Best-of list · Craft Beer
The best craft beer bars in Austin for 2026, from Lazarus Brewing and Jester King to The Buzzmill, Central Machine Works, St. Elmo and Meanwhile.
The short answer
7 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Austin drinks beer outdoors. The city's best spots are breweries with beer gardens, food trucks and live music, plus one farmhouse brewery worth the drive into the Hill Country. The seven below are where Austin craft is at its best in 2026.
On East 6th, Lazarus Brewing pairs a working brewery with a taqueria and coffee bar under a leafy patio. The house lineup runs from the Amarillo by Morning pale to a deep rotation of IPAs, and the tacos hold up to the beer. Best on a warm afternoon on the courtyard. For drinkers who want brewery beer with real food a short walk from downtown.
Full listing & hours →In the Hill Country southwest of the city, Jester King brews wild and barrel-aged farmhouse ales on a working ranch, one of America's most respected farmhouse breweries. Saison and spontaneous beers anchor a list that changes with the season. Best on a weekend with time for the drive and the pizza kitchen. For drinkers chasing sour and farmhouse beer at the source.
Full listing & hours →On East Riverside, The Buzzmill runs around the clock, a 24-hour coffee bar and craft tap room with a lumberjack streak and a creekside patio. The tap list leans local, and the late hours have no real rival in the city. Best after midnight when the rest of town has closed. For night owls who want Texas craft beer at any hour.
Austin Eastciders pours its dry, heritage-apple ciders at the Springdale Road tasting room in east Austin, open Thursday to Sunday. The original Barton Springs taproom has closed, but the brand keeps the cellar door pouring. Best on a Saturday afternoon over a flight. For drinkers who want craft cider rather than another IPA, made a few miles away.
In east Austin, Central Machine Works brews inside a 1940s metal workshop, the area's first production brewery, with a redesigned beer garden and a music stage. The lager and the pilsner are the regulars. Best on an evening with a band on the patio. For drinkers who want local beer, room outside and live music together.
In a south Austin warehouse district, St. Elmo Brewing pours clean, balanced beer to a long picnic-table taproom and beer garden, often with a food truck parked outside. The Carl Kolsch is the easy pick. Best on a weekend afternoon with a group and a dog. For drinkers who want approachable local beer and space to settle in.
Full listing & hours →In southeast Austin, Meanwhile Brewing spreads across a large beer garden with rotating food trucks and frequent live music, a destination rather than a quick stop. The tap list runs wide across styles. Best on a weekend with the whole group and an afternoon to spare. For drinkers who want one of the city's biggest outdoor beer spaces.
Full listing & hours →