Houston’s Latest Brewpub Steps It Up With Duck Confit Poutine

Houston’s incoming Local Group Brewing in Hardy Yards plans to pay as much attention to its food as its liquid lineup.

The 7,500-square-foot brewpub, scheduled to debut Friday, February 28 (1504 Chapman Street), pairs upscale takes on American comfort foods with four small-batch brews to start.

Opening highlights from The Post Oak Hotel alum Jeff Samoska include a crispy chicken sandwich brined with its own pickle juice and beer and a house-cured and smoked Berkshire “bacon steak.”

Beer-friendly snacks include a “Bratzel” stuffed with local game sausages and an oversized “everything” pretzel served with beer queso and spicy mustard. Charcuterie boards will be built with Texas cheeses and house-cured charcuterie, dips, breads, and pickles.

The 2,700-square-foot brewhouse and cellar space is helmed by James “Huggy Bear” Wolfe, who honed his brewing chops at Houston’s Southern Star Brewing Co. and No Label Brewing Company.

The team brewed a whopping 131 test beers over the past year, and the chosen opening list includes a Li’l Star stout, Double Vertigo IPA, Sparkle Motion sparkling ale, and German-style hefeweizen Chef’s Hefe. The plan is to pump out new brews every few weeks, including barrel-aged brews, additional IPAs and imperial stouts.

Experimental releases in the works include a horchata-inspired Horchatanita and fruited kettle sour Athena’s Elixir. The plan is to eventually fill 20 tap lines with brews, Texas wines, cold-brew coffee, ciders, and sodas with help from locals like Saint Arnold Brewing and Kuhlman Cellars.

The casual neighborhood newcomer includes bike racks, an order window on a pet-friendly patio, and toy stations for kids. For dessert, there’s ice cream made on-site and croissant-based banana foster bread pudding.

Hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with brunch on Sundays. A full menu rollout will go live a few weeks after opening.

Houston’s beer scene will get another boost this month with the arrival of Urban South’s new satellite brewery in Sawyer Yards District — the first outside of its home in New Orleans.