Legendary Gruene Hall nominated for coveted country music honor

Gruene Hall has been nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award

Gruene Hall Facebook

One of Texas' most iconic dance halls is finally getting its due. For the first time in its 145-year-old history, Gruene Hall has been nominated as Best Club of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.

It's an honor that has been a long time coming. Built in 1878, the legendary venue bills itself as "the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas." Over the years, the honky tonk has hosted some of country music's most celebrated names, including Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Merle Haggard. It has also been an early testing ground for countless musicians. George Strait, Hal Ketchum, and Lyle Lovett are among the fresh-faced talent that kickstarted careers on Gruene's stage.

Throughout all those barn-burning performances, Gruene Hall has remained largely unchanged. Its original layout has been preserved, with side flaps for open-air dancing, a bar in the front, a small lighted stage in the back, and a huge outdoor garden. Today, visitors two-step under Gruene's tin roof seven days a week.

"We've been extremely fortunate to have so many cool things happen at the Hall, and being nominated for an ACM Award is another example of one of those unexpected things we get to be a part of," says Mary Jane Nalley, cofounder of Gruene Hall, via a release. "It's our first time being nominated, which is kind of crazy and super thrilling."

Other nominees for the award include Coyote Joe's in Charlotte, Grizzly Rose in Denver, Joe's on Weed Street in Chicago, and Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth. Notably, no Nashville venues made it to the shortlist.

The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards will be hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks on May 11 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Gruene Hall, however, will be kept on pins and needles a little longer. The Industry Award winners will be announced at the Academy of Country Music Honors, a special event held in August at the hallowed Ryman Auditorium.

Shining New Cocktails

Home of Shiner Bock breaks ground on cocktail lounge and restaurant

Spoetzl Brewery cocktail lounge restaurant

Rendering courtesy of Spoetzl Brewery

The new cocktail lounge and restaurant will add lots of space for trying the new distillery's products.

Although Spoetzl Brewery is best known for its regionally iconic beer Shiner Bock, its new distillery has opened up a whole new world of drinking possibilities. One of those is a new cocktail lounge and restaurant on the Spoetzl Brewery property, which will soon be drawing folks from both sides of the beer and spirits aisle. Construction started September 6 with a groundbreaking ceremony.

Shiner Bock is named for the town of Shiner, located roughly between San Antonio and Houston, and with a population of only 2,173 as of 2022. The brew is locally known for its accessibility and nostalgia factor, although plenty of people simply enjoy it for its earthy, lightly hoppy flavor.

Now on the independent Spoetzl spirits roster are a vodka, a gin, and a grain mash blend. As of September 2024, visitors can tour the distillery and speakeasy for 45 minutes which includes a flight of Shiner craft spirits — but the new build stands out proudly from the current offerings and expands the property's capacity for cocktail lovers.

Spoetzl Brewery cocktail lounge restaurant Renderings also calls this building a tasting room.Rendering courtesy of Spoetzl Brewery

This new space will be on the brewery's premises, and despite a different approach (call it a different spirit), it still looks like what most Texans would expect from a brewery or distillery. The 8,500-square-foot project includes a large, black barn in a very contemporary style, which flips the script from the brewery's white, Mission Revival style and industrial architecture.

Spanning the cocktail lounge, a restaurant with a full kitchen, a private event space, and a covered patio, it'll provide seating for more than 200 visitors, and standing room for more than 300. Like the rest of the property, it'll be available to tours and tastings, but it also has some cozy elements to inspire longer stays, like an indoor fireplace and outdoor fire pits.

A retail shop sets guests up with bottles to bring home, and an exclusive VIP area shows off barrel picks. (Those are bottles that come from a specific barrel, which may have flavor variations compared to other barrels or the regular product).

Spoetzl Brewery cocktail lounge restaurant Hey, look! Parking!Rendering courtesy of Spoetzl Brewery

Although somewhat more tangential to this announcement than news of the distillery's opening, that project in 2023 also included the addition of a new barbecue spot that's only open around lunchtime. Details about the forthcoming full-scale restaurant don't include what kind of food the restaurant would serve; but the existing dining already has brisket, pulled pork, sausage, chicken, pork ribs, and sides covered.

Rendering courtesy of Spoetzl Brewery

The new cocktail lounge and restaurant will add lots of space for trying the new distillery's products.

The team has not shared information yet on when the project is expected to be completed, but the groundbreaking did happen as scheduled — so things seem to be on track so far.

More information about Spoetzl Brewery and Distillery is available at shiner.com.

shiner beer openings cocktails