The bustling San Antonio beer scene always gives Alamo City something to discuss over a cold one. From a weeklong celebration of the local craft beer community to a Hill Country brewer unveiling plans for a pizzeria, we’ve untapped all the essential brewery news this month.
Beer Week returns
October means it’s time for San Antonio Beer Week, the annual weeklong celebration of San Antonio’s craft beer scene. The fun begins October 11 at Dos Sirenos Brewing Co. with a brewers’ breakfast, a ticketed event where guests can enjoy pours from 10 participating breweries.
Later the same day, Kunstler Brewing and Southtown’s Mixtli will debut a special beer release — a milk stout made with cajeta, cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt. The crew at Mixtli will put together a one-night tapa to pair with the new beer, which event organizers said will also be a salute to Hispanic Heritage Month.
Other highlights include:
- October 13 — Idle Beer Hall and Brewery invites community members to read “mean reviews” of local breweries and beer products.
- October 14 — Wild Barley Kitchen and Brewery hosts a pop-up with Kunstler Brewing featuring a Mexican barbecue-inspired menu, a special edition collaborative beer, and Wild Barley’s own new Fresh Hop IPA.
- October 16 — Idle Beer Hall serves as a new location for the yearly Brewers’ Olympics.
Beer Week activities culminate in the 20th annual San Antonio Beer Festival on October 18 at Hemisfair. More than 230 beers, ciders, seltzers, and wine-based ready-to-drink beverages will be available for sampling.
Festival-goers will also have access to games, entertainment, food trucks, and other vendors. Tickets start at $45, with proceeds benefiting the San Antonio Food Bank.
Beer lovers can grab a San Antonio Beer Week passport at any participating local brewery, visit eight spots during Beer Week, and earn a limited-edition glass. The snazzy souvenir can be picked up on October 19 at The Roundabout or The Growler Exchange in Midtown.
Shane Smith & The Saints headline Shinerfest.Shane Smith & The Saints/ Facebook
Shiner Fest on tap
K. Spoetzl Brewery and Distillery, the maker of the iconic Shiner Beer, is bringing back Shiner Fest on October 25. From noon-9:30 pm, revelers can sample beer, snack on bites, and listen to raucous sets from Shane Smith and the Saints, Wilder Blue, Bottomland, and Beyond Shiner. Tickets start at $42, with kids ages 12 and under admitted for free. Guests may bring their lawn chairs and blankets.
Pizza party
Don Krezt, the owner of Boerne’s 28 Songs Brewhouse and Kitchen, is getting into the pizza biz. Carmella’s Pizza Parlor will open in January 2026 near the Northern Boerne brewpub, according to a social media announcement.
Carmella’s will be led by Zachary Disch, the former owner and head chef of Z’s Pizza, which closed in 2024 following a 10-year stint. Once open, guests will be able to chow down on Detroit-style deep-dish pizza, thin-crust pies, pasta, grinders, salads, and gelato in a vintage pizzeria atmosphere, complete with white and red checkered tablecloths and classic arcade games.
Puro Tepache is entering a new era.Photo courtesy of Puro Tepache.
Growth spurt
The folks at San Antonio’s Puro Tepache say they are scaling up production to meet the rising demand for their drink — a lightly fizzy, probiotic-rich, pineapple-based sipper that can be traced back to pre-Columbian Mexico and the Aztecs.
This fall, the firm is enlarging its manufacturing footprint at the LocalSprout Food Hub on San Antonio’s near East Side, more than doubling its capacity with new commercial brewing equipment.
According to the release, the upsizing represents a 150 percent increase in Puro Tepache’s production and gives the company the ability to extend distribution from the San Antonio area into other major Texas cities.
Co-owner Emmanuel Casasola, who owns the business with Kevin Rodriguez, says his tepache has wide appeal because it is just 90 calories, and made with only six all-natural ingredients — locally-sourced pineapple rinds, cinnamon, cloves, piloncillo, and monk fruit. Next on the horizon is a new rose flavor.
“When we first started, it was about making the best tepache you could find in Texas,” Casasola said in a statement. “That goal hasn’t shifted, but we now see the traction and appetite for us to expand even further. Our focus is on maintaining the highest-quality product, while sharing it on a broader scale with audiences across Texas and beyond.”
The growth in demand and production also lets Puro Tepache explore co-packing opportunities and support other small beverage brands around South Texas. The company has already received accolades from the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“We’re excited not only to grow Puro Tepache, but to create opportunities for other independent companies to scale alongside us,” the team said.