Larry Koestler

We kicked things off with two six-packs of Boulevard, Kansas City’s finest.

Scoped out D&Q Beer Station in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood. Created a custom six-pack and picked up some choice bombers, including Left Coast Brewing’s Hop Juice, Bridgeport’s Hop Harvest and Jester King’s Noble King, as well as a four-pack of Sierra Nevada Hoptimum.

We then hit up The Hay Merchant, a terrific craft beer bar located at 1100 Westheimer Road.

The Hay Merchant menu.

Lyndsay and I greatly enjoying ourselves.

Karbach was at the top of my list as far as local Houston brews unavailable in NYC, and both the single IPA — Hopadillo, pictured here — and double — Rodeo Clown, of which I brought a few cans back home with me — did not disappoint.

Here’s Austin, Texas microbrewery Independence Brewing Co.’s Pale Ale, which tasted remarkably like an IPA. Their Stash IPA, which I enjoyed during a previous trip to Houston, is also excellent.

A can of Sante Fe Brewing Company’s Happy Camper IPA, which was fantastic. Also, this was my first-ever beer from New Mexico.

Here’s a bomber of Left Coast’s Hop Juice Double IPA. Like many of its west coast-DIPA cousins, this was outstanding.

And with the aforementioned Hoptimum sold out across New York, I made sure I had enough room in my suitcase to fly a four-pack back home.