Texas on Tap Kickoff At County Line

Only Unilocal could figure out how to celebrate lakeside with Beer & Bubbles in the same month (remember Abel’s on the Lake). The County Line on the Lake outdoor space was the perfect backdrop for the Beer event to kick off Texas on Tap week. Strangely, for an unseasonable warm October day, Kelly S. managed to order up a breeze to go with our nice shady oasis.
I was ten minutes late and arrived to take my place in the line at the entrance… popular event. While we stood in line, there were walking hors d’œuvre trays sporting mini sausage & mushroom kabobs from County Line and delicious little glasses of Italian meatballs from their sister (or should I say brother) restaurant, Cannoli Joe’s.
Once inside, we were greeted by a perfect lakeside venue complete with shady trees, lots of places to sit and that oh so perfect cool breeze. To add additional ambiance to this perfect day, we were treated to the dulcet Texas-​style blues of Kathy Murray & Bill Jones. It was sort of a Unilocal/​County Line postcard setting as I observed smiling beautiful people visiting or walking with others, while tasting beer and just enjoying the day.
While I am not much of a beer drinker, I experienced others enjoying the libations of Circle Brewery, Rogness Brewery, Independence Brewery and Ranger Creek Brewery. And you don’t have to be a beer drinker to understand that many of the folks here, beer is a lot like wine in its complexity and flavors. They were sampling, completing tasting notes, sampling again, and again. I can respect that.
County line was serving up Italian and BBQ. They had a baked pesto ziti from Canoli Joe’s and fixins’ to make either turkey or brisket sliders. I personally went for the brisket and ziti and it magically disappeared from my plate. Later, I spied more walking trays, this time with healthy portions of peach cobbler and ice cream.
Any while I somehow escaped the Paparazzi ;), I spied other Unilocalers posing for their 15 seconds of fame as it was captured by photographer Jennifer Byer.
It was nice to visit with my Unilocal friends and meet some new folks like Sydney T and Adam T. It was also pretty cool to meet the parents of Mr. Smidgens. I now see he has his dad’s good looks and his mom’s million dollar smile.
What more can I say? Texas on Tap Kickoff at County Line was both casual and classy. The day was perfect. My only complaint, time flew and then it was over. C’est la vie until the next time. Thanks to Unilocal,the County Line, the breweries, Canoli Joe’s and Kelly S. for another perfect event.

The beautiful grounds of The County Line was the perfect spot for a Texas-​style fall celebration – country music from the talented Kathy Murray and Bill Jones, BBQ and beer.
The County Line were amazing hosts, serving up Southern charm and damn good food — -BBQ sausage on a stick, a tender chicken and brisket BBQ buffet-​style spread, and finishing us off with some cobbler and vanilla ice cream.
There is no better way to enjoy the smoked meat than the with best craft beers in central Texas. Independence, Rogness, Ranger Creek, St. Arnold’s and Circle Brewing provided to lube to wet our thirst. Each brought their favorites as well as a seasonal brew. I’m an amber girl so Circle’s amber hit a sweet spot for me, but the smoked porter from Ranger Creek was so chocolaty and smooth. And, there was St. Arnold’s Christmas ale… honestly, I couldn’t decide which beer was my favorite, I liked them all. Each beer is different and you can taste the love that went into the product. I’m planning to take a trip to my local watering hole and asking for them. I get thirsty, a lot.
Thanks Kelly S. and Unilocal.I’m could get use to this concept of Sunday Funday.

BBQ and Brews, what’s not to like?
The space was awesome (duckies!), the food was good and the brews were flowing.
I didn’t realize it was going to be this large of an event but it never felt crowded since the venue space is so open and had plenty of seating.
I’ve had most of the beers before coming to this event, but there were some new seasonals that we enjoyed: Circle’s rauschbier and Ranger’s «special series.»
I met a couple of new people and mingled with some familiar faces — which is always a treat.
This was the perfect way to spend an abnormally warm Sunday!

GORGEOUS DAY! I was definitely preparing myself to stake out shaded areas and hide under fans, but then the afternoon developed the nicest breeze!
This location of County Line is beautiful! I’ve been here a few times, but I have never gotten to really appreciate the grounds! Next time you go, make sure not to just run inside! There’s lots of tables and grass area next to the lake, with lots of shade from trees!
As always, the food and the drinks were YUMMY! My favorite of the beers were the Circle Beer and St. Arnolds. I’m more of a fan of light, crisp and hoppy beers. These were great! My top picks from all the noms that County Line passed out, and there were A LOT, were the meatball shooters and the vegetarian ziti. *drooll* I could go for some right now!
Shoutout to Kelly S for planning yet another great event! She’s been a busy bee planning TONS of great events this month!

Convict Hill is Awsrone.
So i targeted the meat/​mushroom purveyors as i was idly standing by in line. I met a Clark co. Firefighter who liked the mushrooms i left on the stick. Then «A lot of shirt» (Jack C.) And his parents showed to the party. I casually asked Jack Sr. And his lady friend if they’d like to be my plus one so i didn’t rsvp with +1 for nothing. After taking a quick glance at the growing line they coolly agreed. Jack C. Tagged along. Upon entering and getting my kMike T. name tag on, i whisked away to find a beer to sample. As i was searching for a table i spied one down by the river. Lindsey H was my date. I also saw some regular Unilocal people, a certain one kept smelling my meat and reminiscing about how her mother liked meat and how she has a fetish for rubbing barbecue sauce all over her face… she’s so cool. Make Mistakes.
I met Gary the surfer, saw Tony the distrustful, and even said hello to dej. I left with a plateful of sliced brisket drenched in sauce.
Thanks to the band, great song choices for a Sunday funday. Thanks to CLotL, bbq was impeccable. Staff was cheerful and upbeat.
Kelly and Unilocal did an awesome awesome AWESOME job organizing this. Top 5 favorite this year. Gonna make a list, of events you wish you had attended.
Totally forgot i had to work a 12 hour shift at 7pm. Great location, impressive showing of Unilocalers, tasty meats, and Kelly S.

After 12 hours of packing on Saturday and waking up at 6am on Sunday to move, Ryan B, Hubs, and I desperately needed this glorious Sunday Funday.
So where do I start? 5 stars, of course! There was the (always) fabulous people, the delicious barbeque, the giant trees on the water, the live music, the turtles, the twinkly lights, and the (super awesome) fact that Kelly kept on encouraging us to drink more beer.
After Anita C joined us for a few (handfuls of) beers, you would occasionally hear comments such as:
«I love Christmas.»
«I’m so full of Christmas.»
«Christmas is the best.»
«I want more Christmas.»
Whaa? Two months too early, you might say? Quite the contrary– we were referencing the crowd pleaser, St. Arnold’s Christmas Ale. Mmm sooo good.
Thanks a bajillion again to all of the awesome sponsors and the lovely Kelly S. for yet another top notch event.
(Sorry, Joe C, this review was not written under any influence. I’ll try harder next time.)

The skies parted, the sun shined and the BBQ & beer Gods delivered. Music filled the air along with the smell of lustful meat. The line was loooong at the County Line but moved swiftly and to top it off we were served skewers of sausage with mushrooms from a silver platter.
Five of Texas’ best breweries poured generous samples of their brews. I tried Circle’s amber, Independence’s Oatmeal Stout, Ranger Creek’s Mesquite Smoked Porter and St. Arnold’s Christmas Ale. We were given a sheet for tasting notes which made it easy to keep tabs on your favs. All were delicious but I was surprised how much I loved the Christmas Ale. I am not usually a fan of holiday seasonal beer but this one is light, crisp with unique flavors.
The mini meatballs in a cup were a good way to curb the appetite while waiting for the food line to die down. I tried the vegetarian pasta and a turkey slider piled high with red onions, tomato, pickles drizzled in spicy BBQ sauce, yum! All the employees I encountered were cheery and smiles, a happy employee is is a sign of a good business so kudos to the County Line!
All the Unilocal folks seemed to enjoy the large space making it easy to mix and mingle or sneak away to the lake front.
A BIG thanks to the awesome Texas breweries for keeping our glasses full of cold brews, County Line for filling our bellies, the band for setting the mood, and Kelly S, Jelena Z and Unilocal for helping us kick off Austin Beer Week proper!

Yet another FANTASTIC Unilocal event! The amount of organization (thanks Kelly), the fantastic staff from County Line, along with their hospitality, the various brewing companies, the band, the Unilocal Elites and their Plus +s really made for a stellar afternoon.
Thanks to County Line, the food was phenomenal. The sausage and mushroom appetizer really hit the spot as many of us were standing in line. The turkey and brisket sliders, topped with a fantastic spicy version of barbecue sauce, were amazing. Also, the baked vegetarian Ziti from Cannoli Joe’s was to die for, even though it killed my transitional Paleo lifestyle. Once I momentarily broke bonds with the cavemen, I figured the delicious peach cobbler dessert shouldn’t feel left out either. I hope those there didn’t miss out on that little cup of heaven.
Four different breweries graced the event with their presence and their brews: Circle, Independence Brewing Company, Rogness Brewing Company and last but not least, Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling out of San Antonio. They all provided intricate beers with varying and distinct flavors. My favorite was hard to decide on but I’ll have to go with Independence’s Austin Amber, in the hopes I’m not being biased as an Austinite.
I wasn’t able to catch up with as many people as I would have liked due to a mild family emergency. My conscious would have never forgiven me had I lingered. I’m sorry I missed many of you. But I hope you enjoyed the event as much as I did in the short period of time I was there.

So glad I made it to the event (my first Unilocal elite event!). It was totally worth changing my scheduled business trip flight for (pretty crazy right?!). Being new to Austin, I heard great things about County Line and found this to be the perfect opportunity to go. The sausage/​mushrooms skewers were great when paired with one of the Independence beers. The brisket was also very tasty and moist, just the way it should be.
In addition to the delicious food/​drinks, music and perfect weather, I really had a great time meeting fellow Unilocalers (shout out to James H).
Thanks Kelly for setting this up. Looking forward to upcoming Unilocal Elite events. Cheers!

What!!! What!!!
My 1^st Unilocal!elite event. It was great.
There was yummy BBQ, there was free beer… What’s to complain about!!!
I got to meet some cool Unilocalers and the amazing Kelly S!!!
Super good times, yo. i cant wait for my next Unilocal!event!

People do some crazy things for good BBQ.
* They’ll stand in line for two hours, when there isn’t even a dive bar, cheese & wine shop, or artisan ice cream next door to kill time…
* They’ll drive to other towns to taste the competing goods of embattled siblings…
* They’ll build a smoker bigger than my first college apartment, towed behind their Ford F-​482 Cummins Deisel Hemi Turbo, or whatever they’re called.
But today it was easy. To kick off Unilocal’s Texas on Tap week here in Austin, the County Line on the Lake hosted a couple hundred Unilocalers and friends. They provided the apps, meats, and sides, to pair with Circle, Independence, Rogness, and Ranger Creek’s tasty brews. Got a chance to try various hefes, stout porters, pale ales, pinot merlots, etc. (I think my tasting notes got VERY poor after a bit).
That didn’t stop some folks from doing some crazy things for the BBQ today. Alicia K. apparently ran 26 miles to get there. Ann even moved that morning, presumably to be closer to it. Then there was that oddly charming redheaded gal that came all that way just to sniff other people’s meats.
Kelly S. covered up her Golden Domer shirt with Unilocaler colors, but she can never cover up her warm smile. Speaking of warm smiles, shout-​outs to some new (to me) friends, like TIffany-y+i. I met first Elite event-​er Sarah W., plus Calily, Marshall, Jack (and his ‘rents who are also fun to talk food with). Plus others (my notes got VERY poor after a bit), and all the rest of the folks I always enjoy rubbing elbows with.
The venue was awesome. Perfect for your meat-​themed wedding for 300. Kelly, Jelena, and Olivia, County Line, and all the brewers: another great one.