The craft beer industry has had its challenges in recent years, but many San Antonio breweries old and new have demonstrated their ability to adapt, innovate, and expand their offerings to local beer fans. This year's nominees for Brewery of the Year in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards reflect the diversity of San Antonio’s breweries.

Some of these nominees are focused on specific types of beers, while others are pairing their brews with an array of foods that go beyond the traditional pub grub.

The Tastemaker Award judges have their work cut out for them, but one brewery will walk away a winner from the Tastemaker Awards ceremony, which will be held April 10 at the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

Check out the contenders below, then read about all the Tastemaker nominees through our special editorial series. Readers can also get a ticket to our tasting event. Early bird tickets are on sale now for $60 for general admission and $99 VIP, which includes early admission and a dedicated bar. Act fast, however, as ticket prices will rise after March 12. They are expected to sell out.

Here are the nominees for 2025 Brewery of the Year:

Back Unturned Brewing Co.
Owner Ricardo Garcia and his team have developed an assortment of beers at Back Unturned, which sits along the San Antonio River downtown. But craft beer aficionados can find plenty of hoppy brews as well as dark beers, from dark lagers to stouts. Not in the mood for a beer? No problem. Back Unturned has expanded its menu to feature spirited cocktails and wine. Non-drinkers can also choose from a selection of mocktails. If that's not enough, visitors can pick from a variety of food items, such as wings, salads, nachos and pizza.

Black Laboratory Brewing Co.
Having briefly halted beer production, Black Laboratory has bounced back in a big way. The East Side brewery resumed producing fan-favorite beers such as Grizzly Greg’s Amber ale, Apple Bottom Bindi blonde ale, and Mox’s IPA. Additionally, Black Laboratory is sticking with its housemade hard seltzer, and continues to offer wines and guest beers from other breweries. The owners also acquired a neighboring pizzeria and rebranded it 2-1-Dough Pizza Co. in 2023; it now serves up a wide variety of pizzas and focaccia sandwiches.

Cactus Land Brewing Co.
Tucked away on the far Southeast Side about 30 minutes from downtown, Cactus Land offers a range of craft beers to be enjoyed in a rural setting. The owners and brewers, Erica and Dustin Teague, focus on stouts, IPA’s, pilsners, wheat beers, fruit beer, and sour beers, but the menu often has a seasonal or other surprise brew. Cactus Land also has locally sourced wines and ciders, frozen wine options, food trucks, live music on an outdoor stage, and a periodic outdoor market.

Cibolo Creek Brewing Co.
Located in Boerne in the Hill Country, Cibolo Creek Brewing has created a standard rotation of core beers such as the Creekside IPA and Boerne Blonde using a seven-barrel large batch system. But guests have come to enjoy seasonal fruity brews, or double IPAs and imperial stouts that are produced at Cibolo Creek’s separate small batch barrel system. The family-owned brewery also serves up food fare such as blackened shrimp tacos, pastrami Reubens, pork schnitzel, and burgers with goat patties and locally sourced ingredients.

Dos Sirenos Brewing Co.
Many of the beers produced by Dos Sirenos bear themes of the sea and mythical beings. As such, brews such as the Sea Turtle Stout, Trident Trippel, Kronos Hazy IPA, Medusa Black IPA, and Zeus Juice have become staples at the Southtown brewery. Dos Sirenos’ food menu is loaded with numerous brunch, lunch, and dinner items, ranging from goat cheese poutine and tiramisu French toast to Thai Philly steak noodles and chorizo burgers.

Freetail Brewing Co.
One of San Antonio’s oldest active breweries, Freetail provides an array of classic beers such as Soul Doubt, Bat Outta Helles, Rye Wit, Velocihoptor, La Muerta, and OktoberFiesta from its two locations. The folks at Freetail have won many industry awards over the years, and regularly offer unique seasonals and other small-batch brews. Hungry patrons can always rely on a food menu that features brick oven pizzas, sandos, and salads.

Idle Beer Hall and Brewery
Idle, relatively speaking, is one of the new kids in the local craft beer scene. Based in the emerging River North neighborhood, Idle has a spacious beer hall where visitors can enjoy brews such as El Dorado Mexican Lager, Berry Subtle Fruited Cream Ale, Mad’s Crystal Hef, and Tailfin West Coast IPA. It also has more boozy options, including an espresso martini, margaritas, palomas, and other cocktails. Thanks to the space and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, Idle has become a spot to rent out for a special event. It’s family and pet friendly, too.

Longtab Brewing Co.
Situated in the Leon Valley area, Longtab offers a variety of beers, each of which pay tribute to the U.S. military, particularly the storied histories of Special Forces and Green Berets. That’s because owner David Holland is a Special Forces veteran. Holland and his team at Longtab share those military histories and tributes with visitors, many of whom are veterans; however civilians also get some education on the topic. Additionally, Longtab serves up as a full service coffee bar with custom roasted and branded coffee. They also have wines, ciders, and an extensive food menu.

Roadmap Brewing Co.
Roadmap has brewed a line of award-winning core beers, such as the Alright Alright Alright Pilsner, Craven Cottage English pub ale, and Mama Dukes West Coast IPA. But there’s a large rotating selection of brews, including a New England IPA series named “Cat on a ….” with fun fill-in-the-blanks every time a new beer is introduced. Additionally, Roadmap offers popular annual brews, such as Cousin Eddy’s Hot Coco Marshmallow and Cocoa Stout, which tend to run out fast.

Wild Barley Kitchen and Brewery
Texas A&M University graduates Holland Lawrence and Marc Fogelsong opened Wild Barley in 2021 with a focus on serving fresh sourdough-based bagels and other foods in a cozy restaurant setting. The duo launched a microbrewery at Wild Barley in 2023, and Lawrence uses skills he developed at Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling toward producing beers such as the Landa Park Pils; Safety Meeting, a hazy IPA; and Dubbel Dutch, a Belgian dubbel. Guests can pair their housemade brew with a sourdough pizza baked in a brick oven, or a sandwich, burger, or salad.

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The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is brought to you by The Yuengling Company, PicMe Events, Audio Visual Consultations, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, Culinaria.