The German immigrants who settled the Texas Hill Country brought with them their culinary traditions and their love of beer. And that passion can still be found today by visiting the breweries in Fredericksburg TX.
While many countries in the world lay claim to a beer culture, the Germans perfected the art. Monks have been brewing beer in monasteries for centuries and the Germans standardized the modern beer recipe (codified in the German beer purity law of 1516), which is still used around the world.
While most visitors come to this region to sample the vintages at the various Fredericksburg wineries, beer is becoming an increasingly popular attraction. What was once a quiet part of the region’s heritage is now a focus for tourists and visitors.
If you are visiting Fredericksburg, Texas, enjoy the wineries. But don’t overlook the breweries!
Altstadt Brewery
Just east of Fredericksburg, the Altstadt Brewery has a sprawling 120-acre complex featuring their beautiful copper brew kettles and Old World-inspired architecture. Altstadt offers beer tours and tastings of their authentic German-style craft beers.
They feature a roster of German-style beers like lager, pils, dunkel, Kolsch, amber, and Hefeweizen. They occasionally have tap-room only beer selections that aren’t German.
Altstadt also has a delicious German restaurant that is one of the most popular in town and serves lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. When the weather is nice, their outdoor space is frequently used for concerts and live events.
If you’re staying in an Airbnb or vacation rental in the Hill Country, you can also pick-up cans to go and enjoy elsewhere.
Location: 6120 East, US-290. Website.
Fredericksburg Brewing Company
Located on historic Main Street in the heart of downtown Fredericksburg, this is the original Hill Country craft brewery. In fact, this is the oldest brewpub in Texas and opened in 1994 immediately after state laws were loosened to allow breweries.
The original brewery in Fredericksburg features beer tastings, a German restaurant, and an authentic German-style biergarten. All beers are German-style, including both ales and lagers. If you’re feeling conflicted, why not try a beer flight to sample a number of different brews?
The beers at the Fredericksburg Brewing Company are contemporary interpretations on classic German brews (often with funny or whimsical names).
Popular beer favorites include the Not So Dumb Blonde, the Harper Valley IPA and the classic Honey Kolsch.
If you like to stay in the heart of the action, you can also rent one of the “bed and brew” rooms above their brewery. Guests receive free pints with their room, and a location in the heart of the action.
Location: 245 E Main St. Website.
Lance Longwell is a travel writer and photographer who has published Travel Addicts since 2008, making it one of the oldest travel blogs. He is a life-long traveler, having visited all 50 of the United States by the time he graduated high school. Lance has continued his adventures by visiting 70 countries on 5 continents – all in search of the world’s perfect sausage. He’s a passionate foodie and enjoys hot springs and cultural oddities. When he’s not traveling (or writing about travel), you’ll find him photographing his hometown of Philadelphia.