7 new breweries worth getting a beer from, plus 1 coming soon

The booze business is booming in Central Texas. 

A handful of new breweries have opened in the past few months. Established brands are adding new products to their lineups, and interesting newcomers are joining longtime favorites on grocery store shelves. 

Ghost Note Brewing

One of the newest Austin-area breweries to open during this boom-bust time is Ghost Note Brewing (ghostnotebrewing.com), located at 23663 RM 12 near Dripping Springs. Ghost Note opened in early February and features beers including a blonde ale called Mic Check, the Texas Sun saison and a West Coast pale ale called Shoulda Been a Cowboy. 

The brewery is also participating in the Black is Beautiful project, and its contribution is an imperial stout brewed with Greater Goods Coffee. The taproom is open from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. The brewery also has an onsite food truck called Hangry's Streatery.

Last Stand Brewing on SoCo

The long-awaited second location from Last Stand Brewing (laststandbrewing.com) opened at 7601 S. Congress Ave. in October. The original location off Fitzhugh Road opened in 2015, and owners had been hoping to add a location closer to the city for years. Now both locations are selling beer to go (crowlers and six-packs) and pints for in-person dining. The menu, curated by Southside Flying Pizza, includes burgers and pulled pork sandwiches.  

Beer lovers can stop by 3 to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. 

Willard's Brewery

In North Austin, Willard's Brewery (willardsbrewery.com) has taken over the space at 2400 Patterson Industrial Drive previously occupied by Flying Man Brewing Co. Willard's, which opened in October, serves a lineup of beers that includes Zero Hour pale ale, Forbidden helles and Fistful of Fury hazy IPA, with food from Mojo Food Truck. It is open from 4 to 10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday for in-person and to-go sales. 

Pinthouse Brewing

Pinthouse Pizza opened Pinthouse Brewing (pinthousepizza.com/ben-white) in Southeast Austin in early January in the former Dance Across Texas dance hall, 2201 E. Ben White Blvd. The Pinthouse folks renovated the almost 30,000-square-foot dance hall into a large taproom and production facility that also includes an outdoor patio and a full menu of sandwiches and snacks (but noticeably not pizza). This is the fourth Central Texas location from the brand. This location is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 

Fitzhugh Brewing

Fitzhugh Brewing (fitzhughbrewing.com) is the latest brewery to open on Fitzhugh Road outside Dripping Springs. The pandemic pushed back the brewery's opening from summer to fall, but the taproom at 15435 Fitzhugh Road officially opened in October with a slate of craft beers and a full menu from PEJ Kitchens available from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. 

More:What are Austin's five biggest brewery openings of the past decade?

Beerburg Brewing opens on Fitzhugh Road

Meanwhile Brewing

Meanwhile Brewing Co. opened in October at 3901 Promontory Point Drive off Burleson Road on an almost-4-acre property that includes a large outdoor patio and features three food trucks, Pueblo Viejo Austin, Garbo's Lobster and Craft Woodfire Pizza.⁠ Meanwhile has its own spin on the Black is Beautiful imperial stout with Ceylon cinnamon, almond flour and cacao nibs, benefiting Austin Justice Coalition. The brewery opens early for coffee and pastries during the morning hours and is open 7 days a week. Hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Vacancy Brewing

The sign is up for Vacancy Brewing (vacancybrewing.com) on St. Elmo Road, but the South Austin brewery is still a few weeks from officially opening. You can find the latest about the taproom at 415 E. St. Elmo Road on their Instagram page. 

More:As Austin's water stopped flowing, generous breweries kept residents hydrated

Yokefellow

Yokefellow (yokefellowbeer.com) is a relatively new beer brand that doesn't have a tasting room. Yet.

Homebrewer Garrett Crowell makes 16-ounce cans and sells them in 4-packs at a handful of retailers around Austin, such as the Meteor Cafe, Salt and Time, Chris Liquor, Sunrise Bottle Shop, Lolo Wine and the Brewtique. Crowell says to keep an eye out for news about a taproom in Johnson City.