Are you a fan of craft beer and gastropub-style food and looking for a fix in Oklahoma City? If so, you’re in luck as we’ve compiled a list of the best microbreweries in the city of OKC.
Why is Craft Beer So Popular?
Craft beer currently makes up just shy of 27 percent of the $100 billion U.S. beer market (up from $94 billion in retail dollar sales), which climbed by 21 percent to $26.8 billion. The return of beer volume from packaged sales to bars and restaurants was the main factor in the sales increase.
Craft beer can be defined in a variety of ways. ‘small, independent and traditional’ breweries are defined as ‘craft breweries’ by the trade association for the craft beer industry.
Non-craft brewers don’t invest heavily in the production of craft brews, and they use traditional components like malt barley in their beers.
Only 10 percent of the nation’s total beer sales are accounted for by the industry, which is nowhere near the earnings of Anheuser-Busch or MillerCoors. Craft breweries, which number more than 2,300 in the United States, are having a significant impact on the industry.
Oklahoma’s 9 Best Craft Microbreweries
Visit each brewery’s website to learn more about their drink and food menus, opening hours, and events.
#1 Battered Boar Brewing Co
If you ask the founders, they’ll tell you successful journeys frequently start out with just a bit of creativity. That spark usually twinkles and disappears without any lasting effects.
However, sometimes, when circumstance allows, the spark is fanned by the hands of hope, inspiration, and desire. Things that you never thought were possible become reality when this occurs.
Craft beers include Boarchata, a cinnamon, vanilla, and caramel brew, Milf Fuel, with red raspberries, Meyer lemons, and vanilla, plus the Stumbling Goat that’s coffee flavored.
Check out the: Beer Menu
#2 Elk Valley Brewing Co.
In 2010, John Elkins began participating in brewing competitions and with his success, winning a number of medals, he was eventually inspired to go all-in and launch Elk Valley Brewing Co. in 2014.
Tenkiller Pilsner, Defender Blonde Ale, Magic Juice Double IPA, and Straight Razor Pale Ale are among Elk Valley’s core beers and are favorites among drinkers. A growing selection of seasonal, barrel-aged, and sour beers are also available.
Other popular options include Coffee Nemesis an imperial stout aged on locally roasted coffee beans and produced from quality English roasted barley. Cucumber gives this beer’s finish a delightfully clean and fresh feel. The Head Pains IPA is pleasant but hoppily. The Pumpeon Imperial Pumpkin Ale was spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves as it matured in bourbon barrels.
Check out the: Beer Menu
#3 Stonecloud Brewing Company
The founders of Stonecloud claim that the enormous skies, where limitless mountains disappear into clouds on the horizon, are the source of inspiration for the name.
Considering that they are located in the center of Oklahoma City’s flatlands, it may sound strange, but founder Joel Irby, an Oklahoma native, spent ten years honing his brewing skills at breweries in Boulder, Colorado.
Eventually, the impulse to start his own restaurant struck, and Oklahoma City’s recent expansion and proximity to family made it the ideal location to fulfill this goal. Doors for Stonecloud opened in the summer of 2017.
Popular options include the Havana Affair (pilsner), Neon Sunshine (Belgian style), Chug Norris (pale ale), and Astrodog (IPA), to name a few.
Check out the: Beer Menu
#4 Twisted Spike Brewery and Tap Room
The 7,500 square foot building where Twisted Spike Brewing Company is located first opened its doors in December 2016. The largest taproom in OKC is located in the structure, which was first constructed as a warehouse.
The inside of the brewery and bar was created with the surrounding railroad lines in mind. The main bar and cold storage units are among the repurposed shipping containers used to embellish both.
The thick brick walls and exposed wood beams of the tavern have been brought back to their original 1927 appearance.
Popular brews consist of:
The Crew, a Kolsch from Germany. Beer that is clear, crisp, and carefully balanced with very light fruit and hop flavors. With a beautiful white head and excellent clarity.
A traditional West Coast IPA is TSB IPA. fragrant citrus and pine from dry hopping with Cascade, Centennial, and Amarillo. The tastes of the bready malt and the bittering hops are nicely harmonized.
Blood Orange is added to a West Coast IPA to make the delectable fruited IPA known as Blood Orange IPA.
A strong porter called To Bean or Not to Bean. made with cold-brewed French roast coffee and vanilla. beer that smells and tastes like a coffee shop.
Check out the: Beer Menu
#5 Broke Brewing Company
Beer has united people all around the world, and the varieties of beer are as varied as our cultural differences. BBC embraces these customs and crafts some delectable traditional beers that are popular all over the world.
In terms of what beer is and what is possible, American craft brewers have blown the lid off the keg. Broke Brewing also takes pleasure in creating the moderate to wild flavors that you’ll discover on tap.
There are British and Belgian ales, lagers and saisons, bi-coastal IPAs, blondes to extra stouts, and everything in between.
The Broke Blonde, a light, crisp, and refreshing honey blonde ale, Juicy Dividends, a double dry hopped and juicy as all beers, I-40 West, another IPA with delicious Amarillo, and Broke Amber, with its caramel-colored appearance, malty flavor, and slightly hoppy finish, are all favorites among drinkers.
Check out the: Beer Menu
#6 Roughtail Brewing Co.
As Roughtail tells it, “brewing isn’t our passion, it’s our obsession.”
Craft beer options in Oklahoma were scarce ten years ago, and many of them were dangerous. That’s why Blaine Stansel and Tony Tielli, the owners of Roughtail Brewing, decided to open their own brewery after getting to know each other through a homebrew club.
The conventional craft beers wouldn’t be the main focus of this brewery. With bold, hop-forward beers that would push the boundaries of both style and flavor, this brewery would pave the way for a huge expansion of Oklahoma’s craft beer scene.
Roughtail has year-round beers, like their Orange IPA, Fricken Hazer Beams, and Polter Weisse, but they also offer seasonals, limited releases, and special bottle releases only. Visit them online to learn a whole lot more!
Check out the: Beer Menu
#7 Angry Scotsman Brewing
In 2017, Angry Scotsman Brewing entered the Oklahoma Craft Beer market. The ASB brewery, taproom, and beer garden are housed in a renovated 1930s warehouse with a stunning view of the downtown skyline and much of its original modern, industrial character.
The beer roster of The Angry Scotsman features year-round lagers, European ales, IPAs, as well as a huge variety of seasonal and special releases that were motivated by the Angry Scotsman’s travels.
The taproom is open from Tuesday through Sunday and welcomes both children and dogs. The taproom has wine and non-alcoholic options in addition to the 24 taps of house beer, and outside food is always welcome.
Popular drinks that guests gravitate towards include ACB’s Scotsman IPA (American IPA), Factor 50 (light lager), Gateway to Helles (German lager), Night Terror (IPA), and Pale Ryder (American rye ale).
Check out the: Beer Menu
