Local Craft Breweries near Eola, TX (5)

Meet Mark Cannon. He’s the owner of Eola School Restaurant and Brewery. He brews the beer, cooks the delicious burgers and fries, makes homemade pizza, does all the cleaning and renovation work required, and tends to the garden that supplies most of his restaurant’s needs. Some have called him “a real Renaissance man”. The brewery and restaurant was once a school from 1928 to 1983, and back then, the center of the community of Eola. Mark is from Portland, Oregon but his roots are in Texas. After arriving in 2003, he soon purchased the school. Many speculate his was the only offer. The place still looks like “an unfinished construction zone” according to some, but being a one-man show, many have also admired what he’s done with the place. If you can overlook the “rough edges”, Mark’s brewery, restaurant, and his Farm Ale have a cult-like following on the internet, and seem deserving of the 5-stars he gets.

The small town of Rowena has a population of only about 700 inhabitants. However, that didn’t deter Mike McNeill from putting up Horny Toad Brewing Company. His wife Diane was originally from Rowena, and they decided to move back to town in 2011. He acquired and converted the old Rowena Filling Station which serves as his brewery and taproom. The brewery is directly across a memorial dedicated to the prohibition. Taproom visitors feel more like members of a very large family according to Mike. The brewery is open only on the first Saturday of each month. Mike still keeps his full time job as a civilian contractor at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo. The rest of the month he spends brewing his beers on his 7-barrel system, which runs on manual power. He self-distributes his beers to various pubs in the San Angelo area including the brewery’s flagship beer Angelo Amber.

The South Concho Taphouse & Brew Company (or simply, The Soco Taphouse) offers a wide variety of craft beers “at a good price”. Its founders started as friends. Mark was a bartender and Brandon was a regular patron at the bar where Mark worked. The two became friends and attempted to open a bar of their own. Fast forward to a couple of years and the bar Mark worked for offered the two an opportunity to purchase the bar. The two formed a partnership with Mark’s father, Mike, and after some renovation, the bar opened in March 2015. The South Concho Taphouse & Brew Company or SoCo Taphouse serves five unique beers brewed in house, plus a selection of beers from local Texas breweries. There’s plenty to choose from with over 24 taps. Moreover, Mark and Brandon promise to serve excellent beers at affordable prices.

Plateau Brewing Company, which is located in San Angelo, Texas, is a local craft brewery. The taproom is open from Thursday to Sunday. You can drink here from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM from Thursday to Saturday. The taproom is open from noon till 5:00 PM only on Sundays. The brewery is in partnership with Southern Smoke. They offer delicious Texas barbecue which is perfect with a glass of craft beer. If you love Plateau Beers, here's a piece of good news: many bars and restaurants have Plateau Beers for thirsty customers. Ask for it when you visit Angry Cactus, Buttercup All Day Cafe, Cork and Pig, Deadhorse, Martial Pint, Old Central Firehouse, Soco Taphouse, Llano Beer Company, and Trailhead Beer Garden.

Erik Zobel started out in the food industry and earned an associate’s degree in hospitality management and food service. Eventually, he earned his degree in architecture and went on to become a licensed architect. When the financial crisis of 2007 struck, however, he decided he needed a steadier source of income. The alternative he thought of was a brewpub. In March 2012, Erik opened Zero One Ale House. In the beginning, however, there was only enough money to build the restaurant. The brewery operations followed in 2015. Today, Zero One Ale House rotates a selection of 3 to 6 beers at their brewery and restaurant, with plans to add more varieties in the future. Try their Thai Red Curry, a house specialty. This gets high points on social media sites. Their servers can also suggest other food and beer pairings for you.