed and the restaurant closed, although the group he partnered with for the launch, Urbanspace, remains involved in Tómalo Grill. Formerly the sister takeout window, it will be taking over the full space officially on September 10. It is in a soft opening period throughout the weekend leading up to the grand opening date. Operating hours are Tuesdays through Sundays from 5-10 pm, with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm starting September 14. The service window remains open Tuesdays through Sundays from 8 am to 2 pm.

ICYMI: We had lots of openings to share this week. Starting with familiar faces, Sixth Street bar Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is opening a classy-sporty spinoff that's something between a sports bar and an athletic club. Little Ola's Biscuits, a casual sister to Olamaie, is also expanding for the first time into the Mueller neighborhood. Austinites can also look forward to a brand new brunch, breakfast, and lunch spot by the Jack Allen’s Kitchen team. It was big news last year when Las Bis and Luminaire suddenly shuttered at Austin’s Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue, but now two new concepts are replacing them. Finally, two more deli-ish spots are making a comeback: Katz's is rebuilding a longtime legacy with a lot of goodwill, and Foxtrot is feeling out a possible return to a possibly hostile market.

Other news and notes

New Italian restaurant Casa Bianca is making a name for itself through interesting fusion dishes, which might make a dinner spread harder to choose compared to your neighborhood pizza spot. To help flesh out this unique POV, Chef Joseph Zoccoli has curated a tasting menu of six savory courses that will rotate seasonally. It'll be available every night of service for a market price of "around $140," plus optional wine pairings for $35. Reserve via Resy.

Central Market is creating the world's largest charcuterie board on September 11, in an attempt to break a world record. Just setting the board up isn't enough; the record depends on how much is eaten. With more than 1,000 pounds of meat and cheeses, that's a tall order. The free tickets are already sold out, but it'll be fun to see if and how the grocery store pulls this off. This is part of a larger 30th anniversary celebration that's happening all over the state, including more broadly accessible perks like in-store specials, live music, and more.

Friend groups who like to keep busy while enjoying a drink together can try something new at Electric Shuffle, a modern shuffleboard bar. It already had a similar package available for brunch, but now it's expanding out into a nighttime affair. Instead of doing things à la carte, this social sets guests up with a 90-minute open bar, family style appetizers, and a shuffleboard reservation for up to 20 friends for $65. A DJ keeps the energy up no matter how skilled at shuffleboard your party is.

Austin really does have too many places to enjoy a beer to count, but the Austin Ale Trail is attempting it, anyway. The "passport" lines up "over 50 craft breweries, pubs, bottle shops, and cideries in the Austin area," according to the website. Visitors can use it for discounts and freebies at participating businesses, or just a fun challenge to expand their horizons. The program kicks off with two parties: one September 7 at Vacancy Brewing and one September 8 at Blue Owl Brewing. Passports are also available at Black Star Co-Op, The Brewtique,Lazarus Brewing, and WhichCraft.