The History of Alamo Beer: A San Antonio Brewery Name Since 1884
The Alamo Beer name has been part of San Antonio beer history for more than 140 years. Long before today’s Alamo Beer Company opened its brewery and taproom, a beer called Alamo was being brewed in San Antonio by the original Lone Star Brewing Company.
Founded in 1884 with backing from prominent San Antonio businessmen and brewing magnate Adolphus Busch, the original Lone Star Brewing Company helped usher San Antonio into a new era of commercial brewing. Among the beers it produced was Alamo Beer.
Today’s Alamo Beer Company is not a direct continuation of that original brewery, but the name—and its connection to San Antonio—is an important part of our story. It’s a piece of Texas beer history we’re proud to carry forward.
The Alamo Beer Timeline
1884 — Original Lone Star Brewing Company begins brewing in San Antonio, including a beer called Alamo.
1919 — Prohibition ends production and the Alamo Beer name disappears.
1994–1995 — Eugene Simor discovers the dormant Alamo trademark and secures it.
1997 — The first batch of the revived Alamo Beer is brewed.
2003 — Alamo Golden Ale begins flowing in San Antonio.
2015 — Alamo Beer Company opens its San Antonio brewery and taproom.
Today — Alamo Beer Company continues brewing in San Antonio and carrying the historic name forward.
The Original Alamo Beer and San Antonio’s Brewing History
San Antonio already had a growing beer culture by the late 1800s, fueled in part by the city’s large German population and a growing taste for lager-style beers. In 1884, local businessmen established the original Lone Star Brewing Company with significant financial backing from St. Louis brewing magnate Adolphus Busch.
The brewery became one of the most advanced brewing operations in Texas. Its San Antonio facility included its own bottling plant and used nearby rail connections to distribute beer throughout Texas and beyond. At its peak, Lone Star reportedly sold as much as 65,000 barrels of lager annually under several labels—including Alamo Beer.
That makes Alamo Beer more than a name inspired by San Antonio. Beer bearing the Alamo name was part of the city’s brewing culture more than a century ago.
Today, the historic Lone Star brewery complex is home to the San Antonio Museum of Art, preserving a physical piece of the city’s brewing past.
The Alamo Girl, advertising, Lone Star Brewing Co. 1880s–1903
Alamo Beer Advertising in Texas newspapers, circa 1800s-early 1900s
Alamo Girl painting, circa 1800s-early 1900s
How Prohibition Ended the Original Alamo Beer
When Prohibition began, the original Lone Star Brewing Company stopped producing beer and eventually closed. Alamo Beer disappeared with it.
History note: The Lone Star Beer known today came from a separate San Antonio brewery that later acquired the Lone Star name. It was not the same company that originally brewed Alamo Beer.
How Alamo Beer Company Brought the Name Back to San Antonio
For decades after Prohibition, the Alamo Beer name remained dormant. That changed in the 1990s when San Antonio beer enthusiast Eugene Simor discovered that the Alamo trademark was available and saw an opportunity to bring the historic beer name back to its hometown.
1994: Simor discovered the Alamo trademark was available.
1995: He secured the trademark, beginning a new chapter for the Alamo Beer name.
1997: The first new batch of Alamo Beer was brewed with Frio Brewing.
2002: Simor connected with Real Ale Brewing Company in Blanco, Texas, to continue developing and brewing Alamo Beer.
2003: Alamo Golden Ale began flowing in San Antonio, returning the Alamo Beer name to the city’s beer scene.
2015: Alamo Beer Company opened its brewery and taproom in San Antonio, giving the revived Alamo Beer name a permanent home in the city.
The modern Alamo Beer Company isn’t a direct continuation of the brewery that first produced Alamo Beer in the 1800s. But more than a century later, the name is once again connected to beer brewed in San Antonio—carrying a small but meaningful piece of the city’s brewing history forward.
What the Alamo Beer Name Means to Us Today
For us, the history of Alamo Beer isn’t about claiming to be the same brewery that operated in San Antonio in 1884. It’s about recognizing that the name has a real place in our city’s brewing story.
Today’s Alamo Beer Company carries that name forward as a San Antonio brewery rooted in the city and community we call home. We brew honest, great-tasting beer and classic styles made to be shared—whether you’re a lifelong San Antonian or visiting the city for the first time.
More than 140 years after San Antonians first drank a beer called Alamo, you can once again order an Alamo Beer brewed right here in San Antonio.
Comments are closed