Photo by chaseshumwaydotcom on FlickrDogfish Head, the Delaware-based independent brewery whose name you might recognize from those tasty craft beers lining the shelves of finer booze purveyors, will be bringing their third-annual Off-Centered Film Festival to the Alamo Drafthouse this April. The marriage of a movie-loving brewery and a beer-loving theater is plenty serendipitous in its own right, BUT! It's also a grand opportunity for you, Aspiring Filmmaker: Dogfish Head will be giving away a......

photo from refractionarts.org The Assumption Junktion Funktion!Saturday, November 17Scoot Inn (1308 E. Fourth)Doors at 9pm[info]As we recently reported, Refraction Arts' The Assumption is making a return this holiday season. "By riotous demand," the show will play for three weeks, starting December 7th. To celebrate the return of this theatre event, the cast and crew are throwing a hell- fund-raising hootenanny at Scoot Inn, tomorrow night. Entertainers and fellow revelers will include the house band, Fast......

Dear Pillow poster by Rob Jones Dear Pillow DVD Release PartyMonday, November 12thAustin School of Film8pm, Free, Beer and snacks provided[info]Austin-made indie favorite Dear Pillow will hit the shelves tomorrow in DVD form (courtesy of Heretic Films), and tonight the Austin School of Film will host a party to celebrate the occasion. Written and Directed by Bryan Poyser (who we interviewed about his latest short Grammy's during SXSW), Dear Pillow tells the story of a......

One of Texas' most popular and oldest independent craft breweries — Saint Arnold Brewing Company — is hot off a gold medal win at the Great American Beer Festival. Judges at the annual festival in Denver awarded Fancy Lawnmower Beer the gold medal in the German Style Kölsch/Köln Style Kölsch category. This is the first gold medal win for Saint Arnold's. Lawnmower beers, for the uninitiated, are light, crisp, and ideal for hot weather drinking.......

Just in time for Saturday's big game, the UT alumni behind Independence Brewing Co. have decided to bring back their special pro-Longhorn beer. Last year's "Oklahoma Suks" was such a hit that the local brewery opted to increase production for the second annual run — over four times the amount of last year's batch hit stores last week. Despite this, they still anticipate that the limited-run brew will sell out. "When we first released Oklahoma......

Houston brewer St. Arnold released St. Arnold Divine Reserve 5 this week in Houston, DFW, San Antonio, and Austin. The Divine Reserve label goes on St. Arnold's single batch beers, and they sell out quickly. Reserve No. 5 is a Russian Imperial Stout which is a very big, bold stout with coffee flavors. Early ratings on RateBeer.com give it a 98 out of 100. Find it at Grapevine, Spec's, Whip In, Whole Foods or Central......

UT Austin dropped from its much-heralded top spot in this year's rankings of the country's Best Party Schools, published in The Princeton Review's annual "Best Colleges" survey. Based on input from over 120,000 students across the nation, the rankings are a decent barometer of general public opinion among the notoriously fickle college set. Students were asked to rate universities based on "use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day, and the popularity......

Our first experience with Independence Brewing Company came just a few short years ago when browsing the beer aisle at a nearby Austin grocer. Shuffling past the quick favorites (Lone Star) and growing tired of the old standbys (Shiner) we noticed the logo of a shaggy-haired kid jumping, cannonball-style, into a pool not unlike Barton Springs. With curious minds and ever-growing sobriety, we jumped in and discovered what has quickly become one of our......

Our first experience with Independence Brewing Company came just a few short years ago when browsing the beer aisle at a nearby Austin grocer. Shuffling past the quick favorites (Lone Star) and growing tired of the old stand-by's (Shiner) we came upon the logo of a shaggy-haired kid jumping, cannonball-style, into a pool not unlike our own Barton Springs. With curious mind and ever-growing soberness, we delved further to discover what has quickly become......

The June 2007 issue of Beer Advocate Magazine lists Austin as one of "Nine Great Beer Towns You Didn't Know Were Great Beer Towns" (pp. 22-29). The article lists Austin among other underappreciated beer towns such as Eugene, Oregon and Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. We're personally honored and flattered to have been grouped in with these other great beer places, but we're not sure Austin is so deserving. Their list of establishments that justify......

FRIDAY [1] party • Rare Magazine Summer Issue Launch Party at Mean Eyed Cat (5:30pm) bikes • Republic of Texas Biker Rally at All Over Austin dance/benefit • Project Transitions Hosts 12th Annual Texas Swing at Saengerrunde Hall and Scholz’s Beer Garten ($40, 8-Midnight) art • Opening Reception: Cantanker/us, the Cantanker Magazine staff show at Else Madsen Gallery, 411 Brazos, Suite 99 (7-11pm) art • The B Scene at The Blanton Museum of Art,......

Our pals at Project Transitions will host the 12th Annual Texas Swing fundraiser this Friday. Project Transitions - the only nonprofit organization in Central Texas that provides hospice and housing programs for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS - raised more than $37,000 during last year's Texas Swing with more than 700 people attending. Texas Swing is a family-friendly event that features live music by local favorite Alvin Crow, barbeque by Scholz’s, and free......

When the people behind Vice Magazine throw a party, it's safe to assume that much booze will be enjoyed, and, on more special occasions, that buildings may partially collapse. All in the name of good fun. Meanwhile, Harley Davidson recently spawned the latest hellion in its family of meaty motorcycles: the "Nightster" is an ultra-low sportster designed, as its 27-year-old creator put it so succinctly, "to look illegal." We know precious little about fancy......

The American craft beer industry will converge on Austin tonight for this year's Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America. Black Star Co-op - the world's first cooperatively owned and worker self-managed brewpub - will be hosting a Craft Beer Celebration to raise startup capital for their beer-boasting business. The event, tonight at Fiesta Gardens from 8PM to midnight, will feature live music from local bands PONG and Opposite Day, funky beats from The Second......

FRIDAY [20] benefit/music • Ashera-Blare-A IV with All In the Golden Afternoon, The Heirs, The Minderchucks, and The Otters at Club DeVille beer/party • Black Star Co-op's Craft Beer Celebration with Pong, Opposite Day, The Second Line Social, and fine craft beer from around the country at Fiesta Gardens (8pm-Midnight, $10) comedy • Punchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) dance • Room, part of Refraction Arts' Fuse Box Festival at The......

THURSDAY [19] benefit/music • Do512 and Direct Events co-host a benefit for Groundwork Music with Tammany Hall, The Boxing Lesson at La Zona Rosa (RSVP for Free Entry, $5 Cover Otherwise) books • "The Art of Travel and Travel Writing" with Lonely Planet writer Alex Hershey and Stephanie Elizondo Griest at Intellectual Property (5:00pm) books • The Texas Monthly Author Series presents Ian Rankin at BookPeople (7:00pm) film • Movies in the Park: "Talladega......

MONDAY [16] film • "The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico" at Alamo Downtown books • Teen Sci-Fi writers Scott Westerfield and Justine Larbalestier at BookPeople (7:00pm) books • The Harlem Renaissance, a panel discussion with Cary D. Wintz, Martha Jane Nadell, and Shirley Thompson at The Harry Ransom Center (7:00pm) film • "A Clockwork Orange" at Alamo Downtown film • Jim Jarmusch's "Down By Law" at Alamo Village food • Central Market......

With great weather, a social atmosphere, and big crowds, there were many good times to be had at last year's Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival Sunday Fair in Georgetown. Having braved the long drive, we found a huge, beautiful park filled with white tents full of salsa, BBQ, chocolate, tamales, and copious amounts of booze. This is probably one's best chance to experience the gluttony of the THCWFF at a moderate cost,......

Believe it or not, there's a bunch of activities going on around town this week other than SXSW. This week's IST List won't include our usual bevy of music and film events; for those, we recommend that you check out our Interactive Guide to SXSW Parties and the Other Side Guide, respectively. We'd also like to welcome LAist editor Tony Pierce and Gothamist arts editor Jen Carlson, both of whom will be joining us......

San Antonio trio Girl In A Coma is comprised of siblings Nina and Phanie Diaz, and complemented by childhood friend Jenn Alva on bass. The band’s energetic pop/rock has been seen on tour with the likes of Frank Black, The Epoxies, and The Eyeliners, with an upcoming gig opening for the Pogues announced this month. Also secured recently is a record deal with Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records, with their debut album expected sometime this......

THURSDAY [15] benefit •St. Valentine's Day-After Massacre, A Spay/Neuter Fundraiser at Mother Egan's (5:30pm-7pm) art •Public Tour: Michener and Modernism at Blanton Museum (7:00 - 8:00 PM) art •Public Tour: By the River by Radcliffe Bailey at Blanton Museum (12:30 - 1:00 PM) ballet •Ballet Austin presents Director's Choice at The Paramount Theatre (8pm) film •Flicker Film Festival at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film •Love Bites: The 80s Power Ballad Singalong at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown......

One of the more intriguing panels during SXSW Interactive isn't even part of the official conference: 20x2 assembles twenty interesting individuals from the creative industry -- "writers, musicians, filmmakers, web geeks and other bon vivants" -- and poses a broad, abstract question that each must answer in two minutes. Having been around since 2001, questions presented at 20x2s past have included "Who Are You?", "What's the Word?", and "What's the Big Idea?". Abstract, indeed. This......

Montreal's Besnard Lakes are not your typical Canadian outfit. When you think of an outfit fronted by a husband and wife duo, you probably think of sugary slop soaked with trite lyrics and knowing glances, but don't make that mistake when it comes to The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse, the band's latest effort. Roy Orbison and Brian Wilson spring to mind as masters of falsetto harmony, and that comparison is legit, but......

The city of Austin is a bastion of local print and internet media publications of many varieties, and we at the Austinist are always excited to get our from under our cave desks, rub the sleep from our eyes, and actually read something that has been printed on a real live piece of paper once in a while. Or just download the .PDF. Regardless of how we come to read our favorite local print publications,......

Photograph of Rick Santorum conceding defeat with his family by Gene J. Puskar/AP The -ists this week had politics on the brain. And what goes better with politics? Partying-- that's two great tastes in one. Oh, and Kevin Federline...can't forget about Kevin Federline. That's three great tastes in one. -Bostonist discussed two big state issues-- what sort of math constitutes a marriage and what kind of alcohol can be sold in most grocery stores.......

Tigersblood and Wedding Cake with Cream? Fuzzy Navel with Hill Country Berry? Banana and Chocolate with Cream? Root Beer with Ice Cream on the bottom? Whatever your favorite may be, get it soon, because your friendly neighborhood snow cone stand, Sno Beach will shave its last ice today. On the corner of Butler Street and South Lamar just north of Barton Springs Road stands this premiere ice & syrup institution of Austin, whose owners......

Let's take a look back at a week that raised this Zen koan: if Kevin Federline got into a wrestling ring with a wrestler, who would you root for? Austinist was in an entertainment state of mind as they covered the dickens out of the Austin Film Festival, depicted all the Big 12 football coaches as South Park characters, and interviewed Jose Gonzalez. Chicagoist talked about the passion as they bid adieu to Bell......