Middleton Brewing's Grand Opening

From ABG:

Saturday was Middelton Brewing's grand opening party. We went. We drank beers. We drove back. But we will return for sure.



We stopped at the Barber Shop first for a couple pints of their Mullet Mild. Solid stuff. Get out there soon. Such a good bar. You can order a pizza too. We had the Farmer John.



Then we booked it down to Wimberley, for Middleton's grand opening party. Just head south on 12 from Dripping Springs. Go through downtown Wimberley and you are there. You can't miss it.



Midway through the party this is what they had on offer (house-beer-wise). Impressive!



And the beer was good. Really good. This is the Opal (see above). Standouts were the Garnet, Black Lab Porter and the Imperial Red (BOBCAT). Whose sippy cup?

Middleton had a great turnout. I think—it seemed busy. Judging by the furry pack of canines roaming the bar, I am assuming they are dog friendly (if that matters to you). So grab yr kin, grab yr mutts and zip down to Wimberley. Dennis, brewer/owner, said next week's beer list will look totally different. He knows how to spark the interest of a beer nerd.

Jester King Starting Tasting Room Hours and Tours

People have been waiting for this day. From Jester King:

This Saturday, May 14th, and every Saturday thereafter (unless you hear otherwise), our brewery and tasting room will be open to the general public from 1-4pm. $10 gets you a tour and a souvenir glass to take home. Of course, we'll also have some of our beer available for sampling (for which your souvenir glass will come in handy), though we're actually struggling a bit to keep up with production right now, so the selections this week may be somewhat limited. We'll have a keg or two of Wytchmaker and a bit of Black Metal, which we're hoping will be enough to get us through the day, and should be, provided that we're not descended upon by droves of thirsty fans the moment we open the gates. Just to be safe, we're limiting attendance to 100 guests, but we're expecting a pretty light turnout the first time around, so we're not anticipating that this will be a problem.

RSVP here.

Now pair this with a visit to Thirsty Planet and Barber Shop and you got yourself a nice little daytrip. Just saying.

Barber Shop Brewpub Opening

This weekend is the big weekend for Barber Shop Brewpub in Dripping Springs:

DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX - January 27, 2011 - Don’t be fooled by the name, the only need for sharp scissors at this barber shop is for cutting a grand opening ribbon. With a nod to its location’s history, The Barber Shop, a new brewpub in downtown Dripping Springs, Texas, opens for business this weekend.

Owned and operated by long time Dripping Springs resident and competitive homebrewer John McIntosh III and his business partner Dave Niemeyer, the bar promises a local pub atmosphere with community-style tables, darts, a dedicated dominoes table, and big screen television for sports. The beer tap line-up features a heavy emphasis on the area’s burgeoning community of microbrewers.

“Dripping Springs is just a stone’s skip from brewers gaining national acclaim including Real Ale, Jester King, 512, and Thirsty Planet,” notes McIntosh. “The Barber Shop was created to celebrate and support local and our selection definitely reflects that.”

Wine drinkers will also be able to sip and eat local as The Barber Shop offers wine selections including hometown favorite Bell Springs Winery, and is working closely with The Goodnight Diner, located just a couple of blocks down. Chef Jana Muniz is not only creating a custom nut mix for snacking, but also a convenient takeaway bar menu with easy to order, walkable eats.

The Barber Shop’s building started its life around November 1924 as a wooden and tin garage. In 1938 it was given its rock exterior and served as a garage and gas station until around 1960. After that, it was not used commercially for most of the next 25 years when it was then remodeled and turned into a barber shop.

“While Dripping Springs old timers may chuckle at calling this building ‘the old barber shop,’ that’s what it was for the past quarter century and that’s the sign that was still up when we took over,” muses McIntosh. “Plus it had ‘bar’ in the name so we went with it.”

Repurposing the bar’s name and sign is in line with much of the building’s revitalization which includes walls made from leftover tin from a friend’s barn and a bar built from wood salvaged from a family member’s home remodel. Décor includes garage memorabilia and dozens of decades old beer cans that revealed themselves during the remodel.

“We feel fortunate to be in such a unique location and we’re keen to maintain a sense of history and community,” says McIntosh, a University of Texas graduate who also studied at Oxford where he acquired his appreciation for the local pub. “The Barber Shop warmly welcomes all, but if your family was around when the building was first built, you get dibs on the dominoes table.”

The Barber Shop is located at 207 Mercer Street, Dripping Springs. Hours:
Wednesday and Thursday: 3pm-10pm
Friday: 3pm-12am
Saturday: 11am – 12am
Sunday: 12pm - 7pm

For more information visit the brewpub’s website at www.barbershopbar.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barbershopbar.