Breweries in San Antonio Texas to visit?

@frijoless

 

It has been years since I was in San Antonio for fun beercation. Though Freetail's brewpub is good with lots of food. Weathered Souls has made a big splash and is the originator of the Black is Beautiful series. Check out The Hoppy Monk for a good beer bar with good pub grub, and post this in the Southwest forum...people more up to date than me can chime in

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/forums/southwest.18/

 

The Grainery at the Pearl was fun, haven’t been there in a while. Good food and good beer.

Southerligh (not spelt correctly) is also a fun beer and food spot at The Pearl.

Then maybe Blue Star brewery for beer and food, it’s a fun spot.

Freetail and weathered souls come to mind. Never eaten at Freetail and not sure if weathered souls has food.

 

For food check out Bliss or La Frite.

My two personal favorites.

Maverick is also really good.

 

I was there about a year ago and had solid beers and fun times at Künstler Brewing and Roadmap Brewing. Plus tasty appetizers at Künstler (the menu looked good too).
Enjoy your visit, safe travels.

 

I live in Southtown, an area of San Antonio that hugs southern downtown. Lots of good breweries and restaurants all within about a mile or two of each other. For breweries there is Künstler (lots of solid styles of beer and good German food), nextdoor to Künstler is Dorcol Distilling and Brewing (rakia and beer), Blue Star Brewing (oldest craft brewery in the city), Dos Sirenos (beer was just ok when I went over a year ago when they had just opened, still worth checking out because it's across the street from Blue Star), and Freetails Tap Room.

I'd also check out Black Lab Brewing on the east side of downtown, some really solid brews of all styles. The Magpie, Truth Pizza, and a butcher shop next to Blacklab all sling great food. Dignowity Meats across the street from Black Lab serves awesome smoked meat sandwiches. Back Unturned Brewing right alongside the Museum Reach portion of the Riverwalk is a great stop for beer, pizza, and location. Eat at Pete's Tako House next door.

Go to the Pearl and eat/drink at Southerleigh Brewing. Or, get beers to go from Southerleigh (you can take drinks anywhere at the Pearl) and get food from the Pearl Food Hall and sit outside if it's a nice day. For more eating at the Pearl I like Supper at Hotel Emma, Cured, Best Quality Daughter, Mon Chou Chou, and La Gloria. You can't go wrong eating at any Pearl restaurant.

Weathered Souls by the airport is now probably the most well known brewery in SA, and a great stop for beer and BBQ. If you adventure more around the city you could swing by Longtab Brewing for their beer and house roasted coffee.

 

Five Stones in the puckerbrush outside New Braunfels - you can't see it from the main road but turn at the sign. This is the place I drink most beer when in the SAT area - good beers mostly fruit-based. My brother tells me they now have a kitchen, what with the COVID regulations - they used to do food trucks. There's also Ranger Creek (check the website for current hours), hidden off I35 on the north side. NO food the last time I was there, but there's about a thousand restaurants in the area. But I'd definitely follow @Txex06 's advice, since he's local.

I wasn't aware of Weathered Souls - sounds like my nest stop in SAT.

 

To echo some of what has already been mentioned...

While not a world-class destination for visiting breweries, there are a handful of nice spots to have a pint or two. Kunstler and Weathered Souls would be on that short list. Roadmap can be a fun hang. I really only think one or two of their regular offerings are anything above average.

Similarly, Alamo Beer Company is a nice setting with ample outdoor seating. Beer isn't anything spectacular but a nice spot overall.

I haven't enjoyed my visits to Back Unturned or Dos Sirenos. Just my personal take. Black Lab is pricey and small.

I enjoyed my last visit to Cactus Land. They are further out and necessitate a car. Hours and days open are very limited right now. Not sure if Seersucker Distillery is back open to public yet but they are in same general direction, and visiting both make for a nice afternoon.

5 Stones has been mentioned - a bit further north and again you need a car. When I visited a few weeks back, I then proceeded to Guadalupe Brewing to make for a fuller day out.

I like Random Beer Garden out towards Boerne, TX. Tusculum Brewing is nearby. Again, only having access to a car makes this trip possible and again gets you out of city.

Wander around King William (just south of downtown proper). Quieter stretch of the SA River. Beautiful residential architecture. South Alamo has some good restaurants. Bliss is very good but expensive. Filling Station Tap Room is small but good place to cool your heels for a drink. Blue Star Brewing is average in my humble opinion and the Blue Star complex is relatively small and won't take much time to walk through (few small artisan shops and couple restaurants/bars). The Pearl is on everyone's list to take out-of-town family/guests. Go on the weekend - I think the farmers' market is back up-and-running in its usual spot. Look into lobby of the Emma Hotel. The Monte Vista neighborhood again has some great residential architecture. I live up this direction in Tobin Hill. An old mainstay of the area is La Fonda On Main, an upscale Mexican restaurant with a large outdoor patio that makes for a nice setting. Nearby is Barbaro - a pizzeria with a small list of craft cocktails. A handful of picnic tables outside and then inside seating. Go up the length of Broadway to at least where Austin Hwy begins.

The McNay Museum and Botanical Garden are up this direction.

Enjoy your trip. The weather will be back in the 70s by this time next week.

 

Good call on 5 Stones! Guadalupe Brewing in New Braunfels is a nice place also.

Forgot all about Ranger Creek, definitely check them out. Ranger Creek also makes some really good whiskey. Their single malt whiskey is great, almost like a Scotch whiskey. So, naturally some of their barrel aged beers are quite good. They have food trucks and music on the weekend.

If you're up for a drive one day, the drive up 281 to Real Ale Brewing in Blanco is very nice. Driving up 281 from downtown takes you into the Texas Hill Country. Blanco is about 30-40 minutes from downtown.

 

Curious do any of you SA locals consider Roughhouse worth the drive? I think I somewhat dismissed them when they were coming on the scene a while back but have been hearing good things about them

 

I don't live in SA but I highly recommend Roughhouse. Great People Great Beers Cool Setting. Farmhouse beers using their own cultures but the beers are not on the super sour or weird ingredient side. Good solid beers.

 

Yeah, it's been a couple of years since since I've stopped at Real Ale, usually on my way back from Fredericksburg or Jester King. Ranger Creek makes some excellent darker brews as well. Still, I think 5 Stones is my favorite watering hole - sand, cactus, picnic tables, just very relaxed and low key. And pretty good beer.