Who doesn't like a nice cold beer on a hot Texas day? If you don't like beer, then try one of their cocktails. Everyone in your group will be happy. The best thing about this brewery is that it is so close to San Antonio that you can go for the day and try all their beers and their new spirits. The brewery has a tasting room and offers a tour. I would definitely go for the tour. They offer them at 1 and 3 PM. They also offer gin and whiskey tastings. The distillery is fairly new. The atmosphere of the place is very laid-back. You can enjoy your beer or cocktail inside of their tasting room or outside in their covered patio. You can see the operation of the plant from the tasting room. They have beers for every taste. We fell in love with Gose. From what I understand, this is a seasonal beer. Parking is abundant and staff is super nice. They are under construction for expansion, but don't let that deter you. Cheers! read more

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I just had their new Highlander Scotch Ale. This is a great beer if you love Barrel Aged. Slainte

Oktoberfest 2015 at Real Ale was a blast. They had great music from a really good band, the Polkasonics. The food, by Best Wurst, was very popular and really good, especially the smoked jalapeño, very tasty with their curry ketchup. The folks at real ale really know how to throw a party. They were so friendly and really made you feel welcomed to their place. The drafts were great, even though they only featured four varieties for the fest, these four were a good example of the range of what real ale produces. There was a great turnout and folks were having a good time. The water station serving cold water from the kegs was a cool touch. Hope they do it again next year. Prost! read more

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We visited on our way back to San Antonio and loved everything about the beers! We had the gose, a sour, porter, moonwalk and axis IPA. So good! And all for under $30. The staff could be more pleasant... Free arcade games to bring out your inner kid! Great outdoor area - fits everyone! read more

Nice people, great facility. The only down side is they don't offer a flight. It would be nice to taste their beers without having to buy full pours. read more

The 15th anniversary party out here rocked. I got to tour the brewery grounds, which are amazing. This place is really growing! I got to meet the head brewer, and talk shop with the guy. He really knows his stuff, and is really avid about his brewing! The beer, of course, is all delicious! Their Fireman's #4 seems to be the big seller. But they offered all kinds of beers that you can't buy in the store, including wood cask fermented beers! Incredible! read more

We went to Real Ale on Saturday afternoon when we were in town to go camping. We happened to get there just a few minutes before one of their tours was starting, and quickly hopped on after chugging down our flight. The tour is interesting, but was a bit drawn out in our opinion (we liked the one that we did at Shiner a couple years ago better). The guide was a woman (yay for women working in the beer industry!) and she was very sweet and accommodating. The tap room is kind of smallish, but it has a nice intimate feel to it. Major props for having board games available for your patrons! We've always loved Real Ale beers and enjoyed almost all of the different brews we had on our two flights. Our favorite, if we're remembering correctly, was the gose. Service from the bar was efficient but not memorably friendly. We didn't love that they had a massive television in there, but we guess it's a draw for Texas football lovers. There's a food truck outside that looked good, but we just opted for some pretzels to hold us over. Our toddler was pretty well-behaved the couple hours that we were there, which always makes the whole experience more pleasant. Overall, definitely a must (in addition to the Buggy Barn Museum across the street!!) if you're in Blanco. read more

Absolutely agree with Linda W's review. Loved the Cafe de Ollo and FruitBox. Food truck served lovely fried catfish. I did not care for the indifferent...cranky....service of one of the female servers. A lot of 'youngsters' fail to realize retired folks have time and money, but will not tolerate rude service. read more

Worth the drive from Austin, it's not that far. Nice location for a massive brewery. Started small and now large. Tasting room is still intimate and all the beers are good. That should be nuff said but, The folks staffing the joint are friendly and knowledgable. They will guide you and give some substantial tastes. It is dog friendly, dogs on patio during weekends and allowed in the tasting room during the week. Can't wait to come back for fresh great beer! 20 year anniversary now, they are the real deal TX brewery, check them out! read more

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I recently went on a tour to Real Ale Brewery during San Antonio Beer Week and I was very impressed by the brewery. The staff was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful and the beer of course was amazing. It was hot on the day that I went but their outside sitting area had plenty of shade and it was a nice place to just hang out and drink a beer. I love Real Ale and I was glad that I got a chance to try more flavors while at the brewery. read more

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Nice place. Lots of space. Great beer. Good service. Came with dad, who doesn't like breweries. He enjoyed it too so that was awesome

Didn't make it out for their 19th Anniversary Party last weekend, so we headed to Blanco today - no tours today but the taproom was open. It's been a couple of years since I've been at the brewery. The taproom overlooks the main part of the brewery, so I was able to see how much they've grown in these last 2 years. The do beer right and it's definitely paying off for them. Several special offerings in the taproom today, including the 19th anniversary Baltic porter and Highlander (barrel-aged Wee Heavy). After a flight of tasters, I ended up with the Sisyphus - by far my favorite barleywine. It's a drive to get out to Real Ale but definitely worth it. read more

Real Ale Brewing - The bathrooms in Real Ale's taproom are amazing. - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

The signature whisky is amazing. A very relaxing way to spend a Saturday. Zac knows his whisky and made the visit awesome. We will be returning soon! read more

Came here during their 20th Anniversary Party. It was a lot of fun. There was tons of popular food trucks from Austin and specialty beers along with their usual beers that they serve. My dog was able to join in on the festivities and she had a blast even though there was rain at the beginning of the event. I definitely look forward to coming here during regular hours and other events to see what it's like! read more

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My wife's company had a private function at Real Ale where we had the Taproom to ourselves for 2 hours. The place is fun to visit and the beers are great. They also provided us a quick tour which was really nice since they were actually in the middle of production and canning. The area around Real Ale is also beautiful. read more

Real Ale Brewing - Taproom - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

I just want to give a huge shout-out to Real Ale and all the folks that came out to LaGrange for the MS150. I was a sherpa for one of the riding teams and worked up a bit of thirst. Thankfully, Real Ale was handing out beer. EVEN BETTER - they had Wallball. I had never had it before and it was an instant favorite. I've picked up a 6 pack when I got back into town. UNFORTUNATELY - I found out it is seasonal. Boooooooo!!!! If you get the chance give Wallball a try. If you want to support a local company that supports the community - Give Real Ale a try! read more

Just moved to the Hill Country and had to come check this place out! The beer was excellent! The beer garden is awesome and we had fun with our dog because there is so much space! Can't wait to spend more time here! read more

Real Ale never disappoints me... After a sweltering summer in Central Texas all summer we were more than ready to venture into the Hill Country for an October weekend. This was our first stop before heading west to Fredericksburg and Enchanted Rock last weekend. Real Ale opens its "tasting room" from 2-5pm on Fridays. They had several beers to sample including regulars like the Brown, Rye and Lost Gold and a few specials like the Mystery Series and a cask conditioned Fireman's 4 that was slightly more hoppy and outstanding. I am typically not a big fan of 4, but this one changed my mind. The place was busy and the staff was attentive and friendly. I was thrilled to see the major expansion going on out the rear of this wonderful brewery. The tasting room is nothing fancy, but we went outside and sat outside in the shade at a few scattered picnic tables. We pitched our first washers with some of the staff, who were kind enough to teach us and not whomp us within the first seconds of our maiden voyage ;) Besides brewing great beer, they also throw one of the best anniversary parties each June. We did not get to go this year due to our own anniversary, but believe me, we intend to spend many future helping them celebrate another successful brewing year. read more

Real Ale is my husband and my favorite beer to buy in the store. We always have Axis or the mix pack in our fridge. We had been wanting to go to the brewery for quite some time, but knew it would be at least an hours drive out there. Plans fell through for Labor Day weekend, so we decided to make a day of it on that Sunday. On the way out there, we realized that it was the first day that Texas was implementing grab and go from breweries. It was packed to say the least. The actual location is kind of hidden off the road. There is a lot of gravel parking available. Since it was such a big day for breweries they made a big event out of it. There was a band outside and a local food truck. Again, with the festivities, there were a lot of things not available that day. We were unable to do a tour, those are only on weekdays. They were not doing flights. We were at the brewery about an hour and a half. We drove over an hour to get there and another hour home. Most of the time spent was waiting in line to get served. The prices were kind of steep and we were given less than a pint for more than pint pricing on many of the beers. To say we were disappointed was an understatement. I guess we might have had high hopes, but we have been to a ton of breweries and this was a huge let down. Just do yourself a favor and get the beers from the store. read more

Although the place appears to be cool from the road, The employees absolutely act as if they're doing you a favor for them being there. The people serving the beer are absolutely unfriendly and by the way the place is crazy about masks, even though everything is outside and the venue is outside they are extremely pushy about the whole mask situation even though it's not required anymore. So be prepared to wear a mask outside in the sun everywhere you go except for at your table, LOL, makes no sense whatsoever! read more

It was pure luck that I visited Real Ale for their Oktoberfest celebration. As I followed directions to the parking area, I was amazed how many people were there! That's when I saw that it was Oktoberfest. Real Ale is an awesome place to visit. Lots of open space, and you're welcome to bring your own chairs and sit in the shade. Or you can visit the taproom and watch some football! Their beer is great, and service was outstanding. A must-visit if you are anywhere close! read more

We LOVE Real Ale! But the brewery itself is horrible. We have been here a few times and the last two visits we had it's been horrible customer service. We went today and the lady with the strip shorts is so rude and very unfriendly. We were there to celebrate a birthday but her shity attitude just ruined it for us to come back. So disappointed and we will not be going back. read more

My husband and I embarked on our own "north of San Antonio" brewery tour a couple of weekends ago, and Real Ale was our first stop. We were super impressed with the set up. Tons of space and plenty of bar staff to help patrons get served quickly. We didn't take the free tour, but we enjoyed a couple of flights at the bar for a bit. It was a Saturday around 1:00, and we arrived right after one of the beer tours out of Austin or SA, so it was pretty busy. We still were served right away, and had no problem finding a seat. We enjoyed all of the beers that we tried, and it was incredibly reasonably priced! I think we paid a whopping $11 for our two flights of four beers each. They even had specialty brews on tap, and they allowed one pour in each flight if you wanted...which is quite a deal. Out of the three breweries we stopped at, this was our favorite. If you're in the area, I'd definitely recommend checking them out! Oh yeah, and they allow puppers inside! read more

Definitely one of the best breweries I've ever visited! The food truck was average, but the beer and friendly atmosphere more than make up for it. The beer is quite impressive, especially their recently featured porter and brown ale. I also really like their Devil's Backbone. Real Ale has a sizable operation that also includes whiskey and other spirits -- which I was not aware of before visiting. I will definitely visit this one again, and next time will be a tour. Pet-friendly too! read more

Was at a local bar one night a few weeks ago and they were doing a promotion for the Real Ale Coffee Porter. After falling in love with it we took a drive out to the brewery to see what else they had. Nice selection of beer and super friendly staff who helped with our choices. We choice some beer flights and ended up getting a few six packs to the home. Lots of variety and plenty of indoor and outdoor space. Dog friendly! read more

Website said they closed at 6pm drove all the way up from San Antonio, I got here at 4:58. I Was told they were closing early for a private event, no signs posting they were closing early, nothing on the website. Very unprofessional and irresponsible for a business. read more

Beer is awesome and the staff is super friendly and helpful. Plenty of beer on tap and some you can only get here. They do not have food but you can bring it in if you want. Plenty of seating inside as well as outside. Definitely a must go place for beer drinkers around San Antonio( about a 40 min drive from San Antonio up hey 281) read more

Great place!! Very friendly staff. Nice selection of beers. And clean and fun atmosphere! You can watch the production on wed and thurs from 12-6:00. Beer to go!! The signage to find this place is slim to none but once you do find it, it's worth the trip!! We enjoyed playing some board games while sipping a brew!! read more

Once a week, on Fridays, the Real Ale Brewing Company opens their doors (and their tap room!) to the public. I've been twice now, both times with visitors from out of town. The tap room is itty bitty, so it gets crowded pretty quickly... but that doesn't keep one from getting unlimited samples of some tasty, tasty beers. Each week, they have an "experimental" keg, as well... last time it had ghost chilis in it (I don't remember the name) giving it a hint of a burn, immediately cooled down by the maltiness and smokiness of the beer. The first time I visited, I was able to sample a cask conditioned (maybe in a whiskey barrel, I'm not sure) Fireman's #4. DELICIOSO! They also do two tours of the brewery each Friday, one at 3 o'clock, the next one at 4. And, yes, the tour is pretty lengthy, but VERY informative... the brewmasters REALLY know their stuff! I went on the tour the first time, stayed in the tasting room the second and learned a lot about how the ghost chili beer was made and how they were going to change it in the future. You have to go to the brewery to sample these special, experimental brews. Some may someday get put into large scale production, others may not. Enjoy 'em while you can! It makes for a good day trip with out of towners or completely worth it if you happen to be in the area. read more

The tasting room is the size of most dressing rooms I've been in. A young Kate Moss could barely fit in here by herself. Quani, friend Scott and I walked in on a Friday, a good thirty minutes before the 4pm tour, to sample some beer. The really good thing about this place is -- thanks to dumb Texas laws -- Real Ale can't sell you any beer on premises. Therefore, you can drink, for free, as much as you want... within reason. I'm not a huge fan of the beers they had available for tasting that day, but I found enough tasty ones to keep my taste buds occupied. Yep, there was some Occupy Taste Buds action going on that day. The tour was late in starting, but it was fairly interesting at first. A good half hour into it, I wished I'd chosen more comfortable shoes. My dogs were a-nippin'. Wouldn't have mattered if I had a rawhide bone to give them, for they were already chomping on my phalanges and metatarsals. And I never even knew those particular bones were made of rawhide. I'm thinking a marrow biopsy may be in order, to figure that out for sure. Or maybe I could just not be so stupid when picking out footwear for the day. In any case, the tour seemed to go on forever. I admit my foot pain was one reason I wanted it to end soon, but I was also fighting the clock to get back to Austin in time to make it to the Cherrywood event. But I was also legitimately getting bored during that last half hour. The tour lasted over an hour, and was met with a lengthy Q&A session at the end. I was happy to do it, but I want to warn the rest of you to be sure you have ample time in your schedules. One more note about footwear: The land out there is dustier than the Dust Bowl. Wear closed-toe shoes. Trust me. read more

This year's Great American Beer Festival reminded me how much I miss Real Ale. Great things come in small packages, and Real Ale proves this. Even though I absolutely love living in beer nirvana (Denver), I get a craving for Real Ale's beer on a regular basis. Their Scots Gone Wild (sour scotch ale) at GABF was probably the best beer I had at the festival, and I had a lot of America's best beer. In fact, the series it's part of (Mysterium Verum) is almost always fantastic - true American beer experimentation. Their Devil's Backbone is one of my favorite tripels, while the Lost Gold IPA is a favorite of mine as well. The Sisyphus is a very solid barleywine, and the Coffee Porter is one of the best out there. And let's not forget the Real Heavy, Full Moon Pale Rye Ale...man, I could just go on and on. Real Ale is probably the best brewery in Texas. And although their tours are only on Fridays, it's worth the trip to stop into their small facility. I know their Fireman's 4 is wildly popular, but if you haven't tried their other stuff, spend the extra few Washingtons and give them a shot. read more

The best part about the tour was that after sweating our asses off for hours, the tour guide took us into the cooler and there was a dog literally chillin inside. read more

Real Ale Brewing - LOL That employee got in our picture! :D - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

Cool brewery with some good beers. They also have a couple of mixed drinks for the non beer drinkers. The tap room is on the smaller size but looks like they are adding to it because their was construction going on. Good place to check out if your looking to drinks some beer! read more

Real Ale Brewing - Tap room - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

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So... when getting directions to this place, be sure to pay attention to the mileage. There are 2 ways of getting there. Take 71 West until it ends and then go right on 281 South/290 East, or take 71 West and take the 281 South exit and then drive the 25 extra miles to Blanco. Either way is fine, but be aware that there are 2 choices. Also, the street sign for San Saba Court is red, very small, and easy to miss. That being said, we missed the tour because we got lost, but I hear it was good. The woman working at the tasting bar was kind enough to give us samples while we waited for our friends that made the tour, and I bought an awesome t-shirt and Real Ale pint glass. Good times. I would recommend giving yourself extra time to get there in case there are accidents like there were today, On Fridays, the tasting room is open from 2 - 5 pm and tours start at 3 and 4. read more

This place rocks! The beer is great and the people are better. Interesting town makes the whole place even better.

Definitely one of the finest Texas breweries, and anyone that only knows them from their experience with Fireman's 4 owes it to themselves to delve deeper into Real Ale's extensive offerings and attend one of the Friday tours (starting at 3pm and 4pm) or just show up for the tasting room (open 2-5pm). Free, GREAT beer. That's honestly all that needs to be said, but the brewery itself is an interesting sight and the tour is quite informative no matter what your experience level may be. read more

Tours on Fridays at 3 and 4, tasting room open from 2-5. I highly recommend going to check it out. We were greeted by a blasting of heavy metal from the brewhouse (always awesome), and the guys that give the tour and pour your beer are really nice and will answer any question you might have about the process. Free beer. Show up early, because when our tour ended at 4 the place was packed. Also, it's kind of hard to find off 281; look for the Best Western and it's a right after that. Did I mention free beer? read more

Great tour! Very informative for those who know a lot about beer and anybody who micro brews. The information may be overwhelming for those of us who do not know a ton about hops, malt, yeast, etc. Also, free beer! There are five beers on tap in the tasting room and they rotate each week. My friend and I did the 3 PM tour today (Friday, May 28th) and the beers on tap were Fireman's 4 Blonde Ale, Rio Blanco Pale Ale, Devil's Backbone (named for RR 32), Lost Gold IPA, and Sisyphus Barleywine Ale. Notes: 1. Get to the tasting room early! The tasting room opens at 2 PM and the first tour is at 3 PM (Fridays, only). My friend and I got to Real Ale at 1:45 and there were already four other couples there. It was the ten of us until about 2:20, so we got to ask a ton of questions and each beer was given an introduction. At 2:40, the tasting room was packed! (At least 35+ people) There are tables outside, but May is a bit hot to sit outside and the brewing area is not air conditioned. Stay in the cool tasting room as long as possible! 2. Two of the brewers have an adorable puppy! More reason to go to Real Ale rather than Shiner. 3. The brewing area floor is very wet and slippery because Friday is a "Clean House" day. Wear shoes with traction. And the brewing area is hot! Don't wear jeans. read more

I very much enjoyed my tasting and brewery tour at Real Ale Brewing. We got there about 20-30 minutes before the tour was scheduled to start. I was surprised to find a packed tasting room. I was even more surprised to see how one employee kept up with everyone. I tried 4 of the 5 tasting options and enjoyed each one. And she was sure to fill up our glass when it came time for the actual tour. The tour was excellent, led by a guy that clearly loved what he does. In fact, it seemed like everyone there genuinely enjoyed their jobs. The brewery is very clean and you can see the growth they've experienced over the last couple years. A few other tour participants had a lot of questions and the guide did a fantastic job answering them, while also kind of explaining to the rest of us a little background so that we'd be able to follow the question and answer. I highly recommend stopping by on one of their Friday tours and tastings. read more

Great things come from Blanco TX. One of them is Real Ale Brewing CO. We are excited the expansion is well in progress, much more to come. Just got to see the distillery working, another exciting news. The tour was awesome, parking is not an issue. Bring your friends for a pint or mixed drinks made out their whiskey or gin. read more

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