From the game on the big screen in the taproom to themed beer names and can labels, Nathan and Elise Rees fused their passions for baseball and beer when they opened Texas Leaguer Brewing.

“To me, there’s nothing like watching a ballgame with your dad,” said Nathan, a lifelong Houston Astros fan. “My boys love drinking our Little Leaguer Root Beer and watching the ballgame together—that’s what we’re all about.”

The Missouri City couple opened Texas Leaguer Brewing in September 2017. Nathan calls it the largest mom and pop brewery around.

Elise said her appreciation for baseball has grown since marrying Nathan, and she feels the game brings people together.

“Passion is one of our values we think about, and everything we do, we do it big,” Elise said. “So since it was beer, since it was baseball, we were like, ‘Let’s do it.’”


Currently, the taproom features a lineup of four “home side” and four “visitor side” beers.

The home side—which includes the Airmail Blonde, 6-4-3 Belgian, Knuckle Bock and 2 Hopper IPA—are the brewery’s original beers. The visitor side—featuring the Chin Music Pale Ale, Leaguer Hazy IPA, Czech Swing Pilsner and Little Leaguer Root Beer—have alternating taps.

Additionally, they release a new beer on tap every Friday. Nathan said the taproom recently added eight taps with the plan to expand beyond beer.

“That’s really where the model is going. People want new beers. They want to walk in and say, ‘What do you have that’s new?’” Nathan said. “And our brewers like that, too.”


Although the pandemic was hard on businesses throughout the county, Nathan said they have continued to see growth and community recognition during this time.

In the days following February’s winter storm, Texas Leaguer Brewing gave out water to residents under boil water notices. And the tap room took free table reservations so families and small parties could sit together during the Super Bowl.

“Being able to do stuff like that for the community to make them feel like we see you, we know that things are different, and we’re here for it,” Elise said.

While Texas Leaguer Brewing started as a distributing brewery, the business has become more taproom-focused since the pandemic, Nathan said. The business’s warehouse space, which features large bay doors that open outside as well as a patio section, has made it a safe place to gather, he said.


“People are longing for the space right now,” Nathan said. “They want a place [to] sit outside and have a beer.”

Nathan said they hosted crowds for the Astros’ recent World Series bids and were packed for baseball’s opening day April 1.

“I think people have associated us with baseball,” Nathan said. “Baseball season is beer season.”