On January 10, 1901, several failed attempts, a whole lot of lost money, and even more blood, sweat and tears all became worth it when a drill bit finally hit paydirt at a depth of 1,139 feet in a major oil discovery at Spindletop Hill outside of Beaumont, Texas. The "gusher" produced a previously unheard of 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day and forever changed the landscape of industry in the State of Texas, as people flocked in from near and far to try to stake their claim to the black gold buried beneath the surface. Fast forward 110 years: Texans love their beer, but when it came to finding high quality crafts, the well is a duster. Outdated distribution laws and on site sales regulations have rendered the industry non-economic, and with a very select few exceptions, Texans must drink craft beer imported from other states or none at all. And then in an instant everything changed.
A few smart legislators lead by the prospect of job growth and competitive markets set their crosshairs on the old way of doing things and hit another economic gusher when they successfully changed the laws favorably for the craft brewery industry in Texas. The revolution was underway. In beer terms, a Spindle Tap is a wooden handle with round shaped spindles used to open the flow of beer from the keg through the spigot for the pour into the glass. But regardless of material or design, at SpindleTap Brewery, we embrace the booming growth of the industry and welcome each and every new tap handle we see in the restaurants, bars and retailers of our great State. Our name is a celebration of the rapid expansion of the industry - one that was long overdue. The past is repeating itself, we have again hit paydirt.
