Austin Ale Trail Passport Review (2024-2025): The Best Brewery Perks to Collect This Year
Updated 9/18/24 – Passports are now available everywhere!
It’s that time of year again: The Austin Ale Trail has returned with their fifth annual brewery passport for the 2024-2025 season. If you’re raring to go, you can get your passport early at the two launch parties this weekend – Vacancy Brewing on Saturday 9/7, and Blue Owl Brewing on Sunday 9/8. General sales will begin Sep 16th at any of these sixteen Base Camp locations.
Last year I published this article ranking the perks offered by each brewery, highlighting the best ones to go out of your way for. And this year… I’m going to do exactly the same thing, so read on to find out how to maximize the value of your passport!
Brewery Highlights
Free Beer
There are 6 breweries offering a “buy one beer, get one free”. Since you are reading this article and are going to buy a passport, we assume you like beer, especially free beer, so this is the best perk. Just two of these and you’ve already come out ahead on the passport. Here are our best friends for this year:
- 3rd Level Brewing
- Austin Beer Garden Brewing (ABGB)
- Blue Owl Brewing
- Actually buy 1 food get free beer, but their snack plates are cheap and tasty
- Frontyard Brewing
- Oasis Texas Brewing Company
- This perk is actually “First Beer for 99¢”, which is pretty sweet
- 512 Brewing
- This one is “Buy 1 Get 1 for $1”, close enough
Free Stuff
The next most fun perk (in my opinion) is free merch. There are 6 breweries that will provide you a free item with your beer purchase and passport stamp:
- Free Glass:
- Draught House Pub & Brewery
- Infamous Brewing Company
- Live Oak Brewing
- Free Glow in the Dark Coaster:
- 5th Element Brewing
- Free Keychain:
- Black Star Co-Op
- Free Koozie:
- Fitzhugh Brewing
Discounts
Finally, before looking at the full list, we’ll highlight the best discounts offered:
50% Off 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 $12 per pour
- 50% Off Your First DRAFT Beer
- 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
- Moontower Cider Company
-
- 50% Off Second Cider
- Last year it was 50% off first cider, so now it’s more of a buy one get one half off
- 50% Off Second Cider
-
- WhichCraft
Other Strong Discounts
- Central Machine Works
- 25% Off Pizza
- Lazarus Brewing Co (6th Street)
- 25% Off Food with Beer Purchase
- Lazarus Brewing Co (Airport Blvd)
- 25% Off Merch Items with Beer Purchase
- Central District Brewing
- 25% Off Merch
- Neighborhood Bottle Shoppe
- 20% Off Singles & Free Sticker
- Black Star Co-Op
- Free Keychain and 20% Off Menu Item with Beer Purchase
- Prost Alehouse Texas
- 20% Off First Beer & First Merch Item
- Austin Beerworks
- 20% Off Merch
- Big Country Organic Brewing Co.
- $2 Off Drafts, 10% Off Merch, & Free Sticker
- Power Brewing Project
- $2 Off First Pint & 15% Off Merch
Full List
Below is 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
- When a brewery also sells food, that is increased to $45
- A merch item costs $20
- Beer to go is counted as a merch item, also set at $20
- That’s increased to $30 for bottleshops, as mixed singles will cost more
- 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 that point, the table is split into three columns so you can quickly see which category each perk is in, and find total values for each set.
Here’s the data!
| Brewery | Passport Perk | Estimated Beer / Food Value | Estimated Free Item Value | Estimated Merch / To-Go Discount | Brewery Total | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Country Organic Brewing Co. | $2 Off Drafts, 10% Off Merch, & Free Sticker | $8.00 | $1.00 | $2.00 | $11.00 | Assuming 4 Beers Purchased |
| 3rd Level Brewing | Buy One Pint Get One Pint Free | $7.50 | $7.50 | |||
| Austin Beer Garden Brewing (ABGB) | Buy 1 Pint Get 1 Pint Free | $7.50 | $7.50 | |||
| Blue Owl Brewing | Free Pint with Any Food Menu Purchase | $7.50 | $7.50 | |||
| Frontyard Brewing | BOGO Beer with Stamp | $7.50 | $7.50 | |||
| Neighborhood Bottle Shoppe | 20% Off Singles & Free Sticker | $1.00 | $6.00 | $7.00 | Assuming $30 Mix | |
| Oasis Texas Brewing Company | First Beer for 99¢ | $6.51 | $6.51 | |||
| 512 Brewing | Buy 1 Pint Get 1 Pint for $1 | $6.50 | $6.50 | |||
| Central Machine Works | 25% Off Pizza | $6.50 | $6.50 | Actual Price: $26 | ||
| Independence Brewing Co. | $1 Off Beer & 10% Off Merch | $4.00 | $2.00 | $6.00 | Assuming 4 Beers Purchased | |
| Prost Alehouse Texas | 20% Off First Beer & First Merch Item | $1.50 | $4.00 | $5.50 | ||
| Lazarus Brewing Co. (6th St) | 25% Off Food with Beer Purchase | $5.00 | $5.00 | Assuming $20 Food Purchase | ||
| Black Star Co-Op | Free Keychain & 20% Off Menu Item with Beer Purchase | $3.00 | $2.00 | $5.00 | Assuming $2 Keychain and $15 Sandwich | |
| Power Brewing Project | $2 Off First Pint & 15% Off Merch | $2.00 | $3.00 | $5.00 | ||
| 5th Element Brewing | Free Glow in the Dark Coaster | $5.00 | $5.00 | Assumed Value | ||
| Draught House Pub & Brewery | Free Glass with Stamp | $5.00 | $5.00 | Assumed Value | ||
| Infamous Brewing Company | Free Souvenir Pint Glass with Stamp | $5.00 | $5.00 | Assumed Value | ||
| Live Oak Brewing | Free Glass with Stamp | $5.00 | $5.00 | Assumed Value | ||
| Central District Brewing | 25% Off Merch | $5.00 | $5.00 | |||
| Lazarus Brewing Co (Airport Blvd) | 25% Off Merch Item with Beer Purchase | $5.00 | $5.00 | |||
| Hold Out Brewing | 10% Off Tab | $4.50 | $4.50 | Assuming $45 Tab (Includes Food) | ||
| Last Stand Brewing | 10% Off Beer, Food, Merch, & Beer-To-Go | $4.50 | $4.50 | Assuming $45 Tab (Includes Food) | ||
| Oddwood Brewing | 10% Off Beer, Food, Merch, & 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 & 15% Off Merch | $1.00 | $3.00 | $4.00 | ||
| Austin Beerworks | 20% Off Merch | $4.00 | $4.00 | |||
| Whichcraft | 50% Off Your First DRAFT Beer | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| Southern Heights Brewing Co. | First Pint at Half-Pint Price | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| Fast Friends Beer Company | Free Small Pour with Tall Pour Purchase | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| Moontower Cider Company | 50% Off Second Cider | $3.75 | $3.75 | |||
| Austin Craft Brewing | $1 Off First Beer & 10% Off Beer-To-Go | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | ||
| Barrow Brewing Co. | $1 Off First Pint & 10% Off Beer-To-Go | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | ||
| Bluebonnet Beer Company | 10% Off Entire Tab | $3.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $30 Beer Tab | ||
| Vacancy Brewing | 10% Off for Passport Holders Incl. Beer & Merch | $3.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $30 Beer Tab | ||
| Slackers Brewing Co. | $1 Off Beer & 10% Off Merch | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | ||
| Lago Vista Brewing Company | 10% Off Merch/Beer-To-Go & Free Sticker | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | ||
| Texas Beer Co. | Free Sticker & 10% Off Merch | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | ||
| Twisted X Brewing Company | Free Sticker and 10% Off Twisted X Merch | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | ||
| Vista Brewing | Free Sticker & 10% Off Merch | $1.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 | ||
| The Brewtique | 10% Off Singles Mix & Match of 4 or More | $3.00 | $3.00 | Assuming $30 Mix | ||
| Meanwhile Brewing Co. | 15% Off All Packaged Beer | $3.00 | $3.00 | |||
| Save the World Brewing | 15% Off All Merch & Beer-To-Go | $3.00 | $3.00 | |||
| Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches | 50% Off Kolache with First Beer | $2.38 | $2.38 | Actual Price: $4.75 | ||
| Obsidian Brewery | 10% Off Pizza with Stamp | $2.00 | $2.00 | Actual Price: $20 | ||
| Acopon Brewing Co. | $1 Off First Pint & Free Sticker | $1.00 | $1.00 | $2.00 | ||
| Ghost Note Brewing | Free Sticker & $1 Off First Beer with Stamp | $1.00 | $1.00 | $2.00 | ||
| Red Horn Coffee & Brewing Co. | 10% Off Merch | $2.00 | $2.00 | |||
| Whitestone Brewery | 10% Off Beer-To-Go & Merch | $2.00 | $2.00 | |||
| Pinthouse Brewing | $1 Off First Beer at Each Location | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Pinthouse Pizza (Burnet) | $1 Off First Beer at Each Location | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Pinthouse Pizza (Lamar) | $1 Off First Beer at Each Location | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Pinthouse Pizza (Round Rock) | $1 Off First Beer at Each Location | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Jester King Brewery | Free Sticker with Stamp | $1.00 | $1.00 | |||
| Total | $130.89 | $34.00 | $61.00 | $225.89 |
