Highway 71 Brewing Co.

A year in, the taproom is angling for a liquor license to go with its pizza truck and Tuesday night jackpot

Highway 71 Brewing Co. has been pouring beer, running pickleball leagues and hosting Tuesday night card games in Spicewood for over a year now — and it just filed paperwork that could change what's in your glass. The family-run brewery and entertainment spot sits in a warehouse complex just off Hwy. 71, and it's become the kind of place where the bartender remembers your order and the dog under your table is just as welcome as you are.

The story. Highway 71 Brewing Co. is owned by two couples, Kevin and Staci Caputo as well as Les and Shannon Butler. The brewery offers a variety of craft beers, handcrafted mocktails and nitro cold brew coffee. It opened in a stretch of industrial-park buildings that nobody would mistake for a destination — until they walk in. The brewery has since filed for a mixed-beverage permit with the state, the license that would let it start pouring liquor and cocktails on top of beer, wine and the mocktails it already makes. Nothing's official yet — no cocktail list, no launch date — but the paperwork is the clearest sign yet that 71 is building toward a fuller bar.

The vibe. This isn't a stand-at-the-bar kind of brewery. Highway 71 Brewing is a family-owned Hill Country brewery and taproom just off Highway 71 in Spicewood, TX. It offers craft beer brewed on-site, the only temperature-controlled indoor pickleball court in the area, a golf simulator, and CraigO's on-site pizza food truck. There's an upstairs lounge looking down over the pickleball court, big screens for game day, and a layout the owners describe as closer to a living room than a traditional taproom. Dogs are welcome inside, which regulars mention almost as often as the beer.

What to order. The house lineup is small-batch and brewed on site. Try the Lake Life Lager (4.8% ABV, light and crushable), the Hilltop Haze IPA (6.7% ABV, tropical and juicy), the Paleface Pale Ale (5% ABV, citrus and caramel), or the La Brisa Mexican lager (4.5% ABV) if you want something sessionable on a hot afternoon. Can't decide? Build a flight of four. Food comes from rotating partners — CraigO's pizza truck and Mickey's BBQ+Tacos both run food service out front depending on the day.

Good to know. Tuesdays are for Queen of Hearts, the progressive card-draw jackpot game that runs 5-7 p.m. and has been known to roll over into real money. The brewery also runs $10 Sunday beer flights, weekly pickleball league nights, and a rotating calendar of live music and comedy shows — check the Happenings page before you go so you know what you're walking into.