Skip to main content

5 Best Okie Breweries According to an Oklahoma Craft Beer Expert

The insanely diverse world of craft beer is often broken down into individual regional scenes. Veteran beer havens like Asheville, North Carolina, and Portland, Oregon, are bursting at the seams with exciting breweries pushing the envelope. States like Texas and Georgia are seeing a boom in activity thanks to a loosening of laws that formerly restricted craft brewers.

One of the regions experiencing a renaissance is Oklahoma. While craft beer wouldn’t be possible without brewers and investors, fan support is ultimately responsible for the growth and longevity of a scene. Brian Welzbacher is the proprietor of BeerisOK.com and OklahomaCraftBeer.com, hosts the Oklahoma Craft Beer Podcast. Needless to say, he knows his stuff.

Recommended Videos

Below, Welzbacher outlines his five favorite breweries making headlines in Oklahoma and shares what makes them special in his own words.

Roughtail Brewing Company

roughtail brewing company
Roughtail Brewing Company/Facebook Roughtail Brewing Company/Facebook

Brewing out of Midwest City the past four years, Roughtail Brewing Co. has produced aggressively hoppy beers from the beginning that I’d put up against any national craft brand. Their double IPA Hoptometrist has a well-balanced malt character with West Coast citrusy and resinous hops that won’t overload your palate. Everything Rhymes with Orange is a hazy, unfiltered IPA made predominantly with Simcoe hops and backed up by Citra and Mosaic that has helped lead them to expansion into Texas and Kansas.

American Solera

American Solera
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We are pretty spoiled to have two brewing operations by world-renowned brewer Chase Healy. His American Solera project harkens back to when he first started Prairie Artisan Ales. Oak foeders dominate his expanded brewhouse, and his unique yeast cultures have turned out hazy IPAs, roasty maple stouts, and sour wild ales. His fruited series of beers are a welcome surprise in every sip.

Elk Valley Brewing Company

Elk Valley Brewing Company
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A retired airline engineer turned a home brewing hobby into a rather successful business, focusing on beers he enjoys drinking at home or on the golf course. Sound familiar? It may resonate with most other start-ups, but Elk Valley Brewing has a keen sense when it comes to making quaffable beers like Pale Ale and Par 3 session IPA. [Elk Valley] also made quite an impression on the national beer scene, using locally sourced spirit barrels from Scissortail Spirits to age brews like Pumpion.

Marshall Brewing Co.

Marshall Brewing Company
Marshall Brewing Company/Facebook Marshall Brewing Company/Facebook

Tulsa’s first major production brewery produces some of the cleanest and well-crafted German style ales and lagers. Since its ability to sell from the taproom, I have enjoyed so many new beers. like Marshall Brewing Co.’s highly drinkable Kolsch and Dunkel, as well as new Side Notch IPA, a slightly hazy spin on their Arrowhead Pale Ale. This fall, their El Cucuy Black IPA has me over the moon with roasty, caramel malts balanced by dry-hopping with floral and citrusy hops.

COOP Ale Works

COOP Ale Works
COOP Ale Works/Facebook COOP Ale Works/Facebook

Another well-engrained brewery in Oklahoma City, COOP runs the gamut of beers, from its Mexican lager Horny Toad to the Territorial Reserve bourbon barrel series of wheat wines, barleywines, and imperial stouts. This year, its ever popular 13-percent Belgian dark ale DNR gets barrel treatment with the Cask-It series that features brandy barrel aged with cherries, and most recently a rye barrel aged version that entices the palate with fig and dark fruits and impressive barrel presence.

Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
The best gin drinks: Our 5 favorites
The best gin cocktails for you to make at home
Gin cocktail

When it comes to spirits, there are none as unique as gin. When distilled, gin doesn’t have much flavor, save for the ingredients it’s made with. It’s not all that different from vodka. It’s the addition of juniper berries and various herbs and botanicals either in the distillation process itself (or a second distillation), through vapor infusion (the herbs and botanicals are hung in a basket in the still), or through maceration (adding the flavors to an already distilled gin) that give the gin its distinct, memorable aromas and flavors.

If you’ve ever had gin (or even sniffed it), you know the most potent ingredient is juniper berries. They are what gives gin its patented pine tree aroma and flavor. Other common ingredients include orris root, angelica root, orange peel, and licorice.
Our 5 favorite gin drinks

Read more
Give your gimlet a herbal twist with this vodka cocktail
Ghost Hill Organic Vodka

The Gimlet is one of those cocktails that is so simple and such a classic that it's easily overlooked. Whilst I lean toward a Gin Gimlet (and I have strong feelings like it should be made with fresh lime juice and sugar syrup rather than a pre-made lime cordial), you can also experiment with different spirits such as the also popular Vodka Gimlet.

The simple recipe is ripe for experimentation though, and especially when you are working with vodka, you have a lot of leeway to incorporate other ingredients to add more interest and unique personality to your drink. This recipe from Ghost Hill Organic Vodka showcases the smooth and clean notes of the spirit while also allowing space for the other ingredients to shine -- not only lime juice and simple syrup, but also the addition of sage leaves for a more herbal note.

Read more
Get ready for summer with these quick and easy tequila cocktails
Teremana Tequila

Tequila is one of those ever-popular spirits for warm weather, and though some of the most popular tequila cocktails can be a little complicated, there are also ways to make simple and delicious tequila drinks in a snap. If you're hosting friends for a casual backyard event, we've got a selection of simple cocktails from Teremana Tequila that are easy to make and sure to please.

Mana Spritz

Read more