Thunderfoot Sports Craft Drinks Desk
Monday is a strange day to go looking for a brewery in Texas.
A surprising number of taprooms are dark. The food truck is gone. The patio chairs are stacked. And the brewery you drove 35 minutes to visit has a handwritten sign reminding you that Tuesday apparently marks the beginning of its week.
So this list has one very specific requirement:
The brewery has to actually be worth going to on a Monday.
Being technically open isn’t enough.
We looked for Texas breweries where Monday offers something useful—good food, an unusually long operating day, a special, an activity, enough outdoor space to make the trip worthwhile or simply a brewery experience that doesn’t feel like the staff reluctantly unlocked the door for six hours.
These are not necessarily the ten best breweries in Texas.
They’re our ten best Monday brewery picks right now.
Hours and events change, particularly around holidays, so verify the current schedule before making a long drive.
Quick Picks
Best Overall Monday Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Best Monday Event: Galveston Island Brewing
Best Monday Beer Deal: St. Elmo Brewing Company
Best Monday + Outdoor Activity: Live Oak Brewing Company
Best All-Day Monday Stop: Manhattan Project Beer Company
Best Monday for Families: Meanwhile Brewing
Best North Houston Option: Lone Pint Brewery
Best Monday Food + Beer Combination: Back Unturned Brewing Co.
Best Straightforward Austin Beer Stop: Austin Beerworks
Best Houston Brewpub Monday: Karbach Brewing Co.
1. Saint Arnold Brewing Company — Best Overall Monday Brewery
Saint Arnold Brewing Company Web Address: 2000 Lyons Ave, Houston, TX 77020, United States Phone: +1 713-686-9494
Location: Houston
Monday Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Food: Full kitchen
Monday Bonus: Brewery tours at 1:30 and 6 p.m.
This is what separates a brewery that happens to be open Monday from a brewery that is genuinely good on Monday.
Saint Arnold’s Beer Garden & Restaurant operates from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday, with the kitchen serving until 9. Even better, Monday is one of the brewery’s public-tour days, with free tours currently scheduled at 1:30 and 6 p.m. (Saint Arnold)
That means you can build three completely different Mondays here.
Lunch Monday
Show up around noon.
Eat.
Have one beer.
Go back to whatever responsible activity Monday was originally supposed to contain.
Tourist Monday
Take the 1:30 tour, have lunch and spend some time in the Beer Garden.
This is especially useful for visitors because plenty of tourism attractions are busier Friday through Sunday.
After-Work Monday
Dinner, beer and the 6 p.m. tour.
That’s considerably more interesting than sitting in traffic and going directly home.
Saint Arnold also has enough food and non-beer choices that the entire group doesn’t have to be deeply invested in craft beer.
Craft Drinks Desk Take
This is our No. 1 Monday pick.
Monday doesn’t feel like an off-day here.
It feels like somebody intentionally scheduled the brewery to be useful.
2. Galveston Island Brewing — Best Monday Event Night
Galveston Island Brewing Web Address: 8423 Stewart Rd, Galveston, TX 77554, United States Phone: +1 409-740-7000
Location: Galveston
Monday Hours: 2–9 p.m.
Happy Hour: 2–6 p.m.
Monday Event: Bingo, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Galveston Island Brewing might have the strongest argument for turning Monday into an actual outing.
Its taproom is open from 2 to 9 p.m., happy hour runs from 2 to 6, and Monday Bingo currently runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Bingo is free, all ages are welcome, and the brewery’s Monday-through-Thursday happy hour includes discounted pints and food specials. (GIB)
That creates a very easy Galveston Monday.
Walk the beach.
Ride part of the Seawall.
Fish.
Spend the afternoon outside.
Then head to the brewery for happy hour and bingo.
You have successfully made Monday considerably less Monday.
The taproom is also family-friendly, and the brewery operates an on-site kitchen, which makes this easier than relying on a food truck that may or may not have Monday enthusiasm. (GIB)
Craft Drinks Desk Take
If you’re already in Galveston—or want a weekday island day—this may be the most fun Monday brewery on the list.
3. St. Elmo Brewing Company — Best Monday Beer Deal
St. Elmo Brewing Company Web Address: 440 E St Elmo Rd G-2, Austin, TX 78745, United States Phone: +1 512-243-7664
Location: Austin
Monday Hours: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
St. Elmo is already a very easy South Austin brewery to like.
Monday makes the argument better.
The brewery is open daily, and its South Austin location currently operates from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday. (Restaurantji)
But the reason it lands this high is the deal repeatedly associated with Monday:
discounted Carl Kölsch pours.
Current visitor information continues to highlight St. Elmo’s Monday Carl special as one of its strongest weekday-value reasons to visit.
There is also actual food on-site, with the South Austin brewery closely connected to options such as Spicy Boys.
So Monday does not require:
Beer.
Then another stop for dinner.
Then another stop because somebody didn’t want fried chicken.
You can settle in.
Build the Monday
Do something active around South Austin first.
Walk.
Bike.
Hit a trail.
Then use St. Elmo as the low-pressure finish.
That is much better than scheduling “brewery crawl” as the physical activity.
Craft Drinks Desk Take
Best Monday pick for somebody who wants a real brewery hang without weekend crowds.
4. Live Oak Brewing Company — Best Monday for Disc Golf + Beer
Live Oak Brewing Company Web Address: 1615 Crozier Ln, Del Valle, TX 78617, United States Phone: +1 512-385-2299
Location: Del Valle / Austin
Monday Hours: Noon–8 p.m.
Outdoor Feature: 18-basket disc golf course
Live Oak may be the most naturally Thunderfoot brewery on this list.
The taproom sits on a large tree-covered property near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and the brewery maintains an 18-basket disc golf course on-site. It’s also kid- and dog-friendly. (Live Oak Brewing)
Monday hours currently run noon to 8 p.m. (Live Oak Brewing)
That’s the plan.
Play disc golf.
Then have a beer.
Not:
Drink three beers and decide suddenly that you have become excellent at disc golf.
Order matters.
Live Oak also has a distinct beer identity. The brewery has long leaned heavily into traditional European-style lagers and ales, with HefeWeizen, Pilz and various smoked beers giving it a very different personality from an IPA-first taproom. (Live Oak Brewing)
One Monday Catch
Food availability is more limited early in the week. The brewery’s current food-truck schedule is concentrated later in the week, so if eating there matters, check the current schedule before going. (Live Oak Brewing)
Craft Drinks Desk Take
Go here when Monday needs an activity attached to it.
Beer tastes surprisingly good after you’ve spent 90 minutes explaining that the tree definitely caused your bad disc-golf score.
5. Manhattan Project Beer Co. — Best All-Day Monday Brewery
Manhattan Project Beer Co. Web Address: 2215 Sulphur St, Dallas, TX 75208, United States Phone: +1 469-678-8870
Location: Dallas
Monday Hours: 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
Food: Full scratch kitchen
Also: Coffee bar
Monday Bonus: Lunch special
Seven.
In the morning.
That is not a typo.
Manhattan Project opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday, which is an almost absurdly useful operating schedule for a brewery.
The explanation is that it isn’t functioning as beer-only taproom.
There’s a coffee program and scratch kitchen alongside the brewery, and the current schedule specifically includes a Monday lunch special from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Manhattan Project Beer Company)
Nobody is suggesting your Monday should begin with an IPA at 7:04 a.m.
Coffee exists.
Use it.
But this setup makes Manhattan Project perfect for people with unusual schedules, travelers, remote workers or anyone trying to meet friends before the traditional brewery world wakes up around 3 p.m.
Then there is the food.
The brewery’s scratch kitchen includes more ambitious options than the typical pretzel-and-food-truck arrangement, including Thai fried chicken, arepas and rotating meals. (Manhattan Project Beer Company)
Craft Drinks Desk Take
This may be the most useful brewery on the entire list.
Coffee in the morning.
Lunch.
Beer later.
A Monday brewery that understands time is a flat circle.
6. Meanwhile Brewing — Best Monday for Groups and Families
Meanwhile Brewing Web Address: 3901 Promontory Point Dr, Austin, TX 78744, United States Phone: +1 512-308-3659
Location: Austin
Monday Hours: 8 a.m.–10 p.m.
Food: Multiple on-site food trucks
Extras: Soccer, large outdoor space, coffee
Meanwhile also opens incredibly early for something with “Brewing” in the name.
Monday through Wednesday hours are currently 8 a.m.–10 p.m. because the taproom includes a full coffee program. (Meanwhile Beer)
The property is what makes this one different.
Meanwhile has a sprawling outdoor setup and on-site recreation, including soccer and volleyball facilities. Field rentals are available during weekday daytime hours, and the brewery has multiple food operators on-site. (Meanwhile Beer)
On Mondays, Pueblo Viejo is open throughout the day and Side Eye Pie operates beginning at noon, so you have legitimate food choices instead of a bag of emergency pretzels. (Meanwhile Beer)
Meanwhile is also family- and dog-friendly.
That makes it one of the best choices when the group contains:
Beer person.
Non-beer person.
Kids.
Dog.
Hungry person.
Person who inexplicably wants coffee at 7 p.m.
Everyone gets something.
Craft Drinks Desk Take
If breweries were graded primarily on their ability to prevent a group text from turning into an argument, Meanwhile would be elite.
7. Lone Pint Brewery — Best Monday North of Houston
Lone Pint Brewery Web Address: 507 Commerce St, Magnolia, TX 77355, United States Phone: +1 281-789-4061
Location: Magnolia
Monday Hours: 2–8 p.m.
Best For: Outdoor beer garden, IPA drinkers, easy North Houston stop
For North Houston, The Woodlands, Magnolia and Lake Conroe readers, Lone Pint solves a very specific problem:
You don’t have to drive into central Houston just because it’s Monday.
The Magnolia beer garden operates every day, with current Monday hours of 2–8 p.m. (Lone Pint Brewery)
Lone Pint remains particularly associated with Yellow Rose IPA and its hop-focused beer lineup.
The outdoor beer garden is relaxed, children are welcome with supervision and leashed dogs are allowed. (Lone Pint Brewery)
Monday also tends to be considerably quieter than the brewery’s live-music and bingo-heavy weekend schedule.
Sometimes that is exactly what you’re looking for.
No festival.
No twenty-minute bar line.
Just beer outside on a Monday.
Build It Into a Day
This works nicely after:
- Lake Conroe
- Golf
- Hiking
- Cycling
- An afternoon around Magnolia
The brewery should be the end of the day.
Not the day’s entire athletic accomplishment.
Craft Drinks Desk Take
The best Monday brewery option for a lot of Thunderfoot’s home territory.
8. Back Unturned Brewing Co. — Best Monday Beer + Dinner Combination
Back Unturned Brewing Co. Web Address: 516 Brooklyn Ave, San Antonio, TX 78215, United States Phone: +1 210-257-0022
Location: San Antonio
Monday Hours: 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Food: Pizza, wings and full brewpub menu
Monday Activity: Trivia on selected Mondays
Happy Hour: 3–6 p.m.
Back Unturned gives San Antonio a Monday brewery option that is not just surviving Monday.
It is programming Monday.
The current August calendar shows Monday happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m., with trivia scheduled on the second and fourth Mondays from 7 to 9. (Back Unturned Brewing Co.)
The brewery is currently open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday, and the kitchen offers pizzas, wings and other full-meal options. (Toast Local)
That makes this the easiest San Antonio pick if you want:
Dinner.
Beer.
Something to do.
All at the same place.
The brewery is near the Riverwalk/River North area, which also makes it easy to combine with a downtown walk rather than immediately driving there and sitting down.
Craft Drinks Desk Take
One of the strongest actual Monday-night plans on the list.
Trivia, pizza and craft beer require very little additional explanation.
9. Austin Beerworks — Best Straightforward Monday Beer Stop
Austin Beerworks Web Address: 3001 Industrial Terrace, Austin, TX 78758, United States Phone: +1 512-821-2494
Location: Austin
Monday Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Not every Monday brewery needs an event.
Sometimes the selling point is:
It’s open.
The beer selection is broad.
There is food.
There is plenty of space.
Austin Beerworks fits that version.
Its Industrial Terrace location currently operates from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, matching most of its weekday schedule. (Eater Austin)
The taproom is large, casual and built around an actual working brewery rather than trying to disguise itself as a cocktail lounge that happens to own fermentation tanks.
Beer flights make sense here because Austin Beerworks usually carries enough core and rotating options to justify sampling instead of immediately committing to one pint.
The on-site food program also means Monday doesn’t require a second destination.
Craft Drinks Desk Take
This is the uncomplicated choice.
Go when you want a brewery.
Not a brewery-themed entertainment complex.
There’s still something refreshing about that.
10. Karbach Brewing Co. — Best Houston Brewpub Monday
Karbach Brewing Co. Web Address: 2032 Karbach St, Houston, TX 77092, United States Phone: +1 713-680-8886
Location: Houston
Monday Restaurant/Patio Hours: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
There is an important Monday distinction at Karbach.
The Restaurant & Patio is open Monday, but the Biergarten itself is currently closed Monday and Tuesday. The restaurant operates from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. (Karbach Brewing Company)
So don’t arrive expecting the full weekend Biergarten experience.
That’s not Monday here.
What you do get is a legitimate brewery restaurant serving Karbach beer on-site, with a full menu and outdoor patio access.
This makes Karbach especially useful for a Monday lunch or dinner where the group wants brewery beer but also wants an actual meal.
If your priority is the big outdoor Biergarten specifically, choose another day.
If your priority is beer + food at the brewery campus?
Monday works.
Craft Drinks Desk Take
Karbach makes the list because we’re ranking useful Monday brewery destinations, not pretending every part of every brewery operates seven days a week.
Know which experience you’re getting before you go.
So Which One Should You Pick?
This list gets easier when you stop treating all brewery visits as the same thing.
You Want a Complete Brewery Experience
Go to Saint Arnold.
You get beer, a real restaurant and even Monday tours.
You Want Something to Do
Go to Galveston Island Brewing for Monday bingo or Back Unturned on a trivia Monday.
You Want an Active Day
Go to Live Oak and play disc golf first.
Meanwhile also works if soccer or other recreation is part of your plan.
You’re Taking Kids
Meanwhile and Galveston Island Brewing are particularly easy choices.
You’re in North Houston
Lone Pint.
No need to turn Monday into a cross-Houston traffic experiment.
You Want Dinner
Back Unturned, Saint Arnold, Manhattan Project and Karbach all make food a significant part of the visit.
You Are Apparently Awake at 7 a.m. Looking for a Brewery
Manhattan Project.
Seek help.
Or coffee.
Fortunately they have that too.
Monday Is Actually a Good Day to Visit a Brewery
There is a hidden advantage to Monday brewery visits.
The place usually isn’t packed.
That can mean:
- Easier parking
- Better tables
- Quieter patios
- Shorter ordering lines
- More time to ask about the beer
- Less pressure to immediately surrender your seat to a group of 14
The tradeoff is that Monday often has fewer food trucks, less live music and shorter hours.
That’s why the breweries above stand out.
They give you a reason to come anyway.
Don’t Turn Monday Into a Ten-Brewery Challenge
This article contains ten breweries.
That is not an itinerary.
Please do not interpret a ranked list as a personal challenge.
Pick one.
Maybe build something around it.
Walk downtown.
Play disc golf.
Go to the beach.
Ride a bike.
Eat dinner.
Then have a beer.
If you’re visiting multiple breweries, use a designated driver, rideshare or another transportation plan established before anybody begins drinking.
Thunderfoot’s philosophy remains pretty straightforward:
The brewery should improve the day.
It should not become the reason somebody has to retrieve your vehicle tomorrow.
Find More Texas Breweries Open Near You
Thunderfoot’s Texas Craft Drink Trail currently includes more than 200 brewery, winery, distillery, cider and mead stops across Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and the Hill Country, San Antonio and the South Texas Coast.
Use the trail to search by region, location and drink type, then confirm current operating hours directly with the venue before leaving. (Thunderfoot Sports)
Explore the Thunderfoot Texas Craft Drink Trail
Craft Drinks Desk Take
Monday does not have to be craft beer’s day off.
You just have to know where to go.
If we were choosing one brewery from this list specifically because it’s Monday, we’d start with Saint Arnold.
The long hours, full kitchen and Monday brewery tours make the day feel intentional.
If we wanted the most fun Monday, Galveston Island Brewing gets the call because bingo, happy hour and a beach day fit together almost too easily.
And if we wanted the most Thunderfoot Monday possible?
Live Oak.
Play disc golf under the trees.
Then have a beer.
That’s considerably better than spending the first night of the workweek wondering why there are somehow still four more days until Friday.
The Thunderfoot Sports Craft Drinks Desk covers Texas breweries, wineries, distilleries, tasting rooms, drink trails and the places worth building a weekend—or weekday—around. Content from the desk is developed using AI-assisted research and drafting tools under Thunderfoot Sports editorial standards and publisher oversight.