John S.
Yelp
Wednesday. March 22, 2023. Afternoon.
My wife and I had purchased some six packs of Altstadt beer at the Walmart. This was on the way to our Airbnb in San Antonio. We bought the Kolsch, Pilsner, Hefeweizen and Amber. All these beers were true to style and tasted like crisp German beer. Superior beer. My favorite, by far, was the super light Kolsch. My wife enjoyed the Amber best.
We liked these beers so much, that we convinced the rest of the family to visit the brewery in nearby Fredericksburg. Note: the brewery is closed Monday and Tuesday. Unfortunately, we came on the wrong day for the free brewhouse tour. They were on Thursday and Friday, at 4 pm. They are limited to only 20 guests and are first come, first served. We toured the massive Great Hall instead, which sat empty. They have a bar inside and lovely paintings on the walls. They also have a stage for music. The Grand Hall has live music on Saturdays and Sundays.
I would highly recommend visiting here on a Wednesday or Thursday, between 3 and 6 pm for happy hour. Happy hour features $3 draft pints, $5 house wine and $7 appetizers and growler fills. We ordered a custom flight of four beers for $12. This included Thiolized Kolsch 4.8%, Quinlan's Irish Red 4.7%, German Session IPA 5%, and Lager 4.8%. I much preferred their regular Kolsch, the Lager tasted out of this world good, and the Irish Red turned out to be my favorite of the flight. So, I ordered a pint for $6. This was the best beer we've had at any brewery outside of New Mexico. We didn't order any food here since we visited between lunch and dinner.
We visited the nearby free tractor museum, with a bunch of vintage, restored tractors. They sell cigars, wine, beer, pretzels, and t-shirts. I did end up buying a t-shirt in the gift shop of the brewery where they have a larger selection.
Probably the best day to visit this brewery would be Thursday. That way you could enjoy the happy hour prices and get a free tour of the brewhouse. I really wish they had these beers available in New Mexico but alas they do not. Luckily, I bought a couple of sixers at the brewery to enjoy at home.