Of the thousands of people who take up residence in the Hill Country each year, many have been home brewers, that breed of men and women who have the urge to create what they like to drink. When that passion turns to wanting everyone else to share in the fruits of their labors, it was only natural that they would start serving up beer in the towns they call home.
Fred Hernandez and his wife Jennifer, former mechanical and chemical engineers respectively, fell into the homebrew scene with a simple do-it-yourself kit. When he found himself making and giving away his five-gallon batches of beer at the request of people he didn't even know, he figured it was time to go pro and sell it to the locals.
"It's astonishing how many beer drinkers there are in our tiny town," Hernandez says of how his beer has been received in Boerne in the last year. "We didn't name it the Boerne Brewery by accident," Hernandez says. "We want to be the brewery for Boerne."
Similar stories abound throughout the wide swath of the Hill Country from New Braunfels to San Saba.
Nearly a quarter of all Texas breweries are on the main streets or among the rural, rolling hills of the Texas Hill Country. The German roots of many of the towns include a rich tradition of excellence in brewing, but the brewers of today's Hill Country come from all walks of life and bring variety and invention to tried-and-true formulas.
While Hill Country residents may enjoy a brew from Houston, San Diego or Munich from time to time, they still want to pop down to the beer garden, restaurant or grocery store and pick up a cold one they can call their own.
"From the small town perspective, that's a great formula for a local brewpub," says Charles Vallhorant, executive director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, which now has more than 100 members. The Hill Country also is ideal for larger breweries that package and keg their beers for sale in bars, restaurants and stores thanks to the availability of land and room to grow, he says.
But it isn't just locals drinking their favorites. Distribution deals have put everything from Hill Country golden lagers to sour brews made with wild yeast in the hands of consumers sometimes hundreds of miles away.
People also are making their way into area for brewery tours the way wineries have traditionally drawn travelers.
New laws passed by the Texas Legislature last year make it possible for production breweries to sell patrons a pint right out of the brewery, leading most to add tap rooms. Brewpubs, which traditionally have been breweries tied to restaurants, can now distribute their beer, making it available beyond the front door of the establishment.
Lee Hereford, CEO and co-founder of Pedernales Brewing Co. in Fredericksburg said he chose the Hill Country city over San Antonio or Austin because of the 1.2 million visitors who come to the area each year. Peaches, museums, shops, food and wineries have always been a draw, but with Pedernales and the well-established the Fredericksburg Brewing Co. brewpub in the heart of downtown, beer tourism is high on the list of many visitors.
Special events, such as the annual Real Ale anniversary party at the Real Ale Brewing Co. in Blanco also bring out the faithful, sometimes in the thousands. Real Ale, once an Austin and Hill Country staple, now commands a statewide following and has grown to meet the demand. But die-hard beer fans from all over don't miss the annual bash where the brewers pull out all the stops to impress visitors.
Jester King Brewery, which specializes in Belgian-style farmhouse ales and a lot of experimentation, drew more than 4,000 people to a party at its Hill Country brewery, exceeding all expectations.
With more than 100 beers from 22 breweries, and more in the works, drinkers can find traditional renditions of classic styles from Germany, England and Belgium in the Hill Country and plenty that turn beer on its head or give it a Texas twist.
"I'm, for the most part, a traditionalist," says Ray Mitteldorf, head brewer at Faust Brewering Co. in New Braunfels. "That's what I like to drink and that's what I like to make. But I like the fact that others are out there doing different things in different niches. It's good for the business that there's a wide variety out there. It's better for the breweries and better for the consumer."
Travis E. Poling is a writer living in New Braunfels and co-author of the book "Beer Across Texas: A Guide to the Brews and Brewers of the Lone Star State."
