The Best Beers (Maybe?) at Texas Craft Brewers Festival 2023
This is the article that you’ve always wanted. You’ve likely already looked over the beer list at TCBF and thought, “So many beers! I’ll just figure it out when I get there I suppose.” That’s a bold strategy; what if you miss the best one? Well, readers of Craft Beer Austin, we’re here to reward your continued support by literally telling you what the best beers at TCBF will be so you don’t miss them.
Now here comes the obvious disclaimer: just like TBBofT(SF) and Style Breakdown series, this article is based on crowdsourced data from Untappd. As always, this is both not necessarily reliable, and not the opinion of the CBA team. Please use this information for fun, and remember that the best beer at the festival is the one you liked the most!
Also, rotating taps will not be included in these lists… because they always have long lines and run out quickly. No need to generate more hype, you already know you want them.
Alright, let’s get into the deep dive on the TCBF 2023 tap list. Starting with:
New Beers
These beers are either produced just for the festival, or do not yet have the 10 ratings required to rank on Untappd. Since they’re not eligible for the top rated list, I encourage you to try as many of these as you can!
| Brewery | Beer Name | Style | ABV | Special Location? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Element Brewing | Pickleweiss | Beer Infused with Pickle Juice | 3% | |
| Acopon Brewing Company & Craft Pride | Rat King (w/ Apricot & Toasted Coconut) | Fruited Double IPA | 9.1% | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
| Alamo Beer Company | Ring of Fire | Chilli Beer | 5.5% | |
| Alamo Beer Company | Force Majeure | Not So Light Lager | 10% | |
| Austin Beerworks | Kölsch Is Kölsch | Kölsch | ||
| Austin Beerworks | Black Duck | Coffee Porter | ||
| Austin Beerworks | Epeelio Zestyhaze | Hazy IPA w/ Orange Peel & Lime Zest | ||
| Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches | Kolache Beer: Peach | Tart Fruit Beer with Peach and Milk Sugar | ||
| Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches & Smittox Brewing | Pecking Order Porter | Spiced Coffee Porter | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT | |
| Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches | Pink Boots | West Coast Pils | Pink Boots Society | |
| Beerburg Brewing | There’s a Bee in My Boot | Honey Witbier | Pink Boots Society | |
| Blue Owl Brewing | White Tiger’s Blood | Pineapple, Banana, and Cinnamon Sour Witbier | ||
| Blue Owl Brewing & Hold Out Brewing | Lucky Day | Session IPA | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT | |
| Bold Republic Brewing Company | Bohemian Rap City | Czech Amber Lager | 5.3% | |
| Family Business Beer Co | Chilis From The Grave | Smoked Brown ale w/ Chilis | ||
| Ghost Note Brewing | Golden Oak | Oaked Belgian Golden Strong | 9.4% | |
| Ghost Note Brewing & Acopon Brewing Company | Dripping in Gold | Belgian Golden Strong Ale w/ Espresso on Cask | 9.2% | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
| Grain Theory | Tears of Osiris | Belgian Pentabier | 17% | |
| Jester King Brewery | Staked Plains | Pilsner | 4.8% | |
| Lass Haüs Ales | Barmaid | Pub Ale | ||
| Lass Haüs Ales & Second Bar + Kitchen | G-Spot | Belgian Style Saison Fruited Ale | 6.5% | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
| Neutral Ground Brewing Company | Harvest 2023 - Apricot Pale Ale | Fruited Pale Ale | 6.6% | |
| Nomadic Beerworks | Steep Low | Coffee IPA | ||
| Starbase Brewing & South Texas Astronomical Society | Voyager | Vienna Lager | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT | |
| Texas Beer Company & Rockabilly Brewing | Tangerine Cream | Cream Ale | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT | |
| Vector Brewing & True Anomaly Brewing | Daikoku | Japanese-style Rice Lager | 4.6% | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
| Wandering Mind | Know it All | Peppercorn & Lemon Saison | ||
| Wandering Mind | Don’t Forget to Dream | BBA Belgian Style Quad | 12.5% |
Sessionable Beers
Naturally, a great place to start your day is with an easy drinking beer. Here are the lowest ABV beers at the festival:
| Brewery | Beer Name | Style | ABV | Beer Rating | Special Location? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Element Brewing | Pickleweiss | Beer Infused with Pickle Juice | 3% | New | |
| Altstadt Brewery | Radler | Peach Radler | 3.2% | 3.98 | |
| Live Oak Brewing Company | Kleines Bier | Light Lager | 3.2% | 3.64 | |
| Vector Brewing | Moonsmoke | Lichtenhainer | 3.4% | 3.66 | |
| Ghost Note Brewing | Southern Lite | Mexican-style Lager | 3.9% | 3.74 | |
| Acopon Brewing Company | Gaspipes | Best Bitter | 3.9% | 3.76 | |
| Neutral Ground Brewing Company | Trail Boss | German Hefeweizen | 4% | 3.59 | |
| Family Business Beer Company | Spacious Skies | Light Lager | 4% | 3.46 | |
| Austin Beerworks | Hydration Pils | Electrolyte Lager | 4% | 3.68 | |
| Hold Out Brewing | Tangolilly | Pilsner | 4.1% | 3.73 |
Strongest Beers
Want to get your buzz on quickly (and then crash too early)? I don’t recommend it, but anyway here are the strongest beers at the festival:
| Brewery | Beer Name | Style | ABV | Beer Rating | Special Location? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain Theory | Tears of Osiris | Belgian Pentabier | 17% | New | |
| Wandering Mind | Don’t Forget to Dream | BBA Belgian Style Quad | 12.5% | New | |
| No Label Brewing Company | 2022 Perpetual Peace | BBA Wee Heavy Scotch Ale | 12.3% | 4.28 | |
| Blue Owl Brewing | Double Dapper Devil | Extra Strong Sour Raspberry Belgian Ale | 12% | 4 | |
| Saint Arnold Brewing Company | 2021 Pumpkinator | Imperial Pumpkin Stout | 11.2% | 4.2 | |
| Infamous Brewing Company | Double Tap | Double India Pale Ale | 10.5% | 3.8 | |
| Oak Highlands Brewery | Freaky Deaky | Belgian Tripel | 10% | 3.77 | |
| Saint Arnold Brewing Company | 2013/2015 Pumpkinator | Imperial Pumpkin Stout | 10% | 4.2/4.15 | |
| Celestial Beerworks | Virtually Inseparable | Hazy TIPA | 10% | 4.34 | |
| Alamo Beer Company | Force Majeure | Not So Light Lager | 10% | New |
Low Hop Beers
First off – more than half of all beers at the festival do not have an IBU value on Untappd. Amongst those that do though, here are the least hoppy options:
| Brewery | Beer Name | Style | ABV | IBU | Beer Rating | Special Location? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin House Brewing Company | Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer | Sour Pickle Beer | 4.7% | 3 | 3.46 | |
| True Anomaly Brewing | Valentina | Fruited Sour (Blackberry + Blueberry) | 5.3% | 5 | 3.81 | |
| Red Horn Brewing Co. | Miss Edna | Blackberry Kettle Sour | 6% | 6 | 3.78 | |
| Texas Cannon Brewing Company | Lost Leg Lager | Mexican Lager | 5.6% | 7 | 3.53 | |
| Fitzhugh Brewing | Spanish Caelia | Historic Wheat Beer | 6.4% | 9 | 3.79 | |
| Free Roam Brewing Company | Low Fence | American Light Lager | 4.1% | 9 | 3.69 | |
| Red Horn Brewing Co. | Todo El Día | Mexican Style Pale Lager | 4.5% | 10 | 3.7 | |
| Altstadt Brewery | Altstadt Hefe | South German-style Hefeweizen | 5.2% | 10 | 3.73 | |
| No Label Brewing Company | El Hefe | Weizen | 5% | 11 | 3.52 | |
| Martin House Brewing Company | Miss Marmalade | Orange Lactose Sour | 7% | 12 | 4.05 |
Hoppiest Beers
And for you hop heads out there, here are the hoppiest ones:
| Brewery | Beer Name | Style | ABV | IBU | Beer Rating | Special Location? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infamous Brewing Company | Double Tap | Double India Pale Ale | 10.5% | 103 | 3.8 | |
| No Label Brewing Company | Cali Boy | West Coast IPA | 7.5% | 90 | 3.81 | |
| Excalibur Brewing | Surfin Safir | West coast style IPA | 7.1% | 85 | 3.91 | |
| Infamous Brewing Company | Sally Skull | India Pale Lager | 7% | 80 | 3.71 | Pink Boots Society |
| Southern Roots Brewing Company | Gunfighter | American IPA | 6.6% | 77 | 3.67 | |
| Texas Ale Project & Full City Rooster Coffee Roasting Studio | The Caucasian | White Russian Imperial Stout | 9% | 75 | 3.92 | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
| Funky Picnic Brewery & Cafe | YOU’RE THE FUNKER! | Wet Hopped IPA | 6.8% | 75 | 3.85 | |
| Good Line Beer Co & Pondaseta Brewing Co. | All Hail West Texas | West Coast IPA | 8% | 75 | 3.86 | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
| Vector Brewing | Figures of Light | India Pale Ale | 6.5% | 74 | 3.89 | |
| Texas Cannon Brewing Company | Susanna | American IPA | 5.3% | 73 | 3.65 | Pink Boots Society |
Top Rated Beers
Finally, here are the top rated beers overall for the festival. If you’re interested in anything on this list, get it early before it kicks:
| Brewery | Beer Name | Style | ABV | Beer Rating | Special Location? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celestial Beerworks | Virtually Inseparable | Hazy TIPA | 10% | 4.34 | |
| No Label Brewing Company | 2022 Perpetual Peace | BBA Wee Heavy Scotch Ale | 12.3% | 4.28 | |
| Pinthouse Brewing | 2023 Fresh Hop Training Bines | Fresh Hop IPA | 7% | 4.22 | |
| Saint Arnold Brewing Company | 2013/2015/2021 Pumpkinator | Imperial Pumpkin Stout | 10%/10%/11.2% | 4.2/4.15/4.2 | |
| (512) Brewing Company | Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter | Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter | 9.5% | 4.19 | |
| Jester King Brewery & Otoko’s Chef Yoshi Okai | Oh! | Farmhouse Ale | 6.5% | 4.15 | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
| Blue Owl Brewing | Saison Puede (2023) | Tart Saison w/ Meyer Lemon & Pink Peppercorn | 5.8% | 4.13 | |
| St Elmo Brewing & Zilker Brewing Company | Harvest | Fresh Hop IPA | 6.5% | 4.11 | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
| Tall City Brewing Co | ¡Viva! Agua Fresca – Pecos Cantaloupe | Radler | 5% | 4.08 | |
| Hold Out Brewing & Roadmap Brewing | Memory Machine | Hazy Pale Ale | 5.4% | 4.08 | Craft Pride Presents: PARTNERS in CRAFT |
Rotating Taps
Of course I wasn’t just going to leave rotating taps out of the article! While they’re not ranked, here’s the stats for them, in order of appearance:
| Brewery | Beer Name | Style | ABV | Beer Rating | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (512) Brewing | Sandia Limon | Hazy IPA with Additions | New | 12:30pm | |
| Red Horn Brewing Co. | Isla on the Sun | Coconut Mojito American Wheat Ale | 6% | 3.88 | 12:30pm |
| Great Heights Brewing Company | Corvallis | Wet Hop Pale Ale | 6% | 3.97 | 1:00pm |
| Martin House Brewing Company | Chamoy Salty Lady | Gose with Chamoy | 5.2% | 3.91 | 1:00pm |
| Alamo Beer Company | Strawberry Milkshake IPA | NE IPA inspired ale with Strawberry, Vanilla & Lactose | 7% | New | 1:30pm |
| Vista Brewing | Laissez Faire (Batch 3 - Sangiovese) | Wine Barrel Aged Brett Ale | 7.4% | New | 1:30pm |
| Saint Arnold Brewing Company | BBA Commitment Stout with Coffee (Variant 003, 2021) | Imperial Stout aged in High Corn Mash Bourbon Barrels | 16.2% | 4.38 | 2:30pm |
| True Anomaly Brewing | Sea of Waves | Wood-aged Sour | 8.5% | 4.28 | 2:30pm |
| Jester King Brewery | Atrial Rubicite (Blend 12) | BA Fruited Wild Ale | 4.9% | 4.57 | 3:00pm |
| Nomadic Beerworks | Olé All Day | Sangria inspired Sour Ale | 7.9% | New | 3:00pm |
| Wandering Mind | Astral Projection | BBA Coconut Stout | 13.5% | 4 | 3:00pm |
| Celestial Beerworks | Ube Tropic | Pina Colada Inspired Sour Beer | 5.2% | 4.4 | 3:30pm |
| Save the World Brewing Co. | Britt’s Brew Imperial Pumpkin Ale | Imperial Pumpkin Ale | 10.5% | New | 3:30pm |
| Vector Brewing | Rubus Rex | Barrel-aged Saison with Marionberries | 7.4% | 4.25 | 3:30pm |
| Ghost Note Brewing | Neighborwood: Passion Plum | Fruited Mixed Culture Farmhouse Ale | 7.8% | New | 4:00pm |
| ODD Muse Brewing Company | Museverse | Vietnamese Coffee Stout | 11.4% | 4.15 | 4:00pm |
| Tall City Brewing | Oogie | Imperial Gummy Worm Sour | 8.5% | 4.09 | 4:00pm |
| Hold Out Brewing | Barrel Diver | Sotol Barrel Aged Mixed Culture Ciderweisse | 4.2% | New | 4:30pm |
| The Brewtorium Brewery & Kitchen | Ninjas in the Orchard | Barrel-aged Sour with Peaches | 5.8% | 3.82 | 4:30pm |
| TUPPS Brewery | Full Grown Jack | Imperial Pumpkin Stout | 12.1% | 3.96 | 4:30pm |
| Austin Beerworks | TENebrosity | Decoction Imperial Stout | New | 5:00pm | |
| Grain Theory | Blackberry Daisy Wheel | Sotol Barrel Aged Blackberry Sour | 7.3% | 4.16 | 5:00pm |
| St Elmo Brewing Co | Deluxe | Double Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout | 16.9% | 4.48 | 5:00pm |
| Blue Owl Brewing | Kokomo Royal | Tropical Fruit Smoothie Sour Ale | 8% | 4 | 5:30pm |
| Lass Haüs Ales | Aristocratic Mistress | Golden Strong Eisbock Brewed with Spices | New | 5:30pm |
