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

Free beer and AWESOME company of people who really love and know their beer. I'm pretty sure the owner hosted our tour. It was pretty baller to hear about the beer and how it's made by the one who actually brews it. Tours are Fridays at 3pm and 4pm. We got to the tasting room around 2pm and just walked through the 6 samples available that day. From what I could tell, you can drink as much as you want before the tour starts. Some of the brews offered in the tasting room are unique to only the brewery. Real Ale finishes some of their beers in red wine barrels or Makers Mark barrels so that the beers come out with a truly unique flavor that you can only experience at the brewery tasting room. Pretty neat. read more

Delicious, free beer. Wow! The Real Ale Brewery is open on Friday's starting about 2. The tasting room is pretty small with about 6 beers on tap... In early February they had a cask-aged version of the Coffee Porter that was epic. The Mysterium Verum is an experimental beer that changes frequently... the one we had was a very heavy blond ale aged in a whiskey barrel which was stellar. The brewery tours run at 3 and 4. The tour is fun, informative, and pretty much the perfect length at about 30 minutes long. Our group ranged from people like me with zero brewing knowledge to professional brewers who were checking the place out. Definitely worth the drive out to Blanco. read more

My wife and I were visiting San Antonio from Seattle and spent a day visiting the Hill Country. As as avid craft brew fan, I had researched the area and Real Ale Brewing seemed to get good reviews so we decided to stop in. We had a great experience at Real Ale Brewing and it started with the really nice and knowledgeable bartender. I started with their version of a west coast IPA and my wife went with a blonde. The IPA tasted like a traditional left coast IPA that was properly bitter as a good IPA should be. My wife really liked the blonde but I didn't taste it. For my second beer I went with the breweries cask conditioned beer that was an ale but I unfortunately don't remember what it was called. I love having cask conditioned beers since they come as close as possible as beers were originally made back in the day. This beer didn't disappoint and the bartender spent time explaining the ingredients of this beer to include Amarillo Hops. I then went to look at some of the clothing and picked out a nice brewery shirt and was really impressed with their base ball hats. I selected the hat with their logo on front and found it really fit well whereas it was a lower profile hat that fit closer to my head and not one of those hats that have the high tops which I don't care for. Upon my return my wife was sipping on a taster that the bartender had brought her and he explained it was the breweries version of a German style wheat beer which they named "Gose". I took a taste and was shocked at it's taste but not a bad way, it was quite sour with a hint of lime, not what I expected from a Hefeweizen!! The bartender explained that the brewers added coriander and lime and I have to say, I really liked the beer. So much so I tried to buy a six pack but found the brewery was not allowed to sell beer. But the bartender said he could give me a beer and kindly gave me a tall boy on the house. A+ experience at Real Ale Brewery. The beer and staff were both very high quality and I consider myself fairly knowledgeable of craft beers and would definitely return if I lived in the area. I thought their clothing offerings were quite good and I like Gose so much, I drove about 1/2 mile down the road to the Rose Bud Cafe and bought a six pack. I'm drinking one of them now as I write this. read more

This brewery is a hidden gem! Who would have known that this place was tucked away in Blanco? Wished I could have made it in time for a tour, but had a very enjoyable experience just visiting the tasting room. A flight of four beers was only $4. Yup, that's right!!! Four dollars!?! I'll definitely be back! read more

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Worth the drive on a Friday to visit and to take the tour. If you are on the fence about becoming a fan the tour will cinch it for you. Everyone there loves what they are doing. There is no place but up and bigger for Real Ale and I suggest you get in on the intimacy now before they blow up! We took a Beer Tour Friday and first went to Shiner (just cause) and finished at Real Ale. Polar opposite experiences. We we in it at Real Ale as opposed to the Shiner tour. We walked all through the place and had to step over and duck under a lot of moving parts. It's a unique tour. Do I need to tell you about how good their beer is? It's all well crafted. You can taste the difference from the Fireman's 4 to the Sisyphus Barleywine everyone has something to enjoy. Plan a trip and visit these guys. The free beer at the end of the tour is nice and you end up meeting new people. I can't wait to go back for the tour but I can't wait for the seasonal Coffee Porter! read more

I took an hour detour just to come to Real Ale. I've been drinking their Firemans #4 for years throughout Austin. I have wanted to come here for a long time but they only used to be open a couple of hours a week on Fridays. Now they are open 5 days a week with a beautiful tasting room. Great beer. Loved the Hans' Pils. It is a classic Czech style Pilz that brought be back to my younger days working in Germany & Austria. They do not have food but they bring in a BBQ truck every other Saturday. (sadly no donuts) Quality place to visit and spend an afternoon drinking in the local culture from this craft beer pioneer. read more

Real Ale Brewing - Classy bar setup upstairs overlooking brewery floor. - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

Been waiting a long time for Real Ale to open up a Tap Room and have brewery tours on Saturdays. Had a fun ride out to Blanco in the Firebird with the T-tops off. Please bottle up your Altbier that's only available as a Brewer's Cut at the moment and put it on store shelves soon. Great day at the brewery. Real good, real ale. read more

Real Ale Brewing - Ride out to Real Ale Brewery. - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

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Been coming here for years!! One of the better breweries out there!! Always improving the site and expanding. Glad to see more and more of their beers on the heb shelves! read more

Real Ale Brewing offers a fantastic atmosphere with exceptional quality fresh brews on tap to try. The tour was very interesting and the folks who work here are genuine, and appear to really care about the business. I can't wait to go back again! read more

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The beer at Real Ale is so good it makes me want to drink like I'm in college again. But of course I'm not in college so drinking that much would not only be irresponsible but would totally annihilate me and make me completely unpleasant to be around. Not because I'd be wild or out of control, but because I'd fall asleep pretty quickly. Needless to say I like Real Ale. When I don't have the opportunity to make it out to Blanco, it's pretty much my go to 6-pack from the conveniently located HEB (keep it local y'all!). Devil's backbone is an all-time favorite but their coffee porter, 4 square and lost gold are all very high on my list of favorite beers. The only downside to Real Ale is that they have so many good beers, I tend to overlook a few of their excellent selections (a sad side-effect of not being able to drink as much as I could in college). For example, I hardly ever have any beers from their "main" lineup anymore - fireman's 4, rio blanco, brown - all excellent beers that don't make it into my HEB (although it may seem like it I really don't work for HEB) shopping cart as much as they probably should. Back to their brewery - I've been to their brewery at several stages of their growth to excellence and it's been fun every time. From the little basement place on the square to the old tap room with the one (maybe 2?) picnic tables outside to their current tap room I've enjoyed every trip out there. An added bonus - their anniversary in April coincides with my birthday so in a way we get to celebrate together. Long live Real Ale (and me). read more

Cool, nice open taproom. Came around noon on a Saturday, they had just released their ocktoberfest. Beer is good. Service is poor - didn't make us feel welcome, glad the brewery was just on the route and we didn't make an effort to visit the place. Beer is by the pint, no $10 deal. Wouldn't recommend to go out of your way to visit. read more

Beer heaven in the Hill Country! Great beer and costumer service. The tour and location is great. Prices are good. I really highly recommend Real Ale. Have been coming here for years and will continue. read more

Real Ale Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

I just love what Real Ale has done over the years. Not only with their amazing variety of beers but also the brewery. It's simply a great place to stop while in the Blanco area, hang out for an hour or so and try the beers, gin or whisky. The bartenders are friendly and don't mind explaining the beers and the service is great. Very pet friendly so if you don't like dogs it's probably best to find somewhere else to drink beer. It's a little tough to find the first time as there is little to no signage on Hwy 281 but just turn in on San Saba street and you'll run right into it. Have fun read more

Came to the Real Ale Brewery after their annual Ride that is held in Blanco. The ride was fantastic 30-mile cruise through the hill country of Blanco, and part of the state park. The ride started and ended at the brewery so needless to say we took a tour of the facilities once we finished the ride. There beer is awesome I sampled several new beers that they were releasing soon. They had some shaded out door areas to sit but not enough to accommodate the crowds of this event. Heading back in a few weeks for their anniversary party at the end of June that should be a blast. I recommend visiting this place if you are a beer fan. And bring cash. read more

The tours at Real Ale are always interesting and informative. Of course, the real excitement is in the tasting room, where visitors are invited to try five samples of Real Ale beer each week. The folks here are good about mixing up the old stand-bys (like Fireman's 4) with some of their rarer and more innovative brews (such as a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, which was on tap the last time I went). It's always interesting to see what will be available. It's a friendly place - you are welcomed warmly and given a tasting glass when you walk in the door. Perfect stop on an afternoon road trip through the Hill Country. My only quibble is that the tasting room is standing room only and can get quite packed. They could use a few stools or a separate area to sit, sip, and savor. read more

Real Ale Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

Real ale brewery is awesome! Im sure you see lots of their beer in stores, normally you will see basic beers though but when you go to their brewery they always have special beers. I love their cask beers, every cask beer they make is so unique. Even basic beers like hans pils, lost gold and stuff they are surprisingly taste amazing and fresh even body texture feel different like more chewy and thick. They make real good sour beers too, its so amazing! Prices are not bad at all, most of beers are like $5! Used to be $4 before but $5 isnt bad at all. Inside very clean, staffs are always nice and friendly and THEY DO KNOW ABOUT BEERS, SO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT! If your server is JUSTIN then you are lucky! He is my favorite server there! read more

Real Ale Brewing - Cask beer! - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

Women-we sometimes crave that we would like to take our men on a romantic drive through the country, maybe wine taste and enjoy the day outting together. Well that may not happen much, especially the wine tasting. Alternative solution-take a drive out to Blanco, TX and go beer tasting at Real Ale. Fun fact-this is the third largest brewery in Texas and the beers are spot on great. The brewery itself has speciality beers on tap that you will not find in stores and it has its usual beers on tap that are everyones favorites and that you can find at any store. The brewery has that clean vibe with the bench seats that encourages guests to meet others and have a good time. And did you know they do tours? Yes they do and they are free-well first buy a pint and enjoy the detailed one hour tour of their brewery and you will get to try a sample of their famous Devil's Backbone beer which is to die for. Beers to try there are anything that is one of their specialty craft beers. I would also recommend trying a Devil's Backbone which is the ultimate classic, the Full Moon which is pretty tasty, Gose which is one of their sour beers and wrapping it up with the Coffee Porter which is to die for! read more

The guy that started this place is a true beer nerd, and you can tell in the quality of beer he makes. His location for water was well thought out, and his rules of making beer in the true tradition of beer sets him apart from a lot of brewers in general. I am planning on going to their anniversary celebration that falls on my birthday this year (fate? I think not) and I am a huge fan of the new Devil's Backbone (A MUST TRY), their Rye Ale (heaven) and their Sisyphus Barley Wine. read more

I've never been here, but free bbq and beer for their anniversary made me drive all the way out here. The beer is always delicious. So was the free BBQ. I got in trouble during the tour b/c I wandered around. (There's actually not much to see....just think of big metal cans. Honestly, I'd rather just drink the beer). Their promotions work! I've been buying their beer more and more! read more

Fun, informative and great adult beverages! We arrived 1 1/2 hours early for the tour. We tasted some beers and picked out some favs to have before our tour. They have a whole table of games, cards and multiple vintage free arcade games to while away some times. Our tour guide was great and educational! We stayed in Fredericksburg and took the back country roads to Blanco. BEAUTIFUL read more

Fridays is the Brewery Tour + Free Beer + Meeting Staff and Brewers + Learning of their new Ideas and Experiments + Hanging out in the Hill Country drinking beer It isn't that you can't do this at other breweries; the fact that this one is so intimate, local, and down-to earth, is what makes Real Ale one of the best in Texas. There are about 20-40 people per Friday (on average), and you just lounge around, sample, comment, and discuss all things beer. The brewers know everything and let you know everything you want. There are samples (sometimes with things you can't get anywhere else...I guess their little experiments). It is just a nice place to come out to if you ever have a Friday off. Pair that up with a trip to the Salt Lick on the way back and you'll have yourself one great day-trip from Austin. read more

I have loved Real Ale beers since I moved to Texas. Real Ale explanded their tasting room hours which allowed me to finally stop by. Their beer selection was quite large. Everything I tasted I loved except their Backbone, a Tripel style beer. A majority of beers cost $4 except their higher ABV beers. I missed the beer tour because I was too busy sampling beers so I will try that next time. If you are on highway 281 and love craft beer you need to stop by. read more

We loved Real Ale. Great beer, even sours! Fun atmosphere with nice cold AC, outdoor seating, and lots of board games!

Great beer, delicious cocktails & amazing atmosphere! The staff was so nice and very knowledgeable about all the drinks. They had tours going 1PM and 3PM when we went on Friday. read more

This place was really fun! We stopped in during our trip to Blanco (we were visiting from out of town) We tried a flight of different beers. They let you choose from every beer they are brewing and you can pick 5 beers at a time to try. The bar area over looks their brewery area, which is pretty cool. They have long picnic tables that accommodate many large groups at a time. They also sell T-shirts , hats and stickers. This place had a fun vibe, great bartenders and we had a really great time. Would definitely visit again! read more

Real Ale Brewing - Beer tasting - Breweries Near Me - Blanco, Texas

Just couldn't believe that Real Ale built a new brewery and didn't made the tasting room a lot more inviting. Extremely low on the cool factor. They need to step it up. read more

What a great place! Super clean and inviting. The staff is awesome, and the beer is great. What more could you ask for?...... well...... food would be nice, but it's worth visiting without it. Definitely one of my favorite spots in Blanco. read more

What a great place and a great feather in the hat of Blanco and Texas! We took a tour during their 16th annual anniversary party. The place was rockin with what looked like about 5,000 plus fans in and out thru out the day. The tour was both very interesting and very informative. They did several tour that day but we were lucky enough to have their official Brew Master administer ours. Can't say enough good things about this place and the owner and crew...it's a winner all the way. read more

Nice brewery- really liked the space. Dog friendly and had some nice cocktails in addition to the beer! Got to taste Blanco Breeze, gin and tonic, and a whiskey drink with a yummy hibiscus mint syrup and all were very good! read more

Wow. I could not be more impressed with this place. Service. Beer. Food truck. View. Music. Absolute top notch. All they need is a restaurant on site. Well done. read more

All of their beer barrels are named after black or death metal bands or members. The tour is very informative. The beer is good. The drive out there is nice. A++++++ would drink again read more

The biggest reason I love Real Ale (and I know I am exposing myself as chintzy for saying this) is that I have gotten more free beer from Real Ale than any other brewery in America. I don't know how many gallery openings I've been to where the brew supplied was Real Ale. At their birthday bash, they tap kegs and kegs of beer until everyone has either had their fill or run out of drink tickets. The Real Ale folks are also wonderful about raising money for different charities by holding their own fun events like the Real Ale bike ride. They just give away so much free beer and contribute so much to society that actually buying and drinking their product feels like a good deed to me. Drinking their ale warms my heart as much as the Fireman's #4 or Full Moon cools my body on a sticky summer day. read more

Real Ale is a great hill country day trip. They serve up local brews in a laid back atmosphere.The tour is a lot of fun. Wear comfy shoes and summer clothes because there was no A/C in the building where they make the beer magic. It was pretty hot. read more

IMO, you make the best beer in the Central Texas/Hill Country region. Keep it up, thanks.

Great spot to try some beers that you can't get at home! Bartenders were very nice and helpful when we asked questions.

Real Ale is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Okay, so maybe that's not how the quote actually goes but it's true. Fireman's #4 is my favorite all-occasion beer. The Lost Gold IPA is right up there with highest rated ones I've tried. The . . . They're all good, just try them. read more

Real Ale is a fun drive into the city of Blanco, about an hour drive from Austin. My fiance and I have been here twice now, we just came last Friday for his birthday. There is ample parking and the tasting room is usually packed and HOT so bring water! The beer tasting is free and the servers are very cool and friendly, they change the beers they sample. We were able to try the 15th Anniversary Ale which was very good. The tour goes from about 3-4pm, so at this time the tasting room clears out (if you've already seen the tour, stay and enjoy the beer!) I think they are pretty liberal with their samples, but we only did one round this time. They also carry tons of merchandise like Real Ale shirts, bottle openers, pint glasses, etc. read more

I love this place. They always have interesting special releases. They also have food trucks, live music, and great service. They have games, tours and a family friendly environment. Every time I go I feel welcomed and get to try something new. read more