Spoetzl Brewery
Shiner, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built by the Shiner Brewing Association, a stock company of local men. Sold in April 1915 to Kosmas Spoetzl (1873-1950), native of Bavaria and former operator of a brewery in Cairo, Egypt. This plant remained open in 1918-33 (prohibition era), making "Near Beer" and ice. The owner's daughter, "Miss Cecelie", joined staff in 1922. (She became only woman in U.S.A. to be sole owner of a brewery in 1950.) A nephew, August Haslebeck, joined in 1934; granddaughter Rosa, in 1964. In family over 50 years, the plant retains historic name, although sold in 1966 to new owners.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The brewery at Shiner was launched by a stock company of local men and then sold in 1915 to Kosmas Spoetzl, a Bavarian brewmaster who had even run a brewery in Cairo, Egypt. It weathered Prohibition by making "near beer" and ice, and stayed a family enterprise for more than half a century. Spoetzl's daughter, "Miss Cecilie," joined the business in 1922 and in 1950 became, by the marker's account, the only woman in the United States to be sole owner of a brewery.
Why it matters
The Spoetzl Brewery ties immigrant craft, the survival of small business through Prohibition, and a rare woman brewery owner into one enduring Texas institution.
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Related people
- · Kosmas Spoetzl
- · Cecilie Spoetzl
Related events
- · Prohibition
Themes & tags
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