Spotlight on Houston Breweries

Ice cold beer is synonymous with summer and Houston is home to a few great local breweries. Some of these you might be familiar with and others you might not, either way we encourage you to stop by and take a sip.

Two Rows has a few locations around Dallas and one in Houston. You can see the fermentation tanks in action off of University Boulevard in the Rice Village. Two Rows Classic Grill is a restaurant attached to a microbrewery and offers standard fair such as burgers, sandwiches and pizzas. Some beers are rotated seasonally, but they generally offer around eight to ten beers on tap. With a broad selection ranging from Honey Blonde to Oatmeal Stout, these handcrafted beers have a style to please everyone. We like the Barking Fish Porter. Go for happy hour Monday through Friday from 4pm to 7pm to receive $2.25 pints. Get the best bang for your buck on Wednesdays during $1 pint night through 10pm.

St. Arnold Brewing Company was established over 15 years ago by Rice University alum Brock Wagner. At the time, Houston was the largest city in the country that did not have a microbrewery. Since then, the brewery and its relatively small crew of beer enthusiasts, has grown to distribute all over Texas. St. Arnold’s crafts many of our beloved local favorites including the Fancy Lawnmower and Amber Ale. We especially love some of their seasonal beers including the Christmas Ale (watch out for the 8% alcohol content on this one, tends to sneak up on people) and the Summer Pils, a true bohemian-style pilsner. If you do not have a six-pack of the Summer Pils in your fridge right now, go buy one! It is a summer must, and you can’t miss its tie-dye packaging. Also, if you have never been to a Saturday tour, they are a blast and only $5 (includes several tastings and souvenir glass). Tours are every Saturday at 1pm; get there early. Great weekend activity when you are hosting friends or relatives from out of town. We are also excited to report St. Arnold will be moving to its new home downtown this fall!

Southern Star Brewing Company is a young brewery out of Conroe. They just celebrated their one-year anniversary a few months ago. Southern Star began with the Pine Belt Pale and expanded to other German styles including the Logger and Rauchbier. We love the Bombshell Blonde for its light creamy style and finish- and sexy can. That’s right, we love the fact that Southern Star is classing-up beers in a can! Currently only the Pine Belt Pale and Bombshell Blonde are available in cans, but the other beers are available in kegs.

Support your local favorites and happy drinking!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user BeanBone