Come and Take It

The history of Texas may be bathed in blood, but it’s also soaked in beer. From small in-house and community breweries, to an explosion of regional operations in the late 1800s, and through the peak dominance of Big Beer in the mid-20th century, beer is as Texan as the bluebonnet or the armadillo. So pop the top off a longneck and start sippin’, pardner: we’re talking the history of Texas Beer.

Before we begin… What’s your favorite Texas based game company?

The History of Texas Beer

• The Handbook of Texas Online has a great overview of the history of beer in Texas.

• What’s so special about lager beer?

When we think “Texas Beer” there are three brands that stand out, historically:

• Lone Star Beer, the National Beer of Texas (and what Scott thought was all the beer there was for many years). Intertwined with the history of Lone Star: The Hall of Horns.

• Pearl Beer, born and brewed for many years in San Antonio. Endorsed and approved by Lone Wolf McQuade. Now a modern commercial and residential development.

• Shiner, still 100% brewed at the Spoetzl Brewery. This looks like a great book exploring the history of this storied brand.

Texas Microbreweries

There are many more wonderful Texan breweries than these, but these are the ones we talk about in the show.

• St. Arnold Brewing Company—Houston

• Ranger Creek—San Antonio

• 5 Stones Artisan Brewing—Cibolo

• Franconia Brewing—McKinney

• 903 Brewers—Sherman

• Lakewood Brewing Company—East Dallas

• Deep Ellum Brewing Company—Dallas

Tell us your own Texas beer stories!