Of course it is, you silly goose!

Yeah….we just made it up. So what? Isn’t that how all great ideas are started anyways?

In deemed craft beer cities across the nation, it’s common to see a week-long schedule of events and things to do around town.  These beer weeks are catered breweries hosting taproom events, locals-only pours/taproom takeovers at local beer bars and the loyal beer drinkers (both residents and tourist travelers) celebrating the delicious beer we have to offer.  With being the largest city in Texas and the ever expanding melting pot of styles selection in beer, we have no choice but to go BIG with a month long celebration, sticking by the place we call home.  

Wanna get involved?  That’s easy!  Drink up and speak up! 

We are asking all Houston beer folk to show mad love to their local breweries in celebration all month by sharing their social media posts, tagging locally made beer on their socials and show love for all things Houston beer! Houston Beer Guide is also accepting guest community contributors all month for those that want to share their love for Houston beer with us. We are happy to feature your work and are excited to hear your perspective. Check out our writing guidelines below and tell us why you love Houston with beer reviews, photography and stories of great craft beer and comradery. Don’t forget to tag us at @HoustonBeer and use hashtag #HoustonBeerMonth for reposts and giveaways! 

Breweries! Tell us about your upcoming Houston Beer Month events – We will share it with our readers as a special thank you for contributing to Houston Beer Month. 

In the meantime, help us get the word out and encourage your local Houston brewery/bars to get involved.  After all, it’s a celebration of all the amazing beer served in this city!  As beer fans, we hope you will join us year after year in this deserving endeavor in support of Houston beer.  Once August is completed into planning next year, our work continues on to grow this but we gotta start somewhere. It’s time we put our city in the spotlight it deserves. 

Houston Beer Month and Houston Beer Guide marketing assets are available upon request by email at cheers@houstonbeerguide.com.

Cheers Houston!

Guest Contributor Writing Guidelines for August

• Articles should be at least 2-3 paragraphs max
• Articles should be focused on your honest experience about beer or brewery, ideally positive with an engaging story or subject
• Must include an original photo with our article. Submitting multiple photos is also accepted
• We are publishing articles daily for the month of August – email your submissions to cheers@HoustonBeerGuide.com along with your full name, city of residence and featured photo of yourself.

Did you hear about our party yet? Tickets on sale today!

Check out these cool memories from 2021 Houston Beer Month.

The post Houston Beer Month is here! Wait, is this still a thing? first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Houston Beer Month is here! Wait, is this still a thing? appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

First allow me to say anyone who knows me knows there is no such things as “Stout Season” for me, as I am a year round stout drinker. So naturally I had to get my hands on Galveston Island Brewing’s Samson in a barrel 2021. Galveston Island brewing takes their Samson Imperial Stout and barrel ages it in Jim Beam, Wild Turkey & Woodford Rye barrels for 10 months then blend it all together to create this beer. Samson in a barrel definitely managed to blend everything one may seek in a barrel aged stout in this delicious beer. Bold chocolate & caramel notes hit your nose along with a smooth whiskey aroma making it a real pleasure to drink.

Upon first sip, the oak and whiskey jump out with a roasty note – think hazelnut coffee with chocolate drizzle. The boozy taste is cut through with the roast forward base stout and the back end lends to an oaky, whiskey, and chocolate flavor that mixes well, similar to a spiked Frappuccino. After allowing SIAB to breathe for ten minutes the oak persists, yet it allows the booziness of the whisky to fall on the back end while providing a more chocolate taste upfront with the smooth roasty flavor in between. As the stout continues to breathe it becomes even smoother making it dangerous as I could see several glasses going down smooth over the course of a night of relaxing. 

When on the island make the quick stop by Galveston Island Brewing and pick up Samson in a barrel as well as all the island favorites.

#HoustonBeerMonth Guest Submission from Ronnie Risner

Interested in sharing your story? Be a guest contributor this month! Email us at cheers@houstonbeerguide.com.

The post Beer Review: 2021 Samson In A Barrel from Galveston Island Brewing first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Beer Review: 2021 Samson In A Barrel from Galveston Island Brewing appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

New Magnolia Brewing is one of the newer breweries that has popped up in Houston, and they’re a pretty close neighborhood brewery to me. I’ve been going since their soft open back in November of 2019 (back before the world went crazy!)

I want to talk about their green level member program and getting to brew a beer with them, but I figure I should start with talking about beer first!  Being that we are deep in the heat of the summer I would recommend any of the Splitz that they have on a tap, these range from different tropical flavors to cherry and are quite refreshing on a warm day.  This past week I picked up a crowler of their new strawberry lager and took it with me on a road trip.  The strawberry flavor was light but the lager was solid, a nice approachable lager for a summer afternoon.

Last year I had the pleasure of getting to brew a pilot beer with Sean and John (two absolutely stand up people, real nice, so easy to get along with and work with).  We brewed a chai stout and the smell in the brewery that day was amazing (a good combination of roasted malt and chai spice).  The communication between parties was really great and they were attentive at all points in the process.  I entered the lottery to do it again this year but did not make the cut, I’m a little upset about this but at the same time happy that a new person is getting to go through this experience.  It’s always great to go to a new brewery and taste/fall in love with their beers, but it’s a whole other level of experience to get to see behind the scenes and brew something delicious.  I came away from this with a brand new appreciation for all the work that goes into the drinks that I love.

Thanks!

Chris Ayers
#HoustonBeer Lover!

#HoustonBeerMonth Guest submission by Chris Ayers

The post My neighborhood brewery: New Magnolia Brewing first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post My neighborhood brewery: New Magnolia Brewing appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Bearded Fox opened up at the peak of the Houston craft beer explosion. I attended their grand opening on February 18, 2017 in their unassuming location tucked behind a strip center. To this day, it is the most crowded brewery I have ever seen. To ensure you never had an empty glass, once you got a beer, you got back in line and drank it while you waited for another. That’s how long the lines were. It was wild. 

Because of their small brewing capacity and distribution, you often can’t find their beer on tap anywhere inside of the beltway aside from the occasional keg at Flying Saucer. Whenever I go out with my folks, who live up in northwest Harris County, I make it a point to order a Bearded Fox beer when it’s available, because I enjoy drinking them, and they aren’t something I get often until recently…

I recently went beer browsing at D & Q Beer Station off of Richmond and saw that they had two Bearded Fox beers in cans — Aunt Rose a red lager and G.O.A.T an imperial IPA, so I picked up both. Aunt Rose is the most crushable red ale style beer I’ve had. It’s light but still has malty complexity. I’ll go out and say that it is in my top 5 favorite Houston beers. The G.O.A.T is decent. It has all of the typical flavors of an imperial IPA with a very malty start but hoppy finish. 

Bearded Fox might not make your top 10 most recognizable brewery list, but I invite you all to take the pilgrimage up to their taproom or find their cans in a store near you.

The post Tomball’s Bearded Fox Brewing Canning Flagship Beers first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Tomball’s Bearded Fox Brewing Canning Flagship Beers appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Because Houston Beer Month occurs in August, there probably won’t be too many folks clamouring for Russian Imperial Stouts or similar heavy hitters due to the hot temperatures and high humidity. However, light, crushable beers are not the only types of beers that can be enjoyed in the summer. Malt-forward beers like Festbiers, which are starting to make their annual appearance, and Ambers can be just as refreshing to combat Houston’s heat, and I had just the beer over the weekend.

Last weekend, Baileson Brewing in Rice Village tapped their Renew By 6/21 Amber Ale. As to be expected with an Amber, it is very malty and roasty with a little bit of sweetness. I tasted a small amount of chocolate with an almost coffee bitterness. One aspect of malt-forward beers that I enjoy is the nuttiness and complexity to them, and Renew By has a fair amount of pecan and other nut flavors. 

If you have never had the pleasure of drinking at Baileson, I highly recommend it. It has one of the friendliest and coziest atmospheres of any brewery in the Houston area (and I am not just saying that because they sign my paychecks). Though they are known for their IPAs, you can’t go wrong with anything that is served. Taps rotate frequently due to their small brewing capacity, so you can expect Renew By 2021 to be on tap for another 3-5 weeks before going on a short break.

Come for the beer and stay for the atmosphere.

The post Baileson’s “Renew By 6/21” amber refreshing in hot summer months first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Baileson’s “Renew By 6/21” amber refreshing in hot summer months appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Here are my top picks for best IPAs brewed right here in Houston and perfect to celebrate with on #NationalIPADay!

Heavy Hands Double IPA – Spindletap Brewery

If you read my Valentines letter to this beer, you know my mad obsession. This beer pours milky bright yellow with vibrant hops qualities present on all corners. This IPA has a strong citrus kick making it the true definition of Texas JUICE! At 8%, its medium body and soft mouthfeel continues to delight my hop head senses with each sip. Cans are generally available in the taproom and local distro markets like HEB. Load up on the case special at the brewery, because you won’t want this hoppy adventure to end. Cheers to the heavy weight champ of Houston hazy beers!

Mini Boss IPA – Eureka Heights Brewing Company

This double dry hopped IPA is the classic example of a tropical citrus IPA. Containing Citra and mosaic in the hop profile, this beer is one of the most balanced IPAs around. Modest amount of bitterness, aroma of bold citrus hops and drying alcohol finish makes this 6.8% IPA are perfect entry IPA for those new to the style. Coincidentally, it also makes a great shotgun beer with its approachable hoppy character. Crack open a cold one and down the hatch it goes!

Doc Hoppiday Hazy IPA – Saloon Door Brewing

This beer is my hoppy huckleberry. Coming in at 6.8%, this hazy New England style IPA from Saloon Door Brewing in Webster is an ultra smooth drinkable IPA with all the juicy characteristics hop heads crave. With all Citra hops and its bold tropical juice notes, this beer finishes dry with a slight hop bite on the end. If you are a fan of Heavy Hands, this one is definitely one to try! This brew is available to go from the taproom as well as local distribution markets including Total Wine’s all over the state of Texas.

The Haas West Coast IPA – Vallensons’ Brewing Co.

It wouldn’t be proper to include a list of awesome IPAs and leave off Valle’s Haas West Coast IPA. This resinous dank forward west coast style was named after Joe Haas, close friend of the brewery & lifetime mug club member who happens to be a huge fan of this beer and west coast IPAs. The Haas is a dedication beer to all the help and friendship over the years with the Haas family. They have assisted the brewery in many ways, including preparing the original cellar & fermentation system, making runs to Austin for brewery equipment and slinging pints behind the bar.

Weighing in a 7%, this American west coast IPA is brewed with Magnum and Centennial hops for bitterness and then triple dry hopped with Simcoe to reflect an amazing pine citrus aroma. This beer is as traditional as they come. By the way, are you free tonight? Vallensons’ is celebrating their first Thursday open to the public with the release of a new DIPA with Sabro, Cascade and Belma hops. Come check out the new taproom digs in Pearland and keep your eyes peeled for a Joe Haas sighting!

Art Car IPA – Saint Arnold Brewing Company

A classic favorite H-town treat! Art Car IPA is an American IPA featuring a blend of both new and old hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest. Visually, this beer pours golden yellow, nose full of tropical mango and apricot making it very inviting to enjoy. A generous dry hopping of Amarillo, Simcoe and Mosaic brings out the tropical mango and citrus aromatics. I highly recommend a fresh pour directly from the beer garden for the ultimate tasting experience. Best thing about this beer? It can be found nearly all around town including your local gas stations. Check the date if you want, we think its still enjoyable months in!

The post Top 5 Houston area IPAs to drink on #IPADay first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Top 5 Houston area IPAs to drink on #IPADay appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

August is Houston Beer Month. 

Yeah….we just made it up. Isn’t that how all great ideas are started anyways? In fact, this project is so new that we don’t even have an official logo finalized yet!  But those things will come later, much later!   So why are we doing this?

In deemed craft beer cities across the nation, it’s common to see a week-long schedule of events and things to do around town.  These beer weeks are catered breweries hosting taproom events, locals-only pours/taproom takeovers at local beer bars and the loyal beer drinkers (both residents and tourist travelers) celebrating the delicious beer we have to offer.  With being the largest city in Texas and the ever expanding melting pot of styles selection in beer, we have no choice but to go BIG with a month long celebration, sticking by the place we call home.  

Wanna get involved?  That’s easy!  Drink up and speak up!  We are asking all Houston beer folk to show mad love to their local breweries in celebration all month by sharing their social media posts, tagging locally made beer on their socials and show love for all things Houston beer! Houston Beer Guide is also accepting guest community contributors all month for those that want to share their love for Houston beer with us. We are happy to feature your work and are excited to hear your perspective. Check out our writing guidelines below and tell us why you love Houston with beer reviews, photography and stories of great craft beer and comradery. Don’t forget to tag us at @HoustonBeer and use hashtag #HoustonBeerMonth for reposts and giveaways! 

Breweries! Tell us about your upcoming Houston Beer Month events – We will share it with our readers as a special thank you for contributing to Houston Beer Month. 

In the meantime, help us get the word out and encourage your local Houston brewery/bars to get involved.  After all, it’s a celebration of all the amazing beer served in this city!  As beer fans, we hope you will join us year after year in this deserving endeavor in support of Houston beer.  Once August is completed into planning next year, our work continues on to grow this but we gotta start somewhere. It’s time we put our city in the spotlight it deserves. 

Houston Beer Month and Houston Beer Guide marketing assets are available upon request by email at cheers@houstonbeerguide.com.

Cheers Houston!

PS. Want to see where I am drinking? Follow my adventures all month on Instagram.

-Sylvia

@HoustonBeerMother

Guest Contributor Writing Guidelines for August

• Articles should be at least 2-3 paragraphs max
• Articles should be focused on your honest experience about beer or brewery, ideally positive with an engaging story or subject
• Must include an original photo with our article. Submitting multiple photos is also accepted
• We are publishing articles daily for the month of August – email your submissions to cheers@HoustonBeerGuide.com along with your full name, city of residence and featured photo of yourself.

The post Celebrating Houston Beer Month in August first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Celebrating Houston Beer Month in August appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.