Located in the middle of the destination-rich Texas Hill Country wine trail, you will find a new and worthy addition to the much lauded neighborhood: Vista Brewing.

Established in April 2018, Vista has quickly become a popular destination brewery. After the success of last October’s inaugural Outside the City Limits Festival, Vista is launching Destination Brew Fest on June 8th.

This event will serve as the kick-off for the Texas Brewshed Alliance, which helps protect the natural watersheds, thus ensuring a great quality of beer. The Driftwood festival will allow beer lovers to taste beer from local breweries and learn more about the beers from the people who make them.

One of the featured breweries is Austin’s oldest local brewery, Independence Brewing Company. Back in 2004, founders Rob and Amy Cartwright had this simple premise: “… to brew beer, our own beer, and we had to share it with Texas.” To celebrate their brewery’s upcoming 15th anniversary, the pair recently announced a brand refresh. Two of the more popular beers, Power and Light and Austin Amber, will see their recipes refined. Along with the rebrand, Independence Brewery has partnered with KUTX for the Taylor’d Frequency events, which are held on the second Saturday of every month.

Independence Brewery will not be the only brewery on hand for Destination Brew Fest. Many local favorites will be on site, such as Real Ale, Texas Beer Co., and Family Business Co. which is owned by Jensen and Danneel Ackles from CW’s hit show “Supernatural.” There will also be Belgian beers from Austin’s Mort Subite, which is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the nation’s best Belgian beer bars. Also stop by and see the YETI Base Camp to stay hydrated, and see products which have yet to be released. Or simply relax in one of the many hammocks in the Kammok Hammock grove.

Should you want to enhance your experience during Destination Brew Fest, you can opt for the VIP experience, giving you early entry into Vista Brewing at 1pm, an hour before the festival starts. There will also be a discussion panel and tasting, moderated by the craft beer experts from Austin’s original “Texas Only” craft beer bar, Craft Pride. There will also be some extra goodies, including one of those YETI tumblers in high demand.

The festival may end at 6pm, but be sure to stick around and enjoy the fresh farm-to-table good eats that Vista Brewing has to offer while enjoying the live music that kicks off at 5pm. Bring your own growler, or grab a can of one of the many tapped beers, so you can enjoy it later. Be sure to try the Lady Bird, the product of a partnership between Vista brewers and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The Lady Bird may be described as a French farmhouse Bière de Garde with a little Hill Country flair.

So whether a beer connoisseur or just a person who enjoys trying good beer and discovering hidden gems in the Hill Country, then Destination Beer Fest should fit quite nicely onto your weekend itinerary.

Cover photo courtesy Brian Maass
Native Austinite Brian Maass has long had a passion for craft beer and good food, and is now bringing that same passion to the world of photography. @maass_brian and brian_maass_photographer