Twisted X, a Tale of Hops and Yeast

When was the last time you enjoyed a Twisted X? No, not a crazy ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend, but the beer! This place is pretty happening and it has been quite a welcome addition to the fermented beverage scene in Dripping Springs since 2013. The company was founded in 2009, but moved to the newer 10,000 sq ft building in 2013. The brewery’s specialty is Tex-Mex style beers and the offerings are fairly diverse. After having tasted a few of their craft brew beers purchased from the grocery store, my wife, her cousin, his fiancée, and I decided to drive out to the ‘ground zero of brewing’ for a visit and tasting.

As you pull into the driveway, you are greeted by a building fit for the Texas Hill Country. Modern enough to be welcome with up-to-date clean lines, but the barn-like outer shell fits right in amongst the trees and the limestone rich Texas countryside. The steeply arched rooftop hovers above the large Twisted X Brewing Company sign, which is a tough looking symbol in and of itself. No pinkies are to be raised while holding glasses of beer at this spot ladies and gentlemen, pinkies down at all times, please.

As you approach the bar, friendly folks kindly ask what you might be interested in. They offer beer tastings in flights or you can walk over to a comfortable picnic table inside or outside to enjoy a cold beer by the glass. Since it was our first visit to Twisted X Brewing Company, we decided to do a beer flight, which consisted of six mini-glasses of assorted beers that you get to choose. The wooden flight paddles are a neat addition to the experience, where you can lift and safely carry all six glasses at once, as they are all held in place via the paddle. We decided to sit inside at one of the picnic tables to enjoy our tasting. All the beers in the flight were unique and well crafted, but we definitely had our favorites. Here is a list of what we tasted during our visit.

• Sample 1: Twisted X – Premium Lager
• Sample 2: Fuego – Jalapeño Pilsner
• Sample 3: Chupahopra – India Pale Ale
• Sample 4: Siesta – Prickly Pear Lager
• Sample 5: Belma Tolls – IIPA
• Sample 6: Galaxy Days – Pale Ale

As you can see in the photograph of the taster paddle, both Pale Ales (Chupahopra and Galaxy Days) were our favorites and they disappeared very quickly. It is amazing how that happens isn’t it? The others were all well made, enjoyable and unique, especially the Jalapeño Pilsner and the Prickly Pear Lager. If you love some heat, definitely give the Fuego a try!

While sipping the craft brewed excellence from their brewmaster, we glanced around to take in the ambience of the tasting room. Aside from the main bar, the room holds several large picnic tables for sitting, flat-screen TVs for watching your favorite game, and lots of t-shirts and other Twisted X paraphernalia to purchase as souvenirs. They even have wooden slats available that you can write on to place on the ceiling, sort of an “I was here” message. The only downer of the day was the fact they were shorthanded and unable to give us a guided brewery tour, which we were really looking forward to. Such is life though, right? Aside from that, the experience was a positive one. We definitely enjoyed our visit to Twisted X and will be sure to return again in the near future to check out their new offerings.

Cheers!