Texas Beer Guide

Microbreweries

(listed alphabetically by name)

Bosque Brewing Co.

300 S. Sixth St., Waco, 817/754-5154

Makes Honey Lager, Bosque Porter, and Amber Ale.

Celis Brewery

2431 Forbes, Austin, 835-0884

Varieties in the Belgian tradition include White, Golden, Pale Bock, Raspberry, and Grand Cru, with a new brew being introduced in September. Tours of the Eastside facility are Tue-Sat, 2 & 4pm, and Fri, 5:30pm.

Frio Brewing Co.

1905 N. St. Mary's, San Antonio, 210/225-8222

Check out the graffiti-style murals on the side of the building at N. St. Mary's and Euclid streets by artist Robert Tatum. David Strain, the head brewer, said tours are when people show up weekdays between 8:30am and 5:30pm.

Fürstenbräu Brewing Co.

New Braunfels, 800/267-LUKE

Luckenbock Classic Amber brewed by contract by Minnesota Brewing Co., St. Paul, Minn.

Hill Country Brewing
and Bottling Co.

730 Shady Lane, Austin, 385-9111

The makers of Balcones Fault, Red Granite, and Pale Malt; tours offered by appointment.

Live Oak Brewing Company

3301 E. Fifth St., Austin, 385-2299.

Set to open later this year with a Live Oak Pilz.

Main Street Brewing Co.

2656 Main St., Dallas, 214/939-2337

Produces brown ale, pale ale, and raspberry wheat.

Old City Brewing Company

808 W. 10th St., Austin, 472-2337

Pecan Street Lager and True Bock are brewed by contract with August Schell in Minnesota; they will soon change their name to Pecan St. Brewing Co. and move production to Austin.

Real Ale Brewery

7212 C HWY 71 West, 512/301-1505

This Blanco brewery is having its grand opening Saturday, July 20, noon-5pm. It will offer Full Moon Pale Rye (an American Pale Ale) and Brew House Brown Ale. They plan to offer a cask-conditioned ale in the future.

St. Andrew's Brewing Co.

703 McKinney Ave., Dallas, 214/220-2023

This brewery is in the basement of a building across the railroad tracks and north of the West End Entertainment District. The facility was originally the site of the Dallas Brewing Co., which sold its recipes and labels to the Texas Brewing Co. St. Andrew's sells an ale, a lager, and a light beer, all under the Friar's label. Tours and rental of the tasting room are available with 24-hour notice.

St. Arnold Brewing Co.

2522 Fairway Park, Houston, 713/686-9494

A homebrewer and his best friend started this small and growing brewery, the first microbrewery in Houston. Learn more about them by taking a tour on Saturdays at 1pm or at their web page: http://www.saintarnold.com/saintarnold.

Salado Creek Brewing Co.

San Antonio

Salado Creek Amber, brewed in 9,000-gallon batches by the Pearl Brewery, is the only commercial beer in the U.S. using Grolsch-style flip bottles.

Spoetzl Brewing Co.

603 E. Brewery, Shiner, 512/594-3383

Founded in 1909 by Czech and German farmers longing for old-world beer, the brewery brought Kosmos Spoetzl in as brewmaster, to this, the home of the popular Shiner Bock. Survived Prohibition by producing near-beer and ice. Tours Mon-Fri, 10am, 11am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm. Gift shop open Mon-Fri, 9am-1:30pm, 2:30-5pm; Sat 10am-3pm.

Texas Brewing Co.

Dallas, 214/871-7990

Contract brewer, produces Cowboy Lager and Texas Crude Bock at Stroh's Brewery, Longview.

Yellow Rose Brewing

17201 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, 210/496-6669

Award-winning brews include Vigilante Porter, Wildcatters Refined Stout, Honcho Grand Brown Ale, Bubba Dog Wheat Beer, Yellow Rose Pale Ale, and Cactus Queen IPA. Tours are the first and third Saturdays of the month by appointment.

Brewpubs

(listed by city)

Brewpubs are about as close to sampling home brew as you can get without knowing someone who has a setup in their bathroom. Each location is looking for a different hook that makes them stand out from the crowd of pubs, restaurants, and other brewpubs. Most brewpubs will offer three or four brews that are the staple of their brewmaster along with novelty brews such as fruit beers. Of course, the fun to trying all of these different beers is compounded when you are also able to sample a wide variety of different foods ranging from pizzas to steaks.

Amarillo

Silk's Brewing Co., 3705 Olsen, 806/353-2622.

Arlington

Humperdinks, 700 Six Flags Dr., 817/640-8553.

College Station

Brazos Brewing Co., 201 Dominik, 409/693-4148.

Dallas Area

Copper Tank, 2600 Main St., 214/744-9015. This Deep Ellum location of the popular Austin brewpub is in the same style as the local favorite.

Hoffbrau Steaks & Brewery, 3205 Knox St., 214/559-2680. Owned by the same company that has larger Addison location.

Hubcap Brewing Co., 1701 N. Market, 214/651-0808.

Moon Under Water, 214/741-2537. Run by Texas brewing legends Mary and Don Thompson. To open late summer/early fall, 1996.

Two Rows Brewing Co., 5500 Greenville Ave., 214/696-2739. Opened May, 1995; planning a second location in Houston's Village near Rice University, across from the Gingerman Pub.

Routh Street Brewery & Grille, 3011 Routh St., 214/353-2661.

Yegua Creek Brewing Co., 2920 Henderson Ave., 214/824-2739. Tours and brewing info on their Website:
http://www.wn.com/biz/ycbc.

Hoffbrau Steaks & Brewery, 4180 Beltline, Addison, 214/392-1196.

Rock Bottom Brewing Co., 4050 Beltline, Addison,
214/404-7456.

Fort Worth

Panther City Brewing Co., 2513 Rodeo Plaza, 817/626-9500.

Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg Brewing Co., 245 E. Main St., 210/997-1646. Bed and breakfast accomodations upstairs, and excellent German food.

Galveston

The Strand Brewery, 101 23rd St., 409/763-4500.

The Galveston Brewery, 2521 Mechanic, 409/763-3484. One block off of the Strand at 25th & Mechanic.

Houston Area

Bradley's Restaurant & Brewery, 515 West Bay Area Blvd., Clearlake, 713/332-8488. Offers seven handmade brews.

The Bank Draft Brewing Co., 2424 Dunstan, #150, 713/522-6258.

The Houston Brewery, 6224 Richmond Ave., 713/953-0101. Voted Houston's best brewpub.

Huey's Restaurant & Brewery, 15335 N. I-45
(at Richey), 713/875-2260.

Rock Bottom Brewery, 6111 Richmond Ave., 713/974-2739.

The Village Brewery, 2415 Dunstan, 713/524-4677.

Lubbock

Hub City Brewing Co., 1805 Ave. G., 806/747-1535. Live music Tues.-Sat. nights. Opens daily at 11:30am.

Midland

Basin Brewing Ltd., 904 W. Florida, 915/683-0014.

San Antonio

Broadwalk Bistro, 4011 Broadway, 210/824-0100. The Alamo City's original brewpub was added onto an existing restaurant when a group of homebrewers talked the owner into letting them try their brews in commercial qualities. The food is as good as the beers.

Blue Star Brewing Co., 1414 S. Alamo, 210/212-5506. Opened in mid-June, 1996 in the Blue Star Arts Complex a mile south of the Alamo on the edge of the Historic King William District. The menu covers sandwichs and salads.

Houston Street Ale House, 420 E. Houston, 210/354-4694. Besides their own beer, San Antonio's newest brewpub has a large selection commercial beers on tap, a humidor, and a kitchen under construction.

Joey's, 2417 N. St. Mary's, 210/733-9573. Neighborhood bar with a great beer garden. Open 3pm-2am.

North St. Mary's Brewing Co. Pub & Deli, 2734 N. St. Mary's, 210/737-6255. Old-style pub in renovated 1800s general store. Open 5pm-2am, Mon-Sat, closed Sun.

San Marcos

Cafe on the Square & Brewpub, 126 N. LBJ, 512/353-9289. A typical college town cafe with an atypical menu. Besides offering live music most nights, the menu has exotic things like ostrich fajitas, buffalo burgers, and wild boar (pork) chops. They also have great Mexican food that goes well with their oatmeal stout or Knucklehead Porter.

South Padre Island

Padre Island Brewing Co., 3400 Padre Blvd, 210/761-9585. A second-story balcony overlooks the beach; six handmade brews.

The Majors

Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Houston, 713/670-1696. Self-guided tours: Mon-Sat, 9am-4pm; guided tour times vary.

Lone Star Brewery, San Antonio, 210/270-9467. No brewery tours, but visit the Buckhorn museums, 9:30am-5pm, Mon-Fri.

Miller Brewery, Fort Worth.

Pearl Brewery, San Antonio.

Strohs Brewery, Longview, 903/753-0371. Tours at 1, 2, 3pm, weekdays