After an ahead-of-the-curve microbrewery boom in the early 1990s, Austin was actually a little behind in the modern taproom trend, but not anymore. Primo local brewer Austin Beerworks opened a huge and sleek new North Austin facility near the Arboretum in 2017. A cool addition to downtown, Central District Brewery serves smaller-batch beer in a colorful hall near the convention center.

Less new but most Austin-y of them all, the more hippie-ish Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co., or ABGB, in South Austin has grown into a haven for both beer lovers and music­heads with ample German-style brews and rootsy and/or artsy local bands (1305 W. Oltorf St., theabgb.com).