The Ginger Man
One of the best beer bars in Austin, TRP visited here March 2011, and we visited multiple times during our 10 day stay in Austin. 4x in fact. They boast over 80 beers on draft and 2 on cask and an unbeatable bottle selection. When we were there we sampled the 512 and Independence, two local Austin breweries, as well as a couple of different Real Ales and many different types of Shiner. According to their website, they are especially proud of their selections of Belgian ales and lambics, Oktoberfest brews, British & German beers, and beer from microbreweries local to [the area]. They actually have 6 different locations all around Texas, with the Houston location just celebrating their 25th year anniversary. They have a large outdoor patio in the back, as you will find with most of Austin, and all Ginger Man locations, they have nice weather almost year round, so it makes sense. They had a trivia night one night when we were there, but there isn’t additional information on their website about that. Go here, you will not be disappointed!
I didn’t make it to the Austin location, but stopped into the one in Houston many times. Great bar, and it doesn’t feel at all like a chain (in the best way possible)