After a number of pop-ups, collaborations and scheduled opening dates that have long-since passed, the Brewer's Table is finally ready to open tomorrow at its East Austin home.
The restaurant-meets-brewery comes to us from chef Zach Hunter, brewer Drew Durish and founder Jake Maddux. Hunter, who most recently worked at Southern spot Fixe, has crafted a lunch and dinner menu using locally-sourced ingredients, though both the beer and dishes are intricately linked. "Beer regions" are represented through the styles of suds and the menu items, and Hunter is constantly using the brewery's spent grain in his breads and hops in his curing salts, to name a few mashups.
Take the malt poached grouper, which uses chocolate malt praline, pickled marrow, sticky rice and smoked rye tea; or the venison tartare made with toasted wheat, sourdough pita, fermented herbs and toasted brewer’s yeast. For lunch there are lighter dishes, like a spring vegetable sandwich or leek and pecan bisque. And if you're here with your crew, the Brewer's Table makes it easy to share, with a section of the menu dubbed "Shareable Feast," offering dishes that feed two to four people (think gulf bouillabaisse served with house baked bread or hog cooked four ways).
Photograph: Robert J. Lerma
While the beverage program isn't entirely ready yet—the beer will start flowing at the end of May—Durish already knows what's going to be on the lineup. His flagship brew consists of the Common Lager, a steam lager fermented in American oak foeders (as all of his beers are). Other beers include Beets by Drew, a malt-forward lager using six types of mint; Idee Fixe, a sweet-tea inspired dark lager; and the hoppy Transatlantic Flourish. Specialty cocktails and wines are also served.
The Brewer's Table is located in a 5,000 square foot former Quonset hut (a military building from 1952), with an outdoor beer garden that boasts yard games like bocce ball and corn hole. There will also be an herb garden to supply ingredients to the restaurant and brewery.
Check out the Brewer's Table starting on Thursday, April 18, when it will open from 11am to 10pm daily. It's located at 4715 E 5th St.