Unofficial SXSW Austin Craft Beer Guide

SXSW Austin Craft Beer Guide

Downtown for unofficial #SXSW events and looking for something more than PBR? Well, maybe I can help. I put together a list of breweries and bars that are easily accessible to the unofficial SXSW action.

I will start off by saying that 6th Street is generally NOT where many of the Austin beer drinkers hang out. Luckily, that does not mean there are not some good beers to be had. Even the most “get drunk” bars these days have at least a tap or can of something local.

Some of the more common ones you will see at everyday bars will be (512) Brewing, Live Oak, Real Ale, Austin Beerworks, and Thirsty Planet. All of them are really good choices and most are offered in cans or bottles (but likely some bars will have it on tap). With that said, this guide is mainly to help you find a bar with a little more than 3-6 taps while you are on your SXSW experience.

Central District Brewing Main — Photo Credit: Central District Brewing

If you want to visit any other breweries while in Austin, click here to view our Austin Brewery Brewpub Listings for all of the taprooms. Another brewery not listed on the SXSW map, but may be useful, is Live Oak Brewing. It is located right near the airport and can easily be hit up if you need to have a beer before you even make it into downtown Austin, or on your way to the airport.

Also, be sure to check out our Weekly Beer Events posts to see what top Beer events are happening for the week.

On the map below, I have separated it out by craft beer bars (places that focus more on beer and tend to have more specialty things), Bars with solid beers (meaning they have good beer, but they likely won’t have anything rare), and Breweries. Please note, some bars have been known to water down their beer selection and raise prices for SXSW.