When you own a kegerator, knowing the best places to fill a keg is essential. In recent years, Austin, Texas has grown from a sleepy yet drunk college town to a sleepy yet drunk mid-sized city. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Due to it weathering the recent recession well, citizens eager for better prospects are moving there in droves. Of course, these people need a beer hookup.
Here is a list of stores that sell kegs:
Campus
Party Barn – they are located next to campus. I like the fact that they publish keg prices on the site. The selection is good and they even offer a kegerator maintenance service. They will pick up and deliver kegs for a fee.
- 3300 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
- (512) 451-8508
Juniors – good selection, bad website. At least they are cool enough to post a list of varieties with prices on the site. With any of these smaller operations, I would call first to verify pricing. Many companies this size have a tendency to put a website and never touch it again. The biggest drawback of this place is the high $140 deposit. It includes a shell, tap and tub. You also won’t be charged if you bring back the equipment within 3 days. It still seems like they are using this as a profit sector.
- 705 W 29th St, Austin, TX 78705
- (512) 222-7577
Hancock HEB – it is worth noting that not all HEB’s have kegs. This one does due to the obvious proximity to the university. I recommend calling ahead of time to make sure they have the flavor(s) you desire.
- 1000 E 41st St, Austin, TX 78751
- (512) 459-6513
Fiesta – I wouldn’t do it, but maybe you like the atmosphere of a flea market.
- 3909 N IH 35, Austin, TX 78722
North
NXNW – yes, the restaurant. They are known for having good great prices on specialty brews. They ask for customers to order kegs at least 24 hours in advance. A $100 deposit is required for all shells. If you take longer than 30 days to return the shell, they will return the deposit in the form of a check.
- 10010 Capital of TX Hwy N, Austin, TX 78759
- (512) 467-6969
Specs – if you dig around in the beer section on the site, you can find a price list. They usually don’t have the best prices, but they are frequently one of the easiest stores to deal with.
- 5775 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78752
- (512) 366-8300
&
- 10515 N Mopac Expy, Austin, TX 78759
- (512) 342-6893
If you click on Beer at the top of the Specs website and then select the size of the keg you want to fill on the left side drop down, you can see some of their keg selection. It doesn’t seem to be a terribly accurate list. I bought a quarter barrel of Firemans Four there the other day and it isn’t mentioned.
| Beer | Half Barrel Price |
|---|---|
| 512 Brewing - Pecan Porter | $168.40 |
| Ballast Point - Sculpin IPA | $291.30 |
| Big Sky - Moose Drool | $188.90 |
| Boulevard - Unfiltered Wheat | $188.90 |
| Brooklyn Lager | $168.40 |
| Buffalo Bayou - Sams Daily Cream Ale | $104.90 |
| Corona | $163.90 |
| Franconia Kolsch | $161.80 |
| Guns & Oil Maverick Lager | $174.70 |
| Harpoon - UFO White | $161.80 |
| Karbach - Mother-In-Lager | $192.90 |
| Karbach Sympathy for the Lager | $179.90 |
| Karbach Weisse Versa Wheat | $179.90 |
| Kirin Ichiban | $200.70 |
| Landshark Lager | $146.30 |
| Leinenkugels Sunset Wheat | $157.80 |
| Live Oak Big Bark Amber Lager | $187.70 |
| Live Oak HefeWeizen | $188.90 |
| Live Oak Liberation Ale | $206.90 |
| Live Oak Pilz | $187.70 |
| Live Oak Primus Weizenbock | $208.40 |
| Lone Pint 667: Neighbor of the Beast IPA | $206.90 |
| Magic Hat #9 | $161.80 |
| Miller High Life | $73.67 |
| Modelo Especial | $163.90 |
| Negra Modelo | $175.90 |
| New Belgium - Ranger IPA | $182.60 |
| New Belgium - Seasonal | $182.60 |
| PBR | $112.90 |
| Pacifico | $163.90 |
| Rahr & Sons - Blonde Lager | $175.90 |
| Rahr & Sons - Texas Red Amber Lager | $161.60 |
| Rahr & Sons - Ugly Pug Black Lager | $175.90 |
| Ranger Creek - Oatmeal Pale Ale | $174.70 |
| Firemans 4 | $155.40 |
| Revolver Blood and Honey | $232.90 |
| Revolver Deposit | $157.80 |
| Saint Arnold - Christmas Ale | $201.90 |
| Saint Arnold - Santo | $188.90 |
| Samuel Adams - Boston Lager | $182.60 |
| Samuel Adams - Seasonal | $182.60 |
| Shiner Blonde | $123.90 |
| Sierra Nevada Pale Ale | $190.40 |
| Southern Star | $182.60 |
| Stone Brewing IPA | $213.60 |
HEB – this one is technically in Round Rock, so be careful with the Wilco cops. Obviously, this rule is doubly applicable if you happen to be a minority or under the age of 30.
- 16900 N. FM 620 (at O’Connor Dr), Round Rock, TX 78681
- (512) 238-7909
South
South Congress Beverage Barn – it is another drive through beer joint. There isn’t much else to say.
- 3612 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
- (512) 440-8283
Specs – they are the best family owned liquor store in the world. Wouldn’t you want to be part of that family? I bet their parties are epic. Their drunken fights are probably even nuttier.
- 4978 Hwy 290, Austin, TX 78735
QP Food Mart – god bless all gas stations that sell kegs. This used to be one of the cheapest places to go. They still might be, but I don’t check keg prices as much as I probably should.
- 5625 W Gate Blvd, Austin, TX 78745
Bonus Growler Section
Whip In – one of the largest beer selections in all of Austin. Prices are a little high. They will also fill a keg, but they need a couple days notice. That isn’t practical for most occasions. I actually remember when this place used to sell canisters of nitrous oxide behind the counter. It hasn’t been that way for a few years now as they have definitely gone the more chic route.
Growler Room – the name says it all here. Obviously, we love the concept.
- 6800 Burnet Rd, Suite 2, Austin, TX 78757
- (512) 458-4438
&
- 2400 East Oltorf, Suite 6A, Austin, Texas 78741
- (512) 394-7894
Whole Foods – The first store started on Lamar all those years ago. Now they have locations all over town. For your growler needs, you need to pick a WFM that has draft beer.
Draught House – another cool bar located north central. They are worth checking out whether you need a growler filled or not.
- 4112 Medical Pkwy, Austin, TX 78756
- (512) 452-6258
Black Star Co-Op – cool place if you are on the north side of town. Prices include tips since they allegedly pay their employees a living wage.
- 7020 Easy Wind Dr, Austin, TX 78752
- (512) 452-2337
Flix Brewhouse – they once promoted $5 64 ounce growler refills. I count this as badass.
- 2200 Interstate 35 Frontage Rd, Round Rock, TX 78681
- (512) 244-3549
Uncle Billy’s – with the beer they make.
- 1530 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704
- (512) 476-0100
Hopfields – good selection by campus.
- 3110 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
- (512) 537-0467
Related Articles
Austin 360 Comprehensive Guide to Brewpubs
Thrillist 8 Places to Fill a Growler
Howdy! Would you mind if I share your weblog with my twitter group? Theres lots of people that I think would truly enjoy your content material. Please let me know. Thanks bdekaeedebeb