Photos by Troy Field

Lately, I've been finding the best beers in some unexpected places.

On Monday night, it was a jaw-dropping line-up at the brand-new D&T Drive Inn, where the guys behind Down House have renovated a neighborhood icehouse and installed a huge tap wall of eccentric draft beers to rival the records in its equally adventurous jukebox. I found Brooklyn Blast and La Chouffe -- both favorites that are hard to find in Houston -- as well as two aged kegs of Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.'s bourbon barrel-aged Gingerbread Stout and the last keg in existence of Saint Arnold Bitter Belgium.

Not too far away, Witchcraft Tavern & Provision Co. -- also in the Greater Heights, and the subject of this week's cafe review -- is offering some fun, unusual selections too.

More »

Photo by Katharine Shilcutt

Want to get into craft beer but don't know where to start? Ease into it at BrewFest.

Trying to navigate the suddenly complex and overwhelming world of craft beer at a time when seasonal sours and bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stouts are all the rage? It's best to lay a foundation first -- building institutional knowledge of what exactly craft beer is, which styles you like and what breweries built the industry into the juggernaut it is today.

The inaugural Houston Press BrewFest on Saturday, May 18 at Silver Street Station is exactly that opportunity. This isn't necessarily the craft beer festival for die-hard homebrewers or hard-core beer nerds. Instead, this is an open invitation to anyone who's interested in learning more about craft beer and tasting through some entry-level to mid-range samples on a pleasant May afternoon.

According to market research, sales of craft beer doubled over the five year period between 2007 and 2012, up from only $5.7 billion in sales to $12 billion by 2012. That's a drastic difference in the overall beer market -- saturated with mass produced beers like Miller, Bud and Coors -- which increased only 1 percent.

"Sales of traditional mass-produced beer in the U.S. have basically remained flat for several years," reported Brad Tuttle in Time last month, "giving the impression that if consumers are drinking more beer, they're probably turning to craft beverages."

More »

The crisp calamari fries are no joke.

Stepping foot into newly opened Local Pour, you wouldn't recognize the space as that of the late Sherlock's Baker St. Pub. The revamped bar and restaurant is now more -- in a word -- open.

The walls between the old front and back bars have been torn down, making way for a beautiful open-air front dining area and a long, handsome bar that runs down the length of the restaurant, boasting taps all the while. Where there was once a stage in the back left corner, there's now a bustling open kitchen. A funky blue-lit stage, where live music plays Friday and Saturday nights, replaces the dark back corner where the darts used to be. And gone is the mystery bookshelf wall that was actually a door to the bathrooms; instead you'll see a hallway with two bathroom doors that you can actually find without pushing on random walls and looking like an idiot.

"'Excellent!' I cried. 'Elementary,' said he."

The upscale industrial space is a welcome change from the dusky pub that was Sherlock's (although I, for one, will miss the $1 drink specials). The bar and restaurant, under the same ownership as the former tenant, is hoping to better cater to patrons of the River Oaks/Montrose neighborhood in which it resides...and I'd say the plan is working.

More »

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

All this, for $10.

Craft Beer Hoppy Hour, our limited-run series of beer and food pairings at Phoenica's MKT Bar downtown, were so well-attended this past winter that we've brought them back once again by popular demand.

Our first round of Craft Beer Hoppy Hour kicks off this Friday, April 19 at 4 p.m. and runs through 7 p.m., featuring beers from Southern Star Brewery and food to go with them. Flights are $10 for four beers and come with a food pairing of four dishes from MKT Bar. But even though both the beers and the food are technically "samples," there's nothing sample-sized about the portions you get. Again, and I stress, for only $10. It's hands-down the best dinner deal in town this Friday or any other.

In addition, we'll be hosting a Meet the Brewer evening the same night, where you can come out and chat with the Southern Star brewmasters over pints and maybe even find out what the Conroe brewery's next seasonal offering will be.

More »

Every week we try to harvest all the news in local craft beer and serve it up so that you don't miss out on events that may have slipped past you each week. From brewery events to pub crawls and breaking craft beer news, if something is going down, we will try to round it up here on This Week in Craft Beer

Drink of Ages Radio at The Hay Merchant
Sunday, April 14

The guys over at Drink of Ages on News 92 FM have a pint glass giveaway this Sunday at The Hay Merchant. The first 100 fans through the door at 11 a.m. on Sunday will receive a free Drink of Ages pint glass. Plus, Hay Merchant will be tapping a cask of Karbach bourbon barrel-aged Hellfighter for the event.

While we are on the topic of Drink of Ages, if you haven't checked out Houston's first craft beer radio program, you really are missing out. I had a chance to go visit with hosts Preston Brown and Jon Denman in the studio this week and it's no wonder so many of you have already tuned in to the show. They have a great hour-long program focusing on local beer and local music -- which just happen to be two of my passions -- and up until they made the mistake of asking me to come on, they have managed to bring on some really talented, important musicians and craft beer personalities as well.

More »

Photos by Joshua Justice

Southern Tier is coming!

It's a busy week in beer. That said, it always seems to be a busy week in beer around here lately thanks to Houston's growth in the industry over the past two years. The Craft Brewer's Conference is wrapping up in Washington D.C. and we're creeping closer to National Craft Beer Week, but there's plenty going on here in town as well. Here's a quick round-up:

Southern Tier is almost here

Southern Tier is extremely popular with craft beer fans here in Texas. Until recently, however, the only way to try their brews was to travel outside Texas or to beg a friend to bring some back from one of the many states that do carry the Lakewood, New York brewery's beers. No more! After more than a year of speculation and rumors, Southern Tier officially debuts in Texas on April 1.

This is no April Fool's joke. Look for kegs at your local Flying Saucer on Wednesday, and we'll give you updates on other official Southern Tier debuts here on the blog next week.

More »

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

"You know what this reminds me of?" my friend asked me over lunch at the Saint Arnold Brewery earlier this week. "A really nice spaghetti supper. Except not at a church."

I saw what he meant: The long, wooden picnic tables that line Saint Arnold's beer hall have a visual effect similar to the cafeteria-style seating in a church adjunct building, or perhaps a Knights of Columbus lodge. And the meal we were eating -- a salad, a pasta dish with meat sauce and a glass with iced tea -- wasn't too far off either.

The main difference? This spaghetti supper comes with beer, and costs quite a bit more than your average church dinner.

More »

Photo by John Barbee/TheBeerPage

Houston's beer community is celebrating Ash Rowell's life with six fundraising events.

The craft beer community is still dealing with the as-yet-unsolved murder of Duff Beer Distribution founder Ashley "Ash" Rowell. The murder came at the tail end of Duff's existence, as the brand was in the process of being integrated into Favorite Brands following Rowell's sale of Duff to the much larger distributor.

In order to help celebrate Rowell's life and the strides he made for craft beer in Texas, local beer and service industry members have organized a week-long series of events. The six events beginning next week will not only highlight beers that Rowell and Duff were responsible for bringing to Houston, but will raise funds to be donated to Texas Children's Hospital through the Ash Rowell Foundation.

See also:
- Craft Beer Community Reacts to Death of Ash Rowell
- Questions, Rumors, and Innuendo Surround Montrose Murder of Big Man In Local Craft Beer Scene

A quick look at the six events below:

More »

Photos by Joshua Justice

It's Divine Reserve release day once again and from the looks of traffic on Twitter, the madness is only growing. Lines were forming early at H-E-B locations as trucks began arriving around 8 a.m.

New to Saint Arnold's Divine Reserve bottling this year are large-format bombers -- which will arrive in stores today -- in addition to the traditional six-packs. The choice on formats is up to you. I prefer six-packs because I can let the beer age varying amounts of time as opposed to having a large single bottle. Another thing to consider with a beer this big is that a 12-ounce serving is probably plenty for two people to share.

On the other hand, large-format bottles are a great buy if you plan to BYOB for dinner out one night or in case you want something to bring to a bottle share.

But enough about that; let's talk beer.

More »

Photo by Jimmy Emerson

The Texas Capitol is the site of the current fight for Texas craft beer.

A lot of news has been made of the recent legislation that exited committee earlier this week regarding the Texas beer industry. I addressed the basics of these bills earlier today. While generally positive, reactions in the craft beer community have been noticeably and understandably mixed.

See also:
- New Texas Beer Legislation: What It Could Mean for You

Some folks in more visible roles, namely a handful of brewers, have chosen to take to social media and news outlets to cry foul, to publicly lambaste -- in very broad terms, to a very malleable audience -- the legislation that arguably represents the very best option for change that the Texas craft beer consumer has ever had. Legislation that now hinges as a single piece of law. A single piece of law that breweries are now jeopardizing.

And for what? A ruling regarding distribution rights that was coming down the pipes regardless?

More »