USA, TX: Tejas Brewery launches in former Buffalo Bayou Brewing space

The space that was formerly home to Buffalo Bayou Brewing is now reborn as Tejas Brewery and Taproom. This month, the venue had its grand opening in Sawyer Yards, becoming the latest spot for Houstonians to go when craving an ice-cold beer, cocktails, whiskey flights, wine, and bar food, Houstonia Magazine reported on September 24.

Buffalo Bayou Brewing, known locally as BuffBrew, had crowdfunded $1 million to build this sprawling space with three stories and views of downtown Houston. The location opened in 2018, but after legal battles and financial issues, the owners were locked out of the space in January for nonpayment of rent. In a social media post, BuffBrew CEO William McLucas said he planned to reopen the brewery’s doors, but by May the space was acquired by Gulf Coast Distillers, Tejas Beer’s parent company.

The Tejas Beer brand was originally owned by Big Bend Brewing Company in Alpine and bought by Gulf Coast Distillers in 2019 after the brewery filed for bankruptcy. Tejas launched in retail locations late last year, including H-E-B, Kroger, Spec’s, Total Wine & More, and some small stores in the Houston area, and can also be found on draft at some restaurant and bars.

Arturo Reyes, director of business and sales for Tejas Beer, says when the Sawyer Yards location became available, it was obvious it was the perfect spot for the company to begin offering the beer in a brick-and-mortar.

“We think that [the space] needed to be brought back to life,” Reyes says. “We knew we could do a good job of creating, [while] bringing our own brand and our own culture, and have it open for the market here.”

Reyes notes that the space had everything the company was looking for in terms of location and proximity to downtown as well as the company’s distillery, Giant Texas Distillers. And a major part of the space that piqued their interest was the actual production facility inside the brewery. With this, the company is able to produce more beers in addition to what is currently offered for retail.

“It’s a huge space for us,” Reyes says.

Tejas Brewery and Taproom offers the Tejas Clara and Negra you can find in stores, along with an IPA, a hefeweizen, an Oktoberfest to celebrate the season (with more seasonal brews in the works), and a coffee porter, which is made with a combination of coffee and roasted malts. The taproom also sells half-bottle wines and cocktails made with the distillery’s whiskey, vodka, and gin.

The food menu includes classic bar bites with appetizers like fried calamari, fried pickles, and french fries, as well as smoked birria tacos, burgers, sandwiches, fajita platters, and a variety of pizzas. If you have a sweet tooth, be sure to order the churros or tres leches.

Prior to the official September 12 grand opening, the brewery launched a soft opening for about a month, allowing the brewery to organically ease into operations and train staff. And with football season ramping up, Reyes says they look forward to the busy future.

“Everybody is ready for what’s coming, and we’re starting to see a great flow of people,” Reyes says.

Tejas Brewery and Taproom is also committed to making a good impact on the community, specifically its artists. Reyes says the brewery is working with Sawyer Yards to cross-promote events, as well as putting the art and paintings on display in the taproom, with the aim of making some sales. Bringing in local artists to perform live music is another goal.

Reyes says his team is also working with various pet shelters so the brewery can hold adoptions on the first-floor patio once a month on Saturdays. Discounts will be offered on menu items to customers who bring in donations for the pet shelters, such as food or toys.

Looking to the future, Reyes says he hopes Tejas becomes the go-to space for Houstonians to watch sports, gather for corporate events, happy hours, and holiday parties, or just to have a good time.

“We just want to be the place people think about when they say, Hey, let’s go have a drink or lunch, so, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Reyes says.

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