Circle Brewing Co. - Austin Beer Guide

In our “investigation” [read: going
to what we thought were dive bars and
asking people there if they were at a dive
bar] we discovered that there are two
different definitions of the term that tend to
prevail. Some folks immediately think of a
dark, dirty, shady place where you’ll just as
soon get stabbed as actually get your drink
order correct. The second is the “my dive”
definition—a bar you frequent often, feel
the most comfortable at, and where you feel
most at home. Think Cheers, sweat pants,
and not brushing your teeth on Saturdays.
Not exactly “slumming it,” but not first-datematerial.
Overall, we learned that a dive bar
is more of a feeling than a definition.
We’ve visited a handful of
establishments that could fall into either or
both camps, and discovered that Austin has
quite a few diamonds in the rough. We cast our net pretty wide, but in the end went at
it with a scalpel, not a hatchet (remember that 2008 Presidential debate?). To make
our list, a candidate had to meet the majority of the following criteria, with the “must
haves” at the top and “nice to haves” at the bottom.
1. Has that “dive bar feel”
2. A significant portion of their beer selection be defined as “craft” or “local”
3. Jukebox
4. Darker than light
5. Regulars
6. Good chance of getting thrown out or in a tussle in the parking lot
7. Darts, pool, washers, shuffle board, etc.,
8. Minimal employees
9. Ability to get a shot and a beer
10. Bathrooms
So in that context, we’ve found that Austin
is littered with bars that fit the “sweat pants”
and the “may get knifed tonight” descriptions
and have noticed that more and more of these
locations are starting to diversify their beer
selection with much tastier beers. They’re like
a dive bar hybrid that are steeped in several of
the dive bar mainstays but are also embracing
Austin’s growing craft beer appetite. These
are establishments that hang a Jolly Roger
shower curtain for a bathroom “stall” but also
serve cask conditioned Jester King wild yeast
creations, host a hip-hop mash-up DJ every
Monday along with four Austin Beerworks
taps, have a bartender with tattooed sideburns
pouring you fresh house made beers, or host
enough fucking hipsters to make you rethink
your beard but serve Real Ale Devil’s Backbone
in full pints. These may be dive bars, but they
are also a little bit more.
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