Last Sunday afternoon we went to Uncle Billy’s on Barton Springs Rd. for their 1st anniversary party. Due to construction behind the brewery, we parked in their temporary lot down the road where they offer a convenient shuttle. Being driven by around Barton Springs Rd. by the hot valet type shuttle dude, I couldn’t help feeling as if I was somehow on an exotic tropical vacation in my own town. There were quite a few people at the party and there was a live band on the patio. In celebration of their anniversary, Uncle Billy’s was offering half-price appetizers and $3 pints of their house-brewed beers, crafted by Brian Peters. The featured beer on tap right now is an Agave Wit, which is a refreshing summer pour.

Oddly the celebration price of $3/pint is $1 more than the “pint night” price that they offer all day long every Tuesday.

We ordered several pints of beer and because of an unhealthy relationship that I have with chicken wings—I cannot, for the most part, abstain from ordering them—we ordered the Buffalo and BBQ wings, as well as a bowl of chips & queso with chopped brisket. The beer will always be the star for me at Uncle Billy’s, though the chicken wings were pretty good. I did have not such a problem with the queso, though Tipsy was certain that it didn’t taste like cheese at all (our waitress opined that the ‘famous’ macaroni & cheese wasn’t very good, perhaps they have a problem with cheese dishes?). I did not order BBQ at Uncle Billy’s because the first time we ate there it was pretty much the pits, and I don’t mean the kind where you smoke meats. I have thought about giving the menu another chance, but have heard mixed reviews about the place. One thing I will say in their favor (besides that the beer rocks) is that they must be listening to customer opinion, because they now offer both BBQ plates and sandwiches, whereas when we went at first it was all family style, which struck me as very odd at the time.

A few weeks ago we went out to Real Ale Brewing Co’s 12th anniversary party. Real Ale is located just outside Blanco, which is about an hour outside Austin. Needless to say they have had a few years of practice at throwing birthday parties. I hope with proper tutelage Uncle Billy’s will learn to throw a Real Ale-like birthday bash. Upon arrival, visitors are gifted with 4 beer tickets redeemable for free pints, as well as a food ticket good for a plate of BBQ. Brewery tours started periodically throughout the day. After the party, we drove into Blanco and jumped in the river at the Blanco River State Park. The river was the approximate temperature of spit but it was refreshing nonetheless.

To summarize, here is a statistical comparison of Real Ale party v. that at Uncle Billy’s:
(4) Free pints of fresh Real Ale v. $3 pints of Uncle Billy’s
(1) Free plate of BBQ v. Half-price appetizers (possibly fake queso acc. to Tipsy)
1-hour Hill Country drive v. free shuttle driven by hot valet
Brewery tour v. no brewery tour
iPod v. live music
Spitty Blanco River v. Crisp, cool Barton Springs

A careful evaluation of these two birthday bashes reveals that there are benefits and drawbacks to each event. Both of course offer great beer, with Real Ale being my favorite of the two. Where Real Ale offers value and scenery, Uncle Billy’s delivers convenience and hot valets. My conclusion is that in order to maximize your beer celebration experience, the best option is to attend both parties. And any other beer event you can get your pint glass on.