San Antonio’s Maverick Publishing Co., which brought us the Wine Roads of Texas in 2002 has met the surging popularity of ale and porter with Beer Across Texas, lovingly compiled by Paul Hightower and longtime San Antonio journalist Travis Poling. A sea of Bud Light may threaten to drown you at any public SA event, but as this slim volume demonstrates, Texans are reclaiming their German brewmaster heritage, from Houston (Southern Star’s Pine Belt Pale Ale) to El Paso (Jaxon’s Chihuahua Brown Ale). The Hill Country and environs are stocked with brewers, naturally, including San Antonio’s Freetail, but our beaches are not dry, either, thanks to the Padre Island Brewing Company, and the old science lab in Eola’s once-abandoned schoolhouse now produces handcrafted beer. The book also contains a pithy guide to beer types and where to find them in the Lone Star State.
Poling will discuss his painstaking research, and guide you through a few beer samples, at the first book-signing event at the Twig BookShop at the Pearl — and, yes, the book’s brief history of Texas brewing includes the old Pearl brewery. Can you feel the stars aligning? 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, November 17, 200 E. Grayson, Ste. 124. beeracrosstexas.com. — Elaine Wolff
