Location Spotlight: Taylor + Hutto

If you last visited Taylor and Hutto a few years ago, it’s time to return, because everything’s changed.  What used to be one brewery is now four, plus there’s now a great bottle shoppe, and quite possibly the coolest beer bar in all of Central Texas.  This article has been awaiting publication since October 2023 – there was always something new around the corner that delayed its release.  Finally, everything we know about is open, and we’re excited to present you with this list of old and new options in the northeast central Texas region.

Texas Beer Company

If you haven’t been to Taylor in a while, you might not have visited the new Texas Beer Co.  In December 2022, they announced that they were shutting down the dedicated taproom on Main St. and moving all operations into their brewing facility just down the road.  After a few weeks of renovations they were ready to go, with a modest, rustic taproom that leads directly into their brewing facility, and finally outside to a huge backyard space.  Despite being in business since 2016, the new taproom inspired them to join both Barks for Beers and Austin Ale Trail in the past few years – so there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve already been thanks to those collaborations.  With their frequent events (Chili Cookoff anyone?), fresh coat of paint, and spacious outdoor area, the only brewery in Taylor is as shiny as ever.

The Loose Screw Craft Beer House & Garden

The Loose Screw is located in the Old Taylor High School, which is just as wild as it sounds.  You’ll walk in the front door of the school, down the rows of lockers, past the other local businesses that have set up shop in the school, and finally into the bar.  The beer house itself has a nice bar area, a side room with couches for an even more casual vibe, and an outdoor garden with a stage.  The beer selection is phenomenal – 46 taps with a range of local and non-local options, plus a few cider, mead, and seltzer choices.  Grab some food from the science lab, a book from the math room, play some arcade games in the principal’s office, and kick back with a beer at The Loose Screw.

Neighborhood Bottle Shoppe

If you’ve read our 10Best Bottle Shops list (or if you just live here), you’ll know that there really aren’t many of them.  It’s not hard to find good beer, but if you want to find great non-local beer, especially in singles, there’s a handful of options.  One of them is Neighborhood Bottle Shoppe, which opened late 2023 in the center of Taylor.  To quote myself from the 10Best article, “They have high quality craft cans and large format wild ales, and recommendations are available from the knowledgeable and friendly owners.  Be sure to follow this one on the socials for daily updates on their new stock.”

Rockabilly Brewing

With our trio of Taylor spots completed, we’re now moving into Hutto – which as of two years ago had zero options.  Now there’s three breweries, and the first of them to open was Rockabilly Brewing.  After a soft opening in late 2023, they closed back up again for about 4 months, and then reopened with an airy taproom, beer garden, and playground hidden in the woods just south of Hutto proper.  The BBQ Fiends food truck is also on site along with their smoker for some good bites and aromas.  Rockabilly has a really nice selection of 12 taps as well – just know that only the first two of them are made by this brewery (produced through 3rd Level Brewing and Texas Beer Co).  More to come soon, hopefully!

Power Brewing Project

After a rocky start, north Hutto brewery Power Brewing Project opened at the Affordable Storage complex – which is a sight in itself.  The complex is a bit out of town, and hosts over 30 businesses that range from mechanics, dessert shops, art studios, thrift stores, hobby shops, and more, with the brewery having a prime location right on the boulevard.  You could easily burn a few hours wandering this odd selection of storefronts, while sipping* on Power’s house-made beers in the garage type taproom reminiscent of 512, Infamous, or Hedgehog (though this one has A/C).  If you take a look at the equipment being used, you’ll see right away that owner David is a big fan of recycling as there are logos from 4th Tap, Idle Vine, and other older Austin breweries stamped onto the kegs.  It’s a fun spot.

*not sure if you can carry the beer away from the brewery actually, though I doubt anyone’s watching that carefully

Cottonwood Creek Brewing

Finally, we have the brewery that opened just over a month ago in the center of Hutto.  Cottonwood Creek Brewery was built from the ground up on a prime commercial plot between a Home Depot and a McDonald’s, in the center of hippo country.  If you haven’t been to Hutto yet then you may not have learned that the town’s mascot is the hippo, with many businesses featuring hippo iconography and even hippo statues outside their doors.  Cottonwood Creek leaned in all the way on this with more than one hippo mural inside the restaurant.  This is a full brewpub, currently serving six of their own beers along with a nice guest tap selection, food, cocktails, the works.  Hutto was very much in need of a brewpub like this and they’ve delivered.

Time to hit the road and head northeast.  Tag us on Facebook or Instagram with your favorite spot!

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