About:
The idea was born from a number of moments: while enjoying a cold Lone Star longneck while laughing at the bartender’s vaguely dirty joke at a hidden gem of a dive bar; while sitting around a distressed table with mismatched chairs eating An amazing double cheeseburger wrapped in butcher paper paired with a local craft brew; and while sipping a Texas whiskey while listening to a local cowboy play an acoustic set from a tiny stage on a warm weeknight … It was during any number of these moments that we realized we were pretty good at finding - and sharing – good beer, good food, good music and good times.
We began to ask ourselves ‘why aren’t we using these obvious talents to help our fellow man?’ Then one crazy night spent talking about all the cool places we’d found ended in a resolve to rectify that situation, and led to the creation of Drinking Texas.
Drinking Texas is really what social media is supposed to be all about – using media to be social. We’ve spent the past two decades collecting experiences: unique tastes, interesting stories, live music, old history, new trends and cold beer. And thanks to the miracle of social media, we can now bring all of you along with us. Here, as well as on our other sites on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. we will be going to the places, trying the things, and meeting the people that make Texas … well … Texas (I was looking for a word to imply “great” but had already used the perfect word).
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We will visit places both on and off the beaten path - small town bars, craft breweries, Distilleries and dance halls - where we find not just beers or burgers or music, but moments. Our goal is to help you discover unique places you may not have heard of that are destined to become your favorites. We’d also appreciate you letting us know about special places you’ve found that you think we’d like. Be looking for us out there - we will be looking for you and spreading the Drinking Texas philosophy: Making friends one beer at a time.
More About Us
Chip: Once admonished by an elementary school teacher for disrupting the class, Chip took her warning of “You are not going to get very far in life constantly talking to whoever happens to be sitting next to you” as a personal challenge. He spent years honing the ability to strike up a conversation with whoever his beleaguered teachers sat him next to and once even told himself a story he had never heard before while in detention. His uncanny ability to draw interesting stories from complete strangers before the first beer is empty is one of the pillars of Drinking Texas. A lover of some dogs, most trucks and all Texas craft blondes, Chip fully supports a woman’s right to choose – as long as she is buying the round. He is currently working on inventing the 17.5-ounce pint glass (for personal use only) …
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​Mike: Apparently the last in a long line of beer drinkers, Mike’s biggest regret is missing the “Silver Age” of beers like Falstaff, Jax and Ballantine. He’s making up for it by delving headfirst into craft and micro brews. And macro and industrial brews. And the occasional home brew … Mike comes to Drinking Texas with 35 years of experience as a professional critic in various subjects and in a number of mediums including Newspapers, magazines, television, radio and the internet (word is he was a very picky and judgmental child as well). A history buff, pop culture enthusiast, Mike’s ideal day would include a round of golf, a flight of craft beers in the company of the local brewmaster, a whiskey tasting at a bourbon bistro, taproom trivia followed by some live music, and then maybe a little lunch … Mike loves Pilsners (Even Flying Heart’s Day Wrecker despite Ben trying to kill him with it), country music (The good kind), combat sports (as a spectator only), and Little Debbies Zebra cakes.
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Amber: The newest member of Drinking Texas, Amber has made the transition from reluctant radio show
guest to chatty radio show co-host. Seriously, we’ve had touse the “Shut-the-Fuck-Up” bell on her … twice. No longer happy with a career completely behind the scenes, she found a wicked amazing hat and stepped into the public eye as Drinking Texas’ ambassador to the Red Dirt Music scene. With her ambition, new “Hat and Halo” marketing firm, Drinking Texas Radio platform,(and adorably bizarre snort), Amber could take over the world … but we’re feeding her a steady diet of tequila and spicy dill pickles to distract her enough tokeep things from getting out of hand…
Vickie: A woman of many facets - educator, artist, athlete, long-suffering spouse - Vickie is the driving force behind Drinking Texas and counts among her many duties camera operation, video editing, first-round buying, and, occasionally, tipsy co-host wrangling. She’ll try pretty much any type of brew but still hasn’t replaced the 12-ounce can of Pearl Light with a new favorite beer … yet. The idea for Drinking Texas came to her in a dream, but oddly one in which she was just a minor character and, as she lost interest in whatever the plot of the main dream was, began chatting up the other characters about their favorite watering holes. Her current goal is to develop the Drinking Texas Podcast until it is huge enough that we can get Deadpool on as a guest ... or Matthew Mconaughey – whoever calls her back first. She tolerates sunsets and summer breezes, but simply has no use for long walks on the beach …
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Tex the t-rex: During the cretaceous period some 65 million years ago, central Texas was ruled by the T-Rex. The “king of dinosaurs” had no one to challenge its will. And no one to brew its beer …
Tex the T-rex shudders at the thought of those dark times, preferring modern-day Texas where the days are hot, the beer is cold, and there is always something like a festival, street dance or cornhole tournament going on to make the day special. As a young apex predator in the Greater Austin area, Tex spent most of her time sneaking up on unsuspecting prey - until one day she pounced on an undefended beer and found a new passion. She quickly became Drinking Texas’ official mascot because Drinking Texas visits all the best places … and none of us was willing to tell a tyrannosaur “no.” Tex enjoys baking cupcakes in unusual shapes and chasing mini schnauzers through upper middle-class neighborhoods. She hopes to meet her hero, Godzilla, someday.