The Saint Arnold Brewing Company building in Houston

Saint Arnold, the oldest craft brewery in Texas, and the laws it fought

ByDana Kowalczyk

Photo: WhisperToMe, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Brock Wagner and Kevin Bartol left jobs in finance to start Saint Arnold Brewing in 1994 in a warehouse in northwest Houston. It was named for St. Arnold of Metz, a patron saint of brewers. Saint Arnold is now considered the oldest operating craft brewery in Texas.

Its early beers, including Amber Ale, Lawnmower and Fancy Lawnmower, found buyers in Houston bars and grocery stores. The brewery added seasonal and specialty beers such as the Divine Reserve series.

The new home

In 2010, Saint Arnold moved into a former Houston Independent School District food service building on Lyons Avenue, just north of downtown. In 2018 it opened a beer garden and restaurant next to the brewery, adding a full-service restaurant.

Fighting the law

For years Texas law did not allow production breweries to sell beer directly to customers for consumption on-site. Saint Arnold ran tours to get around the rule, selling tour tickets that came with samples. Wagner pushed the Legislature to change the law, and reforms in 2013 allowed taproom sales. In 2019, lawmakers allowed breweries to sell beer to go.

Houston craft beer

Saint Arnold’s success helped open the door to dozens of other Houston breweries, such as 8th Wonder, Karbach and Eureka Heights. Brewery growth has slowed, and some have closed, but Saint Arnold remains independent and continues to anchor the local scene.

More in Business