Road Trip – Whitestone Brewery

It’s very easy to have an excuse to make a trip to Austin. For this trip, we went because good friends of ours had a baby and we wanted to meet the new bundle of joy. Fortunately, the baby is well-behaved, and we have great friends who wanted to try something new, so we were also able to make a trip out to Cedar Park to Whitestone Brewery.

To be completely honest, I did not do much research on the brewery prior to going, so when I showed up and saw the facility, I was blown away. With a great indoor and outdoor space in addition to several large fermenters, it’s clear this brewery is priming themselves for growth in the future.

We went in there on a Saturday night and the place was very busy. In addition to our friends who came along, one of my lifelong friends who lives in Leander also made the short trek for his first visit. Pints were flowing, it looked like there were a lot of regulars who were there playing games outside with plenty of others listening to the band (it is Austin, after all). In addition, the staff was very helpful and friendly. They made sure to give suggestions on what beers to try and were willing to answer any questions that we had.

Fortunately, with a designated driver, I was able to enjoy four pints and get a real idea of their offerings. The first beer I had was my favorite, the Cedrela Hefeweizen. This light hefeweizen was served in proper glassware, which was very appreciated. Plus, the flavor is a grapefruit clove with a wheat finish. The second beer was Evening Roast, their oatmeal stout, which was satisfying, but nothing special. Third was their Lovely Day IPA. This one was my wife’s favorite and the hints of Mosaic and Centennial hops made it a delicious American IPA. Finally, my friend’s favorite, the Long Gone Blonde was the fourth and final beer I had. This one is an easy drinker and delicious.

Overall, this brewery is making some promising beer and I can’t wait until my next visit when I can try out some more of their seasonal offerings.