Guest Blogger, Paige Mathews of “Ladies Love Beer Too" took a trip to Boerne and toured our breweries last weekend! We're happy to report she had a great time and shared her thoughts with us. If you've been around the brew block in Boerne, take a peek and see if you share the same feelings. If you haven't visited, take a gander and let her reviews help you plan your next visit to Boerne! ~ This past weekend, we spent our Saturday checking out all the local breweries in Boerne. For being a smaller town, it is super impressive that Boerne is home to 4 breweries, each with a distinctly different atmosphere and offerings.
First Stop, Boerne Brewery
The first place we stopped at was the Boerne Brewery, which was a first time visit for us. Boerne Brewery, like many small breweries, is housed in an industrial space and includes a pretty nice size taproom. They offer tours on Friday and Saturday and the tasting room is also open both days. For $5 you get a tour, samples of each beer, a pint of beer after tasting all their beer, and you get to take your pint glass home with you. We thought this was the best deal EVER! The brewery was built on property which was previously owned by the couple credited with naming one of Boerne's biggest annual parties: Berges Fest. What better place for a brewery!? Not only is the property steeped in history, the names of the beers are all historically significant to Boerne. On tap were 4 year round offerings and 2 seasonal brews. My favorite year-round beer was the Denim-Hosen, it has an adorable label with two adorable dachshunds in lederhosen, and it’s the perfect beer for a hot summer day. Their seasonal brews included Geist der Berg, a sweet potato porter, and Oompah, a German Alt beer. As a lover of dark beer, of course, the Geist der Berg was my favorite. I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that I didn’t have a few of these for Thanksgiving. It would’ve been the perfect beer to have with Thanksgiving dinner and pie. The folks at Boerne Brewery like to keep it local and plan on keeping their operation smaller in order to build relationships within the community; they even strive to make sure all of their art work is done by local artists. We loved the atmosphere at Boerne Brewery and the fact that it is a smaller place allowed for lots of conversation with the awesome people running the show. If you’re looking for great beer, a little history of the town and a good time, pay the folks at Boerne Brewery a visit! Be sure to ask them about their amazing layered beers and the evolution of their beer layering tools.
Second Stop, Kinematic Brewing Co.
The second brewery on our list was Kinematic Brewing Co., which is somewhere we have been before and we really liked their beer. Kinematic had 7 different brews on tap including their experimental beer and barrel aged beer. We ordered a flight of everything they had on tap and were really glad we did, because Kinematic never disappoints. My favorite beer, for both visits, has been the Apsis Rye Galaxy Saison. I’m not usually a huge fan of saison, but that beer is exceptional! Like Boerne Brewery, the fact that Kinematic is a smaller brewery allows for lots of interaction with the awesome folks running the show. We got to chat with the brewer about some of the fan favorites, including their watermelon wheat beer (which will be back in April by the way). We also got to hear about all the exciting things they’re doing with beer including aging in Garrison Brothers bourbon barrels, aging in wine barrels, experimenting with yeast, and trying out different sour beer styles. The guys at Kinematic are inventive and are always coming up with something new and awesome. The atmosphere at Kinematic is great and there is plenty of room to take a few friends and enjoy some delicious beer.
Third Stop, Cibolo Creek Brewing Co.
After visiting Kinematic, we headed over to Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. in the heart of downtown Boerne on the Hill Country Mile. We were especially excited about Cibolo Creek because it is a newer place and we had heard great things about their beer and their food. Not only does Cibolo Creek offer beer, they also have a pretty great farm fresh menu that is definitely not your typical brew pub fare. They also have the most gorgeous building and décor of all the breweries in Boerne. The building is adorable, the flooring is beautiful, and all of the rustic touches incorporated into the décor are super cute. Cibolo Creek had 6 brews on tap, my favorite of which was the Tusculum stout (my love of dark beer strikes again). My husband and I each opted for the cheeseburger on a potato bread bun with a side of French fries and their yummy homemade ketchup. Let me just say, the burgers are amazing! Shout out to Boerne’s own Dr. Matt Carriker for mentioning the burgers in one of his YouTube videos and getting the idea into my husband’s head! These burgers are definitely something to write home about. The patties were made with wagyu beef and topped with amazing pickled onions, delicious cheese, and either arugula or spinach. (I wish I’d have paid more attention to what kind of cheese it was and whether it was spinach or arugula, but this was our third stop and the beer made me a little foggy, thank goodness my husband was my chauffeur.) The fries were also amazing, and their homemade ketchup was really good as well, certainly not like any run of the mill ketchup you can find at any other restaurant. The beer was great, the service was great, and the food was amazing. If you’re looking for somewhere to get a great beer and enjoy some incredibly delicious, super fresh food, this is definitely the place for you!
Fourth Stop, Dodging Duck Brewhaus
The last place on our Boerne beer excursion was The Dodging Duck, which is a place that my husband and I love. I have only been once before, but it’s a place my husband used to frequent when he was living in Boerne. The first time we visited "The Duck", I fell in love with the pecan brown ale, and this time, the love affair continued. It is seriously such a good beer! We went ahead and got a flight of all of their beer and ordered the giant pretzel and sausage. I loved all of the beer at "The Duck", but especially the Duck Vader Pumpkin Porter and the Zaner’s Old Geezer Pecan Brown Ale. I have to say, The Duck was definitely my favorite place as far as names go and the Cedar Fever Ale was a perfect offering for the beginning of cedar season here in the hill country. The Duck is the oldest brewery (brew pub) in Boerne and they started brewing beer in 2002. The Duck also has a selection of wine and a pretty awesome food menu. The giant pretzel and sausage was delicious and on our previous visit, we had the Philly cheesesteak, which was delicious as well. The Duck has tons of food options, which would make even a picky eater happy. They also have our favorite brew system because its copper clad and it’s seriously so pretty.
If you’re a Boerne resident, planning a trip to Boerne, or live near Boerne, the breweries are definitely worth your while and make for a super fun day. My advice is start around 1 in the afternoon, make sure to have a designated driver, and stay hydrated!
Meet Guest Blogger, Paige Mathews:
My name is Paige Mathews, I live in central Texas and I am obsessed with craft beer! I am here to spread the word that ladies love beer too. If you love craft beer or are just starting to dabble in craft beer, this is the place for you! Join me as I explore craft beer, one pint at a time!