The 14 Most Essential Craft Breweries in Houston to Visit This Winter

Space City is well represented at this hoppy, unassuming Northside haunt. Co-founder and head brewer Alex McDonald’s got a PhD in biochemistry, bringing his precision and undeniable smarts to the craft beer game. Bring your pup and settle in for playful riffs on classic brew styles and consistently great IPAs, from the hazy Northeast numbers to crisp AF West Coast versions.
Key beers: Nebulous Pale Ale, Psychonaut New England Hazy
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order online.

While it’s only been around for a handful of years, the neatly fermented ales from this GOOF-area spot are tried and true. Locals flock for the easygoing vibes and Blue Tile, one of the best IPAs in the game, plus its steady stream of newfangled numbers. You could easily lose track of time sippin' out in the yard or under the taproom’s twinkly cantina lights (spoiler alert: you will), so it’s a good thing they allow outside food and host the occasional food truck or two for sustenance.
Key beers: Blue Tile IPA, Great Heights Hefeweizen, Lager-ish Kölsch
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

This garage-dream turned ten-barrel, steam-jacketed, two-vessel brewhouse was founded by NASA employees, and you can kinda tell. Here, otherworldly explorations, wild-fermented, and sour suds share menu space with traditional Belgian, German, and French styles. It’s the kinda place where you can chase a hop-forward, fresh-from-the-tank West Coast IPA with citrus and floral notes (a.k.a. Ben's House IPA) with a pink-hued sour fruited ale spiked with raspberries and red currants (the Beryl after Beryl Markham, the first person to ever fly nonstop solo across the Atlantic from the UK to North America). Stop by the taproom to partake and stay tuned to social media for fun collabs and upcoming releases.
Key beers:Contact Light Saison, Ben's House IPA
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order online.

With over a decade under its belt, this Katy stalwart continues to live its best life. Its core fresh-from-the-silo lineup features a trio of heavy-hitters—including El Hefe Weizen, a classic German-style wheat ale rife with banana, cloves, and citrus; the heavenly Sittin' Sidehaze New England style hazy IPA; and crispy-clean 1980 Kolsch—but the team is also committed to adding new, exciting beers on the regular (like the three-way Astros collab with True Anomaly and Vallenson's). If you haven’t been to No Label in years, you’ll definitely want to revisit this one.
Key beers: El Hefe Weizen, 1980 Kolsch, Cali Boy
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

If any brewery was going to venture into the cannabis game, it’s no surprise that it was this hip, H-town inspired brewhouse. The spot oozes coolness with a fresh vibe and globe-trotting brews—from the Rocket Fuel, a Vietnamese coffee-infused Porter, to BrewGK, a seasonal candy apple Kolsch made in collaboration with local rap hero and former UGK member Bun B—plus new creations like the hemped up Wonder Water Herbal Seltzer line and a dedicated 8th Wonder Cannabis dispensary. The brewery taproom comes with a big ol’ yard (complete with local art installations, pop-up markets, and food trucks) and the whole shebang is a huge part of why EaDo has emerged as one of the coolest neighborhoods in town.
Key beers: Dome Faux’m Cream Ale, Haterade Fruited Gose, Cloud 8 Hazy IPA
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order online.

You can’t talk about Houston breweries without mentioning the patron saint of craft suds, Saint Arnold. Even if it wasn’t the most established in the biz, this ‘90s baby is easily Houston’s baddest, continuing to earn its spot among Lone Star bests. Saint A’s sturdy selection of year-rounds and seasonals keep everyone coming back for more (and attending pub crawls around the city), while beer geeks are kept on their toes thanks to highly coveted specialty releases, including the barrel-aged Bishop’s Barrel and single-batch Divine Reserve series. The brewery got a major facelift a few years back, expanding its footprint to include a gorgeous indoor restaurant slinging Amber Ale Bratwurst and Fire Emoji Wings, plus a giant, partially-covered beer garden with outdoor taps, yard games, and skyline views. To boot, Superfine Hard Seltzer has entered the chat.
Key beers: Lawnmower Kölsch, H-Town Pils, Art Car IPA, Pumpkinator Stout
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order online for curbside drive-thru.

This eco-friendly outpost uses renewable energy, composts its hops, and recycles spent grain to feed a local dairy farmer's cows, which is all pretty cool. Perhaps the coolest thing about Lone Pint, though, is its beloved Yellow Rose IPA: a malty, fruit-laced number regarded as one of the tastiest beers in the state. A multitude of hoppy and quaffable Texas ales floods this joint’s refreshed beer garden, along with festive happenings including live music, pop-up markets, pub games like bingo and trivia, and weekend food trucks.
Key beers: Yellow Rose IPA, Gentleman's Relish English Brown Ale, The Jabberwocky India Pale Ale
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

The rules are that there are no rules at this adventurous locale, which outgrew its first home on Nolda thanks to surging demand. Its newer, bigger digs are a three-story, 28,000-square-foot brewtopia in Sawyer Yards, where fans can score BuffBrews along with prime views of downtown and outrageous eats (i.e. Smoked Birria Nachos and homemade Haute Pockets). Said brews come in radical flavors that challenge everything you thought you knew about craft beer—think Smoke on the Bayou, a “bigass malt bomb,” made with malts smoked at local barbecue spots, or the crisp and crushable Key Lime Pie. In non-beer related but still important news, the brewery’s also entered the hard seltzer game (surprise, surprise).
Key beers: Crush City IPA, Black Raz Imperial Stout, More Cowbell Double IPA
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or call 713-714-3335.

This homegrown original considers itself less of a brewery and more of a laboratory, pumping out complex sippers in what appears to be the middle of the woods. With over seven acres in the great outdoors—plus cool additions like food trucks, ping-pong, and horseshoes—hanging at the brewery is a choice way to spend your time (kids and pets are welcome, too). Most importantly, it’s where you‘ll find B-52’s latest, limited-release tinkerings.
Key beers: B52 Pils, Festbier Lager, Wheez the Juice American Pale Ale
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out this lovable company knows its stuff. The brainchild of two homebrewers with scientific backgrounds, Ingenious’ small-batch fleet proves that blending science with imagination (plus beer knowledge, passion, and a dash of hard work) results in some pretty outstanding brews. The air-conditioned taproom rocks 24 fresh, inspired drafts each day, harnessing offbeat ingredients to create tart fruited sours, hopped-up pale ales, and velvety pastry stouts. There’s also an outdoor beer garden and frothy “frozen beer toppers” to keep your brews properly frosted, and they’ll happily fill up crowlers and growlers to-go.
Key beers: Citra Pils , Lapu Lapu Sour, Tex Coast IPA
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order online.

Founded in 2011 and becoming a part of AB InBev’s craft-focused High End portfolio in 2016, Karbach’s stable of gargantuan brews is an undeniable powerhouse, earning the brewery a perpetual mention in any list of Houston essentials. What started as a passion project has turned into a sight to see, with an onsite gastropub, massive beer garden complete with a stage for live music, and shiny heavy-duty production facilities. Most refreshing addition to the Karbach scene? A killer Ranch Water hard seltzer.
Key beers: Crawford Bock, Hopadillo IPA, Love Street Blonde
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

Named after the fault line that runs beneath the brewery, there’s no shaky ground at this neighborhood tour de force, just easy livin’... and even easier drinking. That’s thanks to a stronghold of crisp, approachable brews that pretty much everybody can get down with. Like many breweries before it, Eureka started out as a dream job for three homebrewers (one of whom cut his chops at Saint Arnold). And once their homebrews turned out tasty enough, the wives got on board and the Houston beer community quickly followed suit. Today, Eureka is a place for good beer and fun times, with year-round crafts (like the surprisingly light and sessionable cream ale, the Buckle Bunny) and bold new additions (try the pineapple and toasted coconut kissed Le Tigre Hazy IPA) available by the pint, taster, flight, and take-home crowler, plus goodies like trivia, steak nights, and monthly bike rides.
Key beers: Buckle Bunny Cream Ale, Mini Boss IPA, Wicket Awesome ESB
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order online.

With backgrounds ranging from oil and gas to theater, this group of passionate beer drinkers-turned-creators took a barebones warehouse and transformed it into one of Houston’s most sought-after breweries. These guys realize it’s basically always hot in Houston, so the focus here is on drinkable styles that both excite your palate and quench your thirst when it's 100 degrees outside. Grab regulars like the super sessionable 7-Iron Blonde or special and seasonal releases like the Duck Duck Juice hazy pale ale alongside food truck bites at the taproom or get ‘em to go via the drive-thru pickup.
Key beers:7-Iron Blonde Ale, Hipster Sauce IPA
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating.

It’s been a boomtown ever since SpindleTap first opened its doors at the turn of 2015. Paying homage to Texas’ gusher age, the theme throughout this liquid gold purveyor is all things Lone Star State. The brewery goes hard on hops, with hazy IPAs and DIPAs like the all American Hop Gusher IPA and the juicy and tropical Houston Haze, hit with lush notes of guava, pineapple, and grapefruit. Pony up to the taproom to gush over them all.
Key beers:Hop Gusher IPA, Houston Haze, Black Gold Imperial Coffee Stout
How to book: Stop by for first come, first served seating or order online.