News
Next Meeting
February 06, 2008Monday August 11th, 2008 Regular meeting at B.D. Riley's,
gather at 6:30, meet at 7 (or so)
Hope you can make it down and share a pint or two with us.
Where: B.D. Riley's Pub, 204 E. 6th St.
When: Monday, August 11th, gather at 6:30, meet at 7:00
Phone: 512-494-1335
Map: http://www.bdrileys.com/map/
May the sound of happy music and the lilt of Irish laughter
Fill your heart with gladness that stays forever after.
-- Irish Blessing
Austin Celtic Festival 2007
October 19, 2007This is a reminder to everyone that the Celtic Festival is November 3rd and 4th.
This year's Austin Celtic Festival is November 3rd and 4th. It is always a fun time with great food, shops, music, and demonstrations. As always it is at Fiesta Gardens. Pre-paid tickets at $10, $12 at the door. Weekend passes available.
New Tee Shirts are In
October 09, 2007The new tee shirts are in!
Come to the bar and pick up the latest in beer-inspired sportswear, in M, L, XL, 2XL and even 3XL, as well as Ladies S, M and L just $15.
See your bartender or server for details.
The Evolution of Guinness
June 13, 2007Enjoy this funny video:
The Guinness Evolution
Lake Austin Barge Cruise (06/03)
May 16, 2007We will be doing a Barge Cruise with Centex on June 3rd from 2 to 5. All club members are welcome. Please contact me or John at the pub to let us know you plan on attending. Check the club email for more details.
T-Shirt Slogans Needed
May 16, 2007We need a new slogan for the t-shirts. Our last quote was "Beer is proof that God is good and wants us to be happy - Benjamin Franklin". We still like it, but it is time for a new quote. Please let me (1759@darkrune.org) know if you have ideas. Thanks!
Round Rock Express (08/05/07)
May 16, 2007We will be going to the RR Express game on August 5th to see them play the Salt Lake Bees. More details will follow, but mark your calendar!
Austin 1759 on MySpace!
January 10, 2007We now have a MySpace profile for the club. For those with a MySpace account head on over to: http://www.myspace.com/1759austin and add us as a MySpace friend!
It is just another way for us to get known to the world.
Holiday Party
December 06, 2006B.D. Riley's has invited the Austin 1759 Society to join them for their annual holiday party on December 15th.
We will be celebrating the Holiday Season on Friday December 15, from
6:00 to 9:00 pm.
Complimentary Snacks, drink, and live music by the very Irish, "Sgt.
Mahoney" band will be provided.
Bring some friends and share the Holiday Spirit.
Will Crawl for Food
November 13, 2006This falls "Will Crawl for Food" will be held on December 2, 2006. (Please note the new day)
We will be meeting up at BD Riley's Saturday afternoon (details to be updated in next few days). From there we will pub crawl to several of Austin's finest establishments. Food and cash donations will be accepted and presented to the Capital Area Food Bank.
Come get a warm and fuzzy feeling with us, oh and do some good charity as well :-)
Celtic Fest
October 23, 2006The Austin Celtic Society are having their annual festival on November 4th and 5th. We are going to be helping out again this year by pouring beer. Check out the festival here: http://www.austincelts.org/festival/
And here is the signup list for our effort: http://www.1759austin.com/archives/000057.php
Celtic Fest Signup
October 23, 2006UPDATE: The Celtic Fest had already pre-filled most time slots, so our help is not needed at this time. The exception is Sunday from 6-10p or 6-9p. Please contact Lorella Loftus (lorellaloftus@yahoo.com) if you can help out during those times.
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Here is the signup list for the Celtic Fest. Once again we will be pouring beer at Fiesta Gardens on November 4th and 5th. There are four total shifts and we would like to send as many people as we can for all four.
Saturday November 4th 11am-4pm
-----------------------------------------
Steve T.
Libby B.
Lanae D.
Alex C.
Saturday November 4th 4pm-9pm
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Sunday November 5th 11am-4pm
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John E.
Lori W.
Alan C.
Tim T.
Sunday November 5th 4pm-9pm
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Kevin B.
Round Rock Express Game
June 01, 2006The Austin 1759 Society is heading to a Round Rock Express game on June 17th.
The trip includes a bus ride from downtown, tickets to the game, access to a suite, and beer. The cost is only $25. If you are already on the list you should pay John Erwin or Steve Basil at BD Riley's. They are the only ones who can mark that you have paid. If you wish to go, please check with John or Steve to see if there are any open spots- it is already full or nearly so. It is going to be a great trip and I hope to see you all there.
4th Biannual “Will Crawl For Food” Pub Crawl
November 26, 20054th Biannual “Will Crawl For Food” Pub Crawl for Food to benefit the Austin Food Bank on Saturday Dec 3rd!
On Saturday, December 3, 2005 starting @ 1:00 pm a group of civic-minded Guinness beer fans will once again participate in a “Pub Crawl With a Purpose,” visiting locally-owned bars while gathering nonperishable food items to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank.
The 1759 Society (named for the year Guinness was first brewed in Dublin Ireland) is a group of more than 200 local beer lovers, some of whom will be pushing shopping carts (graciously loaned by H.E.B.) on this day to several locally owned Pubs in the downtown area to gather food.
Last year during this holiday season this drive collected 2 shopping carts full of food, and a large cash donation for the Capital Area Food Bank.
The fourth bi-annual “Will Crawl For Food” pub crawl will begin at the 1759 Society headquarters, B.D. Riley’s Irish Pub, 204 East 6th Street, located in the heart of Austin’s Historic Sixth Street Entertainment District. The charity pub crawl, sponsored by the Austin Chapter of the worldwide “1759 Society” will be collecting food items to benefit the less fortunate as the holiday season approaches. Participating bars will contribute “cash or cans” as the pub crawl reaches them.
The “Will Crawl For Food” Pub Crawl Route:
1. B. D. Riley’s Irish Pub (204 East 6th, near Brazos)
2. Lovejoy’s Tap Room
3. Bull McCabe’s
4. Casino El Camino
5. Dirty Dog
6. Shakespeare’s Pub
7. Return to B. D. Riley’s Irish Pub (1759 Society Headquarters)
Take Part!!
Any and all “Pub Crawlers” are encouraged to join in the fun, and to bring one or more healthy nonperishable food items to the start of the crawl.
The 4th Bi-Annual “Will Crawl For Food” pub crawl will begin at 1:00 pm at B. D. Riley’s Irish Pub, 204 East 6th St. (near Brazos). There is no charge to participate, other than purchasing your beverages at the pubs on the route. The crawl is expected to wrap up at approximately 8:00 pm, when all food items collected will be presented to Capital Area Food Bank Representatives.
Upcoming Events
October 10, 2005Upcoming events include: Celtic Fest and the Food Crawl.
The Celtic Festival is being held November 5th and 6th at Fiesta Gardens. 1759 Austin will be running two beer booths. Eric F. will be looking for staff to help run the booths (further information will be e-mailed out). If you can pick up a shift or two, please help us out. Keep in mind, if you sign up you must go take your shift.
The November Food Crawl is currently scheduled for Saturday, November 19th. Further details will follow on this as well.
Pub Waddle Success
October 02, 200517 fun loving souls joined Captain Conrad and his Duck #2.
We ventured from our home pub of BD Riley's to Lovejoys Tap Room where we got to sample some of their fine brews. At 3PM sharp we headed over to Bull McCabe's where Harry was gracious enough to open an hour early for us. At 4PM Captain Conrad and the Duck drove us over to the Dog and Duck Pub. A bit of food and a small wait while the Duck went for gas and we were off to Lake Austin. Even though the the Duck had to leave the water twice to empty the bilge it was great fun. Conrad even let a few of us waddlers "body surf" along side the Duck. The next stop would have been Casino El Camino on 6th- but an awful grinding sound and smoke billowing out from under the Duck stopped us in our tracks on Lake Austin Blvd. Yes. We broke the Duck. After a spell of drinking beer on an apartment complex's lawn 30 feet from a police cruiser, a small bus picked us up and dropped us off downtown. I think I can speak for everyone that attended in saying that we had a great time and will be looking forward to the next Duck Waddle.
Tubing on the Guadalupe
June 15, 2005On July 16th, 2005 The Austin 1759 Society will venture into the waters of the Guadalupe hoping to find adventure!
Or at least a good time. Please contact John Medway if you would like to attend. We will be taking a bus from Dobie garage downtown leaving at 9 AM (you will need to be early) on the 16th of July. The cost will be about $30 per floater and includes the bus ride and tube rentals. Let John know quickly if you wish to attend so we can get an accurate head count.
For more information see the company's website: Austin Float Trips We will be floating the Guadalupe at Canyon City.
Duck Waddle Summer '05
June 15, 2005The summer Duck Waddle has been tentativly scheduled for August 13th.
This is a redux of the (in)famous Duck Waddle Event. We take a Austin Duck Adventure's Duck along with Captain Ron on a Pub Crawl to some of Austin's finer establishments and then out into Lake Austin to cool off.
The current date is August 13th, but that could change do to lake conditions or membership considerations.
Meeting: June 13, 2005
June 07, 2005This is a reminder of our next meeting date, as usual, on the second monday of the month, and that's Monday, June 13.
B.D. Riley's Pub,
204 E. 6th St,
(just East of Brazos, near the Driskill Hotel)
Phone: 512-494 1335
Map:
We usually gather starting at 6:30, and the meeting starts
at 7:00. After 20-30 minutes of announcements and relative
seriousness, we move on to more drinking and good craic for
as long as you can stand it.
Partial Agenda Topics for this meeting:
Membership Drive Efforts
Upcoming Monthly Social Outings and Schedule
Web Site Content Updates
NOTICES
If you have an event other announcement you would like sent
to the mailing list, or put on the web-site, please send me
a note, preferably at least 2 weeks in advance of the date.
See you this THIS MONDAY NIGHT.
Slainte!
John, not Erwin
Society Mixer - 05/20
May 17, 2005In celebration of my inauguration as the newest President of the Austin 1759 chapter, I want to buy you a pint.
Really. This is no gimmick. And you don't have to do anything silly in order to get this free pint. While this may be a shameless ploy to meet my new subjects, I promise I will, upon meeting you, give you a ticket for a free pint of your choice. Icey cold goodness -- all for you. And this isn't one of those little 16 ounce American pints -- this is a mondo, Imperial, 20 ounce pint!
So here's the deal. On May 20th, I, along with other members of the chapter, will gather at BD Riley's on 6th and Brazos (our chapter's home). Each person who comes over to introduce themselves to me as either a 1759 member (and if you're getting this email you are a member) or signs up on our mailing list (which is all it takes to become a member) will receive a ticket for a free, 20 ounce pint of their choice. If you don't know what I look like, just ask up at the bar, and one of the fine bartenders can point you in the right direction. You'll be
looking for John "El Presidente" Medway. I'll be there from 5:00 on, and I'll be handing out tickets until they're gone.
So, come on by and meet me. Also at the gathering will be other esteemed chapter officials such as Past Presidents Leigh "I bled for you" Taylor and Steve "Man of Action" Basile, Mistress of Propaganda Lori, and famed Publican and BD Riley's owner, John Erwin. Let us tell you all about the events we have planned:
* A tubing trip -- join us as we fearlessly combine a 100 degree day, a road trip in the cerveza-spelled-backwards bus and, of course, beer.
* A pub crawl to help the hungry -- Our semi-annual Will Drink for Food event has raised hundreds of meals for the Capitol City Food Bank and Austin's hungry. We work with local drinking establishments to donate canned and non-perishable food items. Then we simply go from bar to bar, having a pint (or pints) at each establishment and picking up their donations.
* The Pub Waddle -- our signature, annual event. We combine a pub crawl, the duck boat driven by Captain Ron and a dip in the lake mid-crawl.
Call for Pictures
May 03, 2005We are in need of pictures of recent club events including Will Walk for Food and St. Patrick's Day.
In the last few months the club has participated in several great gatherings including the St. Patrick's Day festivities at BD Riley's and the Spring "Will Walk for Food" pub crawl. At this time the website does not have any photos of these events. If you, or someone you know, has some pictures to share please contact John Medway our club president.
St. Patrick's day, done and gone..
March 18, 2004Well one of out favorite holidays has come and gone and all we have to show for it is a 2 day hangover =)
Hello all,
Well last night was a blast at the pub and was a great recruitment drive for the club. Before 10:00pm we had 4 new members, one more which will join at the next meeting, and over 2 pages of e-mail addresses of interested people. I don’t remember much after that point in the night; more details will be given at the next meeting.
We also lined our coffers by selling out of the Guinness top hats and a few of the new chapter t-shirts.
We will be posting pictures of the even in the next few days so stop back by here over the next week or so.
If you have any questions or want to share a picture with the group just drop us an e-mail and we'll take care of it.
See you all at the next meeting!
We Walked For Food!
November 24, 2003Success! On Saturday November 22nd, the Austin Chapter of the 1759 Society combined social charity and its favorite pastime: drinking beer! Our first annual "Will Walk For Food 6th Street Pub Crawl" was a smashing success, thanks to our members and the cool bars and pubs that took part.
I have rarely been so proud of our "Drinking Club With a Guinness Problem." We came through with heart to help those in need. The Capital Area Food Bank was the happy beneficiary of our efforts. We met at our headquarters, B. D. Riley's early Saturday afternoon and began to pour our food donations into the loaner shopping carts from H.E.B. Supermarkets. It was clear at once that we were off to a great start--we had almost a full cart before we left!
In the photo above right, Food Bank Deputy Executive Director Michael Guerra (right) accepts the bounty from 1759 Society president Steve Basile.
Our pub crawling schedule took us and our carts to these fine establishments:
- B. D. Riley's
- Shakespeare's
- Casino el Camino
- Bull McCabe's
- Lovejoy's Tap Room
- then back to B. D. Riley's to deliver our donations.
We got a mention in Thursday's Austin Chronicle, Saturday press coverage from local stations and a photographer from the Austin American-Statesman for a great wrap-up column by Andrea Ball on Sunday.
The pub crawl results? AMAZING!
Our shopping cart parade left BD's for 6th Street--at Shakespeare's a huge pile of food awaited us as we arrived to order our pints from Steph and his staff. Friendly pub patrons even kicked in some extra cash and helped us load our carts.
Off to Casino el Camino, home of Austin's finest jukebox and greatest burgers, where Bumpy and Joe had a fat check waiting for us, along with fine food, great beer and unequalled "Austin Weird" atmosphere.
Our carts headed off to Bull McCabe's Irish pub on Red River, where a good craic and a pile of canned goods awaited. We avoided "cartjacking" [grin] as we pushed our heaping carts through crowds of curious homeless folk gathered near Red River, in the shadow of Austin's newest homeless resource center. Some of them might well receive some of the food items we collected from the Food Bank.
At Lovejoy's Tap Room, friendly spirited staff and a good crowd awaited us, with a handsome check and a pile of non-perishable foods. We lingered over fine craft-brewed beers and soaked up the unique Lovejoy's atmosphere before heading back to headquarters, carts laden with hefty donations of food.
We collected the equivalent of 425 meals in cans and cash, according to Michael Guerra, deputy executive director of the Capital Area Food Bank. Michael was at B.D. Riley's with volunteers from the CAFB to load up the bounty and was most appreciative.
We did well folks--really well. We took an unusual idea and saw it through to successful completion in order to help those in need in this holiday season. Thanks to all our 1759 members, the fine locally-owned Austin pubs on our route, and the many donors who gave from the heart!
Special thanks to Leigh T. and Lori W. for their advance work with our pubs, Jeff I. for arranging for H.E.B. to loan us the shopping carts, Eric F. for agreeing to pick them up, and Lyle M. for photographing our exploits as usual.
Bowling & Beer
July 31, 2003We Went Bowling!
On Monday, August 18, a gaggle of 1759ers hit the lanes at Dart Bowl for an evening of bowling & brew. Scott Alves and our good friends at Centex Beverage made sure there was plenty of Guinness in house, and the bar and even our tables were decorated with Guinness displays.
Some fine bowlers were in evidence, along with many not-so-fine, but all seemed to have a great time. As always the food and service at Dart Bowl made the evening even more special--who knew a bowling alley served such great enchiladas? We plan to do this again soon, so stay tuned and keep those spiffy bowling shoes at the ready!
Pub Wobble & Waddle A Hit!
June 24, 2003We came, we saw, we wobbled, and we waddled! The Second Annual 1759 Society Pub Wobble & Waddle was held on Sunday June 22nd and by any measure a great time ensued. Nearly 50 hardy souls joined in for a wobble to some locally-owned pubs, and a waddle on the Austin Duck Boat.
We began at our headquarters pub, B. D. Riley's, gathering around 2 pm for an introductory pint or two. We were joined in our endeavor by a fine contingent from Killeen, representing the Centex Chapter of the 1759 Society, all the way from the fine Irish Dragoon Pub in scenic Killeen. Locals and visitors alike then embarked on a waddle to the Bull McCabe's.
The walk to Bull McCabe's at 7th & Red River was long and hot (almost 8 blocks) but cool crisp pints of Ireland's finest were waiting as Harry and Jimmy did their best to handle the onslaught of pub wobblers. Pints of Guinness, a great jukebox and a good craic was had for a while till Austin Duck Adventures' Captain Ronnie beckoned us to the waiting "Duck," an ungainly looking but highly seaworthy amphibious military craft. Well-outfitted with lifejackets and Guinness, the Duck took us for a splash in Lake Austin, the next stop on the "waddling" part of our journey.
We hit Lake Austin amidst 95 degree heat and in no time most waddlers were water-bound, splashing and floating on lifejackets, Guinness in hand. Life is good--cold pints, a cool lake and great friends! After trying our best not to drown, or spill our beers, we clambered back aboard the duck for the short trip across the lake to Aussie's Bar & Grill. There, more pint drinking ensued, and many partook of the fine food Danny Brinson and staff provide. After a pint or two at Aussie's, it was back on the duck for the last leg of our waddle.
Back at B. D. Riley's we tried our best to recall the events of the day, and to put words together into what once resembled sentences (speaking for myslef anyway!). Thanks to 1759er Lyle McCartee (a true photojournalist by trade) we have photographic documentation of this fine trip--and assurance that none of us will ever run for public office. Peter Sargent and Lori Williams also contributed fine photos, and the evidence is all on display at the 1759 Photo Gallery, as well as the B. D. Riley's Pub Gallery.
If you missed it--you missed an excellent time with good friends and great beer. Stay tuned for your next fun event--coming soon!
Your faithful scribe and President,
Steve Basile
PHOTOS! Killeen Trip on April 26
April 15, 2003Our Killeen trip in April was a smashing success. Thanks to Captin Ron for driving, Clay and the fine folks at El Arroyo for the use of the coolest bus in Austin, and to our members for christening Killeen's newest pub, The Irish Dragoon, in fine fashion. Check out the photos in our gallery.
Forum/Bulletin Board is BACK!
April 03, 2003It still looks a bit rough around the edges, but works just fine.
To sign up and begin posting messages go to the Forum and click on Register. That's all there is to it! Feel free to check out and post in all the forum categories, or to suggest your own. Make special note of the Suggestion Forum--let us know what you want from your club.
If you have any questions, send mail to Basile.
Austin Chapter T-Shirts are here!
February 22, 2003The 1759 Society Austin chapter t-shirts are now available in two colors: original black and new creamy tan! Craig Bradley, a talented designer we are proud to call a 1759 member did an amazing job on them as many members and non-members have proven by their purchases! Stop by one of our meetings at B.D. Riley's to pick one up. A small number of long-sleeve black shirts are available at $20, and a good assortment of sizes in short-sleeve, both black and tan are available at $15.
For a look at the design, click here to see the shirt back (about 10x10"), and click here to see the front, the Austin Chapter logo, about 3x3", displayed over the left breast.
Great Guinness Toast Fun
February 16, 20031759'ers were out in force on Friday, February 21 for the Great Guinness Toast since our headquarters pub, B. D. Riley's was an official toast site. We did some recruiting, sold some cool chapter tee shirts and spread the word about our fine chapter. B.D. Riley's filled up early, and the pub was rocking long before "Toast Time" of 11pm.
Affectionately known as "St. Practice Day," the Great Guinness Toast is made up of pint drinkers in pubs all across the country, toasting in unison in an attempt to set a new benchmark in the Guinness Book of World Records. Toastmaster Neville Stewart, from the South Side of Dublin did the toasting the Honors again this year, and right after the Toast Neville's band "Pubcrawler" continued to entertain with fine Celtic Music.
It was a great warmup for St. Patrick's Day and gave us a chance to recruit 5 new members. In all it was an evening of good fun, good pints and fine craic!
Paintball Anyone??
January 30, 2003New 1759 Member Eric Forman would like to organize a paintball trip, and can get us a good rate. Click headline for more...
Eric works with one of the fields in Austin and can get us a deal if we go as a group.
The deal is if we get 30 people or more, we get 1/3rd off of the field/rental fees. That would mean only $10.00 a person for the field fee that includes rental equipment, safety equipment, all the CO-2 needed for the markers, and 200 paintballs. Additional paint is sold at $60.00 a case (2000 rds) which is cheap when split with a few people (you can get less then a case at a time but it costs a bit more).
Interested members and friends should contact Eric to let him know your interest by sending him email HERE
We can also talk about this at the February meeting on the second Monday, February 10. Thanks Eric for the idea!
Pints On Ice!
January 18, 2003The 1759 chapter headed for the Bat Cave recently, for a night of hockey and a few pints.
The Austin Chapter descended on the Travis County Expo Center on Saturday January 11th for a night of hockey at "The Bat Cave." Thanks to the fine folks at Centex Beverage, we got to hang out in "The Hangout" a warm & comfy private skybox overlooking the Bats goal, just steps from the bar. They also arranged for a keg of Guinness to be on hand (not usually served at the Bat Cave) and for a TV set so we could also watch the Falcons/Eagles game at the same time.
Some 45 fun-loving 1759ers came along for our first ever night at the Ice Bats, and saw the Bats defeat the hapless El Paso team 5-0. We came, we saw some hockey, we drank some pints o' dark! The event also raised some money for the chapter treasury, and helped recruit some new members. If you are interested in another trip to see the Ice Bats, just let us know at the next meeting. We're always looking for fun things to do!
Sign up for our newsletter
December 12, 2002If you would like to receive announcements about future events please sign up so we can keep you up to date. This is an outbound, announce-only list, so the e-mail traffic should be quite low (1-2 a month at the moment).
Tips For Successful Chapters
December 07, 2002Interested in starting a chapter? We have compiled some tips and hints on things that have worked for us as we have built the Austin Chapter. Download the file HERE.
Recruiting Card Download
August 12, 2002There are color and black & white PDFs (pre-formatted files) of a recruiting business card that y'all can download and print on your own printer. They have "hash marks" to guide in trimming, but if you get some pre-perforated business card paper it's a lot easier. The card files are labeled as black & white (BW) or color (C) and front or back (f or b) To download one front and one back, click the appropriate links below:
B&W Front
B&W Back
Color Front
Color Back
If the link doesn't work, let me know please--send me mail and I'll send the file you need. If you have any questions, or comments, as always just EMAIL me.
Recruit! Win A Toaster Oven!
August 09, 2002Why not bring a new member to the next 1759 meeting? Nothing like some new faces and more like-minded people to make our chapter even more fun. Remember--it's only $17.59 for a lifetime membership in the Austin Chapter, and members get a limited edition tee shirt attesting to their good taste in malted beverages. To join, visit (or send your friend to) our next regular meeting, held on the 2nd Monday of every month at our headquarters pub, B. D. Riley's to meet the gang and sign up. The more the merrier!
Pub Waddle A Great Success
June 30, 2002The Austin TX chapter held its first-ever "Pub Waddle" on June 15, 2002. Starting at our Official Home Pub, B.D. Riley's, we unveiled our new headquarters sign, drank a pint or two, then boarded a "Duck Boat", a reworked British naval amphibious craft, for a trip to another fine bar, Aussie's, where we drank some more and watched beach volleyball games.
Then it was down the road, down the launch ramp into Town Lake for a splashing good time, swimming and more Guinness consumption. We hit dry land once again, and immediately headed back to headquarters, just in case there was any Guinness left. There was! We came, we drank, we waddled! Check out the photos of America's most active 1759 Society Chapter at play!