Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co

 

 

 

 

Buffalo Bayou has opened a brand new brewery/tap room/restaurant on Summer Street. This is pretty much right behind Holler in the Sawyer Yards area. I have never been the biggest fan of their beers, as you can easily tell from my reviews. Though when they stop trying to be to cute, they can make a decent IPA with Crush City or an OK Wit (saying that, I'm much happier going to and drinking anything from Buffalo Bayou than anything from say Ingenious or the hyped nonsense from Spindletap).

Anyway, this is a massive three story building. First floor is the brewery, which they are still working on getting operational. Though the second floor is the restaurant that has a patio, and the third floor is a rooftop bar overlooking downtown. With an industrial minimalist vibe, concrete everywhere, plenty of TV's, and can get loud. Its pretty impressive. Supposedly they say they are going to have 75 taps, how many of those are doubled up between the floors, I don't know. Still thats a lot of taps.

This spot is still brand new, and there are a few little issues with service, like only one person was able to close me out, they don't accept cash right now, and the tabs aren't transferable to the other levels. Though those are things they will be working out, as everyone here is knowledgeable and interested in their product. Food is smallish menu of bar food right now. A few apps, sandwiches, and pizzas. Essentially, I had an Italian Sub with spicy salami, ham and other stuff. Which was good and filling. The chef used to work at Beavers, so I'm sure the full menu will be awesome.

This is just my first impression of the new spot. It is interesting and I'll be making more visits as the location is great, especially with Holler around the corner. Though it didn't blow me away like the first impression from Saint Arnold's new restaurant. Still, this will be a cool new destination spot in Sawyer Yards that should only improve with time. I'll update then.

 

 

 

 

I've been to this brewery a couple of times after seeing the beers sprout up in the bars around Houston. The first time I went was for the typical "Open House" which is typically Saturday from Noon to 3pm. We arrived early to make sure we found a seat. This worked to our advantage because this place fills up fast.

A food truck is always parked outside if you want to get food before or during the open house.

The inside of the brewery is your standard warehouse and you can give yourself a "tour" of the brewery...from your seat,. The place is that small!

However, while the brewery may be small, the same cannot be said for the flavor of their beers. If you like hoppy beers you should try Moer Cowbell (Double IPA) or Don't Fear the RIPA (Rye IPA). They also do some very creative Belgian-inspired Wits with flavors that include, Watermelon, Cucumber, Lemon Basil, and Cranberry.

At the open house they typically have all of their current offerings available to try, and even some brewery-only beers like their "1836" Copper Ale aged in Cedar wood or Whiskey'd Gingerbread Stout, which is my personal favorite.

The highlight of this place is that they do special events pretty frequently, so I recommend following them on Facebook or whatever other social media you use. Because I liked them on Facebook I learned about what I think is their best event...CHRISTMAS IN JULY.

Christmas in July is like their open house except they make all sorts of small batches of beers and they have a Tacky Christmas Sweater contest. To express how much fun it is would warrant another Yelp review, but you should definitely check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really nice staff. Very courteous and helpful.

Nice tap list, lines come and go. Offer bottles from the cellar. Definitely a great crowd there.

Only drawback was that it tends to get a little crowded. So go early.