Texas Lambic Fest Returns
If you purchased a ticket for the August event this year, your ticket is still valid.
Texas Lambic Fest | Sunday, November 7, 2021 | Batch – Craft Beer and Kolaches
Texas Lambic Fest is an annual event that focuses, on you guessed it, Lambic style beers. Each year Belgian beer enthusiasts gather to share their beers, share their stories, and come away with new friends. I caught up with the organizers Nic De La Rosa and Rachael Hackathorn to find out more about what’s in store for this year’s festival.
How did Lambic Fest Start?
De La Rosa: I’m a night owl so this was around 4 am in 2015 at the end of April and I was wondering what to do for my birthday in August. I do love bottle shares and at the time it was a lot harder to come by non-Cuvée Rene lambic. Everyone had lambic but was saving it for a special occasion, the right group (meaning would there be other lambics there) or whatever reason. Texas didn’t already have a niche share like this so I combined these ideas and it’s grown spontaneously to what it is today. Shout out to Grady Wright, Tony Drewery, and Carlos Arellano for the initial help, guidance, and still being here after all these years.
Hackathorn: I wasn’t involved too much the first year of the festival but from what I remember it was essentially a birthday party for Nic. Being a big fan of bottle shares and lambics, he combined the two and brought his friends together for a giant Lambic bottle share at Waller Creek Pub. Over the year’s our dream has been to grow the event, adding more elements like panels, food, and entertainment. Overall making it more accessible to people outside the beer community.
What is it about?
De La Rosa: The hope was to take lambic off the pedestal we placed it on since the availability of it was scarce here in Austin. Some people had some lambic to share, some had lots like myself. Then there are people like Kevin Sykes who people like me need to bait to lure them out of their closets! Ultimately we all just wanted to have a day of just sharing lambic and just lambic.
Hackathorn: Lambic Fest is about the bottle share, sharing Lambic and beers influenced by the Lambic Style. Fest-goers bring cellared beer from across the globe (mainly Belgium) that spans decades in terms of production dates. Over the years we have added a few elements like panel discussions from some of the country’s lead beer experts as well as food and entertainment but at its heart, it is still a bottle share. In years to come, we would like to focus on getting people through the door who may have never heard of or had a Lambic, through the doors. This event is inclusive and we hope to share our love with Lambic with others. Texas Lambic Fest is not for profit. Ticket sales go towards the space rental, beer, and food costs. This is a passion project for us.
What can people expect?
De La Rosa: To have a great time learning and discussing lambic with new and old friends. This is about community and sharing. We normally all bring just authentic lambic and nerd out. There will be guest beers as palate cleansers. They’ll be great eats and guest things to try as well. Some known as Rachael described and there are always things that pop up that even I don’t even know about! All in all, it’s a positive experience and is truly like no other event you’ve been to unless you’ve been to one of these.
Hackathorn: This year, people can expect a more laid-back Lambic Fest. We wanted more chill vibes this year. It’s still the same setup, bring some lambics to share (small coolers are welcome but we won’t have extra ice). If you don’t have Lambics on hand, other beers you would like to share are more than welcome. Beer is also available for purchase from Batch on tap and in cans and bottles.
There won’t be panels but we have brought in some great local bands to fill out the afternoon. We also have a few breweries and producers from Austin and the surrounding area coming out to sample some of their favorite summer offerings. While there is food included in the ticket additional food will be available for purchase. Envie will be open with a full menu.
Mindzai Creative will be onsite live printing shirts that will be available for purchase ($15) or you can bring your own shirt to print on for the printing fee.
Ticket & Event Info | Buy Tickets Here
This year’s event will take place at Batch (3220 Manor Rd) on Sunday, November 7th from 1 pm to 6 pm.
Tickets are $20 and include this year’s commemorative tasting glass, a pour from Batch’s tap wall, and a bite from Envie. Tickets will be available at the door day of for $25 (cash preferred)
