After a long day, it’s nice to unwind with a cool beer. Let’s be realistic though, most of our days don’t stop at 5 p.m. We are doing homework, working, or just trying to be adults.

Story by Julie Gomez

Photos by Malayna Ellis

For those of us who want to unwind, but want the option of a little pick-me-up for that impending all-nighter, these coffee shops are the best places to hide away. Find out where to get your beer-infused coffee fix below.

Thunderbird

Two locations at 2200 Manor Rd. and 1401 W Koenig Ln.

Open Monday – Sunday from 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Thunderbird has two locations, and each location has an ambience that makes you feel welcome to talk with friends during study breaks, but not distracting enough to keep you from reading a book.

The main difference between the two locations is beer selection. The Manor location offers about 10 craft brews on tap, but from only 3 different breweries. The party is really at the Koenig location. They have 32 beers on tap, all from local breweries specially selected by the Thunderbird Beer Man, Michael Scharnberg. Scharnberg maintains the beer selection at Thunderbird, and he updates the selection weekly.  

“I always try to keep one or two coffee infused beers on tap,” Scharnberg says.

Right now Thunderbird is serving Bomb!, an Imperial Stout by Prairie Artisan Ales. The stout is infused with chocolate, espresso bean, vanilla bean and ancho chile pepper flavors. The peppers add the perfect kick to an otherwise smooth and sweet beer.

Perhaps the best part of Thunderbird is the Thursday night special. Almost every beer is less than $5, making this the perfect stop for any college student on a budget.

Cherrywood

1400 E 38th 1/2 St, Austin, TX 78722

Open daily from  7 a.m. to 12 a.m.

This is the perfect coffeeshop for anyone’s needs. The welcoming building looks like an old home, complete with a couch in the corner and a garden in the back. Community  events are constantly hosted here, but will rarely impede on your studying or chatting. 

Although Cherrywood doesn’t have a staple coffee and beer cocktail on their menu, the baristas will make you a stout-espresso mix. The Stone Americano Stout (8.7 percent ABV) is brewed over espresso beans. It’s dark and bold, and definitely something black coffee fans would enjoy. .

Shane Erickson, the beer orderer at Cherrywood, says the restaurant tries to maintain a local presence in their beer selection.

“We rotate based on loyalty and local breweries, Erickson says. “We like breweries that don’t have distributors so we can support them directly and have lower prices for the consumer.”

Victory, Lagunitas, and Live Oak are some of the staple breweries they always have on tap. Happy hour is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. everyday, except Sunday and Tuesday, where happy hour is from 3 p.m. to midnight.

Radio Coffee and Beer

4204 Manchaca Rd

Open Monday – Friday 6:30 a.m. – 12 a.m. ; Saturday and Sunday 7:30 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Radio Coffee and Beer offers a place for a young crowd to hang, chat and drink, whether it be coffee or beer.

They have 21 beers on tap, and offer drinks from Kosmic Kombucha, an Austin kombucha company. Radio Coffee also has Texas Blues on tap, a Kombucha with Organic Blueberries, Lime, Basil & Agave.

The best part of Radio Coffee and Beer is The Barker. It’s a $5 mixed drink with Left Handed Milk Stout (6 percent ABV) and either cold brew coffee, which they have on tap, or espresso. Most beers and wine are $1 off every day between 5 and 6 pm.

Patika

2159 S Lamar Blvd

Open Sunday – Tuesday and Friday – Saturday: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.  

Wednesday and Thursday: 7 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Patika is as serene as it is beautiful. The seats are hexagonally-shaped with golden and metallic backs. It’s a beautiful compliment to the clean white walls and light brown tables. The coffeeshop plays dream-pop and indie bands, making Patika the perfect place to study to or have a quiet conversation.

Patika has quite a few beers in stock, including the Baba Black Lager from Uinta, a dark beer that tastes like a light lager, and an Indian Pale Ale by Nordic by Nature that contains seven juniper berries and sea buckthorn juice. The Juniper Berries and Buckthorn Juice give the drink a tart, citrusy IPA.

The Buzz Mill

1505 Town Creek Drive

Open 24 hours

The Buzz Mill looks like a log cabin. Everything from the tables to the floors and ceilings are wooden. It’s a great place to meet with your friends for beers, then sneak away with coffee to finish the work you need to do for class tomorrow. There is a hallway with single-seater tables with a “No Talking” sign in front, perfect for scaring away chatty friends.

The Buzz Mill specializes in homemade infused liquors. Some staples they offer are Espresso Rum and Espresso Vanilla Whiskey. The coffeeshop is also a patron of local breweries. Its espresso-beer cocktail features a Porter from Black Star Co-Op, a microbrewery on North Lamar and Airport.

There are no daily specials, but $2 Lonestar beers are always available and coffee drinks are all less than $4.