Ten Houston-area breweries won a total of 14 medals over the weekend at the Texas Craft Brewers Cup, an annual competition recognizing the state’s most outstanding independently brewed beer.
Gold medals were awarded to Galveston Island Brewing in Galveston, Hound Song Brewing Co. in Columbus, No Label Brewing Co. in Katy and Project Halo Brewing in Fulshear. Vallensons’ Brewing Company in Pearland did not win a category but led the Houston-area contingent with three medals overall.
“Houston as a community, we did well,” said Melissa Mendez, the co-owner and head brewer at Project Halo. “We all support each other. It was really cool to see a lot of awards coming to Houston.”
The top honors at the competition went to Lubbock’s Good Line Beer Co. and False Idol Brewing in North Richland Hills, which were named breweries of the year. A total of 162 breweries entered the competition, which included 30 categories representing a range of beer styles.
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Eight of the 10 Houston-area breweries that were recognized are situated outside of the city, with the exceptions being Saint Arnold Brewing Company north of downtown and True Anomaly Brewing in East Downtown. Galveston Island Brewing, Project Halo Brewing and Vallensons’ Brewing Company each won multiple medals.
Melissa Mendez
Mendez, who runs Project Halo along with her husband, Steve Mendez, said the awards provide good exposure for the 3-year-old business in Fort Bend County. Its “Disco Demon,” a triple black IPA, won first place in the Specialty Hoppy category, while “High Frequency,” a Baltic porter, placed third in the Barleywine & Strong Ale category.
“We met a lot of people from other breweries,” Melissa Mendez said of the awards ceremony, which was held near Austin. “They were like, ‘We’ve never heard of you, but now I know about you.’ It gets your name out there.”
Below is a rundown of the 2025 awards for Houston-area breweries:
2025 TEXAS CRAFT BREWERS CUP
(Houston-area medalists)
Galveston Island Brewing in Galveston: Blue Bridge Amber Ale (gold medal in Amber and Dark Beers category); Little Brown Ale (bronze medal in Amber and Dark Beers category);
Hound Song Brewing Co. in Columbus: Haygrazer (gold medal in Kolsch category)
Misfit Brewing in Cypress: Lair of Coconut (bronze medal in Decadent Beer category)
No Label Brewing Co. in Katy: Perpetual Peace (gold medal in Barrel & Wood Aged Beer category)
Project Halo Brewing in Fulshear: Disco Demon (gold medal in Specialty Hoppy category); High Frequency (bronze medal in Barleywine & Strong Ale category)
Saint Arnold Brewing Company: Elissa IPA (silver medal in Classic UK Styles category)
Senate Avenue Brewing Company in Jersey Village: Republica Vieja (bronze medal in Legislative Pro-Am category)
Talyard Brewing Co. in Sugar Land: Wittelsbacher (silver medal in Wheat or Rye category)
True Anomaly Brewing: Kickin Kollab (silver medal in Experimental, Hybrid & Specialty Beer category)
Vallensons’ Brewing Company in Pearland: 28th State (silver medal in American & International Light Lager category); Back Mic Brew (silver medal in Legislative Pro-Am category); Happle Wassail Sour (bronze medal in American & European Sour category)
