Visiting Houston? H-town Breweries Ranked

City Acre is super easy to hit if you're flying into Bush, because it's literally on your way into town from the airport. Their kolsch is the best I've had in the States!

 

I think I've been to all of these places in the last 2 years or so. I enjoy going to breweries in general, so to me all of these places are worth checking out if you're nearby or have plenty of time to explore. I consider the same things as I would a BA place review: beer quality, beer selection, location/atmosphere, service and food if available.

Tier 1

Saint Arnold - Being the oldest craft brewery in Texas is probably reason enough to check it out. I like their beer hall/brewery too, food is okay, but the daily lunch with all you can drink beer is great if you have a designated driver.

Karbach - Unless you want to boycott because of the AB buy-out, Karbach is worth seeking out based on beer quality. I really like the food at their restaurant and they usually have something interesting on tap.

Brash - Death metal on the jukebox and old school arcade games. Not a place for everyone‘s tastes, but I really dig it. All their beers are either big hop bombs or big imperial stouts. If this is your thing, Brash does a great job at it.

Southern Star (Conroe area) - Second oldest craft brewery in the area. I haven't been since they added a tap room, so might be even better these days. Their core beers are local standards and some of their seasonal beers are pretty good too. It's easy to hit up B-52 and Copperhead on the same trip.

Lone Pint (Magnolia) - I tend to really enjoy all of their beers and that’s probably reason enough to put them in the top tier. Basic brew tour set-up, but has a nice laid-back vibe.

Tier 2

Buffalo Bayou - About one out of 5 of their beers are really good, but they miss the mark often and seasonals aren’t consistent from year to year. I rarely drink any of their core beers. They ended up in the second tier because their beers are often interesting and tap selection is pretty good.

No Label (Katy) - Their core beers are mostly just alright, but some of their seasonal and specials are strong. The brewery tends to have a fairly large selection of beers on-tap, including some I’ve only seen at the brewery.

Galveston Bay (Clear Lake area) - Only been here once, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the solid beer selection.

Galveston Island (Galveston) - Another place I’ve only been to once. Cool spot with some solid beer.

B-52 (Conroe) - Cool outside place with lots of space. Their beers are above average and I remember them having a fairly large selection.

Brigadoon Brewing (Near Magnolia inside Texas Renaissance Festival) - They only brew seasonally during the festival, which is the only place their beer is available. They brew with technology available during the Renaissance. Some of the beer I have tried over the years is quite good. Don’t miss this if you go to the festival. My beer buddy walked by it without even knowing and missed it.

Tier 3 (Quite a few of these are close to tier 2, but either lacked something or were too new to rank higher. I look for some of these to move up in the future)

Moontower - They usually only have a couple of their beers on tap, but a lot of guest taps too. Another one of those love it or hate it places - interesting to say the least. Food is pretty good from the couple things I’ve tried. There’s no inside, so I’m not going here during our six months of summer. Probably rates higher as a beer bar than a brewpub.

11 Below - The beer is a bit above average, but the selection is limited and it’s a basic brewery tour experience.

Whole Foods Brewing - Beer can be hit or miss, but they usually have quite a few of theirs on-tap. Food is just okay, but you can choose from the 4-5 different options within the grocery store so there’s at least something for everyone.

Under the Radar - I like the location and atmosphere. Beers were okay, but there wasn’t much selection when I went.

City Acre - Solid beer and I like the food here. Interesting place.

Holler Brewing - Just went here for the first time the other day. I like their set-up and the beers I had were pretty good.

8th Wonder - Outside of Rocket Fuel, I don’t really drink their core beers. Taproom is a solid experience, but the beer selection could use improvement.

Spindletap - I’m not a big fan of their beer overall, but their taproom/brewery is pretty nice and the atmosphere is pretty good. Pretty close to City Acre for those who want to do a quick twofer.

Sigma - Another place I just recently went to for the first time. I’ve enjoyed their beer so far and they had a good selection on tap at the brewery. Basic tap-room set-up.

Fetching Lab (Alvin) - Their beer is okay, but what I found interesting is that the brewery is at the people’s house. Very laid back and a cool experience overall.

Texian (Richmond) - Standard brewery tour set-up, but they have a few stand-out beers and a decent selection.

Back Pew (Porter) - Their beer is pretty good. Standard brewery tour set-up.

Saloon Door (Clear Lake area) - Really good selection for a newer place. Beer was pretty good overall.

Bakfish (Pearland) - Solid taproom with a good selection of beer.

Brazos Valley (Brenham) - Quiet taproom. I enjoy their beer, but there wasn’t much selection when I went.

Baa Baa Brewhouse (Brookshire) - I just went here for the first time and had a really good experience. All four beers I had were really quality and the brewers/owners are really nice. I hope to start seeing more of their beer around town.

Tier 4 (Quite a few of these are near tier 3.)

Platypus Brewing - New place that I’ve only been to once so far. I wasn’t impressed with most of the six beers I tried. I’ll probably give them another shot after they’ve been up and running for awhile.

Phoenix on Westheimer - Usually they only have a couple of their beers on-tap and then a decent amount of other craft on tap. Haven’t had the food to be able to see if it knocks this one up a tier. Nothing wrong with the place, seems like a basic sports beer bar. I’d rate it higher as a bar than a brewpub.

Eureka Heights - I really like the location, but only like one of their few beers. Could see this moving up a tier if they get a bigger selection at the brewery or a couple more beers I really enjoy. Fairly close to Town in City for a quick twofer.

Town in City - Their beer quality is pretty good, but the 2 or 3 times I went there was a very small selection. Close to my work, but I don’t end up here very often. I do like the atmosphere and location though. More selection would probably bring it up a tier. I haven't been in awhile, so it might be time to give it another shot.

Gordon Street Tavern (Alvin) - Limited selection of their beer and only 1 of 4 that I tried were really good. Strong overall tap selection. Probably would rate better as a beer bar vs. a brewpub. I don’t remember what I ate, so not sure if the food is good enough to bring this up a tier.

Texas Beer Refinery (Clear Lake area) - I’m not the biggest fan of their beer and it’s just a basic brewery experience.

Copperhead (Conroe) - It was pretty dead the one time I went and the beer wasn’t great. I have since had better Copperhead brews on-tap around Houston. Copperhead probably deserves another visit which may change their ranking.

Not ranked

Ruba - Not sure they’re even still in business as I have only rarely seen their beer around town in the past.

Huff (Bellville) - Haven’t been here yet.

Cycler’s (Montgomery)- As far as I know they don’t have a tour or taproom.

Braman/Running Walker (Richmond) - Not sure if they have a taproom or tour .

Beerfoot (Galveston) - They didn’t have any of their beers available when I went.

Brews Brothers (Galveston) - Another one that I have been unable to try their beer. I’ve heard they release a small batch once a week and it’s gone within days. They had a decent tap selection when I went and pretty good food.

Galactic Coast (Clear Lake area) - I don’t think they have tours or a taproom either.

 

Southern star and B-52 need to be switched



Southern Star hasnt made a good beer in years

 

I can see Holler being down in the list because they are new, but have been there twice and am impressed with the beers they have (usually 8 on tap) and I have to admit they had me with the Belgian IPA, no one does this in town, and I thought it was a great example.
And I have to agree with @greenspointexas on the switch, B-52 I hit up every time I am out in that area, my whole family enjoys it

 

I feel like im taking crazy pills with Holler

 

Yeah, we have diff opinions on the Belgian IPA, unfortunately I had people with me so I don't review, will next time I am there

 

Does Brash have any food? Food trucks?

Does it get crowded on Saturdays?

 

They have food trucks sometimes. I've never been there when it was excessively crowded.

 

Recently hit up the Clear Lake Area.

Texas Beer Refinery is totally different than when I last went. Moved from a warehouse complex taproom to a separate taphouse that has a restaurant specializing in game meat operating inside. Quality selection of beer and enjoyed my meal. Beer quality seemed to have improved over what I remember too. I would easily knock this up a tier over my first ranking.

I went to Saloon Door and Galveston Bay too. I'm keeping them where I tiered them initially for now.

I'm aiming to do the Conroe trio soon, been awhile since I was out that way.