#149: Buford's Beer Garden

The Bar

Buford's Beer Garden. 700 W 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

Visited 1/31/20 @ 7pm.

The Drink

Claw eraser. Vodka, kahlua, White Claw. $9.

White Claw is definitely Having a Moment right now, so I wasn't surprised to run into this hard seltzer-filled take on a Mind Eraser, which is basically a carbonated Black Russian. Did you know that the White Russian is a variant on the Black Russian and not the other way around? Despite having seen The Big Lebowski seemingly dozens of times (or maybe because of that fact), I didn't until I just looked it up. The carbonation that the White Claw provided reminded me of the Coke in the Colorado Bulldog I was served at Trophy Club, but it was hard to taste any difference between the White Claw and say, club soda. Kahlua is a fairly overpowering although undeniably delicious ingredient, so perhaps White Claw would shine best (if it can be said to shine at all) by simply swapping it in for tonics and sodas in simpler cocktails. In any case, this was a fine drink, a great way to start the night.

The Crew

Aaron, Kathryn, Neil, Ryan (not pictured), Karen (not pictured), Sonali (not pictured), Travis (not pictured), Cristy (not pictured), Louis (not pictured).

Notes

Buford's Beer Garden replaced the ill-targeted Steampunk Saloon, which never quite caught on. Partially that was due to the bar getting relentlessly mocked by the populace due to steampunk as a concept being many years past its prime and firmly in the "ironic nostalgia" downward phase of popularity, and partially that was due to the bar just not being anything really noteworthy on a crowded stretch of Sixth.

Now that it has new life, though, I like its updated incarnation more. I wouldn't immediately associate it with the phrase "beer garden" in spite of its large patio, since the admittedly large and almost cavernous enclosed exterior isn't open-air enough, but it has plenty of room to sit and watch sports like Mavs @ Rockets like we were doing while we waited for everyone else to show up for some birthday shots (in a weird coincidence, I was visiting Buford's on my birthday in 2020, and I had visited Steampunk Saloon on my birthday in 2017). There's a ton of room to hold crowds but it doesn't feel like the bar's just cramming 'em in. best of all, its secret weapon is a Via 313 trailer in the back - few post-shots drunk foods can compete with some deep-dish pizza.