Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner)

German and Czech settlers around Shiner, in central Texas, set up the Shiner Brewing Association in 1909. Kosmos Spoetzl, a brewmaster trained in Bavaria, leased it in 1914 and bought it a year later. The brewery took his name; the beer kept the town’s. Shiner Bock, a dark lager, began as a beer for Lent and now makes up about three quarters of output. Carlos Alvarez of San Antonio bought the brewery in 1989, and output rose from about 36,000 barrels in 1990 to 100,000 in 1994. His family’s Gambrinus Company still owns it, and Wikipedia calls it the oldest independent brewery in Texas.