Hopportunity knocks

8 soon-to-open breweries hopping into Austin's craft beer scene

Pinthouse Pizza is among the local businesses working on new breweries.

For all the squabbling over the city's identity, old and new Austinites can all agree on our collective love of beer. No wonder craft breweries keep appearing on the scene to take advantage of temperate winter days, Hill County terroir, and locals’ seemingly unquenchable thirst.

While some plans for upcoming projects are as murky as a hazy IPA, details have emerged about several promising newcomers. Rinse out that pint glass. Plenty of new concepts are pouring into the Capital City in the months to come.

Batch Brewery
In April, Austin’s kolache king announced it was working on a brewery at 3218 Manor Rd., a stone’s throw from the original shop. The taproom will be split between visiting breweries and housemade concoctions like a hazy IPA and a Cabernet barrel-aged saison. There’s still no word if there will be any culinary offerings, but patrons will find out soon. A rep says that a November opening is looking likely.

Beerburg Brewing
Founder Trevor Nearburg is working with another Uncle Billy’s alum, brewer Gino Guerrero, to bring this Fitzhugh Road project to life. The beer list will include something for almost every palate. Traditionalists can throw back crisp pilsner and other classic styles, while more adventurous drinkers can try experimental batches. The team is also taking full advantage of their Hill Country home by foraging ingredients like prickly ash berries. It’s unclear whether it will arrive before the end of the year; frequent progress updates show there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Central Machine Works Brewery & Beer Hall
Borrowing its name and aesthetic from the long-running machine shop that once occupied its Govalle space, this ambitious development will be a family-friendly compound with food trucks, a beer garden, and a taproom. Originally, it was supposed to open in October, but that seems unlikely now. Instagram posts (photographed in ’40s-era black and white) show ongoing construction, and the last kettles shipped from Portland, Oregon, at the end of September.

Hopsquad Brewing
The wait is almost over for this hoppy new brewery, located in the heart of North Austin’s brewing district at the corner of Kramer and Braker Lanes. A September Facebook post shows the tap wall fully installed and ready for the city’s final approval. The full lineup of beers has not been divulged, but it served a pair of beers at the September Texas Craft Brewers Festival at Fiesta Gardens — Professor Pleasant Pale Ale and Comtesse de Duval Saison

Pint House Pizza Brewery
Details are slim about this new brewpub from one of the Capital City’s most popular mini chains. In August, co-owner and marketing director Nic Van Biene told CultureMap that the Southeast Austin compound will be open to the public for tasting and tours, but the facility will primarily focus on beer production. Pizza, however, will not be on the menu, replaced by an assortment of small plates, appetizers, and salads. Next year will be the earliest that Austin will be able to see what the team has in store.

Family Business Beer Company
It’s anyone’s guess when St. Elmo Public Market, South Austin’s massive food wonderland, will finally arrive on the scene. But when it does, the development will include a second location of Supernatural star Jensen Ackles’ brewery. According to an earlier release, it will not be a carbon copy of the Hill Country original. Guests can expect small-batch limited release beers, one-offs of existing core brews, and a new barrel program.

Ghost Note Brewing
The unconventional name of this upcoming Dripping Springs brewery comes from a musical term for a note that has rhythmic value bit no discernible pitch — a concept the team finds resonant in all the intangible components in making beer. The brewery probably won’t make music until 2020, but in the meantime, hopheads can swell with emotion while watching a recently produced sizzle reel.

Hold Out Brewing
Matthew Bolick, Matt Wright, and Grady Wright, the owners of next door West Austin cafe Better Half, have been working on this gastropub since 2017. Housed in a converted Quonset hut, the concept will feature approachable fare, taps from local breweries, and original brews. Head brewer Brent Sapstead tells CultureMap that the brewery is holding out until the end of the year for the official debut, but will be holding a preview party at Better Half on December 7 with collaboration beers, wine, and spirits; live music; and a teaser of the food menu. Proceeds will be shared with local nonprofits.

craft-beer openings

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.