Big congrats to True Anomaly Brewing Company for taking home the big one – the 2024 Brewery of the Year award. Cheers to brewing great beer!

See the full list of Texas winners here.

The post Texas Craft Brewers Cup Awards 2024 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Texas Craft Brewers Cup Awards 2024 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

2017 was a transformative year for craft beer in Houston.

• We saw the rise of the NEIPA (thanks in large part to Larry’s “Who will be Houston’s Tree House or Trillium?” essay) with 8th Wonder, 11 Below, B-52, Baa Baa, Copperhead, No Label, Spindletap, Texian, Whole Foods Market, and others trying their hand at the style.
• Saint Arnold celebrated their 23rd anniversary and 5 local breweries made their own versions of classic Saint Arnold beers.
• We saw Texian and 160ft Beerworks close up shop. Texian plans to return.
• Baileson, Bearded Fox, Great Heights, Texas Leaguer, Vallensons’, and Wicked Boxer opened their doors to the public.
• Both Buffalo Bayou and Saint Arnold are (still) offering Free Beer For Life.
• Chris complained about the lack of on-demand craft beer delivery, and HopDrop delivered in response.
• And in the wake of Hurricane Harvey our city came together, reached out to one another, and got to work helping each other recover. Just about every brewery stepped up in a variety of ways. 8th Wonder used their high clearance vehicles for water rescues. Eureka Heights, Saloon Door, and countless others became donation centers. Saint Arnold spearheaded #ReliefBeers, and breweries from around the country donated $1 per beer sold to the Houston Food Bank, raising $35,000. Spindletap became a local distribution center, even attracting the superstar of Harvey relief – JJ Watt – into the tap room to sort and load supplies on to trucks. Hurricane Harvey will be a rallying point for our community for years to come.

Our Favorite Beers

We like to wrap the year up by sharing our the best local and non-local beer we had in the last year. It’s not an original idea, but it’s fun. We’d love to hear your picks as well!

Chris White

Eureka Heights ‘Mini Boss’ – To think, there was a time I didn’t think much of Eureka Heights’ beers. Dumb names, I said. Boring styles, I said. I was wrong, and Mini Boss represents everything I was wrong about. This beer explodes with citrus, finishes with a balanced bitterness and is enjoyable all the way through. Eureka took the megatrend of 2017 – hopping late with Mosaic and other big flavorful hops (in this case Citra) and hit it out of the park. It’s become a beer I seek whenever a new batch is released.

Listermann Brewing Company ‘Tricky’ (Cincinnati, OH) – I love all of Listermann’s series of NE-style IPAs with old school rap names, but I think Tricky has become the single example by which I have come to judge all comers in this style. Blending the aromatic elements of Mosaic with the pineapple/tropical flavors of Galaxy, it brings hop flavor and aroma from first pop of the 16 oz can and has very little perceptible bitterness – just a soft, clean, juicy finish. Listermann has a special place in my heart because 2017 was also the year I established a beer trading partner in the Cincinnati area (THANKS SAM), and so have been fortunate enough to get my hands on these delicious goodies.

Honorable mention: Galveston Island Brewing DIPA #7, MIA Brewing MEGA MIX Pale Ale, Urban Artifact Gaslight, Societe The Swindler, Odell Rupture Pale Ale, Grand Teton Brewing Teton Range IPA

Tim Spies

Saint Arnold Brewing ‘Icon Red Märzen’ – I am always excited to try a modern take on a classic style. And while there are many misses in the world of beer, Saint Arnold Brewing has proven more than capable in the handling of such styles. So as I expressed in my review of Icon Red Märzen, I was more than pleased with the results. A great representation of the style, and one that I hope will return with their regular fall lineup every year.

The Answer Brewpub ‘I Like Turtles’ (Richmond, VA) – Maybe it’s just me, but rarely do collaborations work out as well as I hope or expect. Two great breweries combining must always produce great outcomes, right? But sadly, seldom do such high expectations equal results. I Like Turtles is an extraordinary gem that greatly exceeds such desires. This collaboration between The Answer Brewpub and Bottle Logic Brewing is a delightful stout with caramel and southern pecan coffee and toasted coconut. This beer sets a deliciously high standard I hope more collaborations can meet.

Alice Hicks

Eureka Heights ‘Mini Boss’ – In short: liquid gold. I should not be surprised how good Mini Boss is given the strength of Eureka Heights’s output so far, but I was struck by its deliciousness at first sip. A grapefruit nose gave way to crisp, clean citrus and tropical flavors dancing on my tongue. At 6.8% ABV I am glad I don’t have to worry much about crushing too many of this double dry-hopped wonder, but it’s still dangerously drinkable.

Great Notion ‘Double Stack’ (Portland, OR) – I confess I had never heard of Great Notion Brewing before a friend mentioned it, which is actually a bit of a surprise since I visit Portland, Oregon and the surrounding area every other year. But with 70 breweries in Portland proper alone, it’s not hard to miss one. Now I know where I am going next time as soon as my plane hits the tarmac! Double Stack is a decadent treat. An imperial breakfast stout brewed with Portland’s Clutch coffee and Vermont maple syrup, Great Notion nails the flavor: the brew makes me feel as if I have been transported back to childhood and stuffed myself with stacks of syrup-doused pancakes.

Nathan Miller

B-52 ‘A Tart Frenchie – Peach & Apricot’ – Admittedly, I didn’t get to try as many new Houston beers this year as I’d like, but most of the ones I did try in my few trips back home or from boxes sent to me were very good. I think that my favorite was probably B-52’s “A Tart Frenchie – Peach & Apricot,” which was lightly tart, very well-balanced, and extremely refreshing, without hiding any of the delightful fruit flavor. It reminded me a little of some of the beers I’ve had from California’s Good Beer Co, which are absurdly delightful for many of the same reasons. It’s clear from this beer and others that I’ve now had from the growing Conroe brewery that B-52 is a force to be reckoned with, having already earned my vote for Houston’s second best brewery, rising with a bullet.

Cantillon ‘Nath’ (Brussels, Belgium) – December 1st, 2012, I was sitting at the Avenue Pub awaiting my taste of that year’s “Zwanze,” a special beer created by the Brussels brewery once a year. That year, it was a lambic with rhubarb added, and I recall not getting a lot of rhubarb flavor but still immensely enjoying it. Fast forward to August 26 of this year, and I’m sitting at Cantillon, trying my first bottle of Nath, the newest rhubarb lambic. This time, there’s a lot more rhubarb, with a fantastic balance, an incredible aroma, and an amazing lambic “canvas.” I was fortunate enough to try Nath one more time this year, on tap a month later (again at Avenue Pub for Zwanze day), and found the rhubarb slightly more muted, serving as a bridge to that memory from five years ago. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that it has such a great name…

Jose Luis Cubria

Eureka Heights ‘Mini-Boss’ – My favorite Houston IPA, and the beer that made me forget about Yellow Rose’s quality-control issues. It’s deliciously fruity, and the tropical/citrus notes hit you the moment you start pouring. It’s scary how quickly a crowler of this can disappear. (Honorable mention: the various barrel treatments of Saint Arnold DR17.)

Boon Geuze ‘Mariage Parfait’ (Halle, Belgium) – On the short-list for my desert-island beer, and an insta-buy every time I see it. The fact that this is now a Houston shelf beer blows my mind. For my tastes, it’s a perfect gueuze, and a perfect beer.

Kenneth Krampota

The post Our Favorite Beers of 2017 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Our Favorite Beers of 2017 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

If you’d like to have your event included, send an email to info@houstonbeerguide.com with the subject line “August Event Calendar.” Please include the date & time, a brief description of the event, the location, and a Facebook event link if available.

Thursday, August 3rd – National IPA Day

IPA Day Shirt – Available at Flying Saucer

IPA Day at Flying Saucer Downtown | 11am-1am | $3 IPA specials, one off casks and surprise release. Dozens of IPAs from Texas best and beyond including Brash Brewing, Alpine Beer Company, Eureka Heights Brew Co, Real Ale Brewing Company, Green Flash Brewing Co. and more.
More details on Facebook

IPA Day at Conservatory featuring Saint Arnold Art Car | 5pm-close | Try 5 variations Art Car, one of Houston’s best IPAs at Conservatory. Line up: Art Car, Grapefruit Art Car Dry Hopped w/ Amarillo Hops, Blueberry Art Car Dry Hopped w/ Mosaic Hops, Meyer Lemon Art Car Dry Hopped w/ Lemon Drop Hops, Double Dry Hopped w/ Citra & Galaxy Hops Art Car Cask.
More details on Facebook

IPA Day at Flying Saucer Sugarland | 5pm-12am | $3 (single) IPAs and $1 off Double/Imperial IPAs all day.
More details on Facebook

IPA Day Appy Hour at Holler Brewing | 4pm-close | Pair 3 of Holler’s IPAs with 3 types of chicken wings from T-Bone’s Sports Pub. The chicken wings are free while they last.
More details on Facebook

Saturday, August 5th

White Linen Day at Premium Draught | 12pm-4pm| Get ready for the art fair on 19th Street with Premium Draught and Holler Brewing. Premium Draught will have 5 Holler beers on tap. Each growler purchase includes a free Holler Brewing t-shirt to wear to White Linen Night. John & Kathryn Holler will be there to talk beer and pour beer.

White Linen Night and 2 Year Anniversary Party at Town In City Brewing | 6pm-11pm | To celebrate their second anniversary, Town in City is releasing their White Linen IPA – A hoppy wheat IPA brewed with Texas Grapefruit. They’ll have several small batch beers on tap as well as food an music.
More details on Facebook

Sunday, August 6th

Root Beer Float Day at Saint Arnold | 12pm-5pm | Saint Arnold will be serving root beer floats made with their root beer and Fat Cat Creamery’s Mexican Vanilla ice cream, as well as some special variations. There is no admission fee and it is a family friendly event.
More details on Facebook

Thursday, August 10th

Beer Dinner Cooking Demo at City Acre Brewing | 7pm-10pm | City Acre is opening their Victorian manor for a special beer dinner. Chef Rick will teach you how to prepare each course, which will be paired with City Acre beers. Be among the first to try their Passonfruit version of their mainstay pale ale, TXPA.
This is a ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket link

Friday, August 11th

B-52 Brewing Biere de Coupage Bottle Release | 3pm-? | B-52 Brewing is releasing their newest sour/wild beer: Biere de Coupage. It is “a blend of young saison and one-year old, oak-fermented sour saison dry-tead with a blend of five different tea varieties.” They have 1000 bottles available for $8 each, available while they last.
More details on Facebook

Saturday, August 12

Baa Baa Brewhouse Meenie Can Release | 10am-? | Baa Baa Brewhouse is releasing the second Hazy IPA in their “Ennie, Meenie, Miny, Moe” series.

Sunday, August 13th

Juice Fest at SpindleTap Brewery | SpindleTap will be releasing 3 Hazy IPAs: Their original Houston Haze, Juiceton (brewed with help from our resident NEIPA expert Larry Koestler), and Hops Drop. Each 4 pack will be $16, and purchases will be limited to 2 packs of each style.

SpindleTap Juice Fest – August 13th

Saturday, August 19th

Eureka Heights 1 Year Anniversary Party & Bottle Release | 11am-1pm| The VIP event starts at 11:30am and includes tastings of several varitations on their new Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout, Nuke the Whales. With the VIP ticket you’ll get special glassware and a 22oz bottle of Nuke the Whales to go. The regular admission party starts at 1pm and is free entry. You’ll get a chance to try several variation of Nuke the Whales throughout the day, plus a piñata, an ice cream truck, and birthday cake. Bottles will be available for sale to go.
This is a (partially) ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket Link

Sunday, August 20th

Happy Firkin Birthday to Flying Saucer Downtown | 11am-1am | Flying Saucer is celebrating their 17th anniversary with over a dozen special one off beers in firkins (also called casks) from local breweries.
More details on Facebook

Sunday, August 27th

Brews & Barrels at Saint Arnold | 11am-2pm | Saint Arnold is playing host to the Galveston Bay Foundation. Learn how to make a rain barrel and go home with a barrel and connector kit of your own. Admission is $40 and includes the barrel, the connector kit, and 2 beer tokens.
This is a ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket Link

September Preview

Sept 1-3: Brewmaster’s Craft Beer Festival at Moody Gardens
Sept 23: 7th Anniversary Party at The Almighty Moon Tower Inn

The post Houston Beer Events – August 2017 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Houston Beer Events – August 2017 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Josh Frink – Editor-in-chief, Houston Beer Guide

Neve & Denise, B-52 Brewing Co, Wild Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV

I’m extremely comfortable saying this is the best Wild Pale Ale that I’ve ever had. It uses the same strain of wild yeast as the classic Belgian beer Orval, and it nails the flavor. The barnyard and leather flavors from the wild yeast blend surprisingly well with the citrus and tropical fruit aromas added by the Mosaic and Galaxy hop varieties. This beer is only available at the brewery’s taproom for now, but this beer is well worth the drive.

Casey Motes, Assistant to the Regional Manager, Eureka Heights Brew Co.

River Beer, Hops and Grain Brewing, Lager, 5.2% ABV

A beer like this embodies the full life cycle of a craft beer drinker. After going from pale ales to aggressive IPAs then boozy stouts, I usually find myself reaching for something sessionable. The fact that a world-class brewery decided to make an old school American lager might seem odd, but I think it’s a great example of a beer that brewers want to drink. The aroma starts with a soft floral, then quickly changes to Saturday morning corn flakes. Flavor is light grainy, simple and clean. Finish is crisp and dry. Makes you want to take another sip.

Plus we swear the production floor gets scrubbed way better after one of these.

River Beer | Photo: Casey Motes for Houston Beer Guide

Eric Sandler – Food Editor, Culture Map

Weisstheimer, 8th Wonder Brewery, Traditional German Hefeweizen, 5.4% ABV

With the summer’s heat in full effect, I want a beer that’s light, refreshing, and makes me feel a little cooler. Recently, I’ve found myself reaching for 8th Wonder’s Weisstheimer, and not just because the brewery sponsors my podcast. As Chris White noted in his HBG review, the new beer isn’t “8th Wonder’s version” of a hefeweizen; rather, it keeps things pretty classic with nicely balanced banana and clove flavors. A slight tang even makes it food-friendly.

Chris White – Writer, Houston Beer Guide

Lame Duck, 11 Below Brewing Co., American Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV

I’ve got a beer box pal in the Cincinnati area and he really likes APA, so I’ve been sending him what Houston has to offer. That process has led me back to some local beers I’ve had a couple of times, but haven’t exactly filled my fridge with for whatever reason. One of these that has earned its way back into my regular rotation is 11 Below’s excellent Lame Duck Pale Ale, which stands out as a really focused and crushable brew, perfect for these hot Houston summer days. It opens a little grassy, hits hard with some nice floral flavor and finishes clean with just a tinge of bitterness. At just over 5% ABV it’s not so strong that you can’t take a few down on a weeknight. I’m happy to share this with others as a standout Houston beer and to keep some for myself as well.

Jeremy Jordan – Owner, Half Yankee Workshop

Millions of Peaches, Brazos Valley Brewing Co, Peach Witbier, 5.2% ABV

It’s usually this time of year when it’s hot as hell all the time that I start to stray from my mainstays of Pale Ales and IPA’s. This month I fell in love with Millions of Peaches. A light and refreshing Witbier, it clearly tastes of peaches with a light sweetness, but a lot more subtle than you expect when you first get a peach-heavy whiff of it. It’s with a slight touch of sour, yet without the tart mouthfeel. “Moving to the country, gonna eat me a lot of peaches!”

Jeremy Jordan is a Craftsman that specializes in making tap handles and bottle openers, along with enjoying all the amazing craft beer Houston has to offer. Check out his creations at www.halfyankeeworkshop.com

Millions of Peaches | Photo: Jeremy Jordan for Houston Beer Guide

Kenneth Krampota – Writer, Houston Beer Guide

U-P-G-R-A-Y-E-D-D, B-52 Brewing Co., Double Dry Hopped American IPA, 7% ABV

I got a crowler of the standard, and a pour of the raspberry shake version, and both were outstanding. I felt the raspberry version came off so differently than the standard because the acidity of the raspberry killed off the citrus flavors of the standard. Both excellent, but very different animals. What they did have in common was that soft pillow mouth feel that you want in the NEIPA style. Worth seeking out.

Josh Stewart – Host of the Interbrews Podcast & Co-Host of Liquid Lunch

Millions of Peaches, Brazos Valley Brewing Co, Peach Witbier, 5.2% ABV

People may not think about Brazos Valley Brewing in Brenham when they think Houston area brewing, but they should. Josh Bass and the crew at BVB are making some killer beers. Millions of Peaches in like a biscuit with peach marmalade. An American wheat beer with a metric s*#t ton of peachy goodness. It screams front porch enjoyment. This peachy wheat goodness has been in my heart, mouth and belly and on my mind when it’s not in my hand.

Josh is the host of the craft beer centric podcast Interbrews and Co-Host of the live beer show Liquid Lunch. Checkout past shows and subscribe on your platform of choice at http://interbrews.com/ and http://liquidlunchshow.com/

Millions of Peaches | Photo: Josh Stewart for Houston Beer Guide

If you’re interested in contributing to next month’s roundup, whether you’re a beer maker, a beer writer, or just a beer drinker, send an email to info@houstonbeerguide.com to be added to next month’s roundup.

The post What are HOU drinking? – July 2017 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post What are HOU drinking? – July 2017 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Photo: J. McElweenie

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: local brewery set to open doors in renovated food service warehouse.

The team at Eureka Heights Brewing Co. has been hard at work for 18 months transforming a 20,000 square-foot warehouse into the stuff of dreams. Casey Motes, formerly a brewer at Saint Arnold, Robert Eichenlaub, Joel Swift, and their significant others have led volunteers and willing family members in countless hours of renovation, fabrication, cleaning, painting, and all things necessary to make this Heights brewpub a reality.

Atypical for the neighborhood, the property boasts a massive parking lot, accommodating and perpetuating Houston’s love for private transportation. Inside, you’ll find plenty of room to stretch out near the cold storage on the beerhall-style tables or even play a game of cornhole near the fermenters, but they plan to fill that space with more stainless steel as demand grows. A little farther down the road, they plan to move the revelry into an updated air conditioned tap room at the front of the building and take over the cornhole court to set up their canning line. The well thought-out space is ready to adapt to whatever demand Houston drinkers drum up.

Photo: C. Motes

Located just west of the Heights dry zone, you’ll be able to buy beers by the pint, flight, or walk out the door with Crowlers or growlers of the good stuff brewed on the customized 30-barrel DME brewhouse. The starting lineup features an American IPA highlighted by loads of American hops, a cream ale with corn perfected by input from real-life cowboys, a truly American style of beer with loads of Citra hops fermented with Kolsch yeast, and a milk stout with cinnamon and cayenne.

Meet the Eureka Heights Brew crew at the official launch party tonight, August 5th, at The Flying Saucer in downtown Houston from 4 to 8 p.m. If you miss the Saucer event, you’ll find the Eureka Heights team at Hughie’s on August 11th from 5 to 8 p.m. and the full line-up at Jugs Draft on August 12th from 6 to 9 p.m.

Pictured: Joel Swift Photo: J. McElweenie

Eureka Heights will open the brewery doors to thirsty Houstonians before Labor Day, with a grand opening party to be scheduled when the temperature drops a few degrees.

Photo: J. McElweenie

Eureka Heights Brewing Company is located at 941 W 18th St, Houston, TX 77008. Check out their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Photos courtesy Jason McIlweenie & Casey Motes.

The post Beer Is Flowing From Eureka Heights first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Beer Is Flowing From Eureka Heights appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.