Saturday is Boerne Brew City Day, as declared by the Boerne City Council Tuesday — part of local breweries’ participation in National Craft Brewers Week.
Boerne’s “Brew City, Texas” designation celebration began May 10 when the city’s microbreweries — 28 Songs, Cibolo Creek Brewing, Dodging Duck Brewhaus, Free Roam Brewing, Hamby’s and Tusculum Brewing — issued Brew City Texas “passport” cards, whereby the cardholder would receive an official Brew City Texas T-shirt by purchasing a beer at any four of the six breweries.
Ty Wolosin, of Cibolo Creek Brewing and the District 1 Boerne city councilman, said the brew community was elated by participation in the Passport Day event used to kick-start the May 13-19 Craft Brewers Week.
“We didn’t expect it to be as successful as it was,” Wolosin said, as the 200 T-shirts, meant to last through the week, disappeared over the opening weekend event.
“Friday and Saturday, they burned through most of their (200) shirts ... which just shows the demand locally,” he added.
The Texas Craft Brewer’s Guild website says the “Brew City, Texas” program is “dedicated to propelling Texas to the forefront of craft beer generated economic development and tourism.”
A proclamation read at Tuesday’s City Council meeting presented a picture of what Wolosin said is a brew community that exists to help bring tourists to town, lends a hand to many of the 100plus nonprofits and service organizations and does its part to foster growth within the community.
The proclamation said Boerne “recognizes the economic, cultural, and social contributions of the craft brewing industry to our community” which “has grown significantly in recent years, fostering entrepreneurship, job creation, and tourism.”
The city recognized the brew industry as “contributing to the vibrancy and character of our city” while “recognizing its role in enhancing quality of life and fostering community pride,” the proclamation added.
Saturday’s Bock Walk involves customers visiting all six breweries and purchasing a pint or half-pint of their own Maibock-style beer on tap. The Walk will begin a little after 11 a.m., Wolosin said, with a group starting at Dodging Duck — the oldest of the breweries, at 23 years — before proceeding to Cibolo Creek, Tusculum, Free Roam and Hamby’s, all within walking distance, before driving down to 28 Songs on North Main Street.
Or, he said, Bock Walkers could start at 28 Songs then drive into town and carry on from there.
“When they walk in, each brewery will have a Maibock available. Most of the locations have food or food trucks there,” he said. “Maibock is a different kind of bock. If you like amber or Shiner Bock, then you would like the Maibock.”
The Boerne brewing community is a close-knit group, he said.
“In the brew community, we’re all friends; it’s been like that, and this is just taking it to another level,” he said. “We always help each other ... (and) keep building on the camaraderie.”
The “Brew City Texas” label is not only supported by the council, but by entities with a hand in local business development.
The city’s Economic Development Department “is out there, trying to get more craft industry into our community,” he said. “We have city council staff that is supportive, and the (Greater) Boerne Chamber of Commerce has always been supportive.”
The Texas Craft Brewers Guild, he said, “used our city as an example of what a ‘Brew City’ should be, and should have.
“Our main goal is, ‘How can we help attract more businesses to the city?’” Wolosin said. “As a councilman, mine is, ‘How can we work together to encourage that?’”
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