Why aren there many big breweries from Texas?
Texas has some weird liquor laws that are not exactly favorable to breweries. It can be hard to start one up here, and fewer small startups now means fewer big breweries later. The water here also isn’t the best for some styles of beer. Arguably the best in the state is Live Oak, but they’re still not at a point where they can start bottling, so their beers are mostly just available on draught in restaurants and bars. In addition to Spoetzl (makers of Shiner), the Texas beers you’re most likely to find in stores are probably Real Ale and the excellent Saint Arnold’s, both of which make a decent variety of beers. Southern Star and Rahr & Sons are less widely available — I’ve never even tried any of their beers, though I have occasionally seen them on the racks.
