Beer and SXSW 2012

SXSW 2012 has come and gone and I saw some great bands and had a fantastic time. In the world of beer SX can be a bit of a challenge. Spending $4 on a Lone Star (that was $2 just a day before) can get tough to swallow.  While I don't mind a Lone Star, drinking them all day can wreak havoc on my head and stomach. Luckily we were able to find some decent and surprisingly great beers during our forays into the trendy hipsterville of our live music capital.  Day one I was saved by a Real Ale Firemans #4 on draft no less.  After several Lone Stars, the Fireman’s 4 was sweet relief for my palate.  In addition, they had Strongbow Cider in a can which was perfect for my better half who can’t drink beer as she is gluten free. The best find was on day two when the venue had a “Belgian Beer” in a bottle that simply said Omer. It was a Bockor Omer Traditional Blond which I had never seen before.  It is a Strong Belgian beer at 8% abv and was a shock to my beer senses.  It was full bodied with a high level of complexity and all the kids were drinking it down.  I hope to find this one again so I can enjoy it again, but I am having trouble.  All that said, while you can easily enjoy a Lone Star or 4 while at SXSW, if you are lucky you can find a beer oasis in the desert of big budget brewery beers.

Real Ale Firemans #4
Bockor Omer Traditional Blond
Strongbow Cider

Firemans #4, Strongbow, and Cloud Nothings....  Cheers!  Cloud Nothings were great BTW,














Are you staring at my Omer?