Discover Austin’s Craft Beverage Scene: An In-Depth Review of the Up and Down Coffee and Beer Tour
Hello fellow adventurers and connoisseurs! Todd here, eager to share an exciting escapade from last weekend. While simply venturing out of the house is often noteworthy enough, I actually embarked on a truly memorable journey: the Up and Down Coffee and Beer Tour. This unique experience shines a spotlight on the vibrant world of craft coffee and beer, right here in South Austin.
This fantastic tour is a collaborative effort between two passionate local businesses. The “up” component, focusing on the invigorating world of coffee, takes place at Casa Brasil Coffees. Here, participants delve into the intricate processes of cultivating, roasting, brewing, and, of course, tasting exceptional coffee. Directly next door, the “down” portion of the tour unfolds at the South Austin Brewing Company, a haven for expertly crafted Belgian-style ales. The clever “Up and Down” moniker perfectly encapsulates the nature of these beloved beverages: coffee, a stimulating uplift, and beer, a relaxing depressant. So yes, prepare yourself for an exploration of mood-altering delights!
For anyone living in or visiting Austin with even a passing interest in the art of coffee and beer, this tour is an absolute must. The dedicated teams behind the Up and Down Tour exude an infectious passion for their crafts, eager to share their knowledge with curious minds. No question was too simple or too complex; every query was met with genuine enthusiasm and a thorough explanation. These engaging tours are held once a month on a Saturday, running from 10 AM to 2 PM, and cost $75, which includes a delicious catered lunch. Both establishments generously provide an abundance of samples and thoughtful goodies to take home. For specific dates and booking information, make sure to check Casa Brasil’s events page. With a limit of approximately 20 participants, the intimate setting ensures a personalized experience, preventing anyone from feeling lost in a crowd. Full disclosure: I was fortunate enough to attend this tour for free, but having experienced its richness and depth, I would wholeheartedly pay the full $75. It was a truly exceptional experience, one I enthusiastically recommend to locals and tourists alike. Both Casa Brasil Coffees and South Austin Brewing Company offer their fantastic products for sale across Austin (visit their respective websites for the most current information), and I urge you to seek them out and support these wonderful local businesses.
Casa Brasil: A Deep Dive into the World of Craft Coffee
Our coffee journey began promptly at 10 AM at Casa Brasil, where we were greeted with delicious pastries and warm introductions. From the very first moments, it became abundantly clear that every individual working at Casa Brasil possesses an profound love for coffee. Each team member contributes a unique specialization, whether it’s expert brewing techniques or precise roasting methods, and their collective passion permeated every aspect of this enlightening segment of the tour. Joel Shuler, the esteemed owner of Casa Brasil, kicked things off with an immersive lesson on coffee cultivation and harvesting. He masterfully narrated the fascinating odyssey of coffee, from its humble origins in a small region of Ethiopia to the sprawling global industry it is today. The sheer complexity and intricate details involved in the process of responsibly sourcing and purchasing coffee truly astonished me. While I won’t delve into every granular detail here, this historical and logistical overview was undoubtedly one of the most captivating parts of the lesson, expanding my understanding far beyond what I had ever imagined.
The Art and Science of Coffee Roasting
With a newfound appreciation for the origins of raw coffee beans, it was time to witness the transformative magic of roasting! Joel meticulously explained the intricate mechanics of the process before inviting us to gather around his impressive, giant coffee roaster. He loaded it with a batch of exquisite beans from Brazil, igniting the machine. The temperature within this sophisticated apparatus is expertly controlled manually, though constantly monitored by a precise computer system, allowing for unparalleled control over the roast profile. The initial crucial milestone we awaited was “First Crack.” Prior to this point, the beans emit a gentle swishing sound as they tumble within the roaster. However, once First Crack occurs, the sound dramatically shifts, resembling the cheerful popping of popcorn. Throughout this delicate process, Joel periodically extracted small samples of beans, allowing us to visually track the progression of the roast. (He emphasized that this sampling is purely for educational purposes during the tour and not part of his standard roasting routine.) I was genuinely captivated by the astonishing speed at which the beans transitioned from an unpalatable raw state to perfectly roasted, and then, with just a few moments more, to an over-roasted batch destined for discard. It truly highlighted the precision and timing required for optimal flavor development.
Typically, the expert roasters at Casa Brasil conclude the roasting process shortly after First Crack, resulting in a lighter roast that preserves delicate flavors. However, for our educational benefit, they continued the roast past Second Crack, which produces a sound akin to Rice Krispies, and even further into the “Italian” roast stage, where the beans begin to develop a distinct oily sheen. Once the beans have achieved their desired roast and have cooled down, they are carefully weighed to measure the moisture loss—a critical indicator of roast quality—and then immediately bagged to seal in their freshness and aroma. One aspect I particularly admire about Casa Brasil is the unique and personal touch given to each package of coffee. Joel’s wife, Lisiane, adds a beautiful, artistic swish of color and hand-stamps each bag with Casa Brasil’s distinctive logo. This thoughtful detail truly reinforces the authentic, “roasted locally” essence of their product, adding an artisanal charm to the entire experience.
The Sensory Journey of Coffee Sampling
After our fascinating demonstration of roasting beans beyond their ideal usability (purely for educational comparison!), we returned to our chairs for the much-anticipated coffee sampling session. This segment was particularly intriguing for me, given my notoriously weak sense of smell. Yet, many of my fellow tour participants possessed incredibly acute olfactory senses, detecting subtle and nuanced differences between the various coffees, which they clearly savored. Our first tasting flight presented four distinct types of coffee: intentionally rejected beans (to understand off-flavors), Casa Brasil’s meticulously roasted signature blend, a common commercial brand, and a Robusta variety. It was truly enlightening to discern the varied flavor profiles and, now armed with knowledge of cultivation, sourcing, and roasting, to grasp how these elements converge to shape the unique taste of each coffee. The subsequent tasting focused on the same Casa Brasil beans, but roasted to different levels and brewed using an identical method. This offered a profound insight into the peak flavor potential of that specific bean, revealing how easily it could be under or over-roasted. While each type of bean will react differently, the impact of roast level on flavor was strikingly evident. Our third and final tasting explored perfectly roasted beans brewed using diverse methods: cold brew, Chemex, and French Press. Again, the differences were remarkable, underscoring how each brewing technique, combined with specific bean types and grind settings, accentuates unique characteristics.
We concluded the coffee tasting portion of the tour with a traditional “cupping” session. This method involves steeping coffee grounds in hot water and patiently waiting for a ‘crust’ of grounds to form on the surface. Upon breaking this crust with a spoon, those with a keen sense of smell are treated to a potent and aromatic waft of concentrated coffee essence. After the crust is broken, one can audibly slurp the coffee from a spoon – the louder, the better, as it enhances the sensory experience. This final challenge was particularly engaging because Joel and his team deliberately withheld the identities of the coffees we were sampling, prompting us to guess! Fortunately, I made a correct guess, largely due to paying close attention to the visual cues, specifically the color of the coffee. I suspect, however, that my success would have been less likely had there been more than four choices to consider.
As the “up” segment of the tour at Casa Brasil concluded, I felt a profound sense of accomplishment and a newfound appreciation for the coffee I consume daily. The intricate journey from bean to brew, and the dedication of the people behind it, now holds a much deeper meaning for me. Following this enlightening coffee experience, we enjoyed a delightful catered lunch, featuring a truly excellent beef brisket sandwich, preparing us for the transition to the “down” part of our tour: an exploration of South Austin Brewing Company!
South Austin Brewing Company: Crafting Belgian Ales
Upon our arrival at the South Austin Brewing Company, we were warmly greeted by the owner, Jordan Weeks. Jordan’s name had been mentioned in the tour information, but I was genuinely surprised and absolutely thrilled to discover that this was the very same Jordan Weeks I had worked with over a decade ago. Back then, he was renowned as one of Austin’s finest technical writers, and I fondly remembered him bringing in his delicious home-brewed beers to share with our colleagues. Reconnecting with him after so long was a true pleasure, and much like Joel at Casa Brasil, Jordan’s profound passion for his craft, brewing exceptional Belgian-style ales, was immediately evident and deeply inspiring.
Jordan expertly guided us through the entire beer brewing process, meticulously highlighting the key distinctions between general beer production and his specialized approach to crafting Belgian-style beers. South Austin Brewing dedicates itself exclusively to Belgian-style ales, a category I’ve long enjoyed. What I hadn’t fully grasped, however, was Jordan’s insightful explanation that many Belgian beers often taste superior in Belgium itself, largely due to regional water characteristics and the inevitable impact of being shipped across oceans in varying temperatures. As luck would have it, our visit coincided with a brewing day, offering us a rare opportunity to observe Jordan and his dedicated staff in full swing, actively brewing the very beer that would soon be on tap across Austin. I apologize for the scarcity of photos from this part of the tour; I was struggling to capture clear images with my camera at the time, and more importantly, I certainly didn’t want to risk any mishaps or, heaven forbid, drop it into an open fermentation tank!
One of the most fascinating tidbits Jordan shared was the remarkable suitability of Central Texas water for brewing beer. It possesses a distinct flavor profile and, quite surprisingly, contains many of the same essential minerals found in the renowned brewing waters of Belgium and Germany. This intriguing fact potentially offers an explanation for the significant influx of German settlers to the Austin area in the 1800s, who brought their rich brewing traditions with them. As the tour progressed, I found myself increasingly awestruck by the sheer complexity involved in brewing beer, particularly on a commercial scale. While many small brewers, like Jordan, begin their journey honing their craft at home, the leap to establishing an independent brewery—investing in large quantities of expensive, bulky equipment to produce beer commercially—demands an incredible amount of passion, courage, and unwavering dedication. And, much like Joel at Casa Brasil, Jordan and his team’s profound passion for their beer shines through in every word they speak and every detail they share.
What would a beer tour be without the opportunity to taste some exceptional brews? It would, without a doubt, be a most incomplete and disappointing experience. Fortunately, Jordan meticulously organized the tasting session to perfection, beginning with South Austin’s refreshing Golden Ale, progressing through several commercially available Belgian varieties, and concluding with their distinctive South Austin Saison. Starting and finishing with the locally produced beers powerfully underscored the superior freshness and nuanced flavors that can only be savored directly “from the tap.” While I won’t delve into the specifics of every beer tasted, Jordan expertly elucidated the unique characteristics of each, explaining the specific production methods that contribute to their individual profiles. I found it particularly interesting to learn that certain Belgian beers can only be officially designated as “Trappist” if they are brewed within the walls of specific monasteries, whereas other similar styles are more broadly categorized as “Abbey” beers. This distinction immediately brought to mind the historical Chianti versus Chianti Classico naming debate we encountered during our memorable trip to Florence.
Another fascinating detail I absorbed was the method by which South Austin’s beer achieves its carbonation. For kegged beer, the carbonation is typically introduced artificially. However, for their corked bottles, a more traditional and natural process is employed: in-bottle carbonation. This involves halting the primary fermentation process, bottling the beer, and then adding a minuscule amount of fresh yeast to re-initiate a secondary fermentation directly within the bottle. This secondary fermentation naturally produces carbon dioxide, resulting in the desired effervescence. I had never truly considered the intricacies of this process before, and I found it incredibly insightful. Moving forward, I am certain to pay much closer attention to how my beer is carbonated whenever I enjoy a bottle.
In closing, I wholeheartedly believe that every coffee and beer enthusiast should embark on this remarkable Up and Down Tour if they find themselves in or near Austin. For those who aren’t geographically close, please take away this singular, crucial insight: both of these exquisite products tasted immeasurably better because they were crafted right here, in my local neighborhood. They weren’t mass-produced halfway across the globe by anonymous entities and shipped thousands of miles. The profound knowledge and unwavering passion of the staff, coupled with the sheer freshness that comes from minimal travel distance, elevates these local craft beverages far beyond anything I could find elsewhere. I fervently encourage you to seek out and support your own local craft brewers and coffee roasters in your community. Discover the difference that passion, proximity, and meticulous craftsmanship can make. And please, do let me know what incredible local treasures you uncover!