Raise a Glass in Bryan, TX

🍺 Blackwater Draw Brewing Co.
Local brewery with rotating beers on draft and a fun "I love beer" mural outside.

🍺 KinderHill Brew Lab
Innovative craft brewery combining the science of brewing with unique flavors. They also serve Detroit-style pizza!

🍷 Messina Hof Estate Winery
One of the oldest and most award-winning wineries in Texas. Enjoy wine in the tasting room and tour the vineyard.

🥃 Lone Star Meadery
Started by three local couples with a passion for making one of the oldest forms of alcohol. Sample a mead flight or try their seasonal menu.

🍸 Hush & Whisper Distilling Co.
Grain-to-glass distillery in Historic Downtown Bryan with gin, white whiskey, vodka, and rhye. Don't miss tours of the distillery, every hour on the hour!

Blackwater Draw Brewing Co.

📍 701 N. Main Street | Open Tuesday-Sunday

Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. has been perfecting their beers since 2013. Its name comes from the Blackwater Draw in New Mexico, the source of the Brazos River—emphasizing their commitment to keeping their brews close to the source and hyper-local. Step inside the brewery, and you can see all the tanks that they use to make their draft beers, front and center.

There are a few staples they have on draft (like the Horns Down Lager), but most of their menu rotates seasonally, so there's always something new to try. Blackwater's large seating area, board games, and food truck paired with their locally-brewed beer makes this a great spot to unwind with a cold one during your time in Historic Downtown Bryan.

KinderHill Brew Lab & Kitchen

505 W 31st St | Open Thursday-Sunday

Dr. Laura Hill and Jason Kinderman have an extensive background in the craft brew scene. Laura previously worked for Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner Brewery) and has a B.A. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, as well as a Master's in Food Science focused in Flavored Chemistry of fermented beverages.

While working at Spoetzl, Laura also earned her Brewing Diploma from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling. Jason worked for several years as a brewer, experimenting with homebrewing and working for Thirsty Planet Brewing Company, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry.

The two met while they were in the industry, began dating, and decided to join forces to create something one-of-a-kind. They opened KinderHill Brew Lab in 2021, and actually were married in their beer garden later that year. They've since moved to a new location (they needed more space for their creative brews) where they serve Detroit-style pizza, cookies, and a rotating menu of draft beers.

The spacious outdoor area is perfect for get-togethers with the whole crew—It's kid-friendly, dog-friendly, and they even have an assortment of board games to play. Definitely a go-to for enjoying local beers when you're near College Station. Cheers!

Messina Hof Estate Winery

4545 Old Reliance Road | Open Monday-Sunday

Paul Vincent Bonarrigo is a sixth-generation winemaker, with roots going back to Messina, Sicily. He and his wife, Merrill, established Messina Hof Winery in 1997—making it the fourth oldest winery in Texas. Messina Hof is also one of the most award-winning wineries in the state. It's now operated by Paul Mitchell Bonarrigo (Paul V's son) and his wife, Karen.

Messina Hof has since expanded to Fredericksburg and Grapevine, but their original one-acre experimental vineyard started right here in Bryan, Texas, near Texas A&M University. (For the full history, click here.) You can take a tour through the vineyard (available on weekends), or head to the Tasting Room anytime during the week to try the award-winning wines.

Messina Hof's restaurant, The Vintage House, is also not to be missed. The Vineyard Cuisine menu pairs delicious dishes with each of their wines, all in a fantastic setting looking out over the vineyard. If you want to make it a multi-day celebration, book a stay at The Villa B&B, right next door to the Vineyard.

Lone Star Meadery

216 N Bryan Ave | Open Wednesday-Sunday

Three local couples have put a new twist on the oldest form of alcohol: Mead. If you haven't tried mead before (or even if you have), you won't want to miss a visit to Lone Star Meadery when you're in Aggieland. The method for making "honey wine" is estimated to be around 9,000 years old, but the team at Lone Star Meadery has combined old traditions with modern crafting techniques to create new flavors and concepts, like the Meadmosa or Mead Old Fashioned.

Sample several of their rotating flavors with a flight, or ask one of the bartenders to whip up a cocktail for you based on your preferences. It's usually one of the three couples hanging out behind the bar, ready to chat about all things mead: Brandon & Kelsey, Matt & Ashley, or Tim & Cam.

All three have a background in homebrewing. Brandon actually started Lone Star Meadery in his house as a homebrewing hobby back in 2020, and as the operations grew, other friends joined in to create an unstoppable team. Lone Star Meadery is quickly becoming one of the top-rated meaderies in Texas.

Hush & Whisper Distilling Co.

Enjoy grain-to-glass spirits in a legendary building at Hush & Whisper, Bryan's first distillery. They own the process every step of the way, from unloading the wheat grain and malted barley delivered by local farmers to barreling and bottling their award-winning spirits.

Caleb Clanton opened Hush & Whisper Distilling Co. in 2023 with a commitment to transparency and authenticity. When he renovated the historic Varisco Building as Hush & Whisper's new home, he made sure the distilling process was fully on display, complete with fermenters visible through a glass window and the copper still front-and-center in the tasting room.

For those who want to learn more, distillery tours are available every hour, on the hour when the tasting room is open. You'll get to learn about the distilling process, secrets of the industry, and stories about the Varisco Building.

Even if you don't have time to go on a tour (which takes about 45 minutes), the tasting room is worth a visit for delicious drinks in an elegant atmosphere near College Station. Their seasonal cocktails are always top-notch, and you can never go wrong with Hush & Whisper classics like The Queen or Whiskey Rose.

Want to take a bottle home with you? Hush & Whisper has gin, white whiskey, rye, and vodka for sale, along with whiskey-themed merch.