When Threadgill’s closed in 2018 after 22 years, its outdoor stage could’ve ended up in a landfill. Instead, Real Ale Brewing Company owner Brad Farbstein bought it, cut the stage and its cantilevered roof into sections, and hauled them to Blanco. It took about two and a half months to reassemble everything.
Nearly every board is original. Only one new piece joins the two roof halves.
The stage now sits in Real Ale’s beer garden, where it hosts live music during the cooler months. Musicians who played the original venue have reached out to Farbstein about returning, even if the drive is a little longer these days.
It’s only one of several Texas artifacts that have found a second life at the Hill Country brewery.
A gas lantern from the stables at San Antonio’s Pearl Brewery stands at the beer garden entrance. Farbstein bought it at auction in the late Nineties along with the brewery’s maintenance shop, but didn’t realize the lantern was part of the deal until the equipment was unloaded. It sat in storage for years before the beer garden opened during the pandemic. Now it burns day and night. A sign from Austin’s former Waller Creek Pub House, a longtime gathering spot for beer industry workers, hangs beneath the taproom roofline.
“We just couldn’t imagine these things being thrown in the trash,” Farbstein says. “We wanted to do what we could to help preserve some of those historic icons for future generations.”
Of course, Real Ale has its own history. Phillip and Diane Conner founded the brewery in 1996 in the basement of an antique store on Blanco’s town square. After graduating from the University of Texas, Farbstein worked for Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing Company, then joined an Austin beer distributor that carried Real Ale. He spent weekdays helping establish accounts and weekends brewing and packaging beer in Blanco with the Conners.
When Phillip developed health problems and asked for help to find a buyer, Farbstein offered to buy the business himself. He took over operations in 1998 and paid off the Conners over the next three and a half years. Today, the company remains family-owned, with six shareholders, all longtime employees. About 20% of the business has been given or sold to employees.
The brewery moved to its current facility outside Blanco in 2007. Selling its beer was a slog in those early years. Farbstein spent nearly a decade trying to persuade bars and restaurants in Austin, San Antonio, and San Marcos to carry it before the craft brewing boom took off around 2008.
Real Ale now produces about 40,000 barrels annually but sells exclusively in Texas. National trade organization the Brewers Association ranked it the 70th largest regional craft brewer in the U.S. in 2025, Farbstein says, despite operating in just one state. That dedication also fueled the launch of Real Spirits, an in-house distilling program that crafts Texas-centric gin and whiskey distilled directly from Real Ale beer bases. The brewery doesn’t pasteurize its beer because Farbstein believes the process sacrifices flavor, and he won’t compromise quality to reach a wider market.
“We just want to make the best beer, not necessarily the most beer,” he says. “If you can’t sell beer in your own backyard, why are you trying to sell it in somebody else’s?”
Firemans #4, the brewery’s best-known blonde ale, won gold at the 2025 World Beer Cup. Real Ale continues to add styles, with Dark Matter, an American stout, the final beer release planned for 2026. But the brewery’s evolution extends beyond the beer itself.
Working with Austin-based Earthly Labs, Real Ale captures carbon dioxide produced during fermentation, filters it, and reuses it to carbonate beer and purge tanks. The system processes about 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a month. Farbstein hopes to eliminate the brewery’s reliance on petroleum-derived carbon dioxide by mid-2027. A heat-recovery system also uses waste heat from the brewing kettle to heat water throughout the facility.
In April, drinkers “aged 21 to 85” turned out in cold, rainy weather for Real Ale’s 30th anniversary party in Blanco. Some had grown up with the brewery, while others were new faces. The crowd was way bigger than Farbstein expected.
That support matters even more now, as independent breweries struggle to keep customers coming through the door. He says people often lament a brewery’s closure, only to admit they haven’t been there in years. For him, preserving these places means more than saving old signs or stages. It also means supporting the businesses that keep them alive.
“Breweries are not just places that make beer,” Farbstein says. “They’re places that bring community together.”
Here’s a look at what Real Ale’s pouring and what’s on the horizon.
Real Texas Light
Real Ale’s entry into the light beer category, Real Texas Light has 95 calories and 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
Dark Matter American Stout
At 6.6% ABV, the stout has notes of chocolate, caramel, and nougat, with roasted malt in the background.
Launch Mode New Zealand Hazy IPA
Planned for January 2027, this hazy IPA will feature Southern Hemisphere hops. Recent releases include Limestone Cowboy Hazy Pale Ale and Chill Theory Cold IPA.
Real Spirits Ready-to-Drink Cocktails
Real Ale is expanding beyond beer with canned cocktails, including an Old Fashioned made with house-made pecan, sage, and clove syrup.
A Tale of Two Expansions
This article appears in November 13 • 2026.
