Circle Brewing Company

Very cool brewery with great beer, good atmosphere, incredible parking, and beer masters ready to answer technical questions. Highly recommended.

5 stars for having a beer named Fanny Pack.
Other than that, this place was just okay in my opinion, beer included. Although, their Amber Ale on nitro was delicious.
The venue is pretty small. Bare bones here. You order at the bar and you either sit at the bar, sit at the maybe 3 tables they have available, or stand. Most people seemed to be standing here. They also only take cards, which I thought was kind of odd.
The thing with this place though is that it was HOT AS HELL. And with their open space, they really did not do anything to try to keep the place cool. The beer helped with the cool down, but it became unbearable to the point where we couldn’t stay much longer.
Neat thing is that they do Happy Hour all day, so can’t beat the prices for pints here.

Not bad but could use improvements.
Came here after visiting another Austin brewery. The location is a little like a garage hangout and the keyword is minimal.
You order the beer towards the back and they only take cards, no cash. We opted for 2 flights with 2 of their seasonals. The beer is good and drinkable but we just couldn’t find a favorite. I’m also not sure if it’s the glassware or what but some of the beers had a distinct not beer like aftertaste to it.
The inside doesn’t have very much seating and they also don’t have very good circulation. It got very hot very fast inside.

very good beer, but this place is more about production vs a place to have a beer. no growlers (TX law) and since i visited on a 105 degree day, it was hot as balls at the bar. a wooden bar and a few outdoor lights strung over the area. people are wonderful, but i’ll wait until it cools off to return. for now i’ll get their beer at whole foods.

I wish Circle the best of luck. They are making decent local brews. And apparently they are taking Reinheitsgebot very seriously here in the US. That’s admirable.
Michael Jackson remarked on such a stylistic conservatism once when I saw him speak in my home town of Philadelphia, PA. He stated very clearly why Dogfish Head is one of the US’s greatest craft breweries. They are making waves and coming up with some of the most horrific and some of the most incredible brews known to mankind. Paraphrased, of course, because his Parkinson’s was so far along at the time. RIP Beer Hunter and malt advocate extraordinaire.
But then even with this in mind I was unable to find a distinctive characteristic in the beers I sampled. Drinkable? Absolutely.
Yes, you make good beer. But isn’t the beer you want to make something that makes one think «Man, I haven’t had a Circle „insert name“ in a month and my face is melting like the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark due to this fact!»
That said, my first visit last Saturday was a mostly a disappointment. It was easily 100 °F outside and inside it was easily 95 °F. One floor fan was in place to help patrons endure the heat in what is already a very limited standing/​seated tasting room. Lesson learned. Texas is hot and the breweries have no A/​C. I’ll revisit when it’s cooler.
The one bartender was surprisingly unable to comment on the beers she sold. She was also out of flight planks with only a thirty person turnout. Again, I’ll chalk it up to the Summer weather and give it another go in the Winter.
And finally, and this just boggles my mind completely, they do not accept cash money at all. Sure, most people carry CC’s and DC’s. But if you’re doing something this radical give some heads up on your website to prepare your customer before the visit.

Circle Brewery is up north tucked away in a warehouse. You’re driving around looking for… something? anything? And then you’ll see it. People hangin’ outside, couple of picnic benches, frosty beers in hand.
That particular day was kind of bizarre — hot but rainy but breezy. An odd kind of spot — and that made the inside of the brewery hot as hell. It was either stand inside and sweat or hang outside and get wet.
We had a good time at this spot but it is definitely a no frills kind of experience. They’ve made do with the spot — strung some lights up and added a little chalkboard DIY. There’s some opportunity here but if these guys are making some good beer then that’s all secondary.

As a local brewing company (in Austin, TX-​with lots of competition) I had high hopes for this place, but it didn’t do much for me. The environment was pretty bland as well as the beer. The bartender was really friendly, but that alone won’t bring me back. The quality of beer and the environment in which I’m drinking my beer does it for me. I give them three stars because it’s not BAD beer, it’s just not the best.

This is a very unique place with nice brews. The Lady serving everyone was nice and the beers were really nice. The whole operation is in a ware house and it is cool to drink the brew watching the tanks… Only problem is that it gets cold in the winter and there is no heat.

Decent beer, small standing room for drinking.
I appreciated the «open garage/​inside the brewery» location but I’ve seen it done much better else where. The beer is alright, there is better but the lack of anything else to drink was a show stopper. I was designated drunk and the wife played designated driver so she didn’t have anything to do or eat or drink.
We’ll go back in a few months and see if it’s the same. In fairness a single event will not dictate my overall impression.

Went to the brewery with some friends last night. We were expecting to pay $ 10 for a glass and 3 free beers like 95% of breweries do in Austin. I went to the bar and there was no real area for people who didn’t have a seat at the bar to get a beer so I finally flagged down the bartender after about 5 min of standing there and asked how their system worked. She said it’s $ 4 for any pint of beer. So I went with the hefe beer, Blur. I then asked if we got to keep the glass and she said no. (I could get a 6pk of their beer at Specs for $ 7) so I find it silly you don’t get to keep a glass/​have a better system in place. The beer itself was ok nothing exciting about the hefe. Anyway my friends and I decided after 1 beer that we would go back to our old faithful brewery Austin Beerworks. I love to stand behind my local breweries but it’s hard to when you have a super underwhelming experience.

Solid! If you want a tour, ask someone. Last I checked they are a crew of 5 that run the brewery so they don’t do the normal ‘tours at designated times’. However, you are guaranteed someone knowledgeable and have a 20% chance of nabbing the head brewer/​founder. I am personally a fan of their Envy, which is now being bottled along with their Blur, but definitely drop by to taste all their other offerings that aren’t bottled. Every time I’ve been, there’s been a food truck available and lots of volunteers pouring.

We stopped by on a Friday to visit the newly opened taproom. The beer was delicious, although $ 4 a pint, and plentiful. I got to try a couple of beers for the first time, although I was a little sad the smoked beer was nowhere to be found. The taproom was a little plain, although it just recently opened so I completely understand. The bartender, as well as the other patrons were very amiable and obviously enjoyed being there (of course drinking beer helps)
For my review, I had to take 1 star off due to the fact that there was no tour, either self-​guided or with a guide. We like to see the brewery, and how the beer is made. Oh well– I’ll make sure I return for an event sometime in the future.

I was here for the anniversary party because my husband loves beer. I thought it was strange that they were charging fifteen bucks to get in, even if you weren’t drinking. Seems a bit steep if you are acting as the DD. Anyway, once you pay you get three chips to trade for beers and they had several on tap and different cask beers being served at various times during the day. Staff was friendly, there was a live band playing and everyone seemed to be having a good time. There was a food truck outside that had a slow moving line which progressively got bigger as the event got more and more crowded. Parking was tricky as the spots around the warehouses filled up fast. People brought chairs to sit around the brewing area and most people just stood around. Lines for the beer moved quickly. I only had some sips of their beers and they were alright. The jalapeño one was definitely spicy and unique. I had a good time at the event overall.

We came for the 3^rd anniversary party and it was my first time to the brewery. It wasn’t cheap at $ 15 for entry, especially considering even if you weren’t drinking you still had to pay. Aside from that, the lines moved pretty quickly and we only waited a couple minutes for a pour and we got to try most everything they had. Not my favorite brewery in town, but they still make pretty decent stuff. The Epic Hop Bock was pretty good, and probably one of my favorite beers they’ve put out.
There was music during the event as well and we only stayed for the 1^st band as they played for a couple hours, and they were enough to keep it lively, especially with the Pixies cover they played.
They also had self guided tours available which we checked out for a bit before deciding to just go back for more beer instead. Employees here were friendly, and it was a good time all around. They’re only open quarterly per year so far, but are thinking about a weekly happy hour, their site says, so check back and check them out!

The stand out here is the Circle Blur Hefeweizen: a «blurry» golden color with a thin head, creamy texture, and tastes of wheat and banana with hints of orange zest and cloves. This one’s a winner.

Yesterday was Circle Brewing’s First Anniversary Party. Circle is not open to the public, nor does it have an attached brew pub, so the special events they have offer a great opportunity to explore their brewing facility and try out their many tasty brews.
We went, in a group, to the event not sure of what to expected. The event had been billed as being indoor/​outdoor with food trailers, but the day was nasty and wet with seemingly never ending rain. Yet, the folks at Circle pulled it off!
The place was packed and everyone, except those standing in line at the food trailers or the port-​a-​potties, had moved inside the brewery. Pack like happy sardines inside, no one seemed to mind if you were jostled a bit, or your beer was sloshed, they were all just happy to be there.
Some people came prepared with lawn chairs and had set themselves up in friendly lawn chair circles with their friends. Hey, I just got that… the people formed circles at the Circle.
The brewery had set up two bars, that I counted, where the beer flowed fast and loose. And, I mean loose. These guys are generous with the pour! When you arrived, and after showing ID, you were given three tickets for beers. Then, you paid the people at the glass table $ 10 for a glass and were sent in the direction of one of the bars. As you got a beer, you were supposed to give one of your tickets, but the Circle folks kept on pouring even after the tickets were gone.
I’ll be honest and say that I only tried the Blonde because I was the DD for our SUV full of people, but everyone else got to try at least 4 different beers. And, I did get a sip of the Amber and the Hefe from other people’s cups and those little sips were good. It’s hard to judge a beer on a sip, but, well, from that sip, I thought that I would have enjoyed them had I ordered them,
The event also featured two food trailers, but we never got a chance to try them as we didn’t want to stand and wait for the food in the rain. But, I can say, we’ll be back for the next Circle event, and hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can check out their food offerings.

Yep, that was me last Saturday in the Circle Brewing parking lot looking for a scrap of shade from one of their two trees. Walked by the first tree and on to the second then quickly realized tree #2 was next to the port o pots so it was back to the first tree! After we set up camp we purchased our pint glasses and were off to taste some beer.
I sampled a beer or two before I tasted their Hefeweizen and feel in love. Well ok, maybe not love but it was good, very good.
The place was pretty busy and they offered tours for those really wanting to know how they make their beer.
Thanks Chris B. for posting this event, we had a great time and in the process found out about a great local brewery with tasty beer!

My God, I’d never seen so many good-​looking guys, nor so many good-​tasting beers in one place at one time as I did on Saturday afternoon at Circle Brew’s open house. I even convinced a couple of decent-​looking male tweeps to head up from the South Pole (aka South Austin). Hey, if you southies are gonna make fun of North Austin, I’m gonna give you a taste of your own medicine.
Deciding factors in my going to Circle Brew’s open house:
(1) It ain’t far from my domicile.
(2) I’d tried Circle’s Envy amber beer previously, and liked it.
(3) Peached Tortilla was gonna be there.
I’ve gotta interject an update about Peached Tortilla here. See, I tried their banh mi slider last Wednesday, and it was love at first bite. Had another one at Circle, and I foodgasmed all over the place. I gathered a lot of attention, as my manners went completely out the window. Forget the napkins, just let me stuff my face; I’ll clean up later. I updated my Peached Tort review, but not with an actual update. Do me a favor and check it out.
Back to Circle…
I was first in line, and I was thankful for that, as seemingly thousands of thirsty locals exited their cars simultaneously at the very last minute. Glad I have good timing.
So I grabbed my $ 10 Circle pint glass, out of which I’m drinking right now (cherry Coke, not beer), and three drink tickets. Started out with an Envy, naturally, and I could see just how envious other peeps were that I’d gotten the first taste.
The inside beer line seemed long at all times, but it moved swiftly, like an old-​school Ford factory assembly line because Circle had droves of bartenders. I next had a Blur, which amazingly wasn’t one later. I enjoys me a good hefeweizen. I suppose the Blur was a bit of a blur, though, as I can’t recall which beer Circle was introducing that day. I only know it wasn’t Envy, though that one is certainly the envy of the other beers, as it’s carried on tap at more bars than the others are. Oh yeah, wait… Epic is the one they introduced. Epic… the only one I didn’t try. Go figger.
Amy D kept talking up her Nightlight, the Irish stout, so that’s where I ventured next. Is Ireland really this delicious?! I figured it’d be sloppier, what with all the drinking they do over there. I always fear a beer with too many hops; hoppy beer makes me jumpy. Fortunately, the Nightlight had a nice balance, and a very crisp, interesting taste. Holy crap, I wasn’t in Ireland; I was in Heaven!
The place was small and packed, much like a sardine tin, and it eventually smelled as such with the lack of air conditioning and abundance of body heat, but it wasn’t hard to get around. The tour was short, simple, and self-​guided, so don’t go there expecting anything as grand as most winery tours. You probably couldn’t get a tour on any old day, anyway, because I don’t much think they’re open to the public outside of these special events.
Delicious beer, delicious food, delicious eye candy… so I had an exalt-​y malt-​y time, a beach-​y peach-​y time, and a candy dandy time. It’s damn near impossible to NOT like their beer, and you shan’t have an issue finding it at all your favorite watering holes.
++ You can be the *Envy* of all your friends and have an *Epic* time, even if the night ends up being a *Blur*. ++
(Where’s my check for the advertising, Circle??)

I went to the Epic release this weekend thanks to Chris B, who posted the event on Unilocal!
First off, Circle Brewing knows how to conduct a beer event. Despite the large turnout, you didn’t have to wait in lines long at all. They charged $ 10 for a pint glass sporting their brand/​logo, or you could take a free 4 oz cup that they fill up to 3 times. The moving target, aka The Peached Tortilla, was on site serving their tasty tacos and sliders.
I am not a huge beer drinker, but do like a good dark beer now and then. Lucky for me, two of the three beers I had were dark. I tried the Blur, Envy and Nightlight. Blur is a German style wheat beer, light with a citrus flavor. The Blur is an an easy beer to drink in the summer heat. Envy is an amber with a strong malt taste that lingers well after you take a sip. And Nightlight is an Irish stout, very dark with chocolate/​coffee flavors. Nightlight was easily my favorite followed by the Envy.
They must be producing a lot of beer as their brews are being poured at over 30 restaurants and bars around town.

I went to Circle’s open house/​beer tasting event awhile ago and it was awesome. This is a very small operation going on right near my house! The Brewery consisted of a bar, a small room for crushing grains, and a couple of large vats for fermentation etc. The rest is just open space. I guess they have planned for potential expansion, which is great because I would love to see them grow and get a wider variety of beers brewing.
I am not sure how often they plan to do events like the one I went to, but be on the lookout for it because it was a awesome deal. they roped off the parking lot and sold people Circle pint glasses for $ 10. With that glass you get three free pints. So you get your glass filled, wander around the warehouse, or perhaps sit outside, and drink great brew. There were lots of people with kids and dogs hanging out and drinking. It was just a great day chilling in the sun drinking brews.
The beer itself was pretty good. They had an Amber (Envy), Hefeweizen (Blur), and a Stout (Nightlight). I tried the Amber and the Stout and both were quality brews that I would definitely drink again. It’s cool that they actually follow the German Purity Laws when it comes to brewing. That means they only use Water, Malt, Hops, and Yeast when making their beer. No additives at all… I can dig on that. Just a good old original beer without adding any fruit or sugar or any other garbage to it. Yum!
I am really glad to see another Microbrewery open up in Austin. Seeing the beer community grow here is something that I have been hoping for ever since I moved here. Hopefully Circle keeps growing and we see actual bottled product in the store before too long. For now I believe that you can only get their stuff in select bars on tap at select bars in town. The Highball, Lovejoy’s, Dog and Duck, Draught House, Opal’s. Whip-​In, Red’s Porch, Black Star Co-​Op, Gingerman, Scholz Garten, and Barley Swine are some places that carry Circle right now.
This review has gotten long, so it’s time to end it. If you see Circle Beer, give it a try… also, keep an eye out for events at the brewery itself, it was a blast.
Pros: Local Beer!!!, Great Fun Event, Nice People Running the Joint, Solid Tasting Beer
Cons: Need More Varieties of Brews, Only on Tap in Select Locations (It Would be Nice if They Started Bottling at Some Point)
Other: Have More Events Please!