A Red Rock beer maker known for its fire-brewing techniques is again making a maverick move. Wild Bunch Brewing will open a second location about an hour’s drive from San Antonio on September 26 — the first brewery in Luling city limits.

“At Wild Bunch, we love making beer, and we love serving it to our favorite people who show up here at the taproom,” wrote the business on Facebook. “We have been paying our dues and upping our game of brewing for the last 10 years, and we have an amazing opportunity to open a second taproom in Luling.”

From the start, Wild Bunch has been on a quirky trajectory. Charlie Sullivan and Larry Laviolette founded Wild Bunch in 2013 in LaGrange, later joined by Jarle Lillemoen, a home-brewer, industrial distiller, and a Ph.D. biochemist. The team opened their first taproom in 2018 in a converted barn in rural Red Rock.

The brewing itself was hardly the industry norm. Wild Bunch focuses on flame heating, which produces what the brewers call “wonderful caramelly and complex flavors that enhance the beer drinking experience.” And the brew crew built it a gravity based system, the time-honored technique used before the invention of modern pumps.

The upcoming Luling brewery is taking over a former service station.Wild Bunch Brewing/ Facebook

The Luling brewery, at 522 E. Pierce St., will be a more modern facility, but the team is still adapting an existing building to its needs. Instead of a barn, they have converted a former service station that was most recently used as an insurance office.

San Antonio daytrippers will also be happy to know that the address is a quick walk away from the brisket at City Market.

During the opening celebration, Wild Bunch says it will have its own “special food” and six beers on tap. Although the brewery did not specify the opening lineup, it is untamed by style, producing hits like Red Rock Wild IPA, Waterhole Gold (a crisp Ale), and a classic Hefeweizen.