Weekend Family Day-trip: Jester King Brewery - Pizza and Beer in the Hill Country
When the weather is nice, there are few better places to be in the Austin area on a weekend afternoon than Jester King Brewery. Located on a beautiful Hill Country ranch at the edge of Austin city limits towards Dripping Springs, the brewery is housed in a stone and metal building perched on a hill overlooking the Texas landscape dotted with shade covered picnic tables, a large barn, and acres of open land.
The brewery produces farmhouse style beers that take cues and ingredients from the surrounding land, both on the ranch (wild growing vegetation) and in central Texas (local fruit). Jester King has their world class beer available for drinking on site and for taking a few bottles home with you. They also sell beer, wine and cider from their favorite breweries. Multiple tours of the brewery are offered each day. Live music is usually a bluegrass or jug band on the back porch.
This make an ideal family day trip as there is plenty of room for the kids to run around and get tired out. A big grassy area for throwing the football or frisbee. Large sand piles for digging or playing king of the mountain. Cornhole for throwing the beanbags.
The large rustic barn sharing Ceres Park Ranch with Jester King houses Stanley's Farmhouse pizza. Stanley's is locally owned and only open when Jester King's tasting room is open (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Fantastic thin crust pies are cooked in a wood fired pizza oven. They use all local ingredients and have some killer toppings. I recommend the Dexter with pepperoni, Italian sausage, caramelized onions and calabrian chilies. Stanley's also has local craft beer on tap if you want less adventurous beers, such as IPAs, Porters, pale ales, etc....They make a killer fresh lemonade which is a hit with the kids.
The ranch can get busy on beautiful Saturdays and Sundays, which can lead to long beer and pizza lines. If that happens, it is best to take turns in the lines. You are also welcome to pack a picnic and bring your own food to enjoy at the tables near the brewery. The outdoor beer tent at Jester King is almost always the shortest and often sells chilled full bottles of Jester King beers, which is a great way to keep from having to get in line over and over.
If you decide to leave the kids at home and have a designated driver, you can make a day of visiting several other breweries and distilleries within 2 miles of Jester King. These include Treaty Oak distillery and brewery, Revolution Spirits, and Last Stand Brewery.
Looking towards the future, Jester King recently purchased 58 acres of land around the brewery to prevent suburban development. Plans call for farming, orchards, a vineyard, beekeeping, and a restaurant.
Jester King Brewery and Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza
13187 Fitzhugh Rd, Austin, TX 78736
Tasting Room and Pizza hours:
Friday 4-10 pm
Saturday 12-10 pm
Sunday 12-7 pm
