Bottom Line: Texas Cannon Brewery is a cozy little place in Blanco, Texas just down the road from Real Ale that offers some excellent brews and good home cooking as well.
If you happen to be in Blanco, Texas looking for beer (about forty-five minutes north of San Antonio), then you are certainly going to stop at Real Ale Brewery which is well-known for its Firemans #4 Ale, Devil’s Backbone Tripel, Axis IPA, and more. But just up the road from there is Texas Cannon Brewery which has its own stock of craft beers along with a pretty decent selection of food items to pair those brews with. I was passing through town about a month ago and decided to make a stop for lunch (only just now getting around to posting about it, though), and I enjoyed some good beers and tasty comfort food that took the edge off of a gloomy and rainy day.
It was actually the second time that I visited that establishment, but the prior trip was after hitting Real Ale’s taphouse, so I only sampled a couple of beers from Texas Cannon that time. This time around I started off with a flight, then finished up with one of their specialty beers that I had enjoyed on my prior trip. For the flight, I had them pour me the following four brews:
Texas Blonde Ale: This one is a light-colored ale that is malt-forward with a touch of hops. But don’t mistake this for a lite beer because it is full-flavored with a slight richness. As you would expect from a blonde, it is not very heavy, and I found it rather refreshing with just a hint of sweetness. It went very well with the Frito Pie I ordered (more to come on that tasty food item).
Texas Cannon Haze: This hazy IPA is fruity and hoppy and quite refreshing. It is not overpowering on the fruit flavors, but it definitely came through with some nice citrus. It is a rich brew, but not too strong, and it is an IPA that those who don’t usually like IPAs should enjoy.
Texas Cannon Oktoberfest: This seasonal beer is high in maltiness and also brought a fair amount of bitterness. It is full-bodied and hearty, and I found it more satisfying than most Oktoberfests I have had.
Ranger Rye Ale: My favorite from the flight, this delivers a very smooth taste with a nice richness and some hoppiness in the background. It also has just a touch of bitterness and a bit of a spice kick to give it a good finish. It has some similarities to an IPA, but not as daunting, and it went down quite well.
Among their specialty beers, they had the Suzanna IPA which I had tried before and rather enjoyed. For that one, I ordered a pint to finish off my visit. It is a very smooth IPA, but it brings plenty of richness as well. It has fruit and citrus in it, but I would not call it fruity beer. The citrus is definitely notable, but it is in the background to just give it a nice zing. This is an IPA that just about anyone can like, and I am certainly hoping that they turn it into a regular.
And beer is not the only thing that they do well at Texas Cannon. This was the second time that I got a meal there, and both times the food has been top-notch. The menu is not expansive, consisting mostly of burgers, sandwiches, pizza, fried seafood, and appetizers. But you are certain to find something that will tempt you, and I’m betting you will go away happy.
On this trip, they had fried green tomatoes on the special list as an appetizer, and those came out golden and cooked to perfection. But it was the jalapeno Ranch dressing that gave these a good and spicy kick while amping them up to the next level.
It happened to be raining that day, so when I saw the Frito Chili Pie on the menu, that seemed like the perfect comfort food to combat the gloom outside. The chili was rich and beefy and well-seasoned plus it had a bit of a kick, though that may have come from the Cheddar jack sauce. The corn chips stayed crunchy throughout and went perfectly well with the chili that topped them.
All-in-all, it was a successful visit with a good sampling of beers and some tasty hot food that paired up perfectly. By the time I left, the rain was subsiding, so everything seemed to come together quite nicely. Blanco, Texas is certainly not a big town and not one you will be spending much time in. But don’t focus all your attention on Real Ale when Texas Cannon is there as well. Plan accordingly and try to stop at both if possible. Milam & Greene Whiskey Distillery is there as well and Rough Diamond Brewery is just south of town, so maybe plan on spending the night to check them all out!
Website: www.texascannonbrewing.com
Address: 307 4th St, Blanco, TX 78606