Let me show you the world outside The Inner and Outer Loops. There’s a whole, wide world (so we hear). There is at least a brewery we know exists for sure, for sure because we went there. It’s called the Texas Beer Refinery (aka TBR—not to be confused with PBR).

Pro: They have colorful beer.

SRSLY. We made a rainbow. TBR has no prejudice to any colored beers.

Con: It’s in Dickinson (aka basically Galveston).

Not exactly a “road trip” but like basically.

Pro: Their graphic designer is BAE.

We just couldn’t even with these beer labels. I seriously debated stealing one of these to hang in my cubicle at work… you know, for inspiration.

Con: Dickinson, turns out, takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to.

Factoring getting lost, traffic and trying to find the un-marked brewery (a storm took their sign).

Pro: None of this can sh*t—go for the growler.

TBR sells and refills growlers. The tasting doesn’t get you buzzed. Just taste what you want and buy what you like. Bring all your growlers and fill ’em up. You’re being really eco-friendly if you go and drink all the beer…

Con: 45 minutes to an hour is a decent nap you could have had.

How good does a nap sound tho?

Pro: Small but NICE staff.

Seriously, the people who work there are so knowledgeable and guess what… they care what you think. Isn’t that a nice change of pace?

Con: I45 is the worst highway to spend 45 minutes to an hour on.

Enter: Traffic, construction and dumb drivers.

Pro: Tons of seasonal beers.

Mint Chocolate Stout and Creamcicle blonde? Don’t mind if I do.

Con: Turns out, you can say “Are we there yet?!” a LOT of times in 45 minutes to an hour.

Tallies were taken.

Pro: It’s exclusive… for now.

Let me guess… you had never heard of TBR until the first paragraph in this blog, right? Exactly. TBR is the greater Houston area’s best kept secret. But you can find it in growlers in certain HEBs around the Galveston area, the Spec’s in Midtown, and on tap in Mongoose Vs. Cobra in Midtown.

Con: Exclusivity is easy when you’re 45 minutes to an hour away from downtown Houston.

If a beer is made and it’s outside The Loop, did it ever even hoppen?

Pro: TBR is worth the drive.

I literally liked every beer that I sipped from my over-sized shot glass sampler cup.

In summary, you’re screwed. Bite the bullet and drive to Dickinson (aka a sentence I’d never thought I’d say).