I have resisted doing a brewery ranking, and I probably never will. But there is a new brewery on the top end of our list. I don’t mean to jump ahead of the review, but Balanced Rock Brewing in The Colony was an incredibly great experience. Located in the newly, highly developed area of The Colony, Balanced Rock sits in a huge building right off of Highway 121. They just opened in June of 2025, and it appears the community doesn’t know what a gem they have in their city.
As you walk in you’ll come to a large bar in the center of the main seating area, with plenty of TV’s if you’re looking to catch a game. Towards the back of the brewery, the brewing equipment is highly visible giving you the comfortable feeling that you’re drinking fresh, craft beer. They have wine if you’re with someone who doesn’t like beer, but those who tend to resist beer need to give a few of these a chance. The interior is very modern and well done, even down to the rocks embedded in the bar top, playing off the name Balanced Rock. There are a ton of tables if you don’t want to sit at the bar, and they definitely have wife approved bathrooms. They have a decent size food menu and everything looks great. We did try the Bavarian pretzel bites, and they were fantastic with probably the best beer cheese we’ve ever tried. Unfortunately they have not started canning their beer yet, but they do have merchandise available.
I’m going to start off with Tejas Rift, a smoked amber lager made in a collaboration with Southern Roots Brewing, Texmalt, and the Texas Historical Commission. It’s a 5% ABV smooth drinking amber lager with a good amount of smokey flavor. It always amazes me how brewers put a smokey flavor into a liquid, but that’s exactly what they did here and it’s not too overpowering. It’s got a great toasty flavor and very low bitterness. A great start to the day.
Next up is the Let’s Haze It, a 7.5% ABV hazy IPA with a 5 IBU rating!! I’ve never seen an IPA with this low of a bitterness rating so I was very curious to taste this. Made with Barbe Rogue, Sabro, Strata, and Idaho 7 hops, this IPA definitely puts off the citrus, fruit, pine, and floral notes it’s meant to have. It’s very light, smooth, and very little bitterness. I’m not an IPA guy so, I don’t know how much this means, but this is definitely the best IPA I’ve ever tried.
Last up is Band of Brewers(D-Day commemorate), an 11% ABV pecan coffee stout. I’m not sure what the story is behind the D-day commemorative part, as they didn’t provide an explanation. I am a huge stout guy and I’m generally more picky with stouts, but I loved this beer. It has just the right amount of pecan and coffee flavor notes that it doesn’t overwhelm the beer. Stout’s will always have a heavy mouth feel, but this one is not over the top. It doesn’t taste thick or strong which is great. This was definitely my favorite craft beer of the day.
I know I spoiled it in the opening paragraph, but we had an incredibly great experience at Balanced Rock Brewing. The brewery is set up beautifully, the food is good, and (most importantly) the beer is great. I hope more people discover the great brewery that sits in The Colony. This is actually going to be our first perfect review as Balanced Rock is getting 10 🍺. Next time you’re in the area stop by, and always Drink Local!
