Austin Part 3: NXNW

June 14, 2008

Time to go to one of the premier brewpubs in Austin, North By Northwest. Which incidently is in the north by northwest part of town. Neato. They even have some food/beer pairing recommendations on the menu. The place had a fantastic slightly upscale feel to it. The waiter seemed like he knew what he was talking about. We got a sampler and went for it.

Northern Light
Straw colored and clear, with alow white head. It tastes very bready and light. A quick finish with low hops and carbo, but pretty good Pilsner.

Wit Beer (Seasonal)
Old gold cloudy (go Jackets). White head with a lot of fizz to it. Tastes like orange and hard spice. Another sip gets me low hops but overwhelming spice. High fine carbonation, and leaves a sour orangish taste in my mouth. Not feeling this one.

Bavarian Hefeweizen
Light fruitiness on the nose. Orange and cloudy, with a white head. A little bit of lace there as well. Medium body with high fine carbonation that tends to be in most wheat beers. Bready flavor in my mouth after it goes down. It's kind of sour and fruity, and lightly hopped.

Duckabish Amber
Not quite sure what a duckabish is, but there is a beaver on the label. It has an amber color (fitting), with white head and low lace. It has a decent malt taste but not sweet. It's kind of light. It has low hops but has a little creaminess to it. There is a light hop bite in the aftertaste.

Okanogan Black Ale
Something with some nuts on it (shouts out to Jesse Jackson). Smells malt and a little roasty. Brown color. Head is not there as the sampler had been sitting there for a while. Good mix of caramel and roasted malts in the taste. It has the same carbonation but light fizz. The beer finishes quickly for a nice beer.

Py Jingo Pale Ale
Orange color, very lacy white head. Strong hops smell that is beyond flowery. Medium-strong hops on the flavor, low malt but nice medium body. Some lingering aftertaste in the bitterness. Oh yeah.

And there you have it. I actually ordered another Py Jingo as I thought it would be better with my bbq chicken pizza.

I think NXNW has Uncle Billy's beat in the ambience, but they seem to be appealing to different crowds. While Uncle Billy's will get your younger college crowd, NXNW is perfect for families looking for something more than Outback or Chili's. My beer rankings for NXNW.

6. Wit Beer, can't handle that spice
5. Duckabish Amber, just not much too it
4. Bavarian Hefeweizen, not bad
3. Northern Light, good stuff, I'm starting to enjoy true Pilsners and pilsner styles
2. Py Jingo PA
1. Okanogan Black Ale, just love the chances they took with this one.