The Lone Star Brewery, built in 1884, was the first large mechanized brewery in Texas. Adolphus Busch, of Anheuser-Busch, founded it along with a group of San Antonio businessmen. The castle-like building which was once its brewery now houses the San Antonio Museum of Art. Lone Star beer was the company's main brand. The beer is still marketed as "The National Beer of Texas." The Lone Star name is now owned by Pabst Brewing Company. Production of Lone Star is currently contracted out to Miller Brewing Company in Fort Worth. The Lone Star name is used in the Philippines under license to Asia Brewery for a brand of light beer.
History
It was made in San Marcos before the Alamo Brewing Company of San Antonio in 1874, the company was purchased by Anheuser-Busch in 1895, when it was housed in the Old Lone Star Brewery located on 200 West Jones Avenue. The original Lone Star Bottling Works opened in San Antonio in the 1890s, and by 1903 was selling 65,000 barrels of beer annually.
With the end of Prohibition in 1933, a new brewery under the name Sabinas Brewing Company was constructed at 600 Lone Star Boulevard and operated under the Sabinas name until 1939. The company then operated under name to the Champion Brewing Company until 1940, when it was purchased by the Muchlebach Brewing Company of Kansas City, Missouri. The company rebranded itself as the Lone Star Brewing Company and began officially producing Lone Star Beer that year.[1] The brewery also produced Lone Star Light, low-calorie Lime Lager (1970), and Brut Super Premium (1969).
In 1940, brewer Peter Kreil from Munich created the formula for the first beer to actually be called Lone Star beer. In 1949, under the leadership of Harry Jersig, Lone Star went public. By 1960, the brewery had 651 employees and by 1965, annual sales exceeded 1 million barrels.
In 1956, the Lone Star Brewery purchased the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum collection. Harry Jersig, president of the brewery and a friend of the Friedrich's, continued to add to the collection and had a special building erected on the Lone Star grounds to house the collection.
In the 1970s, Lone Star's sales benefited from Jerry Retzloff, former marketing and promotions manager for Lone Star Beer and his close association with Willie Nelson, the Austin music scene and their Giant Armadillo. The beer is mentioned frequently in the title track of Red Steagall's 1976 album "Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills Music".
Detroit-based Stroh Brewery Co. then bought Heileman and closed the San Antonio brewery in 1996, moving beer production to Longview, Texas, and signaling the end of San Antonio as a major brewing town. In the 1990s, Lone Star introduced Lone Star Ice and Lone Star Dry for a short period of time.[2]
Milwaukee-based Pabst bought most of the Stroh brands, including Lone Star, in 1999, and began brewing Lone Star at the San Antonio Pearl Brewery to great fanfare. In 1999, the company began to sponsor Texas singers and musicians, such as Two Tons of Steel, with the beer's "It's a Texas Thing" advertising campaign.[2] In 2000, the Pearl Brewery was closed because it was outdated and would have been too expensive to continue to operate or to bring up to date. Production of Lone Star is currently contracted out to non-Pabst-owned breweries (e.g. Miller Brewing Company in Fort Worth).
Detective Rust Cohle, played by Matthew McConaughey, drinks a six pack during his interview in True Detective. The beer can also be seen numerous times throughout the first season.
Carter and her friends are seen drinking Lone Star Beer in the third episode of Finding Carter.
This beer is also presented in almost every bar scene of the sixth season of The Mentalist.
Ed and Patsy Bruce's 1975 song "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" (a tune made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson) references "Lone Star belt-buckles and ol' faded Levi's" as appurtenances.[5]
Country music singer-songwriter Pat Green references Lone Star beer in his song "Here We Go", singing, "There's Lone Star beer in my cereal..."
The beer is referenced in the Johnny Paycheck song "11 Months and 29 Days"; the lyrics include: "Keep the Lone Star cold, the dance floor hot while I'm gone".
In the David Allen Coe song “Spotlight” there is a line saying “Tell Lone Star Beer that I’m dry”.
Country-Western Singer-songwriter Red Steagalls song "Lone Star Beer and Bob Will's Music" from the album of the same name from 1976 references Lone Stone Beer in its chorus which goes: "Lone Star beer and Bob Will Music, when I hear faded love I feel at home. Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills music have kept my heart alive since you've been gone."
Texas indie rock band Lift to Experience mention Lone Star Beer as a signifier with a prophecy in the lyrics to the song "Just As Was Told" on the 2001 album "The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads".
Country artist Vinny Tovar references Lone Star Beer in his song "Leaving With My Heart".
Images
1884 Lone Star Brewery, 200 West Jones Avenue, San Antonio, TX
1933 Lone Star Brewery, 600 Lone Star Boulevard, San Antonio, TX
