It’s well worth the drive to this family-friendly brewery situated on seven acres of honest country with games like horseshoes and ping-pong. There is a lot to explore on tap, from pale ales, pilsners and IPAs to a smoothie tart sour with a wild mix of sweet fruit flavors.

Lone Pint Brewery is a passionate, family-owned operation which uses raw whole cone hops in its brews and renewable energy to power its brewery. At the brewery in Magnolia, you’ll find lots of mouth-watering limited release brews, but Lone Pint’s super-popular year-round beers, like Yellow Rose IPA, Jabberwocky Pale Ale and the Gentleman’s Relish Brown Ale, are easy to find at most beer retailers and grocery stores. 

Spindletap is known for its extensive line of cloudy, unfiltered IPAs, like the Houston Haze. For non hop-heads, there’s also Honey Hole, an award-winning honey ale, and Black Gold, a coffee imperial stout.

This sustainable brewery offers hoppy IPAs, lagers, stouts and ciders in the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest area. With 12 beers on tap, the brewery proudly packages grains spent during production and donates them to local farmers for livestock feed. Pair a cold one with a slice of pizza from the Purple Flower pizza truck, always parked outside the brewery.

There is a beer for every palate at this decade-old brewery, so it’s no surprise that love for varieties like Hopadillo and Rodeo Clown IPAs span well beyond Houston — Karbach has been acquired by a big beer brand, but has not lost its local charm. The dog-friendly biergarten also offers dishes like Cake and Bacon pretzels with Karbach beer mustard or heartier plates like the Hella Hot Chicken Sandwich. Order takeout from the Karbach kitchen here.

Count on No Label Brewing Co. in Katy for a solid choice of core brews like the crisp 1980 Kolsch ale, the traditional El Hefe, a refreshing German hefeweizen, and Ridgeback Ale, a red-style American amber.

Capitalizing on two industry trends, the recently opened Battlehops is part brewery, part board game cafe. Battlehops, which also brews soda and coffee in house, makes beers like the Jody Big Bear Brown Ale, an American pale ale, a dunkel-style lager, and even a gose, a malty, salty, sour beer. Battlehops does growler fills and curbside pickup for those looking to liven up game night at home.

With tasty varieties like the 1836 copper ale and the Crush City IPA, Buffalo Bayou Brewing has long been a favorite for craft beer, but its recent move to Sawyer Yards in a mammoth 3-story space has it earning notoriety for breathtaking Downtown views and a Houston-inspired menu to match. Try a brewhaus burger with 44 Farms angus beef with a seasonal brew like the Gingerbread stout. Order food and beer to go via Buff Brew’s website.

With its sprawling beer hall, expansive beer garden and friendly and knowledgeable “Brew Crew”, Saint Arnold Brewing Company reigns supreme among independent craft breweries in the city. Colorful labels like the Lawnmower, Orange Show, Art Car and Santo have become familiar sights around town, and the hearty food menu is made up of a number of items worth pairing with Saint Arnold beers, like the Uncle Jesse grilled chicken pizza and the Fire Emoji Shrimp Po-boy. Order food to-go here.

Holler Brewing jokes that their beer list is so ephemeral, it “rotates with the season, the lunar cycle, and the Billboard Hot 100.” Standards include Dollar Pills Y’all, a clean and crisp German-style pilsner, and Slow Clap, a dry-hopped IPA with notes of grapefruit and mango. The also offer nitro-enhanced cold brew coffee on tap. If you’re swinging by to pick up a couple cans, check out Tacos Bomberos, which is often on the scene.

Cider fans rejoice, Houston’s freshest cidery, City Orchard, is here. Opt for the Mr. Green, made with Greening apples or the sparkling King Blossom with a side of warm and fluffy apple fritters. Don’t worry beer drinkers, there are a couple of brews on tap as well. Order through Toast for curbside pickup.

Named after the Astrodome, Houston’s iconic sports stadium of years past, 8th Wonder brings the nostalgia with its Dome Faux’m ale and other Houston-themed beers like the Weisstheimer hefeweizen, the Cougar Paw Red Ale — a nod to University of Houston — and the Rocket Fuel Vietnamese coffee porter. Pick up a pint to-go at the brewery’s one-acre outdoor beer garden, affectionately named Wonder World — and grab a bite from the Eatsie Boys food truck, stationed on site every day.