The Cove Craft Beer & Wine was founded in 2019 by Jeff Relag and Shawn Geiser, who have been buddies since they graduated from Kingwood High School with the class of 1985.

Four years after the 5-acre bar opened, Kingwood residents Jenny Garnett and John Gholson joined Geiser as bar owners in November 2023 after Relag left to pursue other business ventures.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

The 5-acre venue consists of an indoor bar decorated with photos and memorabilia from Kingwood High School’s class of 1985, an outdoor patio with picnic tables and a dog park in the back, which Gholson said is ideal for an outdoor stroll with beer and wine.

“All the stuff that you see built here is done by our patrons and our customers. A lot of the woodworking stuff is done by our high school shop teacher,” Gholson said.


Open from 2-10 p.m. during the week and from noon-10 p.m. on the weekends, The Cove offers 30 rotating taps of craft beer, which are chosen by customers. Using the Untappd app, customers are able to submit beer requests and view what beers are available.

The family-friendly bar also serves wine including a variety of whites, reds and champagne.

In addition, The Cove offers a beer club membership option for an annual fee of $180. The membership provides customers with a personalized 20-ounce beer mug, access to a keg available to members only, and a free beer on the member’s birthday.

Garnett and Gholson said they also plan to add a wine club membership and expand their wine selection by the end of this summer.
The Cove Craft Beer & Wine offers a variety of craft beer. (Courtesy The Cove Craft Beer & Wine)
The Cove Craft Beer & Wine offers a variety of craft beer. (Courtesy The Cove Craft Beer & Wine)
Staying local


Though the bar does not serve food, they provide space in their VIP section for local chef Cathy Bellnap to prepare dinner meals for anyone who places an order by noon Monday-Friday.

Known as Cathy’s Kitchen, the catering business provides home-cooked meals made from scratch including Southern cuisine and dishes such as enchiladas.

Customers can place an order online or by calling Bellnap at 713-725-6963. Pick up takes place from 5-6:30 p.m.

“Cathy is one of our local celebrities. She went to high school with [Relag and Geiser] and her husband is the Kingwood High School golf coach and she has her own catering business,” Gholson said. “We brought in a lot of customers just by word of mouth from Cathy's Kitchen.”


The Cove also supports its community by purchasing beer from local breweries and hosting local artists who perform live music on the weekends. A regular band at the bar is 51 Proof, a party band in which co-owner Gholson plays the drums and performs covers from the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s.