Our Mission
Building a responsible craft beer and brewing community through mentoring, teaching and brewing.
Dan “Original Gomez”, the founder, past president and educator of the Cerveceros, is a proud
promoter of the craft beer community in San Antonio. An educator by nature, his background is in
research and development, science, and engineering. A brewer since 1998, it was not a smooth
start. After researching the art of brewing for 6 months, he made his way to a local brew store to
purchase supplies and ingredients to start his first brew. The visit only led to more questions.
Determined to brew the following day, he left with all he needed to brew an all-grain.
“The process was not hard, but it would have been nice to have someone
show me how to brew hands on.”
His mind was set on mastering the home brew process, so he could help others brew their own
masterpieces. Little did he know this would lead to the birth of the Cerveceros. True to his word,
he has mentored many craft beer lovers to realize their skills as brewers. Even if one is not
interested in becoming a home brewer, he believes every beer lover should experience the process
of home brewing because learning the process of brewing helps one to better appreciate craft beer.
“Drink good beer and share it with a friend.”
The San Antonio Cerveceros is the premier homebrew club in San Antonio. Established in 2009,
we experienced such tremendous growth that in 2010 we determined to organize exclusively for the
educational, scientific and charitable purposes, and were granted 501(c)(3) status.
Over the years, we have partnered with local breweries, culinary schools, museums and libraries to
educate and introduce novices as well as experienced homebrewers in the arts and sciences of craft
brewing. Additionally, some members have gone on to establish some of San Antonio’s most popular
breweries and pubs.
The More You Know
Education is the biggest advantage of joining the Cerveceros because nothing will improve your skills like spending time with friendly, experienced and welcoming homebrewers. The Cerveceros were founded on the idea of teaching novices the hobby of homebrewing. We have many experienced people who are happy to share their knowledge, give you good constructive criticism of your beer and help you understand more about the process and techniques of brewing, including “Brew in a bag”, “Kits”, “Partial Mash” and “All Grain”. Even better, you can pick up almost as much from other club members when they share their results, saving you time and effort.
We also offer structured activities, such as bringing in guest speakers or setting up Beer Judge Certification Program study sessions. Brewing is such a big field that you can still learn more from your club long after you’ve shed your beginner status.
Get Connected!
The Cerveceros connect you with others who share your interests. The truth is that you can only bore your non-brewer friends for so long before they get tired of drinking with you. Club meetings, socials and events are the perfect place to get your beer geek on with a crew who really understands you. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, you are bound to make friends.
Beyond that, the Cerveceros are tapped into the larger local brewing community because many of the owners and brewers have been Cerveceros themselves. These relationships allow special access for club members, for everything from insider brewery tours to Pro-Am brewing sessions. The Cerveceros also sponsor or help promote beer dinners, community outreach, and service opportunities in conjunction with the local brewing community as well as on our own.
Benefits
Many clubs will easily deliver on the benefits above, but Cerveceros sweeten the deal even more. We run competitions where you can participate as a steward or judge, in addition to entering your beer. We organize bulk purchasing of ingredients and local discounts, which can save you money. The Cerveceros also have specialized resources such as equipment for loan and instructors to teach you how to use the equipment. For the few who don’t want to brew but want to be involved, we host special events such as brew trips, San Antonio Beer Week and many other craft beer volunteer opportunities.