where to drink craft beer now

Where to drink in Houston right now: New breweries and local pours for crushable craft beer

As we start rounding out the first quarter of 2023, Houston’s craft beer scene shows no signs of slowing down. New breweries continue to pop up all around the greater Houston area while familiar names are rebranding their concepts completely.

No matter the case, Houston proudly boasts a maturing mix of craft beer breweries with exceptional offerings and excellent taproom digs to boot. Here are some new (and new-ish) spots to visit, along with some old storied favorites that have made enough changes to merit a fresh look.

Three New Breweries

Turkey Forrest Brewing
Situated inside Big Owl Craft Beer House, Turkey Forrest is the beer love child of Louie Espinoza and Oscar Gonzalez. While technically considered a “nano brewery,” there’s nothing small about the team’s stellar beer program. The small production facility does not distribute, but they do offer crowlers to-go of their current offerings.

A rotating tap list that’s influenced by the team’s Mexican-American roots sets Turkey Forrest apart from other breweries. Beers like Chasing Marranitos (as in marranitos pan dulce!!) Russian Imperial Stout and Aguas Frescas-Tamarindo Sour are call-backs to the neighborhood that surrounds them. The team also holds their own when brewing traditional styles such as the Coastal DIPA and The Chase American Stout. Don’t miss this “never miss” brewery.

Bad Astronaut Brewing Co.
Opened few months ago in a 36,000-square-foot abandoned screw factory, the massive brewery, which touts a cyberpunk neon aesthetic, has been quick to ramp up production and distribution. Founders Chris Fall and Craig “Rocky” Keener, both hailing from Karbach Brewing, aim to produce mostly crushable, low ABV beers in their initial offerings.

Beers like Cloud Punch German Pilsner and Cruis’n Through Helles Lager are fresh yet delightful retellings of classic German styles. Expect to see their beers popping up on tap handles at local bars and in cans at local supermarkets.

Black Page Brewing Co.
Named after a historically complicated Frank Zappa song, Black Page’s brewpub is situated on the White Oak Bayou in the Near Northside neighborhood across from White Oak Music Hall. It specializes in naturally carbonated German-style lagers and adventurous American-style ales. The brewery itself is quite stunning – the interior consists of a beautiful minimalist design surrounded by an elevated outdoor patio amongst the trees.

Brash Brewing Company/Facebook

Brash is back.

Their beers are the product of head German master brewer Henryk Orlik, a recent transplant from Louisiana favorite Abita Brewing with a resume that includes brewing everywhere from Canada to Cleveland. Known as the ‘beerfather’ to famous Abita brands like Purple Haze and Andygator, he’s a prized asset to the Houston craft scene.

Amongst their current tap lineup, their Houston Hades Lager truly stands out. Refreshing and naturally carbonated, the bready, lightly bittered lager is a can’t miss amongst Houston’s current offerings.

Two Favorite Breweries Reimagined

Brash Brewing
Brash is back baby! After a recent acquisition by Equal Parts owners Matt Peterson and Nick Sorenson, Houston’s no apologies, heavy metal brewery has staged a resurgence for the ages. Principal in these efforts is the return of former head brewer Vince Mandeville who split ways with Brash’s original ownership a few years ago. With the addition of Mandeville, the beers are as strong as ever.

In particular, The Mystik West Coast IPA (formally branded Pussywagon) is a vibrant piny double West Coast IPA with nuanced sweet undertones. At 7.6 percent ABV, this beer is the highlight of the mainstay lineup. For now, the brewery is only selling cans to go but plans are in the works to reopen the vast taproom.

Whole Foods Brewing
Located in the Amazon-owned grocer’s Galleria store, Houston’s Whole Foods Brewery is one of two facilities in the store’s North American portfolio. The Houston location in recent years has served as a type of proving ground to jump start successful brewing careers — see Dave Ohmer of Seek Beer Company and James Carlyle of Ingenious Brewing.

At the beginning of 2020, Chris Shelton took the reins and hasn’t looked back. Chris, whose global experience includes brewing stints at world renowned Toppling Goliath along with stops in Copenhagen and Korea, brings a fresh prospective to the revamped program.

Focusing heavily on Hazy New England IPAs and experimental collaborations, the breadth of the new program has produced a distinct style. Ya Sabes Dark Lager (a collaboration with Feathered Serpent Meads) is a beer/mead hybrid sourced with organic local wildflower honey. Its roasty, bold, and ‘forward’ drinking with just the right punch of sweetness. The Star Sailor SMaSH and Wholelistic Hazy IPA are also worth checking out.

6 Quick Hits

On the prowl for some beers to pick up for your next imbibing session? Here’s a list of other outstanding new brews from around the city:

Eureka Heights
Somethin’ Light, Light Beer, 4 percent ABV, 10 IBU: Hands down the best light beer on the market — crisp, refreshing, and extremely easy drinking. Beers like this one are made for patios.

SpindleTap
Local Lager, Light American Lager, 4 percent ABV, 10 IBU: Another great, light drinking beer with a dash of hop flavor from three varietals — Chinook, Strata, and Simcoe — this beer has the best of both worlds.

Walking Stick
Pikes Peak Pilsner, 5.2 percent ABV, 30 IBU: This classic pilsner with a touch maltiness is a wonderful interpretation of the historic style.

Great Heights
Donny Who Loved Bowling, American IPA, 6.9-percent ABV: Clear, golden, dank and dry, it’s everything an IPA should be — even Jeffery Lebowski wouldn’t pass it up.

Equal Parts Brewing
MKII, Hellas, 5.1 percent ABV: Clean, crisp, and spicy with a hint of sweetness, this beer is slightly on the thick side for a traditional Hellas, but the proof is in the final product. You wont regret buying a case.

True Anomaly
Super Heavy, Barleywine, 15.7 percent ABV, 68 IBU: This collaboration brewing project with The Brew Bros and The Pint Exchange is HEAVY! Dangerously rich, complex, and delicious, drink with extreme caution as the enormous ABV could prove...bothersome.

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Ralph Palmer is a local beer blogger, co-host of the Beer, Blood and the Bayou podcast, and a partner in the barbecue pop-up Deckle and Hide. Follow him on Instagram at eyefearnobeer.

craft-beer where to drink

oh bevin

Houston bartender's new book celebrates cocktails and sexuality

Photo by Troy Ezequiel Montes

Bevin Biggers writes about sex and cocktails in her new book, Aphro.

“There's a lot of stigma about sexuality, especially with black women.”

Louisiana-born, Houston-based mixologist/multidisciplinary artist Bevin Biggers says as she’s flipping through the pages of her literary debut Aphro: A Cocktail Book on the Sexual Response Cycle. A veteran of Houston’s bar and restaurant scene, who has worked nightspots from Montrose to the Heights and collaborated with big-name alcohol brands (and who also isn’t afraid to call out shady establishments), Biggers has created a project that’s part cocktail manual and part Black, female sexuality manifesto.

“We already have a lot of other s**t going on and then, on top of that, it's sex, too,” says Biggers, while sipping on a drink at a Midtown watering hole. She points out that, when it comes to media representation, Black women have been stuck with many stereotypical caricatures/portrayals throughout the decades: maids, baby mommas, lesbians, jezebels, sistas who are just plain ol’ angry. But as for Black women who freely explore their sexuality with no shame or repercussions, the culture usually comes up empty.

“[White women] can be explorative and do all these different things. Black women do it and it’s ‘she’s a whore’ or whatever, right? So, all these caricatures kind of negatively impact how we live, and I talk about all of that here,” she says.

Aphro originally began a decade ago as a bar concept. After years of becoming a pro in the mixology game, even honing her craft-cocktail skills while living in New York (where she became a fan of the city’s Museum of Sex), she wanted to make it a full-fledged business. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been a good time to open a bar (“Bars are expensive,” she confirms).

Eventually, it morphed into a book project where Biggers drops sex talk, cocktail recipes, and surprising bits of African American history. “There's a lot of Black bartenders back in the day who freed their wives, their children, and themselves from slavery, using bartenderships,” she says.

The sex lives of African Americans during and after slavery is a subject Biggers has done extensive research on. Last November, she gave her Substack readers an Aphro taste when she posted a lengthy study on chattel slavery and its impact on the orgasm gap. “It's still a real cocktail book – there are still many pages of recipes,” she assures. “But, here, I talk about stereotypes, caricatures of black women, the orgasm gap, chattel slavery, and how things almost connect to current times.” She also included a questionnaire she sent women regarding orgasms. “I asked very specific questions, and I got a lot of f—ed-up answers, which was the whole point ”

Funded by a grant from Houston Arts Alliance, Biggers worked with Toronto-based Sure Print & Design to put Aphro into book form. She collaborated with local photographer Rosebeth Akharamen in serving up glorious color shots of the suggestively-named cocktails, made from “aphrodisiac ingredients,” Biggers had conceived.

Drinks range from “Late Night Cinemax,” (consisting of mezcal, corn puree, chipotle honey, coconut, and a popcorn garnish) to “Locally Deflower” (which includes Texas sized herbs and “delicate floral notes to evoke a softer intimacy”). These 20 recipes are the result of Biggers spending over a decade getting to know more about classic cocktails and modern bartending techniques.

“I come from Hiram Clarke, where it’s just Hennessy, Alize, Crown Royal,” she says. “And, then, when I came to start bartending, I was learning about Fernet and Montenegro and IPAs and good considerations of beers, and I was like, what the hell is all this? But I want to learn. I want to know what y'all know,” she says.

We also get seductive shots of Biggers herself, all glammed up in several swanky locations, including her own living room. “I didn’t see any of these photos when she took them because we were in a rush, because of the makeup artists, and I had to do my makeup all over again,” she says. “So, this was all trust, and she knocked it out the park.”

For Biggers, it’s all worth it if her fellow cocoa-colored beauties buy her book and start feeling more grown, Black, and sexy about themselves. “The inspiration is always being curious about this topic, but it was such a big deal in my community, of not wanting to be accused of being fast,” she says. “Even something that's mutual, it's always, what did you do to him? If it's kissing, it’s you kissed him, and it's not like, y'all kissed each other, you know. There was always punishment for something that's kind of natural. Then, when you're curious about something like that, you start to learn about it in dangerous ways… You learn through strangers, because your parents are not telling you anything about this stuff. You learn through movies. You learn through putting viruses on the f—ing computer, because you typed in the wrong thing, and now, the home computer, the family computer is f—ed up.”

Biggers ordered a limited run of Aphro volumes that she sells on her website, which also has related merch like color prints and an adult coloring book. She still has dreams of turning her book into a watering hole one day. Until then, she’ll continue her mission of instructing women (and men) on how to stir up your sex life – as well as a stiff drink.

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Biggers will host an Aphro book release party/talk at Los Perros Cafe on Friday, April 17, at 7 pm. RSVP here.

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