We took a little trip down to Georgetown, and of course we had to stop by a local brewery. But I’m glad we did because we found a gem hiding in disguise as an industrial building. Sitting just off I-35 on the NE Inner Loop is the Rentsch Brewery, and it’s a must stop if you love craft beer.
You literally pull into the parking lot of an industrial building complex and there’s nothing really distinguishing the Rentsch Brewery other than vinyl signs that say cold beer. You walk right into the taproom with the bar at the back and the digital menu above. There’s some merch to the right but unfortunately they don’t can their beer, only growlers are available. The decor is what I can best describe as a really nice dive bar, but in a good way. There’s TV’s all around to catch a game, and there’s an extra overflow seating area to the right next to the brewing tanks. But even when you’re sitting in the main taproom they have a huge glass windows looking into where they brew their deliciousness. Our only complaint is there’s only 2 single user bathrooms. They don’t have a kitchen, but they always have food trucks there with good food options.
I’m going to give the outside area its own segment because it absolutely deserves it. As you walk out to the patio, to the right is a covered seating area with a stage, and to the left is an uncovered seating area with another stage. Dead center sits about 7 huge trees with a paved walking and seating area surrounding it. It has to be the coolest natural outdoor space I’ve ever seen at a brewery. The entire outdoor space is about twice the size of the taproom. Rentsch really hit a home run with their design.
I want to start off with a classic because the rest are going to be a little untraditional. Their I’ll Be Bock is a 6.4% ABV bock, and it’s wonderful. Traditional bock’s are known for their strong, malty flavor with just a hint of sweetness, and this is exactly that. I’d even say it rivals Shiner Bock, which is a big compliment from me. A great start to the day.
Up next is the Apple Strudel Oktoberfest, a 5.8% ABV marzen lager. I haven’t seen too many breweries make different versions of a marzen lager, but this was really unique and very good. You get the apple notes, you get some bready notes, I think there was even a hint of cinnamon. Combine that with the malty sweetness and smooth & creamy mouth feel that traditional marzen’s have, you get a great little craft brew.
Another favorite of the day was their 4.8% ABV Vanilla Lager. It’s light, crisp, smooth, and it has just the right amount of vanilla flavor. Your taste buds pick up the lager taste before the vanilla which made it very pleasant to sip on. I was a little worried it would be overly sweet, but they added just enough vanilla to make this a refreshing brew.
Our favorite of the day was the Pumptoberfest, a 5.8% ABV Oktoberfest lager. Another really unique take on a marzen lager. You get some real pumpkin flavor, some of the pumpkin spice flavor, and the bready notes and malty sweetness of a marzen lager. Absolutely one of the best pumpkin beers we’ve had, probably because they chose to do it with a marzen base. It’s a really good fall sipping beer.
We really loved our stop at the Rentsch Brewery. They know how to brew traditional and unique beer. The aesthetic was great, a very relaxed vibe, and we love seeing the brewing equipment where they make these fantastic beers. The outdoor space was spectacular, by far the best natural space we’ve ever seen. The employees were incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, and went above and beyond. Our only complaint was only having 2 single use bathrooms. Because of all of that, Rentsch Brewery is getting 10 🍺, only our second perfect rating. We absolutely loved our visit and plan to be back. And Always Drink Local!
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