Rich and bold, the Bearded Seal Dry Irish Stout is one of the crowning achievements of Pinthouse Pizza, at least according to Yelp reviewers. They cite it as one of the best house-brewed beers at Pinthouse—though most of them seem to garner acclaim. The Calma Muerta is another favorite, this one a session ale (similar to an IPA, but not as bitter) with a fruity flavor profile.

The beers both follow Director of Brewing Joe Mohrfeld's push toward hoppy beers that avoid the bitter finish. Along with a team of two brewers, Mohrfeld develops and brews a slate of beers in-house that Austin residents seem to love. In addition to his own brews, Mohrfeld also pours many other local and microbrewed beers (typically more than 40 are available). The kitchen also crafts high quality comfort food from fresh ingredients. Given its name, it should come as no surprise that Pinthouse Pizza is known for its specialty pies, but it also serves a handful of appetizers, salads, and desserts.

Check out Pinthouse Pizza's website to learn more about this pizzeria and brewpub near Folio.

Pinthouse Pizza
4729 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 436-9605
pinthousepizza.com/
www.yelp.com/biz/pinthouse-pizza-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Christine Wisnieski

Austin is a city known for embracing its natural landscape, as exemplified by Lady Bird Lake and the paved trail that encircles it. So it shouldn't come as a big surprise that Zilker Botanical Garden, a 26-acre space overflowing with bright blooms and greenery, resides just beyond the edge of downtown Austin, not far from Folio.

Located right off of the Colorado River, there's plenty of water to nourish the plants—although some of them don't need much. The Cactus and Succulent Garden, for instance, largely contains native Texas cacti and succulent plants that only require a bit of water to survive the southern heat. Other gardens are more delicate, though, and more beautiful by most standards. Head to the Daylily Beds throughout the spring to see these multicolored flowers in full bloom, or check out the Children's Garden with your kids. It's home to a dinosaur shaped form shrubbery.

Zilker Botanical Garden
2220 Barton Springs Road
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 477-8672
www.zilkergarden.org/
www.yelp.com/biz/zilker-botanical-gardens-austin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/tillwe