LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JANUARY 2015 | Page 35

Local January 2015_FINAL_002houston 12/19/14 9:49 AM Page 35

KARBACH BREWERY
www.karbachbrewing.com | 2032 Karbach St., Houston, TX 77092
While you could call Karbach just another brewery that’s crept its way onto
the Houston scene, you’d be doing it a disservice. Head brewmaster Eric
Warner came from the well-known Flying Dog Brewery in Colorado, where
he served as head brewmaster before transitioning to chief executive and
helping the brewery increase output by more than five times their original
production. In addition, Karbach received the backing of Belekus
Marketing, bringing over two decades of liquor experience with them to the
table. Named after the original warehouse in which the two founders
(Chuck Robertson and Ken Goodman) started their distribution business,
Karbach has continually impressed local and national beer enthusiasts with
their various brews.

BRAMAN WINERY
www.bramanbrands.com | 3333 FM 359, Richmond, TX 77406
Recently named “2014 Best Texas White Wine” by Texas Monthly
Magazine for their Muscat Blanc, Braman Winery is the brainchild of CEO
Joe Braman, a chef by passion who was looking for the proper complementary wines to pair with his impressive dishes. With two tasting room
locations in Richmond and the recently opened Hallettsville, the winery is
enjoying big success as an early adopter in the Texas wine scene, having
begun production only four years ago. 2015 is slated to be a big year for
Braman Brands as well, with a combined winery and brewery on deck to
help introduce their first beer, the Running Walker. With the tasting rooms
open Thursday to Saturday from 2 to 8pm, there’s plenty of opportunity to
check what all the hype is about for this recently crowned Texas jewel.

BUFFALO BAYOU BREWERY
www.buffbrew.com | 5301 Nolda Street, Houston, TX 77007
Billing themselves as a “new twist on an old craft,” Buffalo Bayou Brewery
represents a true craft microbrewery. More than dishing out barrel after barrel, creativity is the crux of their existence, helping define what beer critics
would consider innovative offerings. Take, for example, the Smoke on the
Bayou: a smokehouse-infused malt that literally gives you a taste of
Houston’s BBQ scene. And with 27 different offerings over 27 months,
they’re serious about giving the beers a special touch, with no more than
20–30 kegs of each made at a time. And that’s exactly how Rassul
Zarinfar and his large group of co-founders want it to be, allowing them to
take bigger risks with their offerings. Tours are available from 12 to 3pm on
Saturdays.

HAAK VINEYARDS
www.haakwine.com | 6310 Avenue T, Santa Fe, TX 77510

WINERIES
LA CRUZ DE COMAL
www.lacruzdecomalwines.com | 7405 FM 2722, Canyon Lake, TX 78133
Starting with their mutual respect, wine enthusiast Lewis Dickson and
California winemaker Tony Coturri joined forces in 2001 to create a wine
prized for its “natural” characteristics, with absolutely zero additives or
chemicals. Creating individual personality in each wine because of this
method, the offerings from the winery never fit a specific mold. Using only
hand-picked Texas Hill Country grapes, the wines are bottled by hand and
go one step further with no filtration or fining. What’s all this mean? One of
Texas’s most prized possessions. A tasting room was added in 2012,
enabling wine enthusiasts to come sample their offerings Saturdays and
Sundays, from 12 to 6pm.
SOLARO ESTATE
www.solaroestate.com | 330 T.C. Jester Blvd., Houston, TX 77007
Co-owned by Barbara Haderlein and business partner/winemaker Robert
Fritz, Solaro enjoyed the title of Texas Winery of the Year from the New
York International Wine Competition, in addition to several International
Blind Wine Tastings Top Five awards. Solaro’s main production occurs in
Dripping Springs, located right outside of Austin, but a newly opened tasting room inside the loop in Houston has enabled wine enthusiasts citywide
to enjoy all the best this vineyard has to offer. From 11am to 7pm
Wednesday through Saturday, come enjoy this Texas Hill Country vineyard’s wines in an urban environment via their modern tasting room.

As the first and only commercial winery in Galveston County, Haak
Vineyards grew from a passion for good wine after Raymond Haak’s wife
got him two Concord grapevines for their 10th wedding