Any time we’re up on the northside of Houston, we sometimes have a difficult time finding new places to enjoy some great craft beer. A while back, Dennis Gore of Dej Buh Stesti Brewery mentioned that his beer was on tap at The Refuge Bar & Bistro in The Woodlands and suggested checking it out. Remembering his advice, we decided to check it out for my wife’s birthday.
She was looking for a place to have some drinks and really wanted to try some craft cocktails. I suggested The Refuge since they have a stellar bar with knowledgeable mixologists behind the bar. Plus, they have 12 taps devoted to Texas craft beer, so this was an easy choice for both of us.
I could go on and on about the liquor selection at this bar, but if you need another reason to visit, check out the taps. They had mostly Houston area breweries on tap ranging from No Label Brewing in Katy to Copperhead Brewing in Conroe to the aforementioned Dej Buh Stesti Brewing in Lovelady. This made it easy to stay local and enjoy something with a local flare.
The prices on some beers, however, were ridiculously high. One thing I immediately noticed was a $33.00 bottle of Adelbert’s Contemplating Waterloo. I love that beer, but there’s no chance I would ever pay that much for the bottle. On the other hand, the selection was mostly higher ABV beers that were somewhat more difficult to find on tap. For example, this was the first time I’d seen No Label’s Pro-Am Belgian Tripel outside of the taproom, so it was a little more understandable to pay a slight premium on the beer, especially in a pint glass.
Our second choice was Copperhead’s Black Venom imperial stout. Again, at 10% ABV and its difficulty to locate outside of the taproom made it easier to pay that premium price. However, this would be all I could drink since these two beers are strong enough to make you a little wobbly unless drunk on top of a full meal.
I want to see what they have on tap the next time I’m there since some of the pints were reasonable and in line with normal pricing. The sticker shock from the Contemplating Waterloo was a bit jarring and something that was hard to overcome. It would almost be better to leave the pricing off of the menu and have it listed as a specialty bottle. Overall, the selection overcomes the bottle pricing issue and the staff definitely contributes to this place being somewhere I would gladly return.
I found all of the bartenders to be incredibly insightful about both mixology and craft beer, so it was nice to talk to them about the beer. They keep mostly slim sixtel kegs so the selection changes frequently and lends itself to a completely different menu from visit to visit.
The Refuge Bar and Bistro is definitely a great place to enjoy a drink or two. Whether you’re a craft beer lover like me or a craft cocktail lover like my wife, there’s something for everybody here in The Woodlands. Located in the heart of The Woodlands Waterway, it’s centrally located within a trendy district.