This August, Space Center Houston, the commercial visitor center adjacent to Johnson Space Center, teamed up with Bad Astronaut Brewery to host an event centered around a panel of NASA guest speakers, engineer Chris Matty, and seasoned Shuttle Astronaut Dr. Anna Fischer, sharing their stories of space ventures and answering questions from an audience of all ages. 

The event kicked off with a presentation of current NASA activities and initiatives, instantly sparking wonder with awe-inspiring views of Low Earth Orbit and the international space station. The room was filled with the importance of human space flight, as the beauty of stellar imagery captivated the audience faster than a beer funnel in a black hole. 

Of course, the challenges of space exploration are not only limited to human capabilities. Many of NASA’s efforts include robotic exploration of space, sending probes and terrain-based rovers to collect information to inform future human activities in the extremely inhospitable environments of space. The latest effort to return to the Moon and the lunar surface is encompassed by NASA’s Artemis Program, a monumental undertaking that aims to land the first woman and person of color on the moon to establish a permanent presence on our closest celestial neighbor. The pride of what was occurring right next door was more palpable than the cold brews experienced on this swelteringly hot day. 

The importance of large teams working towards a joint mission rightfully parallels the craft brew community in Houston. Most importantly, the Houston craft scene celebrates achievements as a whole city—as Space City. The commonality of successful brewing and accomplishing vital missions includes pushing boundaries, bridging new partnerships, and celebrating those who came before us.

As the SPACE NEWS and BREWS event ended, the interest in the room was at its peak. Once it ended, the NASA panel signed autographs and took pictures with all the families in attendance. Clearly, the fascination with space flight, combined with the love of craft beer, was a winning combination for Space City and its reputation. The Space Center Houston plans to expand more space events in the brewery scene and continue inspiring generations of technologists and explorers to advance humankind.

Houston Beer Guide will keep you tapped into the latest Space News and Brews events. Stay tuned in to lift off with us again soon!

Visit Space Center Houston online at https://spacecenter.org/.

The post Space News and Brews: Houston’s Craft Beer Scene Reaches for the Stars with NASA Collaboration first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Space News and Brews: Houston’s Craft Beer Scene Reaches for the Stars with NASA Collaboration appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

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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