(Last Updated On: December 20, 2019)

So, you want a behind the scenes tour of an Austin brewery and you don’t want to hire Austin Brewery Tours® for your tour. What other options do you have for your own self-guided brewery tour? Are there any free Austin brewery tours? I understand that not everyone can afford or even wants to go on a guided brewery tour. With this in mind, which Austin breweries offer free brewery tours and when are they? You are lucky, you have come to the right place. Visiting Austin breweries each and every week, I have become familiar with which breweries offer weekly public facility tours. The breweries listed below offer brewery tours at preset times each week. Just show up to the brewery early so you can have a beer on the tour and wait for the announcement that the brewery tour is starting. Keep in mind these are not the only breweries that give tours. Most breweries will give you a tour if you ask as long as they are not brewing or packaging, and as long as they have staff on hand to give a tour. Below is a list of breweries that offer weekly free Austin brewery tours.

Free Austin Brewery Tours

Jester King

Hops and Grain

Adelbert’s

Independence

Blue Owl

512 Brewing

Twisted X

Jester King

Jester King is a scenic farmhouse brewery about 25 miles west of Austin. They focus on mixed culture and spontaneous fermentation. From Jester King: “Our beers incorporate well water, local grains, hops aged in our barn, local fruits and vegetables, foraged plants, and native yeast and bacteria so as to make beer uniquely tied to a time, place, and people. Our inspiration comes from the classic farmhouse breweries of Europe that embrace principles of subtlety, restraint, patience, full attenuation and interesting fermentation character.” Jester King conducts free Austin brewery tours every Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm. The tour lasts about 45 minutes. Recently, they expanded their on-site farm where they grow grapes, peaches, and even hops. The goal is to use these ingredients in their beers. Free tours of the farm are offered every Saturday at 2 pm.

Hops and Grain

Hops and Grain is an award-winning brewery in East Austin focused on sustainability and community building. One percent of their annual revenue is donated to local environmental non-profits. Hops and Grain features the locally famous Zoe lager and the seasonally available and award-winning, Alteration. They are experimenting a lot these days with all kinds of IPA styles. I believe they are making some of the best IPAs in Austin right now(Haze County). Most of these IPAs are only available in the tap room. Also, for fun and to prevent waste, Hops and Grain bakes Brew Biscuit dog treats out of spent grain. These are available in the tap room. Hops and Grain offers tours every Friday at 5 pm and Saturdays at 2 pm and 4 pm. tours are free and last about 45 minutes.

Adelbert’s

Adelbert’s is a Belgian brewery located in the North Austin brewery district. They focus on quality ingredients and the attention to detail required to make quality beer. From Adelbert’s: “We use Bohemian old-world floor malted barley, low alpha Noble Czech hops, and fresh yeast propagated at the brewery. In our seven vessel brewhouse, we use a time consuming, multi-temperature decoction mash technique which extracts a more complex flavor from our grains.” A fun thing about Adelbert’s is the brewery is a tribute to founder Scott Hovey’s brother, George Adelbert “Del” Hovey. Del was in the Peace Corps and traveled extensively. Their mainstay beers are named after stories he used to tell about his worldly adventures. Adelbert’s offers free Austin brewery tours every Saturday at 2:30 pm. Occasionally, they give tours on Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sun if staff is available.

Independence

Independence Brewing is Austin’s second oldest brewery, founded in 2004 by Rob and Amy Cartwright. South Austin all the way, Independence has a monthly Heavy Metal showcase sponsored by the Texas Metal Collective. Their outdoor stage is the centerpiece of their awesome parking lot parties, including First Saturdays where you can buy a $10 wristband, good for 3 pints. Food trucks are usually available on site every weekend but call first to be sure. Independence offers free brewery tours every Saturday afternoon. They don’t really have set times, but I’d say show up mid-afternoon any Saturday and ask the bartender when the brewery tour starts.

Blue Owl

Founded by Jeff Young and Suzy Schaffer, East Austin’s Blue Owl Brewing set out to make sour beers approachable to a wider audience. From Blue Owl: “…sourness in a beer should accentuate what’s already there instead of dominating your taste buds. Our aim is to produce clean, well-balanced beers that retain the characteristics of their style.” Blue Owl has a stylish tap room decor with a quaint patio. Check them out if you are curious about sour beers. Try Professor Black, a sour cherry stout. It’s sublime. Blue Owl while not offering free brewery tours, do offer an excellent brewery tour experience. For $20 you can get a “behind-the-tanks” brewery tour of the sour-mashed brewhouse. The tour includes a Blue Owl branded glass, four 12oz. pours, and a tasting sheet. Even though not technically free, I think their tour has good value. Blue Owl brewery tours run every Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm. Show up early to buy your ticket and grab a beer before the tour starts. While not a free brewery tour, you do get great value for your $20. Give them a try.

512 Brewing

Founded in 2008 when there were only 2 breweries in Austin, 512 Brewing quickly established itself with Austin’s go-to IPA, 512 IPA. 512 quickly followed up this hit beer with its Pecan Porter which has become famous nationwide. Join them for one of their open houses every Saturday from 12 pm to 4 pm. Again, this tour is not free, but I believe it has great value. For $12 you get 6 samples and a logo glass to keep. You can drop in and pay at the door, or buy tickets here. Some Saturdays food trucks are on-site. Facility tours happen around 1 pm each Saturday. Show up early to buy your ticket and get situated. Parking is tight.

Twisted X

Twisted X is located in scenic Dripping Springs, Texas just west of Austin. Their focus is on attention to detail and fine ingredients. Most of their beers are Texas-centric, light-bodied beers that mix well with the Texas heat. Twisted X offers free brewery tours Saturdays at 1 pm and 5 pm and Sundays at 1 pm and 3 pm. No reservations are needed. Some sort of food trailer can usually be found on-site.

Summary of Free Austin Brewery Tours

By now you can see there are many options for free Austin brewery tours on the North, South, East, and West side of Austin. Most tours occur on Saturdays and Sundays because these are the days that breweries are open to the public and not engaged in brewing. Don’t be afraid to ask any brewery in town for a tour. Most love to give tours and share their stories. As long as they are not busy in the brewhouse and have staff on hand, they will likely give you a tour. Get out of the house and visit your favorite brewery. Try a beer you have never seen or heard of before. Get a behind the scenes tour of the production facility. Ask lots of questions. Take pictures, but don’t touch anything. Tell them Austin Brewery Tours® sent you!