The Best Texas Brewpubs & Breweries

If you like beer, then you need to set a goal to visit and sample some locally made craft beer at these best of Texas Brewpubs. What’s the brew-haha you ask -well, beer has got to be our official state beverage and there are now 117 craft breweries in Texas and in 2014 they produced 982,918 barrels of craft beer a lot of which I consumed. And it’s good stuff they are brewing – at the all important Great American Beer Festival in 2014 Texas microbrews bagged sixteen medals! A decade ago, the brewpub was a novelty but today its a full fledged, taste bud tingling phenomenon with fresh, artisanal brews, and sophisticated cuisine and you’ll find them from Amarillo to South Padre Island! So what are you waiting for, grab your beer stein and some chips and head to a Texas Brewpub. or take a brewery tour and let them do the driving while you sample their wide variety of great craft beer from one of one of the Texas Breweries.

If you like breweries you probably like distilleries so check out Texas Outside’s Page on Distilleries Around Texas.

Best Central Texas & Austin Brewpubs
Family Business Beer Co. Dripping Springs	The owners of this family owned business want you to relax in the beautiful hill country and enjoy a wide variety of hand crafted beers. Bring your children as they have a special area just for them and make sure you check their calendar for the special gatherings and music events. Texas Monthly wrote an article about this new brewery. Take time to read what they had to say.
Austin Beer Garden & Brewery Austin	This brewery has garnered small brewpub of the year for the second consecutive year at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Their philosophy is “Beer Makes it Better”. And they prove that by serving fun food, such as, pizza, sandwiches, salads, and small plates. The live music playing on Saturday nights make it a great place to hang out with friends in the outside beer garden.
Austin Wet Bus Austin	Keep Austin Wet Party Bus Rentals brings you the “OG” and “Xtra” WetBus specializing in Brewery, Wine and Distillery tours in Austin and in the nearby hill county. Don’t rent a van or a limousine when you can ride in style with up to 14 passengers aboard the “WetBus” and enjoy wrap around seating, ice cold A/C, and a 50 inch flat screen TV all while cruising to your destinations. Pick your favorite tour from our website or customize it and mix in a winery with a distillery for a fun filled day with Keep Austin Wet!
Live Oak Brewing Company Austin	Their Live Oak HefeWeizen is ranked No. 1 on Beer Advocate’s list of Top Beers in the Southwest. Additionally, Old Treehugger Barley Wine, Primus Weizenbock, Pilz, Liberation Ale, Roggenbier and Oaktoberfest all ranked in the top 60
Hops & Grain Austin	Hops & Grain makes some of the tastiest craft beers in Austin. They have a large tap room and the tours are always interesting. A glass of fantastic beer welcomes you when you arrive. In addition to delicious craft beers they also make dog treats from spent brewing grains.
Austin Beer Tours Austin	The ultimate Austin craft brewery tour experience. Sample locally brewed beer from Austin microbreweries while you tour their facilities. 5 star rated on TripAdvisor and Yelp. Private tours available for bachelor, bachelorette, private parties, and corporate groups
Strange Land Brewery Austin	Strange Land Brewery is one of the newest breweries in Austin. They have 4 flagship & 8 specialty beers on tap. Also one of the most popular restaurants in the city of West Lake Hills.
Jester King Austin	Great atmosphere at this open air barn (former thirties era machine shop) under huge oak trees make this a very popular spot for drinking your favorite beer. They use water from their well, locally grown and malted grains, and native wild yeast to make their wild ales and spontaneously fermented beers.
Blue Owl Brewing Austin	You’re sure to enjoy these sour-mashed brews on their outdoor patio. You get a lot of beer for a small price as they do 4 full pours and you can take home the souvenir glass. Be sure to take the interesting and informative tour.
Zilker Brewing Company Austin	They are a craft brewery and taproom focusing on the American Belgo style while brewing a wide array of interesting and classic beers. They produce a unique beer that is always in balance, always complex, and always has a proper finish.
Infamous Brewing Company Austin	Infamous Brewing was founded by a group of people who shared passion for quality beer and the goal of delivering great handmade craft beer in small batches.
Rentsch Brewery Georgetown	A family run operation that does everything from brewing to distributing to sales and marketing and they incorporate Old World German and New World American styles to create a perfect beer lineup for us to enjoy.
Best Houston Area Brewpubs
True Anomaly Brewing Co. Houston	True Anomaly Brewing Co. was awarded a medal at The Great American Beer Festival in 2020 for their Wood and Barrel Aged Strong Beer, Freedom 7.
Eureka Heights Brew Co. Houston	Eureka Heights Brew Co. was awarded a medal at the 2020 The Great American Beer Festival for their Extra Special Bitter, Wicket Awesome.
Saint Arnold Brewing Company Houston	Texas’ oldest craft brewery. Not only do they brew great beer but they have many fun events throughout the year to make drinking beer more fun. St Arnold Brewing Company wins three world beer cup medals.
Vallensons’ Brewing Co. Pearland	Vallensons’ Brewing Co. was awarded a medal for their Oatmeal Stout, Settlers’ Oatmeal Stout, at the Great American Beer 2020 Festival.
New Magnolia Brewing Co. Houston	New Magnolia was awarded a medal at The Great American Beer Festival in 2020 for their Historical Beer, Fr. Bernard’s Grodziskie.
Best Hill Country Texas Brewpubs
12Fox Beer Co Dripping Springs	Once upon a time two army buddies became partners in the beer brewing business and so 12 Fox was born. 12 Fox Beer Co is not just a place to drink beer it is a family fun place where children can play, friends and family can sit at multiply picnic tables, food can be purchased at rotating food trucks, and there is live entertainment. Family. Country. Great Beer.
The Dodging Duck Brewhaus Boerne	Whether you are sitting at the wrap around bar, lakehouse style dining room, or outside patio, you will be enjoying delicious food from an eclectic menu. And even better they’ve already won three gold and three silver medals at the World Beer Championships!
Real Ale Brewing Co. Blanco	They’re making beer with as little processing as possible never using artifical colors or preservatives while using water from the Blanco River and the highest quality ingredients. They believe ” doing less to the beer actually creates more complexity, aroma and flavor”.
Save the World Brewing Marble Falls	It took years of perfecting their recipes by using the finest grains, hops, and yeast but Save the World Brewing is now America’s first 100% philanthropic production brewery.

Best North Texas & Dallas Brewpubs
Uncle Buck’s Brewery & Steakhouse Grapevine	This is a full working brewery and steak production facility. They use the finest raw materials available including domestically malted barley, the finest hops available, and a specially selected strain of brewers yeast. They will always have their standard beer styles, plus our 3 guest taps, as well as seasonal brews depending on the time of the year.
Braindead Brewing Dallas	“We make beer for people we like for people who like beer”. Visit Braindead for cans, bottles, and rotating taps in the Deep Ellum area where there are limited breweries.
Community Beer Co. Dallas	With weekly open houses, which feature live music, food trucks, a small gallery brings friends and strangers together for some of the best beer in North Texas. A main component of their brewing process involves their own in-house yeast lab where quality is of utmost importance..
Lakewood Garland	“We strive to create the highest quality, internationally inspired, local craft beers that are full of flavor and combine the best of classic brewing techniques with unique, new ideas.” Just opened is a 4,000 square foot beer garden with both a stage and seating.
Best San Antonio & South Texas Brewpubs
Padre Island Brewing Co. South Padre	There can’t be anything better than beer and the beach. Order a growler from Padre Island Brewing Co. and have cold beer for hours while you put your toes in the sand or if you prefer sit on the great outdoor patio and enjoy beer that has been house brewed for 23 years.
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery San Antonio	Southerleigh brings brewing back to Pearl offering 21 different beers on tap. Southerleigh is located on the ground floor in the historic Pearl brewhouse which was left abandoned for 13 years. At 7,900 square feet, it’s the tenth largest brewpub in the country..
Freetail Brewing Company San Antonio	They are committed to the Mission of Bringing the Pursuit of Better Stuff to fruition for their customers, employees and community in everything they do .Whether it’s for pints, a bite, or just a place to hang with friends or catch a game, they want everyone to have a great time doing it.
Best West Texas Brewpubs
Ode Brewing Co. El Paso	Ode is a brewery that was just meant to be. Two men, one was a chef, the other a brewmaster, met and became business partners. They serve world class food and beer crafted from local, high quality ingredients.
Big Bend Brewing Co. Alpine	“We aren’t out to make just another beer. We’re crafting a piece of West Texas and servin’ it up 12 ounces at a time.” With their love of the rugged West Texas area, they are giving life to old world brewing traditions.
Triple J Chophouse & Brew Pub Lubbock	Lubbocks’ only brew pub claims to have “Darn Good Food” so come in for a “Well Crafted Beer” and stay for the food.

Author: Mike Sharp

I have a passion for travel and outdoor activities, and now I'm enjoying retired life. I will continue my traveling, golfing, boating, and enjoying life all across the great state of Texas.