Take a seat at the family table

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Welcome to the Family

Take a Seat at the Family Table at BS Brewing

Story by Felicia Frazar | photos by Victoria Gaytan

In the northeast section of the county, a small brewery is serving up more than a couple of homemade brews for patrons of all ages to consume.

BS Brewing is dishing up a fresh, delicious selection of locally sourced foods at the Family Table, the business’ built-in kitchen.

“It is a chef-driven menu,” BS Brewing owner Brian Schmoekel said. “We take great care in selecting the food we use. We try to source as locally as possible.”

The brewery gets its meat from Next Gin Meats and Granzin’s, the buns from a bakery in New Braunfels and the sauces, well, those are all hand crafted by chef Carson Cummings.

“I have a passion for figuring out how to make things, especially things that I enjoy,” Cummings said. “You can taste the difference between a bottle of ranch versus a fresh, homemade ranch, poblano sauce or barbecue sauce.”

The menu offers up a selection of brewpub basics including burgers, fish and chips with Cummings’ special touches.

“Everything on our menu is something that I enjoy thoroughly,” he said. “When I go to a restaurant, these are the things that I would order. Fried chicken, fish and chips, burgers, those are all things I kind of judge a restaurant based on those things. That is how we conceptualized the menu and we just want to take things that a lot of places do and do them really well. I put a lot of love and care into each and every one of those items and let the food speak for itself.”

Along with the locally-sourced and handcrafted feasts, the Family Table boasts all gluten-free fares.

“We took great care in trying to keep things as healthy as possible,” Schmoekel said. “All of our nuggets are hand-cut and battered, our cod fillets are hand battered as well, nothing is processed. Everything that goes into the fryers is gluten free. It is an important selling factor for people looking for that.”

The idea to expand the brewery’s options came from the pandemic, when businesses like BS were trying to survive restrictions.

The brewery saw a rotation of food trucks visiting the business, bringing about various fares. Schmoekel noticed how much the adult guests enjoyed the offerings, but they rarely served up something for children. This, along with wanting to give patrons something more permanent, was the push Schmoekel needed to add a kitchen.

Schmoekel’s drive and Cummings’ passions have created the perfect pairing at BS Brewing.

“Brian and I both love what we do out here,” Cummings said. “We love serving the people that come out here. We just want everyone that comes out here to be part of our family. That is why it is the Family Table.”