BEER!!

The kids are back in school and cooler days are (hopefully) on their way. For many Houstonians the frequent 100+ degree heat indexes and air quality alerts have kept us secluded in air-conditioned buildings making us stir crazy and searching for an outlet to unwind. Cue the new trend in date spots: a beer garden (also called Biergarten by the uber savvy) and Houston has quite a few.  

Beer gardens have seen a rise in popularity since 2016. They are more relaxed than wine bars and present an ambiance of inclusiveness. Beer craftsmanship, while still a magnificent art, is simple and takes less time and space (no vineyard needed) than creating a wine. Many of these hot spots are dog friendly and food can vary from a farm to table dining to bar snacks to bring your own food situations. Beverages can be custom crafted brews or local favs depending which establishment you visit.  

Beer gardens originated in 16th century Germany where restrictions were created on when beer could be brewed. They had already figured out that better beer is crafted when the temperature is cooler. Brews were stored below ground in cellars, then gardens were planted over the beer cellars to keep them cool and preserve the beer to be dispensed during warmer weather.  

In Houston, the Heights Bier Garten on N. Shepard is tops on Foursquare.com due to its large size and dog friendly nature. They serve a variety of beers, wine and fresh baked bread with in-house crafted food. Many other brew restaurants are listed near the Heights or downtown Houston including Saint Arnold’s Brewery location on Lyons Ave where you can enjoy a tour then a brew. In Cypress, check out the Rosehill Beer Garden which has food trucks to provide cuisine to their thirst-quenching patrons. Another highly rated watering hole is Axelrad on Alabama which serves beer, wine and other drinks and invites patrons to eat pizza from nearby Luigi’s Pizzeria in their garden of hammocks while listening to live music or viewing film screenings. Bottoms up!