The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Houston's awash in beer (news): The good, the bad and the bitter

Railyard
Photo via The Railyard/Facebook
It's going to be beery busy this month.
Brewtopia hits Central Market Sep. 22 through Oct. 5.
After a few days to recuperate, Houstion Beer Week takes over Oct. 11 throughOct. 17.
Two Rows is closing, so you'd best sample the creations of Houston's last legitbrewpub at Houston Beer Week.
St. Arnold Brewing Co. won three medals at the Great American Beer Festival, andwe're betting they'll make an appearance at Monsters of Beer.

It's been a beery busy week at the CultureMap office — we've been inundated with our favorite type of news. Beer news. Here's what's going on in Houston's suds world:

First, the bad news — Two Rows is closing. Although Houston's last legitimate brewpub will no longer be bustling upstairs at the Rice Village, they're still scheduled to participate in Monsters of Beer Oct. 17. We recommend going by (if you weren't already) and savoring the last drops of Honey Blonde, or, better yet, go now through Oct. 2 and make sure none of it gets wasted.

And now, the good stuff. Saint Arnold Brewing Co. won three medals in three categories at the Great American Beer Festival, for the Fancy Lawnmower (gold), Elissa IPA (silver), and Oktoberfest (silver). For those keeping count, this brings Saint Arnold's total GABF medals to 16. Oh yeah, they'll be at Monsters, too.

Wonder which brews they'll bring . . . ?

We're not ones to miss out on all the beer loving this time of year. The first-annual Brewtopia begins at Central Market Wednesday through Oct. 5, with hundreds of beer samples from around the world, pint-to-plate dinners, meet and greets with master brewers and a home-brewing workshop. Count us in for the beer and chocolate pairing Oct. 2.

Just in case you're still thirsty, Houston Beer Week kicks off Oct. 11 (giving you just enough time to recuperate after Brewtopia) and concludes with Monsters of Beer that Sunday. Events are all over the city in bars, restaurants, and stores. Besides drinking for a good cause Oct. 17 (duh) we'd be certain to hit the Catalan/Anvil beer dinner Oct. 13.

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Farewell, ElRo

Creative Montrose pizzeria will shutter after only a year-and-a-half

Photo by Julie Soefer

ElRo Pizza & Crudo

An acclaimed Houston pizzeria will soon serve its final pies. ElRo Pizza & Crudo will close after service on December 31.

In a post on Instagram, chef-owner Terrence Gallivan thanks his staff for their dedication and his customers for their support. “We hope to see you all over the next couple weeks. Come celebrate with us,” he writes.

Open since June 2023, ElRo intrigued diners who enjoyed Gallivan’s work at pioneering Houston restaurant The Pass & Provisions. At ElRo, the chef served a modified version of the Provisions pizza recipe alongside crudos and shareable small plates such as arancini and housemade sausage. It earned four nominations in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, including Best New Restaurant and Chef of the Year.

Sadly, Gallivan tells CultureMap that business has seen “a steady decline in business for many months.” Recently, the restaurant had tried a number of initiatives to draw in diners, such as steak night on Tuesday and fried chicken on Saturday.

The early announcement gives diners two weeks to make one more visit (or two) to the restaurant before it closes. Customers may want to time their visit for happy hour, which takes places from 3-6 pm Tuesday-Friday. It includes half-off glasses of wine, $4 draft beers, $9 select cocktails, and food specials.

Gallivan adds that he doesn’t know yet what his next move will be. Hopefully, he’s got one more comeback in him. Houston is a more fun town to dine in when Gallivan is cooking in it.

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