A former milkman in the small village of Hoegaarden, Belgium, Pierre Celis opened a brewery that brought back the extinct witbier style of his native Hoegaarden and rejuvenated an old-world tradition throughout Belgium and Europe. Following a devastating fire in his native country, the godfather of witbier set up shop in Texas, where his passion took fresh shape in the form of Celis Beer and influenced an entire generation of beer lovers. His legacy continues under the stewardship of his daughter, Christine, who revived the brand in 2017, along with his granddaughter, Daytona, who brews there now. Author Jeremy Banas relates how the Hoegaarden legend founded Austin’s first craft brewery.
Jeremy Banas is a freelance beer writer who writes for such publications and websites as the San Antonio Current, BeerAdvocate Magazine, San Antonio Magazine, Southern Craft Beer Magazine, the Bexar Times, the I F**cking Love San Antonio! podcast, TheFullPint.Com and the Brewers Association’s craftbeer.com, as well as his own website, RuinationPress.com. He is also the author of a previous book, San Antonio Beer: Alamo City History by the Pint (coauthored with Travis Polling) and Pearl: A History of San Antonio’s Iconic Beer.