Owner of Shiner brewery decides
to cancel Bocktoberfest concert
Says event lost money and required too much time of employees
July 21, 2007
Barry Halvorson, Victoria Advocate Reporter
Shiner BocktoberFest Page | Return to Shiner Home Page
SHINER -- The Gambrinus Company has discontinued the annual Bocktoberfest concert event so the Shiner brewery can expand. In a letter to the Shiner Chamber of Commerce and the Spoetzl Brewery, Gambrinus President Carlos Alvarez noted the decision was a hard one to make. Gambrinus of San Antonio owns the brewery.
Alvarez wrote, "As we celebrate 98 years of existence, we are working hard to make sure that 'the little brewery in Shiner' continues to successfully grow in Texas and beyond. To satisfy this growth, a major expansion investment project is planned at the brewery to increase its brewing capacity."
Brew master Jimmy Mauric said, "We at the brewery have a job to do, and that is to produce more Shiner beer. We are at our limits and have to expand."
And while Bocktoberfest, which was held for 13 years, was popular with both beer consumers and music fans, Alvarez wrote the music festival fell victim in part to financial concerns and a change in locale. The one-day concert was originally held at the brewery, but it was moved to Green-Dickson Park in a festival area developed by the brewery in conjunction with the city of Shiner and the chamber.
LOSSES ARE LARGE
"Since a few years back when circumstances out of our control forced us to leave the brewery grounds, the costs and complexities of the event have grown to enormous proportions," Alvarez wrote. "On the financial side, the losses are large, and they have occurred every single year. On the administrative side, the logistics of every concert have required the focused energy, time and attention of a large group of our employees for extended periods every year."
The original Bocktoberfest event in 1994 was billed as the "Thanks a Million" concert, a tribute to the first million-case sales year of the Spoetzl Brewery. The name of the official event was changed Bocktoberfest the following year.
Alvarez added a second positive note in the letter by announcing a different project to promote the Spoetzl Brewery and its relationship to Shiner. An anniversary book
"(A week ago), we signed a contract with a publishing firm to create a large-format illustrated book that will cover the story of Spoetzl and Shiner as we celebrate the brewery's 100th year anniversary," he wrote.
"This is a major investment for Spoetzl and a very ambitious project. Our people and agencies will be working with (the city) to ensure the absolute best project."
In a phone interview, Mauric added that the brewery is still committed to being an important part of the Shiner community.
"We are going to continue to support the many charitable causes and programs in Shiner that we've supported in the past," he said. "Without a Shiner, there would be no Shiner beer and that's important to us."
Barry Halvorson is a reporter for The Victoria Advocate.
Contact him at 361-798-3888, or by e-mail at hvilladv@vicad.com.