Hopsquad Brewing Co. | Austin, TX
Beer Trip: Hopsquad Brewing Co. in Austin, Texas
The Austin metro is an area that we visit often for work, but seldom do we have the free time to make a pit stop at a brewery during our travels here. During a recent venture down south we spent an afternoon at Hopsquad Brewing Co., and we’re so glad we did. This Latino-owned brewery was the perfect place to sit down and enjoy a flight with a book on a hot summer afternoon.
Enormous, plant-filled space with gorgeous natural light and ample seating!
The Brewery
Large mural on the exterior
Hopsquad sits right off of a fairly busy intersection and doesn’t offer much when it comes to parking. Instead of saving spots for cars, they’ve designated almost their entire parking lot to food trucks and some colorful picnic tables - and we don’t blame them! This outdoor space is one of the biggest and coolest we’ve ever seen, though it was much too hot (a whopping 106 degrees!) for us to enjoy during our time there. This, the colorful mural on the exterior wall, and the six large garage doors make this brewery impossible to miss as you approach it from the road.
Two of the six large garage doors
The colored picnic tables can’t help but make you smile
Plenty of board game options available
The interior of Hopsquad is just as cool as its exterior. Featuring bright chairs and bar stools, lots of live plants, and great views of the fermentation tanks, there are plenty of things to keep your eyes entertained. The brewery is huge - many of their tables seat 8 - 10 people (or more!). The larger tables would make this a great stop for big groups to get together. Because of the huge space inside and out, you could easily fit hundreds of people here. During our visit, there were only around ~20 patrons and we had no issues finding a seat. If sitting around isn’t your thing, Hopsquad had plenty of board games available, as well as a full-sized foosball table. You can also bring your best furry friend here - Hopsquad isn’t just dog-friendly, but they actually pride themselves in having a “Pupsquad” and seem to really invite the pooches in.
Great views of the brewing equipment
Really neat bar serves as the focal point for the interior
The Beer
Hopsquad had 10 beers on tap during our visit and, from the sound of things, they all appear to rotate frequently. This included three pilsners, three IPAs, a blonde, a wheat, a fruit beer, and a Mexican lager. Because of all of the choices available, we opted for a flight that included four tasters. The flight boards themselves were some of the cooler ones we’ve seen, featuring not only their logo but also a hop on the wood inside of each spot where a beer sits.
Wooden flight board + their sticker!
Options available during our visit
The beer here was incredibly unique, which is something that always entices us! We decided to try the A Blonde Cosimo Coffee Blonde, Pepito’s Pepino Cucumber Basil wheat, Matador Watermelon Mint, and the Architetto Ruffini Italian Pilsner (which was personally recommended by the bartender). Both the Pepino and Matador had full flavor and tasted exactly as described; however, didn’t taste as much like a beer as one would anticipate. The Blonde Cosimo was incredibly rich for a coffee blonde and heavier than expected, but our favorite of the trip by far.
More fun murals around every corner
Food, Merch, & More
Hopsquad has multiple food trucks on site on their enormous lot, including their very own Doughsquad which is there permanently and features homemade pizza. We didn’t stick around to try the food this time, but it looked like many other patrons were enjoying snacks from one of the trucks. If you’re not into beer, they offered hard seltzer, some cocktails, and even some alcoholic slushies.
Two food truck options
More views of the colorful outdoor space
Very diverse merchandise area!
This place had a ton of merchandise available, both for humans and for pups. Sweatshirts, hoodies, dog bandanas, dog toys, jerseys, beanies, koozies, scarves… you name it, they had it. They also had plenty of to-go beer but, unfortunately, we weren’t checking a bag this time and had to leave it behind. We were able to snag a couple of (free!) stickers to add to our collection.
If you find yourself in the Austin area, make sure to join the ‘squad’ and try out Hopsquad during your time - you won’t regret checking out this neat venue with unique beer.
Cheers!
