11 Below Brewing

The owners—former oilfield workers—spent three years finalizing details before opening the brewery in May of last year. The name comes from subtracting the number of gallons in a barrel of crude oil, 42, from the gallons in a barrel of beer, 31. Since then, 11 Below has served a variety of beers ranging from red ale to chocolate milk stout.

In February, the brewery expanded into grocery stores with canned beers of its best-selling styles—7-Iron session ale, Oso Bueno American amber and Color Blind red India pale ale. Each can is filled and distributed from the brewery on Bourgeois Road.

“We wanted full control of the process,” Handojo said. “We want to make sure that every drop that goes out the door is the highest in quality.”

In less than eight months, the owners will celebrate the uncorking of the barrels that have contained their second anniversary beer for the past year.These oak barrels sit in the corner of the 11 Below warehouse, which is never without picnic tables, food trucks or the 30-barrel industrial tanks that ferment annual and specialty beers year-round.

Looking ahead, the owners said they hope to continue growing in the Greater Houston area while producing more unique beers for their customers.

“We keep getting hit up on Facebook with people asking us to come to Dallas, but you have to keep your home market happy before you spread your wings too far,” Baker said.

[caption id="attachment_170308" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Jeff Handojo (seated), Brandon Moss (left) and Bryce Baker founded 11 Below Brewing in 2015.[/caption]