I gotta be honest, it took me about a solid week to find a Texas beer that broke 4/5 stars for me, and I was not super impressed with the San Antonio breweries. That being said, I did end up, finding some fantastic venues and Texas beers!
In no particular order:
1) Karbach Brewing Co. (Houston, TX) - Hopadillo IPA - Middleof the road non-hazy smooth, light malt, tad caramel, good fresh hops, refreshing, citrus and mango...even though A.B. InBev owns Karbach, it doesn’t hurt that it was on special for $6.50 a liter! 3.5/5 stars
2) 5 Stones Artisan Brewing (New Braunfels, TX) - Norma Jeane - blonde ale brewed with strawberries. Vanilla and honey, light refreshing, tons of strawberry, hazy peach color. Found at Cullum’s Attagirl (best garlic fries ever “Girls Thyme Fries”, Fried chicken deviled eggs, and wings!). 4/5 stars.
3) Three Nations Brewing (Farmer’s Branch, TX) - Haze Wizard - ddh with Amarillo, tons of candy citrus, breads, super fruity, melon, drinkable. Also at Cullum’s Attagirl. 3.75/5 stars
4) Martin House Brewing Co. (Ft. Worth, TX) - Parker County Peach - like peach cobbler, sweet and peachy. Cullum’s Attagirl. 3.75/5 stars
5) Southerleigh Brewing Co. (San Antonio, TX) - Don’t Fear the Dank Side - tad sweet, honey, great fruit hop notes, Tropical, sugar, not super dank? @ the brewery in the Pearl district. 3.5/5 stars
6) Lone Pint Brewery (Magnolia, TX) - Yellow Rose - An IPA everyone is clamoring for in Texas, candy citrus, mango, tropical, melon, honey, biscuit malt. Found at The Friendly Spot, a really cool outdoor bar with lots of metal chairs and tables. 3.75/5 stars
7) (512) Brewing Co. (Austin, TX) - (512) Pecan Porter - smooth, pecans and roasty, coffee. Also The Friendly Spot. 4/5 stars
8) Ghost Pixel Beer Studio (San Antonio, TX) - Flashbang, IPA, honey, dank, medium mouthfeel, melon, juicy, brewery is a side project of Freetail Brewing Co. a total hipster location where I found this. 3.5/5 stars
9) Ghost Pixel Beer Studio - Mexican Hostel Slumber Party - a stout with spices, cinnamon, spice, lighter but sits nicely in the mouth, coffee, cocoa powder, brown color. @ Freetail’s production facility. 3.75/5 stars
10) Aquabrew (San Marco, TX) - Skyscraper Mosaic IPA - peach, citrus, lighter but good flavor, breads malt, toasty, orange, tad pine, tangerine. Cullum’s Attagirl again! Unique Beer 1900 btw, 4/5 stars
11) Guadelupe Brewing Co. (New Braunfels, TX) - Scotch Ale - a huge 8.17% wee heavy, caramel and butterscotch nailed this one! Found at The Cove, another outdoor beer spot with misters, playground for the kids, a dog “park” and while outside bar dedicated to TX taps (don’t pass up the fish tacos!). 4.25/5 stars
12) (512) Brewing Co. - Juicy IPA -peppery citrus nose, not as many hops in the flavor, lots of resin. @ The Cove, 3.5/5 stars
13) Guadelupe Brewing Co. - Texas Honey Ale- Belgian tripel, breads, really nice sweet honey finish that is a bit rich, @ The Cove, 3.75/5 stars
14) BS Brewing - Pecan Ale With Honey - braggot, honey in a glass, nutty caramelized pecans, delicious dessert beer, @ The Cove, 4/5 stars
15) Southern Star Brewing Co. (Conroe, TX) - Buried Hatchet - Stout, coffee grinds, smooth not overly roasty, sweet vanilla, sassafras, molasses, @ The Cove, 3.75/5 stars
And some honorable mentions:
16) Celia Brewery (Austin, TX) - Celia White - the original hoegaarden brewer ‘s daughter reviving his classic recipe, 3.25/5 stars
17) The Granary ‘Cue & Brew (San Antonio, TX) - Peach Ginger Shandy - refreshing, cold, peach, sweet ginger, 3.25/5 stars
18) Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner, TX) - Shiner Bock - had it before, but still a pretty decent beer, 3.25/5 stars
19) Oasis Texas Brewing Co. (Austin, TX) - El Grito Göse Lager - a mildly tart gose, dry, like a margarita beer, 3.25/5 stars
