Bad Astronaut Brewing continues momentum one year after launch
Jackie VonPanda
Just over a year ago, Bad Astronaut Brewing opened in a large warehouse just north of Downtown Houston. Founded by Chris Fall and Craig “Rocky” Keener, the pair of former Karbach employees set their sights on opening their own venue that produces high quality and easy to enjoy beer.
The brewery had distribution to area grocery stores and bars in November of 2022, a full month before their tap room even had its soft opening. By January of 2023, Bad Astronaut was open full time and ready to establish itself as one of Houston’s premiere breweries and event venues.
During my visit, I met up with Tiare Austin, the recently hired Event Coordinator for Bad Astronaut Brewing (and former GM of Walking Stick Brewing), who is working hard to take advantage of the vast amount of space in the brewery to bring in entertainment for the patrons. These events include concerts, vintage flea markets, art exhibits, open mic comedy nights, just to name a few.
Tiare suggested for my first pour I try Fire Net, a 5.3% ABV Munich Dunkel style lager that is malt forward with a subtle caramel flavor going down. Seeing as I love malty beers, this was an easy sell. There is also a nice roasty taste coming from Fire Net. This is certainly my favorite Bad Astronaut beer to date.
As I was going up for a second pint, I was approached by Keener, who was at the brewery that night to meet up with some friends before heading to another gathering. We discuss several topics, including what led up to the founding of Bad Astronaut, trying to find a space for the brewery and finding one that happened to be in an up and coming area of town. We also discussed how his time at Karbach has influenced the brewing process at Bad Astronaut. Keener was very personable and a pleasure to speak with.
My second pour was appropriately named Cruis’n Through, a Helles style lager clocking in at a solid 5%. Cruis’n is another malty beer, but more smooth with a taste of honey. This beer is definitely crushable, as I got almost three-fourths of the way through it before I had the thought to take a picture of it.
If you have not already, stop by Bad Astronaut for a couple of pints and stay to play some pool or some of the other games available throughout the brewery. They also have some amazing pizza on site Wednesday through Sunday from Ghosthand Pasta.
Bad Astronaut Brewing is located at 1519 Fulton St. Houston, 77009. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @badastronautbrewing (IG) and visit their website: https://www.badasatronautbeer.com.
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