Grin and bear it

Popular gay dive bar roars into prime new downtown Austin space

The owners of the Iron Bear are moving the bar to a new location.

Courtesy of Iron Bear

Losing a lease is often the death knell for a small business, but one long-running Austin gay club is turning it into an opportunity. Though The Iron Bear is ending its almost nine-year run at 121 W. Eighth St. on January 4, 2020, it will soon reappear in a prime downtown spot — the former home of Austin Ale House at 301 W. Sixth St.

Co-owner Bengie Beshear explains that the watering hole was forced to relocate after its current landlord decided to turn the building into an office complex or sell to developers. While Iron Bear was hoping to be able to remain open at the original address until July, the landlord said the business would have to vacate at the end of January.

The owners, however, found good fortune just a few blocks away. The Austin Ale House space, which was suddenly vacated in August after six years, provides ample square footage, plus its Warehouse District location is closer to the LGBTQ+ nightlife hub on Fourth Street.

Although The Iron Bear owners plan to close on January 4 with a moving party, the reopening date is still up in the air pending the transferral of the liquor license and building inspections.

“If everything goes according to plan, we will open sometime in the week of January 20,” says Beshear. “Fingers crossed!”

The building also happens to have a kitchen. Beshear says that The Iron Bear 2.0 will start off with a small food menu, then gradually expand its selections. Beer-friendly finger foods like fried pickles, wings, and pretzels will be offered along with a “really good burger.”

“We are doing a lot of testing to fine tune what we will be offering. You know bears like to eat, so we are doing a lot of testing,” jokes Beshear.

Despite the major changes, The Iron Bear will continue its mission of being a bear bar that is open to all. The current schedule of weekly and monthly events will resume once the spot is fully operational and Beshear hints that there will be a few surprises in store.

“We also plan to have even bigger and better events then we have ever done before,” he says. “We are very excited by what we are planning.”

downtown nightlife openings

Cocktails with a Kick

Austin bars and restaurants get spicy for competitive Bloody Mary fest

Photo courtesy of the Bloody Mary Festival

Participants have up to three hours to try these drinks — and they'll really need to pace themselves.

One of Austin's most over-the-top drink events is eyeing its spring return. Austin's 6th annual Bloody Mary Festival will be held Saturday, March 22, at Fair Market. This year, Austin is one of five cities hosting the festival.

This festival is unique because it straddles the line between highlighting a cocktail and highlighting snacks. Garnishes are king, and participating bartenders really don't hold back — sometimes entire hors d'oeuvres are perched atop a drink, like a deviled egg, a chicken wing, and a wide variety of other snacks on skewers.

Besides having a chaotic, boozy brunch, the goal is to choose the best cocktail. There will be a panel of experts serving as judges, and fans will get to vote for their favorite.

Local restaurants, bars, and craft bottle mix brands will be facing off with each other. Last year, Industry East Side won the traditional category; The Cavalier won the best original category; and the now-closed 1417 won for best garnish. The runners-up in each respective category were 1886 Cafe and Bakery At the The Driskill, Honey Moon Spirit Lounge, and The Cavalier.

Attendees had different opinions during the two sessions of the festival. The people's choice winner for the first session was The Cavalier, with runner-up Hi Hat Public House; and the second session went to Yellow Jacket Social Club with Honey Moon Spirit Lounge as the runner-up.

Both judges and the audience agreed that Fat E’s Spicy Mator Mix and Momo’s Michelada presented the best packaged products, but judges marked them as tied and attendees both chose Fat E's as the winner and Momo's as the runner-up.

The festival hasn't announced yet who will be participating in this year's festivities, but The Cavalier and Yellow Jacket seem likely to return, since they've participated and been recognized multiple years in a row.

“With the flourishing brunch and cocktail scene in Austin, It’s no surprise that this event has become one of the most popular cocktail tasting events of the year,” said festival organizer Evan Weiss in a press release. “Festival attendees will have the opportunity to taste more than ten of the best Bloody Marys in Austin and then vote for their favorite to help crown the winner.”

Another repeat from last year is the beneficiary, Girls Empowerment Network. The local nonprofit teaches girls self-efficacy, which it hopes they'll use in "shooting for an A, overcoming a bully, becoming the first in her family to go to college, breaking up with an abusive partner, or just trying to take care of herself when she feels like no one else will." It also has a special focus on setting girls up for leadership and activism.

Tickets to the festival are $49.95 for general admission and $67.95 for VIP sessions. General admission runs from 11:15 am to 1:30 pm for the first session, and 3:45-6 pm for the second. VIPs get a 45-minute head start on both sessions.