Editor's note: The bustling San Antonio beer scene is always changing — usually with openings and closures, but there are other twists along the way. Let's discuss it over a cold one.
Texas Craft Brewers Guild honors local brewers
The Texas Craft Brewers Guild held its annual meeting in Austin on February 17, an event that featured the Texas Craft Brewers Cup.
The competition featured 170 breweries and 950-plus Texas craft beers judged by industry professionals and experienced beer judges; Seven San Antonio breweries were honored with an award.
- Dorćol Distilling and Brewing has yet to reopen the doors to its taproom and enhanced facility to the public, but it keeps producing beers and spirits. Dorćol’s HighWheel Doppelbock won a silver medal in the Strong German and Czech Lagers category.
- Longtab Brewing Co.’s Triple Volunteer was awarded a silver medal in the Belgian Abbey Ales category.
- The Overnight Oats from Wild Barley Kitchen and Brewery received a silver medal among judged Stout and Porters.
- One of Freetail Brewing Co.’s most popular beers, Bat Outta Hellas, received a bronze medal in the American and International Lager category.
- Flix Brewhouse San Antonio, a relative newcomer on the local craft beer scene, saw one of its products, The Architect, win a bronze medal among Strong German and Czech Lagers.
- The Rio Reserve from Back Unturned Brewing Co. received bronze in the Barrel and Wood-Aged Beer group.
- Alamo Beer Co.’s Saison in the Abyss received bronze in among Experimental, Hybrid and Specialty Beers.
Four Hill Country breweries scored some Brewers Cup victories.
- Real Ale Brewing Co. in Blanco saw its Cruzer receive a bronze medal in the Kölsch category.
- Altstadt Brewery in Fredericksburg received two silver medals for its Altstadt Light in the American and International Light Lager group, and its Altstadt Kölsch in the Kölsch category.
- Pecan Street Brewing Co. in Johnson City saw its Defenestration Pils awarded a silver medal among Session and Standard German and Czech Lagers.
- A bronze medal was awarded to the Lady Wood Spruce Tip from Marble Falls-based Bear King Brewing Co.
Additionally, Paige Martin of Second Pitch Beer Co. was one of two individuals to be receive formal honors as an Ambassador of Craft, a tribute given to “amazing champions of Texas craft beer,” according to the guild.
The guild said it wanted to acknowledge Martin’s industry achievements, especially with encouraging inclusiveness among production staffs at Texas craft breweries.
Travelogue honors Cibolo Creek Brewing
Boerne’s Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. is a 2024 Texas Travel Award-winner.
The periodicals Austin Monthly, San Antonio Magazine, and Texas Music organize the Texas Travel Awards, which honor an array of venues and activities in different categories statewide. San Antonio and the Hill Country won 13 awards overall.
The folks behind Texas Travel Awards highlighted Cibolo Creek’s diverse beer selection, food, family friendly atmosphere, and setting inside a historic downtown Boerne home.
Courtesy Kinematic Brewing Co.
The owners and staff of Kinematic Brewing Co. near Boerne have bid farewell and closed the Hill Country brewery after nine years of business.
Kinematic Brewing closes the tap
The owners of Kinematic Brewing Co., situated between Boerne and Comfort, took to their Facebook page February 20, abruptly announcing the venture's closure.
Kinematic opened in a small industrial park east of Boerne in 2015, and managed to navigate pandemic-induced challenges to develop a brewery and taproom off I-10, complete with lawn games and a spacious children’s play area.
The owners of Kinematic gave no reason for the closure, but thanked supporters via their Facebook post. Kinematic adds to a growing slate of Texas craft breweries permanently ending operations.
Such local closures include Rough Diamond Brewery, Barrelman Brewing and Boerne Brewery in the Hill Country north of San Antonio in the last couple of years.
“For the past nine years we have had the honor of sharing our passion with all of you. It has been nine years of laughter, fun, memories and friendship that we will cherish forever,” Kinematic’s owners said.
“With that said, we have decided to close the brewery and start a new chapter. Thank you so much for taking this journey with us, it's been a blast! Cheers!”
