On-The-Tracks Brewery

This poor place. I am not going to be jokester or rude. I think they really are tryin, they just completely miss the mark on all levels. Service is not strong. Beer is bad. Pepper porter tastes like someone spilled black pepper. Root beer stout was not good. IPA was a beginners home brew. I am truly not a fan. Groupon usually tells me a business needs a little help, this may not be saved by groupon.
First Impression: 1
Décor: 1
Beer: 1
Service: 3
Price: 5
Overall: 11

It is a small brewery with an intimate and inviting feeling. I went on a Sunday with my girlfriend and the 2 gentlemen tending the bar and brewing equipment were welcoming us before we even stepped in the door. They took time to explain the characteristics of each beer and sat and had a conversation swith us for the entire time we were there. In addition to the welcoming vibe and awesome decoration (flags and funny beer signs) the brews were all excellent and there was nothing I didn’t like. Unfortunately they were empty at the time and it made me sad to see no one there! Highly recommend stopping in for a beer to two.

Friendly staff, but less-​than-​spectacular beer.
On-​The-​Tracks is located in the middle of a business park, so finding it is a little tough. It’s pretty quaint inside and the lone employee was very accommodating.
We tried the Blonde, the IPA, the Brown Ale, and Pepper Stout. I typically order IPA’s at most breweries I go to, and this one was very disappointing. The flavor profile just didn’t seem quite right for an IPA. The Pepper Stout was okay, but definitely stay away from the Blonde if possible.
The Brown Ale was easily the best of the bunch, so go with that if it’s available.

If I could add a 3.5 instead of a 3, I would do that for this brewery. It’s near Arcana Brewing and a few doors down from the Guadalupe Brewery. Walking in it’s a smaller place, but there is a lot of character. A stage, a lot of different flags from different places, and the bar. The bar is pretty cool as it looks like it’s made out of copper. The owner and his son were there and they were very pleasant to talk with. They were quiet at first but then the stories and talking commenced. I liked that a lot.
When we went they had a few beers on tap: Blonde, Brown Ale, Cream Ale, Pepper Stout, IPA, and Sour Spike aged in whiskey barrels. We tried everything except the IPA. I really liked the Blonde as it was fresh and clean without any weird after taste like one of the macro breweries. The Cream Ale was just like dessert, so it would be good for someone with a sweet tooth (such as myself). The Pepper Stout was spicy, but not sure I could drink much more than a taster. The amber was fine and I really liked the Sour Spike. It tasted more like a nice wine, than a beer, which was pretty cool.
We did get free pretzels and those were quite tasty. For a nice place to get a good beer, give this one a try.

So hard to decide how many stars to give this review, especially when it’s a small business. I’m going with 2 and in a nutshell, here’s why: they have A/​C. Otherwise without the A/​C it would be a 1 star.
But first let me preface and say despite reading everyone’s reviews before I came I was pleasantly surprised, but there’s a lot of improvements that need to be made. Okay that said…
We stopped by on a HOT Sunday afternoon after visiting Arcana Brewing Company (review to come). Since we were in the area, literally, it’s about a 1 minute walk, how could I not pay a visit?
But I guess the question you have to ask yourself, is it worth a visit?
If it’s your first time and Arcana is closed, I wouldn’t go out of my way. But as mentioned if you’re already in the neighborhood, it won’t hurt.
The one advantage On The Tracks has over Arcana is air conditioning. Yep, A/​C, fully working, and chilly. It was hot that day and Arcana has no A/​C so OTT was a relief from the heat.
However, it’s like you’re walking into someone’s garage. It’s in an industrial complex (as are most breweries) but this space is narrower and looks like it used to be an office space but was converted to a brewery. Because the equipment is in the back behind a door which the public never gets to see, it only enhances the «this is someone’s home brew in their garage feeling.»
There’s a small «stage» with a keyboard, speakers, and some other equipment for a band immediately in front of you as you enter, the bathroom is to the left, a couple of two-​top tables, and a counter/​bar with six seats. Across from the counter are four taps and an old TV. Flags adorn the walls. A small whiteboard to the left of the bar lists the beers on tap.
On tap during our visit: Blondie, Cream Pale, Root Beer Stout, and Baltic Pepper Porter. Yep, 4 beers in an area dominated by craft breweries that offer multiple choices for your drinking pleasure.
Prices: $ 2 tasters, $ 6 flights, and $ 5 pints. Growlers are $ 20 with a $ 13 refill. And soda is $ 1.
I went with the Root Beer Stout while my husband choose the Baltic Pepper Porter. The Root Beer Stout was dangerously good. I couldn’t taste any alcohol, the owner insisted that there was alcohol. But it was a solid root beer, alcohol or not. It could be one of those deceiving drinks where you can’t taste the booze until it’s too late.
The Baltic Pepper Porter, on the other hand, as many other reviewers noted, had a serious pepper flavor and kick with a continual build-​up. Not for me and hubby felt it was so-​so. He’s not one to waste beer so he finished it. If you’re not a fan of pepper, you’ll want to skip it.
A glass mug of pretzels were provided. Straight from lesson one in running a bar: «serve pretzels, nuts or any kind of snacks that make customers thirsty to encourage more drinking.»
We only stayed for 1 round. We were the only two patrons there and the owner (I’m assuming) was lounging back in his chair with his laptop. He talked to us briefly, but there was no «Hi, thanks for coming in. What can I get you?»
Did I mention it felt that we were in someone’s garage? Picture yourself walking into someone’s garage who has a brew kit. That sort of awkward feeling. You’re not sure if you should be there, can’t quite feel comfortable, it’s kinda weird feeling.
As we were drinking our beers, another guy came