Austin Ale Trail Passport Review (2023-2024): The Best Brewery Perks to Collect This Year
As a reader of Craft Beer Austin, you’re likely already familiar with the Austin Ale Trail passport (we wrote about it last week). Sales began Saturday at the Blue Owl launch party; if you missed it, you can collect your passport this upcoming Saturday, Sep 23rd at Nomadic, or on Sunday, Sept 24th at Vacancy. And if this weekend doesn’t work for you either, starting on Monday the 25th, passports will be available permanently at the following locations: 5th Element Brewing, ATX Beer Bus, Blue Owl Brewing, Black Star Co-Op, The Brewtique, The Good Lot, Lone Man Mountain Brewing, Nomadic Beerworks, Nomadic Outpost, WhichCraft, and Vacancy Brewing. The passport can be purchased for $10.
Cool, so now that you know where to collect your passport, let’s get to the good stuff. The passport works a bit differently this year: if you’ve participated in the previous two years (or if you’re a true hipster who had a 2019 passport as well), you know that the goal was to collect as many stamps as possible, which you could then “redeem” for a prize at the finishers party. While there’s still likely going to be a finishers party or two planned for June 2024, and there will likely be merch or prizes available (keep an eye on their instagram), there are no particular rewards listed for collecting certain numbers of stamps this year. Instead, every brewery in the passport (all 60 of them) has a perk they’re offering along with the stamp; so, rather than getting one prize at the end of the season and a few perks along the way, you’re getting far more value at the breweries themselves as you collect your stamps.
How much value though? In this article, I’m going to go through every brewery that is listed in the passport, tell you the perks that they offer, and give it an estimated value. If you haven’t picked up your passport yet, the Ale Trail website provides a list of perks – but this same list is also right here in this article, along with our estimated value for each brewery. Just keep reading and you’ll find out what you’re getting.
Brewery Highlights
Before going all data on you though, let’s start by celebrating the best brewery perks on the Austin Ale Trail passport this year.
Free Beer
There are 5 breweries providing you with a “buy one beer, get one free”. Naturally, this is the most valuable perk, and if you only go to 5 places, these are the ones to visit:
- Austin Beer Garden Brewing (ABGB)
- Frontyard Brewing
- Suds Monkey Brewing Co.
- The Stay Put
- Oasis Texas Brewing Company
- This perk is actually “Buy one, get one for 99¢”, but we’ll count it
Considering the passport costs $10, just visit any two of these breweries and you’ve already gotten your money’s worth. I recommend going to more than two breweries though (…obviously), because you’ll also get:
Free Food
While a number of locations will give you a discount on your tab (see table below), only one brewery will give you food for free – and if you’re an Ale Trail veteran you already know who it is. Nomadic Beerworks is back with their free baked pretzel with any purchase, as they’ve offered for the last few years.
Free Stuff
The next most valuable perk (in my opinion) is free merch. There are 7 breweries that will provide you with a free item with your beer purchase, just for showing your passport (excluding stickers):
- Free Glass:
- Draught House Pub & Brewery
- Infamous Brewing Company
- Live Oak Brewing
- Free… Frisbee!
- 5th Element Brewing
- Free Keychain:
- Black Star Co-Op
- Free Koozie:
- Fitzhugh Brewing
While I can’t speak to the frisbee, keychain, or Draught House glass (these are all new perks), I did pick up glasses at Live Oak and Infamous. While I don’t know for sure that the same glasses will be offered this year (Infamous specifically says “pint” glass this year, so YMMV), last year Live Oak provided a classic pilsner glass, while Infamous offered a weizen glass. Much more interesting than your standard shaker pint, and a great addition to any glassware collection.
Discounts
Finally, before looking at the full list, we’ll highlight the best discounts offered:
50% Off First Beer
-
- WhichCraft
- 50% Off Your First DRAFT Beer
- If this is permitted for any draft beer, this can be quite valuable as WhichCraft often has strong/barrel-aged beers that can be upwards of $15
- 50% Off Your First DRAFT Beer
- Moontower Cider Company
- 50% Off First Cider
- Family Business Beer Company
- 50% Off Select Beers
- Southern Heights Brewing Co.
- First Pint at Half-Pint Price
- Fast Friends Beer Company
- Free Small Pour with Tall Pour Purchase
- You could consider this buy one get one free, depending on how much you value a small pour vs. a full pour
- Free Small Pour with Tall Pour Purchase
- Central District Brewing
- $4 Kayaker’s Kolsch
- Technically only 42.85% off but we’ll give it to them
- $4 Kayaker’s Kolsch
- WhichCraft
Other strong discounts
- Lazarus Brewing Co (6th Street)
- 25% Off Food with Beer Purchase
- Lazarus Brewing Co (Airport Blvd)
- 25% Off Merch Items with Beer Purchase
- Celis Brewery
- 20% Off Beer
- Blue Owl Brewing
- 20% Off Tasting Glass Experience or Merch Item
- Black Star Co-Op
- Free Keychain and 20% Off Menu Item with Beer Purchase
- Beerburg Brewing
- 15% Off on All Beer Purchases
Full List
Alright, you’ve waited long enough, here’s the full list with estimated values for each brewery, and overall. I used the following assumptions to generate values:
- A beer costs $7.50
- A tab will consist of 2 people having 2 beers, or $30
- A merch item costs $20
- Beer to go is counted as a merch item, also set at $20
- A sticker is valued at $1*
*From our ad partner, Custom Stickers from Sticker Mule are a fast and easy way to promote your business, brand or event.
For any percentage discount, naturally, your mileage will vary based on spend. It’s also expected that you will not be buying merch at every location offering a merch discount – to make this more clear, the table is split into three columns so you can quickly see which category each perk is in.
Here’s the data!
| Brewery | Perk | Estimated Beer / Food Value | Estimated Free Item Value | Estimated Merch Discount | Brewery Total | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Beer Garden Brewing (ABGB) | Buy 1 Pint Get 1 Pint Free | $7.50 | $7.50 | |||
| Frontyard Brewing | BOGO Beer with Stamp | $7.50 | $7.50 | |||
| Suds Monkey Brewing Co. | Free Beer with Purchase of Flight or Pint | $7.50 | $7.50 | |||
| The Stay Put | Buy a Beer Get One Free | $7.50 | $7.50 | |||
| Oasis Texas Brewing Company | Buy One Beer, Get Another One for .99¢ | $6.51 | $6.51 | |||
| Celis Brewery | 20% Off Beer | $6.00 | $6.00 | Assuming $30 Beer Tab | ||
| Draught House Pub & Brewery | Free Glass with Stamp | $6.00 | $6.00 | Assumed Value | ||
| Infamous Brewing Company | Free Souvenir Pint Glass with Stamp | $6.00 | $6.00 | Actual Price = $6 | ||
| Live Oak Brewing | Free Glass with Stamp | $6.00 | $6.00 | Assumed Value | ||
| Blue Owl Brewing | 20% Off Tasting Glass Experience or Merch Item | $5.60 | $5.60 | Actual Price of 16oz Tasting = $28 | ||
| Nomadic Beerworks | Free Traditional Baked Pretzel with Stamp | $5.00 | $5.00 | Actual Price = $5 | ||
| Lazarus Brewing Co (6th Street) | 25% Off Food with Beer Purchase | $5.00 | $5.00 | Assuming $20 Food Purchase | ||
| Black Star Co-Op | Free Keychain and 20% Off Menu Item with Beer Purchase | $3.00 | $2.00 | $5.00 | Assuming $2 Keychain and $15 Sandwich | |
| 5th Element Brewing | Free Frisbee with Stamp | $5.00 | $5.00 | Actual Price = $5 | ||
| Lazarus Brewing Co (Airport Blvd) | 25% Off Merch Item with Beer Purchase | $5.00 | $5.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item | ||
| Beerburg Brewing | 15% Off on All Beer Purchases | $4.50 | $4.50 | Assuming $30 Beer Tab | ||
| Hold Out Brewing | 10% Off Tab | $4.50 | $4.50 | Assuming $45 Tab (Includes Food) | ||
| Last Stand Brewing | 10% Off Beer, Food, Merch and Beer-To-Go | $4.50 | $4.50 | Assuming $45 Tab (Includes Food) | ||
| Oddwood Brewing | 10% Off Purchase (Beer, Food, Merch, and Beer-To-Go) | $4.50 | $4.50 | Assuming $45 Tab (Includes Food) | ||
| The Brewtorium | $1 Off Beers During Stamp Visit | $4.00 | $4.00 | Assuming 4 Beers Purchased | ||
| Lone Man Mountain Brewing Co. | Free Sticker & 10% Off Beer Tab | $3.00 | $1.00 | $4.00 | Assuming $30 Beer Tab | |
| Zilker Brewing Co. | Free Sticker and 10% Off Purchase | $3.00 | $1.00 | $4.00 | Assuming $30 Beer Tab | |
| Fitzhugh Brewing | Free Sticker/Koozie and 15% Off Merch | $1.00 | $3.00 | $4.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item | |
| Family Business Beer Company | 50% Off Select Beers | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| Fast Friends Beer Company | Free Small Pour with Tall Pour Purchase | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| Moontower Cider Company | 50% Off First Cider | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| Southern Heights Brewing Co. | First Pint at Half-Pint Price | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| WhichCraft | 50% Off Your First DRAFT Beer | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| Central District Brewing | $4 Kayaker's Kolsch | $3.00 | $3.00 | Actual Price = $7 | ||
| Bluebonnet Beer Company | 10% Off Entire Tab | $3.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $30 Beer Tab | ||
| The Brewtique | 10% Off Singles Mix & Match of 4 or More | $3.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $30 Purchase, Consumed On-Site | ||
| Vacancy Brewing | 10% Off for Passport Holders Incl. Beer & Merch | $3.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $30 Beer Tab | ||
| Barrow Brewing Co. | $1 Off First Pint and 10% Off Beer-To-Go | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $20 Beer-To-Go | |
| Hopsquad Brewing Co. | $1 Off Beer, 10% Off Merch | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item | |
| Independence Brewing Co. | $1 Off Beer, 10% Off Merch | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item | |
| Slackers Brewing Co. | $1 Off Beer, 10% Off Merch | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item | |
| Vista Brewing | Free sticker and 10% Off Merch/Beer-To-Go | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item / Beer-To-Go | |
| Twisted X Brewing Company | Free Sticker and 10% Off Twisted X Merch | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item | |
| Meanwhile Brewing Co. | 15% Off All Packaged Beer | $3.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $20 Beer-To-Go | ||
| Nomadic Outpost | $5 Pour of Any Nomadic Beerworks Beer | $2.50 | $2.50 | |||
| Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches | 50% Off Kolache with First Beer | $2.25 | $2.25 | Actual Price = $4.50 | ||
| Acopon Brewing Co. | $1 Off First Pint and Free Sticker | $1.00 | $1.00 | $2.00 | ||
| Ghost Note Brewing | Free Sticker and $1 Off First Beer with Stamp | $1.00 | $1.00 | $2.00 | ||
| Austin Beerworks | 10% Off Merch and Beer-To-Go | $2.00 | $2.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item / Beer-To-Go | ||
| Lago Vista Brewing Company | 10% Off Merch and Beer-To-Go | $2.00 | $2.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item / Beer-To-Go | ||
| Whitestone Brewery | 10% Off Beer-To-Go and Merch | $2.00 | $2.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item / Beer-To-Go | ||
| Red Horn Coffee & Brewing Co. | 10% Off Merch with Stamp | $2.00 | $2.00 | Assuming $20 Merch Item | ||
| Tanglefoot Brewing | $1 Off First Beer | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Texas Beer Co. | $1 Off First Pint | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Central Machine Works | Free Sticker with Stamp | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Jester King Brewery | Free Sticker with Stamp | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Pinthouse Brewing | Stamp 3 Locations for $2 Off Beer at 4th Stop | 50¢ | 50¢ | Must Purchase 4 Beers to Get Discount; Fuel Cost Not Included | ||
| Circle Brewing Company | Free Sticker with Stamp | Closed | ||||
| Oskar Blues Brewery Taproom | Free Koozie or Glass & 15% Off Beer/Merch | Closed | ||||
| TOTAL | $132.61 | $34 | $31 | Grand Total: $197.61 |
