For more, see “Where to Eat Now,” a celebration of our favorite dishes from around the state; “Where to Eat Outdoors Now,” a list of great patios; and “Where to Eat Now: Coming Soon,” for restaurants to look forward to.

Imbibers who want to drink locally have more options than ever. If you’ve got a thirst for some Lone Star libations, these nine pours will scratch that itch—and they’re just scratching the surface.

Beer

Live Oak Brewing Company Piwko Pils

Polish-Style Pilsner, $12/six-pack

It’s not often you see a Polish-style pilsner at your local brewery. But two years ago, Austin’s Live Oak produced one, and the new version, featuring different hops than the last time around, has a grassier and less floral flavor than its predecessor. 

True Anomaly Contact Light

Dry-Hopped Saison, $12/four-pack

A solid Texas saison (a farmhouse ale traditionally low to medium in alcohol and high in carbonation) is hard to come by. Houston’s True Anomaly has cracked the code with a beer that, as it warms, boasts the style’s spicy notes and dry finish.

Zilker Brewing Company Camp Beer

Hazy Pale Ale, $12/six-pack

This unfiltered Austin ale is the perfect starting point for those who are new to the world of cloudy beers. It doesn’t pack the alcoholic punch or intense bitterness of an IPA, but it exceeds that style’s signature fruity flavors.

Wine

McPherson Cellars 2019 Block Select Grenache 

$46

A limited club release, this juicy red from Lubbock is an example of how well the grenache, a French and Spanish grape, thrives in Texas. Light, smooth, and elegantly structured, this bottle offers notes of dried fig, pepper, and dusty earth. 

Pedernales Cellars 2017 Alicante Bouschet 

$60 

Alicante Bouschet is one of only a handful of grapes that are red on the inside, giving the wines drawn from them a strikingly concentrated color. This rendition, from Stonewall, is a big, smoky wine that would nicely accompany a grilled steak with an ancho chile rub.

Ron Yates 2021 Picpoul Blanc 

$26

A good choice for the warm weather that will soon be upon us, this citrusy white, from Hye, is reminiscent of summer days on the beach. The picpoul blanc grape, known for its racy acidity, is well suited to grilled shrimp or raw oysters. 

Spirits

Genius Liquids De Terra Desert Spirit 

$79

This limited-release sotol is made from agave-like plants grown on the Brindle Canyon Ranch, in West Texas. Made by Austin-based Genius Liquids using techniques learned from Mexican sotoleros, it offers up aromas of honeysuckle, lime leaf, and red chile flake and a crisp, mineral-driven flavor. 

The Marfa Spirit Co. Pure Single Pot Still Rum 

$48

This pot-distilled rum is made by this West Texas outfit from molasses sourced from Texas’s last sugarcane processing plant, outside Harlingen. A long fermentation before distillation allows for complexity of flavor; it’s fine for cocktails but better sipped on its own.

Real Spirits Distilling Phoenixx Rising Straight Malt Whiskey 

$65

Distilled from Real Ale Brewing’s Phoenixx Double ESB beer, this silky Blanco whiskey is aged in two different barrels for a total of about two and a half years. Fans will be able to taste its evolution in forthcoming three-, four-, and five-year releases. 

This article originally appeared in the March 2022 issue of Texas Monthly with the headline “What to Drink Now.” Subscribe today.