Daniel L.
Yelp
Visiting Southern Star is a grand time whether you enjoy beer like the disgraced appellate judge back east, appreciate an episode of "how it is made," or just want to spend time in a nice community space in Conroe with memefriends and/or family.
You will likely miss the turn off as the brewery's webpage says to look for a little driveway and yes, it is just that: a smol bean. There is a tiny sign out front marking it as well but that is easy to miss. You follow the little driveway around the wooded bend and then are certain you are in the right place as you come upon the outside bar, ringed by parking spots, and the main building in the compound which is the brewhouse (with brewpub on second story that you climb up the exterior stairs - looking out on the outside bar - to begin the tour inside.)
As you enter that brewpub on the second story the bar is to your right, with chalkboard giving you the what for on the day of your visit. You need to go to the opposite end of the brewpub to the gift shop kiosk (bathrooms are right around the corner from the kiosk, still on the second floor before going down those stairs) and that is where you buy your "tickets" for the beers back at the bar, and depending on which price package you choose you either get a free souvenir pint glass or not with your tickets. You are allowed to choose the specific pint glass you get. They are decorated with the logo of a specific beer. The conspiracy theory IPA logo is muy beautiful and so is the beer but I don't want to tell you how to live your best life.
On Caturdays there are two tours of the brewery that are free, one leaves at 2pm and the other at 4pm. This is not a brewery tour that gives you samples, so it is structured like St A's. You ARE allowed to bring your beer with you on the tour. The tour guide will even hold up starting the tour for a minute if anyone needs to go freshen up their drink back at the bar. Since people bring their families there are little kids on the tour so you should probably decide how comfortable you are drinking in front of them, since at least this is a brewery and not the little league game at the church field in a dry county.
I have been on a lot of brewery tours around the world and this was def in my top three. Our tour guide was supremely knowledgable about all of the equipment, ingredients, and process. You could tell he was really a "beer person" and that was cool he was sharing his passion and excitement with us to introduce us to his brand. We even got the whole story on Le Mort Vivant which was my fave. That style of art, Philippines War through WW-I consequences-of-war aesthetic, on the poster on the ground floor is one of my favorite modern styles - you can hear "Radium Eyes" by Count Zero in the back of your mind filling in and finishing that glorious aesthetic. But Southern Star sold the recipe and someone else makes it now, dang.
The tour is not to be missed. You learn plenty of interesting stuff: the building was built up around the giant tanks, not the other way around. And you see that massive load of cans stacked up to ye heavens in the back near the freezer room. The whole thing is fun to explore the growth and increasing market exposure of a great local beer company that has invested in the Conroe community.
Bombshell Blonde is their flagship, selling a huge multiplier number above everything else they make. Oktoberfest was my first fave from them, before I learned about conspiracy theory IPA which is a spicy lil lady and handily replaced karbach (trash) hopadillo once karbach sold out to InBev like cowards turning their back on the local community that made them who they are.
$12 gets you the souvenir glass and three tickets. A pint in your pimp chalice costs 1 ticket. But I recommend the flight of beers so you can try some rare ones you can't get down at the supermarket beer aisle (and Oporto-West Grey is the only resto I have seen Conspiracy Theory on tap at so far) and it keeps your souvenir glass clean. So, smart like a fox. The flight of beers costs two tickets. So if the memefriend you are with is not a big drinker, or is the designated driver because they are a Prospect for your MC, you can be smart by pairing a $6 (souvenir glass and one ticket) with a $12 package and you get two flights to try nearly everything on the menu.
The brewpub portion you drink in on the second floor gets pretty noisy since it is all open space. It is also a community meeting space. The Libertarian Party was hosting a meet and greet last visit. There were a variety of board games along the wall near the kiosk where you buy the tickets/glasses. Also there was pizza being warmed up in the oven near the window overlooking the brewery floor.
So, Southern Star wants you to pull up and stay a while with your memefriends and/or family. Which is nice to offer themselves as a community meeting space that also has sweet delicious beer. The Stonecutters would approve of this arrangement.