Whitestone Brewery
Location: 601 E. Whitestone Blvd, Cedar Park, TX
Whitestone Brewery Grand Opening Party:
Friday February 19th, 2016
The People
Like many new brewery founders, Ryan Anglen homebrewed as a hobby and spent the last decade in high-tech. He always longed to start his own business, “I had one chance to turn a hobby into a career, despite the risks”. However, Ryan knew that he couldn’t do it alone and understood the difficulty in going from homebrewing to production brewing. He decided to search for a partner with production brewery experience and found Kris Gray.
Kris started homebrewing in college and quickly caught the bug. He decided to move to New Zealand after college to get a job in the burgeoning beer market there. He started brewing at a small English-style brew pub that focused on traditional open-fermentation brewing and only served beer from casks. After a year of brewing in New Zealand, Kris landed a job with Stone Brewing Company in San Diego as an Assistant Brewer. Kris attended brewing school and worked his way up to Brewing Supervisor within a few years, but longed to get back to his roots in Texas.
Ryan brought Kris on very early in the build-out process so he would have full say in the layout and style of the brewhouse, “I wanted Kris’s personality in the business too, especially in the brewhouse”, says Ryan. Kris has a regimented background coming from Stone. With the opportunity to have creative freedom, Kris was drawn to Whitestone Brewery.
The Beers (updated 2023)
The name of the brewery was inspired by the community – located on Whitestone Boulevard, the name also reflects the actual stone found in the area. The theme for the beers at Whitestone Brewery is a wide variety with a focus on quality. The lineup consists of six mainstay beers that represent core beer styles: Konverter Kolsch, Long Gone Blonde, Lovely Day IPA, ¡Mira! Mexican Lager, and Cedrela Hefeweizen. Along with the mainstays, the brewery will produce seasonal beers in a variety of styles distributed around the area.
Typically, you can only find Whitestone seasonal beers at the source, s0 you’ll need to head over to the brewery to get your hands on those beers. They do both growler and crowler fills, you are able to get them to go.
The Brewery
The brewery has a very comfortable, homey feel to it, as Ryan states, “We wanted to create a comfortable space that people would want to come back to”. The large climate-controlled taproom includes several couches and tables, a long wrap-around bar, an outside covered pet-friendly beer garden, and a great view of the brewhouse. The brewery is family-friendly and boasts amenities such as free wifi, several large TVs, games (including cornhole), and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. There is currently room for two food trucks and the brewery is working on a rotational schedule. The brewhouse is visible from the taproom and consists of a 15bbl steam two-vessel system with 30bbl fermenters and bright tanks.
The Details
Location: 601 E. Whitestone Blvd, Cedar Park, TX – Railyard Shopping Center
Hours: Sunday-Monday 12-9pm, Tuesday-Thursday 12-9:30pm, Friday & Saturday 12-10:30pm (subject to change, check the website).
Pay Structure: Cash and Credit for pints, flights, growlers, and crowlers.
Kid Friendly: Yes – snacks, games, and non-alcoholic drinks with free wifi.
Dog Friendly: Yes, in the beer garden.
Parking: Parking in the Railyard shopping center parking lot.
Food: Van’s Damn Tasty Tacos & Ronburguesas
Good to know: Call the brewery to schedule a private event.
Check out Whitestone Brewing on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
