In 1914, Bavarian immigrant Kosmos Spoetzl landed in the German-Czech farming community of Shiner, Texas, 90 miles east of San Antonio, by way of eight years working at the Pyramid Brewery in Cairo, Egypt. Acquiring the local Shiner Brewing Association, he launched a legendary Texas beer using his secret family recipe and local pure artesian well water.
Early on, the enterprising brewmaster filled his Model T with kegs and ice and served thirsty farmers in the field. In the 1940s, he replaced the brewery’s original tin building with an Alamo-like brick structure. Taking over after Spoetzl passed in 1950, his daughter Cecile, locally “Miss Celie,” was one of the first woman to run an American brewery.
Subject of the documentaries The Last of the Little Breweries (1976) and Something’s Brewin’ in Shiner (2004), the K. Spoetzl Brewery survived Prohibition and industry consolidation to become a signature Texas brand. Outdoor events for up to 300 people come with catering from the onsite K. Spoetzl BBQ Co., with private tours for up to 250 people and no-reservation tours of the onsite craft spirits distillery.
Taking home 17 awards at the 2023 World Beer Cup, Texas is tapped in with 340-plus breweries statewide, including these other group-capable standouts.
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, San Antonio
San Antonio’s former mighty Pearl Brewery was also run by a woman, founder Otto Koehler’s wife “Miss Emma,” starting in 1914. The brewing tradition continues at this suitably historic brewery-restaurant on the ground floor of the reincarnated Pearl brewhouse, now Hotel Emma. Chef-owner Jeff Balfour pairs craft beers with his coastal-influenced Texas cross-cultural menu. Rentals include the 20-capacity Silo and 200-person buyouts.
[Related: These Fast-Growing Texas Markets Have It All for Meetings]
Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Houston
In 1994, Houston was the biggest U.S. city without a microbrewery. That year, founders Brock Wagner and Kevin Bartol, capitalizing on the market gap, shipped their first keg of Saint Arnold beer. Located in a historic building just minutes from the George R. Brown Convention Center, Texas’ award-winning original craft brewery hosts and caters 300-capacity events in its authentic German-inspired Beer Hall and 100-capacity English-style Investors Pub.
Rahr & Sons Brewing Company, Fort Worth
Turning 20 in 2024, this popular spot for tours, tastings and events has family lineage back to 1847, when German immigrants William and Natalie Rahr arrived in Wisconsin. Descended from brewers, William founded the state’s first lager brewery, the Eagle, and a malt house that today produces and supplies malt and industry-related brewing supplies to some 90% of U.S. breweries.
Founded by his great-great-grandson Frederick William “Fritz” Rahr Jr., the brewery offers 30,000 square feet of versatile space, including the 300-capacity main bar, for an array of events.
Rollertown Beerworks, Celina and Frisco
In the late 1800s, city planners in communities like future Metroplex centers Celina and Frisco could only guess where future railroads would be. When off the mark, they used traction engines to literally roll their emerging communities close to the lifeblood tracks.
Inspired by this “make it happen” spirit, North Texas radio personalities Ben “Kenobi” Rogers and Skinny “Skin” Wade opened Rollertown Beerworks in 2020 as the first brewery in Celina, 50 miles north of Dallas. After twice expanding behind the success of beers like the Big German—named for German-born Dallas Mavericks’ legend Dirk Nowitzki, a partner and investor in the project—they are now moving production to Frisco (named for the St. Louis-San Francisco railroad) in a big way.
Targeting Q1 2025, the new brew house comes with a 13,000-plus-square-foot two-level indoor/outdoor taproom, beer garden and rooftop deck. With event hosting a big part of the plan, the 2.6-acre downtown site near Toyota Stadium will include 30,000 square feet of green space featuring at least one large performance stage.
Galveston Island Brewing, Galveston
Next summer marks 10 years for award-winning home brewer Mark Dell’Osso, whose co-owner wife Liesel encouraged him to launch the business that would come to produce the Official Beer of Galveston, their flagship Tiki Wheat. Indoor rentals at the brewery’s production facility include the first floor for 50-plus groups and upper mezzanine for smaller gatherings.
B-52 Brewing Company, Conroe
It’s also 10 candles in 2024 for this scenic escape founded by beer-loving brothers Chad and Brent Daniel in 2014. After extensively practicing homebrewing while in college, they went road-tripping in search of market research, hitting breweries from Texas to Vancouver.
Set within a forest near Lake Conroe an hour north of Houston, their onsite brewery and accompanying large climate-controlled taproom and shaded three-acre beer garden reflect their easygoing embrace of the communal nature of beer. That includes private event hosting, ranging from semi-private 50-person beer garden gatherings to 120-person taproom buyouts and 600-capacity full venue buyouts. Resources include an onsite event coordinator and food trucks.
[Related: Texas CVB Leaders Share Meetings and Events Outlook for 2023 and Beyond]
Tupps Brewery, McKinney
Launched by homebrewing buddies Keith Lewis and Tupper Patnode in 2015, Tupps Brewery is among the most popular attractions in accessible small group destination McKinney, 30 miles north of Dallas. Targeting a September 2023 opening, their next chapter is the reinvention of the 120-year-old McKinney Grain site with a new state-of-the-art brewery and retail craft market housed in former grain bins.
Expanded group venues include a 10,000-square-foot taproom, 8,000-square-foot covered patio and two beer gardens with a converted loading dock serving as an outdoor stage. Covering 4.3 acres, the campus adjoins The Augustus special event venue and Local Yocal BBQ and Grill, creating additional event and banqueting options.
