In the last 5 Things column I directed you to 5 great places to eat lunch in Downtown Brownwood, Texas. Make sure to check out that article here in the Brownwood News if you missed it. Today I’ll be sharing with you 5 Great Places to get a by-the-glass beer, wine, or cocktail in Brown County. As in all of my 5 Things! columns, the places I’ve chosen to include (of course) are not the only wonderful places to go. By definition, we’re limiting ourselves to 5 places (It’s in the name!) There are so many other great places to visit in Brown County, and maybe one day we’ll get to all of them!
What do I consider a great place to get a drink? To me, the intangibles are as important as the drink itself. I like a unique and fun experience, and an awesome drink is only part of that. A great drink takes great ingredients, and in the same way, a great drinking location is comprised of many variables: Location, atmosphere, theme, vibe, and satisfaction… all of these things combine with the actual quality of the beverage to dictate our experience and our preferences. Everyone’s not the same. As I was explaining to a friend the other day, just because establishments are different and cater to different customer bases and preferences, doesn’t mean one is “bad” and the other is “good.” Choice is always good. A high-end cocktail lounge, a jazz club, a classic blue-collar live music beer joint, a high-volume bar, or a restaurant with tasty beverages… all of these, at different times and in different moods, can be the perfect choice for the moment. But all of these genres of bars, in order to be considered great, need to offer a customer experience that makes you want to return. All of my choices here today accomplish that goal.
10 Mile Productions
10 Mile Productions, or, as we shorthand it, just 10 Mile, is a vineyard, winery, and tasting bar. The tasting bar is located right here in Downtown Brownwood at 401 Center Avenue, and it offers much more than just wine. Danielle and I are regulars at 10 Mile, and frankly, I don’t drink much wine. But Sara and Hayley (the proprietors) have beer too! In addition to their own craft-made wines, they focus on Texas-made (and usually fairly local) beers, and they usually have a good selection available. Their wines are always top-notch, and for a lot of people, this is one of the best spots downtown to sit and sip the artful product of the grape. For us on this hot day, I ordered the Black IPA from Plateau Brewing out of San Angelo, and Danielle snagged the Blonde from Lucky Vines Brewery out of Dublin, TX! And don’t forget the food! Quite often we’ll walk down to 10 Mile and order a charcuterie tray or any of their specialty foods for a quick lunch or dinner. While we’re there, we’ll pick up some of Barbie’s pickles, jams, sauces, or other delectables in jars. I use Barbie’s pickles for my own charcuterie boards at home!
Lucille and Mabel Kitchen and Libations
Full Disclosure: As most of you may already know, I ran the bar at Lucille and Mabel for the first year they were open. The tradition continues as L&M is home to what is unequivocally the best selection of top-end bottles and libations in a couple of hours’ drive in any direction. L&M has an ample specialty cocktail list, but for my money, you want to go in there for sipping spirits – high-end scotch, bourbon, or tequila. With nearly 100 bottles of quality whiskeys, you can’t go wrong here. And if you’re not into straight sipping hooch, in this heat I’d get a nice mojito or a margarita! Make sure to tell them Bunker sent you.
Skies Over Texas Winery
I said I don’t drink much wine, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it! I especially enjoy drinking wine in an extra special environment that just screams TEXAS! Skies Over Texas has an awesome, cool tasting room at 6037 County Road 291 just outside of Early. That address might sound confusing to strangers or newbies, but it’s just off of 183, right on the side of the highway, and only ten minutes from our apartment right here in downtown Brownwood. The minute I mention Skies Over Texas, my wife gives me a dead-eye look and says “PICKLE PIZZA,” and that means we’re on our way to enjoy wine and the most delicious pickle pizza.
We start our visit with our wine choices. I love their Aged to Reflection dry red, and this time I got the 2021 vintage – first time with this one – and it was fantastic. I keep a bottle of the 2019 in my own collection to share with friends or to take when we go out of town, but trust me, I’ll be getting a few bottles of the 2021 soon. My wife likes sweeter selections, so she’ll go for the Hometown Red or the Peached Up. On this trip, to go with our pickle pizza (“dirtied up” with bacon bits!) she gets the Peached Up and she loved it.
The Turtle Enoteca Bar
The Enoteca Bar at the Turtle is part of the landmark Turtle Restaurant triumvirate (Restaurant/Bar/Gelateria) at 510 Center Avenue in Downtown Brownwood. Frankly, since this column is focused more on all of Brown County rather than just downtown, I was planning on trying to avoid (as much as possible) including more than one downtown location in this list. And here I am on my third joint out of five! But it can’t be helped. No proper downtown pub crawl or weeklong visit to Brown County would be complete without a session at the Turtle. The Turtle features high-end cocktails and delicious bar food in a cozy, interesting setting. The Turtle was the place that started it all downtown and they are still going strong. The restaurant has been serving Brownwood for almost two decades, and the bar has been open since 2010. The Turtle has won many worldwide Best Wine List awards, and in 2022, they won the global award for Best Value Wine List awarded by World’s Best Wine Lists which is sponsored by the British quarterly World of Fine Wine. As for me, I love their whiskey selection and their fine cocktails. Make a date and go visit the Turtle when you’re in town!
Wild Duck Marina
If it’s a lazy Sunday afternoon and the weather is right (which is MOST Sundays in Brown County,) you’ll probably find Danielle and me out on the patio at the Wild Duck Marina. A lot of people I talk to didn’t even know about the Wild Duck, but if they haven’t been out there, they are missing out. You can find the place by putting 320 High Top St. Brownwood, TX 76801 in your car or your phone’s mapping system and it’ll take you right to the front door. As is implied in the name, the Duck sits right on the water with beautiful views out at gorgeous Lake Brownwood.
I’m all in for fried pickles as an appetizer to start, with a cold Shiner Bock or a margarita on the rocks. Danielle loves the Duck’s margaritas, and when we’re done with the fried pickles, I order the Best Damn Burger with fries or sometimes I’ll get wings and fries. Their beef patties are smoked, and all of that smokey goodness is front and center on this awesome burger.
Inside they have a full sports bar, and on occasion, I’ll order scotch for sipping while I watch a Texas Ranger baseball or a college football game. People-watching is fun too, as the boats pull in to fill up with gas or order pizzas to take back out on the lake. Live music on some weekends and concerts too make the Duck a go-to place for fun on the lake.
As I’ve said in both episodes of 5 Things!, just because I mention these particular 5 places doesn’t mean they are the only places to go for a good drink in Brown County. And if you own a business in Brown County and you want me to visit or consider your place for a future 5 Things! column, drop me a line, and let me know. I’m all about supporting local, so invite me out and you never know!
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(*This is a new column feature wherein I’ll be calling attention to all of the great things there are to see, do, buy, experience, eat, and drink, in Brown County. Welcome to 5 Things!, Episode 2!) – Michael Bunker