Local Breweries in Montgomery County and North Harris County are just one of the many businesses suffering from the effects of COVID-19. Let’s come together to show our support for our local breweries by ordering to-go. Check out our list below including pandemic relief information for a few of our local breweries.

Local Breweries:

B-52 Brewing

Come out to B-52 from 12-6 pm for to-go sales! Check out their full menu at B52Brewing.com (B52 Cans and Bottles). Follow their social media pages for updates on new releases and food truck appearances.

B-52 is also currently accepting donations for Meals on Wheels Montgomery County. 

Facebook-  facebook.com/B52Brewing

Lone Pint Brewery

Lone Pint Brewery is currently offering a Beer Garden “To Go” Special.
All 4 packs – $10 & 50% off growler fills.
They have also updated their hours and are now open 7 days a week 12 – 7 for to-go. Call or text 832-715-2229 for pre-orders.

507 Commerce St. Magnolia, TX

Facebook-  facebook.com/lone.brewery

Southern Star Brewing Company

We need a lift. We need you to spread the word to not only support us but support all the small businesses in our city. If you can come out between 12 pm and 6 pm today or any day this week we want to see every one of you. As in, every citizen of Conroe.

We love serving our community in Conroe and throughout Texas, and today we humbly ask you to support us in our very real time of need. We want to see every citizen of Conroe outside our brewery this week. If you don’t like beer, you can always wear your support. https://www.southernstarbrewing.com/shop

Facebook-  facebook.com/southernstarbrewing

Copperhead Brewery 

Copperhead Brewery will be offering to-go beer sales even though their tap room will not be open.

Email (seth@copperheadbrewery.com) or text (657-777-3013) if you want to stock up on anything. They have plenty of Striker IPA, Medusa, Black Venom, Lil’ Winston, Shepherd of Fire, etc.

Facebook-  facebook.com/copperheadbrewery

Twisted Acre Brewery

Twisted Acre Brewery is offering beer to go including 4 packs and growler fills from 12 pm-8 pm. Visit their Facebook page for more details.

Facebook-  facebook.com/twistedacrebrewery

Bearded Fox Brewing Company

Bearded Fox Brewing Company is offering beer to go including crowlers and growler fills every Friday- Sunday from 12 pm- 4 pm.

Facebook-  facebook.com/beardedfoxbrewing

Fire Ant Brewing Company

Place your orders at beer2go@fireantbrewing.com. Fire Ant Brewing Company is open every day from 12 pm-5 pm for pick-up for 16oz cans and growler fills.

Facebook-  facebook.com/fireantbrewpubtomball

Fortress BeerWorks

Join Fortress BeerWorks for Crawfish and Beer to go every Saturday from 1 pm- 4 pm. Pre-purchasing is highly suggested. Visit fortressbeerworks.square.site to place an order. Beer is also avaliable to go every day from 1 pm-4 pm.

Facebook-  facebook.com/fortressbeerworks

Back Pew Brewing

Order online from Back Pew Brewing at backpewbrewing.com/taproomhours, and they will bring it out to you M-F 11-6 and Saturdays 11-4!

Facebook-  facebook.com/BackPewBrewing

11 Below Brewing Company

11 Below Brewing Company is offering a special menu Thursday-Saturday for their beer to go drive thru. Visit their social media pages daily for a complete updated daily menu.

Facebook-  facebook.com/11belowbrewing

Montgomery County craft brewers say COVID-19 could change landscape.

There isn’t one part of everyday life that the spread of COVID-19 hasn’t hit, including one area very close to many Texan’s hearts. Craft beer. As breweries across the state are forced to close taprooms and brewpubs, it’s clear that the landscape of the industry could be very different when business returns to normal.

There’s no telling how long businesses will have to remain closed to stop the spread of COVID-19 and some breweries are in a stronger financial state than others. Larger breweries with a wider client base are more likely to survive, while smaller, independent breweries may not.

Limited options

Montgomery County breweries are working with the options available to them to stay in business, including selling beer to-go or for pick-up.

“We looked into making some hand sanitizers. Unfortunately, we aren’t licensed to handle bulk spirits,” said Dave Fougeron, founder and creator of Southern Star brewery in Conroe.

Without the taproom or being able to sell kegs, the brewery has lost nearly half of its revenue streams. It is still selling cans for pick up at their brewery, and are still selling to grocery stores. Right now they can’t deliver the beer but Fougeron said the brewer’s guild is working on changing that.

B-52 Brewery

“I’ve unfortunately had to layoff about half of the people that work at the brewery,” he said but is hoping to re-employ them when the brewery can open again. “I think this is really going to change the market place, for sure, on the other side of this. I imagine that a lot of the bars and restaurants that we supply may not weather this.”

He’s hoping that the deep cuts he made to the business as things started to close will keep the brewery financially viable for a while. Southern Star is still selling to grocery stores, and Fougeron said that if he takes advantage of the opportunities offered to businesses like his, the brewery will be okay. On the other side of this, he hopes the only survivors aren’t just grocery stores and Applebees.

‘Paycheck to paycheck’

“I think a lot of the smaller, independent places won’t be able to weather this,” he said. “A lot of independent, small businesses — us included — kind of live paycheck to paycheck.”

Production at Lone Pint Brewery in Magnolia is down approximately 73 percent, said brewery president Trevor Brown. The business is adjusting as it goes and so far has not had to layoff any of the staff.

Lone Pint is in a good place, financially, Brown said. But he’s looking at all opportunities to stay that way, including applying for a loan for payroll that will be forgiven if he doesn’t lay anyone off.

“We know they (employees) depend upon us, and we depend upon them, so that’s absolutely last resort,” Brown said of having to cut any of the staff.

Looking to the future, Brown said that while he’s not sure how this could affect the industry, he can see how it would be a bigger burden for brewpubs than breweries because they rely on selling food as well.

Right now, his biggest concern is the health of his employees. Small groups of brewery staff are coming in rotating shifts to avoid as much contact as possible.

Local support

The brewery is still selling cans to grocery stores and as pick-up orders, and the reaction from customers has been better than Brown ever expected.

“We’ve been absolutely shocked how many people are still coming out to buy beer to-go, in the middle of this, just to support local business,” he said.

Through to-go sales, Brown said they are making about 60 percent of the revenue they used to.

Can and bottle sales, for those that can still produce them, is the main revenue for breweries now that keg sales aren’t happening and taprooms had to close.

Copperhead Brewery in Conroe is still canning and bottling, selling to H-E-B and Specs, but keg and taproom sales make up about half of its sales.

“We set up a Google phone number and then posted a list of beers that we had to go,” said Seth Earnest, head brewer.

It’s not a perfect solution but it’s been working pretty well so far. Better than expected. Thankfully the brewery is family run and so far no staff has been laid off, but one of the sales representatives has taken a pay cut.

Copperhead Brewery

Uncertain future

Earnest isn’t sure how long the brewery can stay financially viable but just before everything closed it did have a bit of luck.

“We just launched a couple new products that are going to store shelves and they’re buying a lot of it, so that’s helping a little bit,” Earnest said. “It’s hard to say because we don’t know how long it’s going to last.”

Even if businesses are allowed to open soon, Earnest doesn’t see keg production coming back quickly. Bars and restaurants may not make it, and people may be wary of crowds for a while. But business isn’t coming back in the next few weeks so the future remains uncertain for breweries and their customers.

Like Fougeron, Earnest believes that small, independent breweries are in the most danger right now, especially if taprooms have to remain closed for a while. Being able to sell to stores like H-E-B and Specs is what’s keeping Copperhead alive.

“It’s helping us keep going,” he said. “I don’t think we would be able to, honestly, if we didn’t have that. I think we’d have to close down.”

Article via Jamie Swinnerton of the Houston Chronicle. For the full article visit-

www.chron.com/neighborhood/moco/news/article/Montgomery-County-craft-brewers-say-COVID-19.