Houston, TX November 2-3, 2018

I’m in H-Town, Magnolia City, the Energy Capital of the World, or if you prefer, Houston, Texas. My niece’s wedding draws me and the family to this huge, sprawling city but while I’m in town, I might as well check out a few breweries.  The Houston breweries visited included: Texas’ oldest craft brewery, Saint Arnold; the tiny Sigma Brewing; the wedding venue, City Acre Brewing; Under the Radar; and my only repeat brewery, 8th Wonder. All were interesting places in their own way and each visit helped me get to know Houston a little better.

Houston is extremely car-centric. It almost has to be, being the 2nd largest U.S. city (in acres), only smaller than Oklahoma City and larger than both Phoenix and Los Angeles. To keep this city of 600 square miles and 2.3 million people connected, elevated highways run through it. These highways are bordered by large access roads with plenty of retail stores, almost acting like huge strip malls.

The road system seems to work well; most of our Houston car rides were a reasonable 20-30 minutes. What is lacking is pedestrian, bicycling and mass transportation infrastructure. So, when we told Houstonians we walked .3 miles to a brewery, they were shocked and a bit confused.

Under the Radar

We walked along inconsistent sidewalks to Under the Radar on a warm sunny day. We sat outside, enjoyed a Lo-Fi Session IPA and watched the crowd come in.

A steady stream of young couples, some pushing baby carriages, began entered the beer garden and hid in the brewery behind the pulldown door, surprising a young woman for her 30th birthday. A mariachi band (with an excellent trumpet player) also appeared along with a piñata labeled “30”. The outdoor living in Houston is one of its many charms.

Saint Arnold Brewing

Saint Arnold Brewing is the biggest craft brewery in the state famous for its big things. The brewery has it all: a huge beer garden, car art, free brewery tours, pretty good food, it’s popular for wedding venues, plus, their beer is really good.

I loved the car art located in a garage near the beer garden.

About the name, Saint Arnold is the patron saint of brewers. How cool is that?

We took the tour and learned a lot about this terrific brewery. One sad tidbit – you can’t buy Saint Arnold beer in Maryland.

As you can see by the huge vessels behind us, Saint Arnold is a serious brewery. BTW, when you go on a brewery tour, you must always gather proof that you were there.

Sigma Brewing

Sigma Brewing is a small brewery with a loyal following. Their support of local wrestling was an interesting twist. We walked in the back and viewed the brewery. A wrestling ring is sometimes setup among the vessels for promising local wrestling stars to practice their routines.

I savored their Bulgarian Miak, a sweet milk stout with dark roast and coffee flavors.

City Acre

My niece, Cara, held her wedding at one of Houston’s treasures, City Acre. Easily accessed but tucked away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, this terrific brewpub offers solid beer (try the Kölsch), fantastic food (the brunch is highly rated), a grand Victorian-style manor, and a kitchen vegetable garden; all in an intimate setting. The outdoor wedding was a beautiful ceremony followed by a reception with fantastic food and ales, dancing and blessed with amazing weather.

When I think of Houston weather, images of raging hurricanes or sweltering heat and oppressive humidity come to mind. Our early November stay was a pleasant contrast, with relatively low humidity and mild, comfortable temperatures. I saw lots of short sleeves and sleeveless dresses at the wedding.

8th Wonder

It seems Houston is perpetually under construction; perhaps this is a sign of growth? We meandered through dirt roads and construction signs (and a few political signs) to 8th Wonder for my second visit to this fun brewery.

My sole souvenir from a previous visit is an 8th Wonder T-shirt: Brewston. Thanks Caleb and Alex!

8th Wonder gets its name from the Houston Astrodome, dubbed the 8th Wonder of the World. The taproom actually has a few seats from the Astrodome. The brewery was established in 2013. The brewery is not quite as big as the defunct Astrodome but its beer garden in the back is quite roomy.

A big group of us shared a couple flights; I enjoyed the English IPA, Hopston – TxIPA and the Rocket Fuel, a Vietnamese Coffee Porter.

There is more to Houston than breweries. Houston is also a haven for tacos. About 10 of us descended upon this little taco place: Taco Ago-go. I loved the welcoming door decoration.

Cheers!

Warren