Craft work
New San Antonio brewery and beer garden charts a course to River North district
Sometimes a gift keeps on giving. In the case of entrepreneurs Hannah and Dustin Baker, the gift of a home brewing kit helped spark a new hobby, which quickly became an obsession. Now the Bakers are jumping all the way in with a new craft brewery coming soon to the River North district.
Roadmap Brewing Co. will open in summer 2018 at 723 N. Alamo St., according to the website. While Dustin, a former middle school teacher originally from Pittsburgh will handle head brewing duties, Roadmap is a true family business, with Hannah handling the branding and business side of the operation and Dustin’s father, Scott, lending his business acumen as co-founder.
The microbrewery will feature a few core beers and several other rotating taps. Although the final lineup has not been revealed, the brand’s Instagram has showcased a wide variety of styles including IPAs, coffee stouts, saisons, and a blackberry-lemon radler.
All will be showcased inside an 8,000-square-foot brewery and taproom designed by San Antonio firm Smithdish Architecture in collaboration with ecologically focused custom furniture maker Studio MPH. The interior was modeled after beer gardens with a large bar, community seating, and even indoor lawn games, according to the firm's site. A patio decked out with mobile planters brings the action outdoors in fair weather.
The interior will give patrons a full view of the state-of-the-art brewing system — a far cry from that initial home brewing kit. The beers will initially only be available onsite, but eventually, Roadmap may find its way into local bars.
San Antonio’s fledgling craft brew scene has been undergoing a mini-boom in recent months. Künstler Brewing opened in October 2017, while Islla St. Brewing Co., from brothers Josh and Joaquin "J.D." Peña, and Brew Monkey Beer Co., from California transplant James Hansen, will both open by the end of 2018.
