Bee Cave resident Brian Smittle, president and founder of Thirsty Planet Brewing Co., said his love of beer stems from his college days studying in England in a house with a pub in the basement.

“I did a lot of studying down there,” he said.

He came back to the states, switched his major to business administration and ended up in Colorado, where he said he “stumbled” into a job at a local brewery in the ’90s. Since then, the craft beer market has grown, he said.

[caption id="attachment_153661" align="alignright" width="460"] Brian Smittle, president and founder of Thirsty Planet Brewing Co., visits the tasting room.[/caption]

Smittle came to Austin and opened Thirsty Planet with co-owner Mike Haiges in July 2009 on Circle Drive off Hwy. 290. The brewery aims to make beer that is full, flavorful and accurately described, he said.

“If it says ‘pale ale’ on the label, we want it to be a pale ale. We want to make sure a stout is a stout and a pilsner is a pilsner,” he said.

The brewery offers tours of the facility and tasting room on Saturdays. By March 2017, Thirsty Planet plans to move to 8201 S. Congress Ave.—the former space of the Capital Area Food Bank, Smittle said.

“I looked everywhere, and I was hoping to stay in South Austin,” he said. “There’s a sense of community down here.”

Thirsty Planet produces beers for customers in Travis, Hays and Williamson counties and began seeking a new space that would allow it to expand its distribution to include 11 more counties in 2017. Smittle said he hopes the company will be able to bottle Buckethead and Yellow Armadillo beers, debut two more year-round beers, increase seasonal offerings and triple its staff at the new facility.