Fittingly, Eric Biermann and Jon Messier were sipping craft beers when they decided to open their own brewery. After that conversation and a year of planning, they quit their corporate jobs to start digging trenches and installing tanks. Finally, in fall 2011, they brewed their first beer: a citrusy ale named Air, in tribute to both its lightness and Jon's previous career as an aeronautical engineer.

Since then, they have expanded their array of craft beers and moved operations to the North Loop, opening up Inbound BrewCo, a 12,000-square foot taproom featuring 30 craft beer taplines and a rotating selection of crafts sodas and kombucha. For those wanting to take a peek inside their operations, Eric and Jon host tours of the brewery, complete with samples of their beer.

The taproom also features German beer hall-style seating, a private mezzanine, and a 50-seat patio open in warmer months.