I scored this bounty at my most recent trip to the Shell Corner Food Mart on FM 528 and Blackhawk Blvd in Friendswood (southeast of Houston). In my area, this is hard-to-find beer since my local Spec’s doesn’t even carry the vast majority of the beers I find here. In fact, I have yet to find any selection like this for purchase anywhere on Galveston Island. And this is just the beginning…these guys are truly dedicated to bringing craft beer to the Texas market in more ways than one!
How I came to find out about this convenience store was through my love for Vietnamese food. I first heard about a Vietnamese fusion restaurant in the Clear Lake area called Nobi Public House and was dying to score some good pho. Their idea of Sunday Funday involves beef pho from noon-to-whenever-they-sell-out and a brilliant selection of craft beer. Now, at the majority of the Vietnamese restaurants I have visited, the beer selections are weak and involve typical Japanese & Chinese beers like Asahi, Tsing Tao, or Sapporo. Not here! The first thing I saw on tap was my local favorite, Galveston Island Brewing and their IPA, Citra Mellow. Naturally, that was my choice and looking at the tap handles, I noticed beers like Live Oak Hefeweizen, Lone Pint Yellow Rose IPA, and Martin House Pretzel Stout, among others. Not only that, but you can also purchase 6-packs and bombers from their floor-to-ceiling beer fridges in addition to growler fills of select on-tap beers. After talking with one of the bartenders, we were told of another Nobi location that was right next door to a convenience store that sold a huge selection of craft beer. I later found out that the Nobi and the Shell station are owned by the same people.
My first visit to the convenience store was on my way to Houston from Galveston. I decided I would stop in and grab a six-pack to take to my cousin’s house since my wife and I were dog-sitting for him that weekend. Instead, I ended up buying a 4-pack of Martin House Rubberneck Red, a Rogness Holiday bomber, and a Jester King Le Petit Prince bomber. I probably spent over an hour in that store browsing through all of their selections. In addition to having Texas breweries such as Buffalo Bayou, Jester King, Circle, Saint Arnold, Rogness, Martin House, and Independence (to name a select few), they also kept many of the solid nationwide craft beers in stock as well. My final purchase that first visit was a 4-pack of Founders Breakfast Stout after trying to decide between that and North Coast Old Rasputin. Needless to say, I think I made a good choice as I wanted a nice stout that had some major flavor (sorry in advance to my beloved Guinness).
The store is the same size as any other Shell convenience store location, but I’d estimate 60% of the space is dedicated to craft beer, which makes me giddy at the impact craft beer is having in Texas. They fit an unbelievable selection into a small space and it rivals the most popular place to buy beer in the Greater Houston area, Spec’s Superstore in Midtown Houston as having the best beer selection in the 4th largest city in the U.S. I’m proud to support a local business that is not only providing great craft beer to the public, but is also providing an amazing food selection through their restaurant as well. Cheers Nobi Public House & Corner Food Mart!
Shell Corner Food Mart
Nobi Public House