Local Craft Breweries near the Menard, Texas 76859 Area (2)

Meet Mark Cannon. He’s the owner of Eola School Restaurant and Brewery. He brews the beer, cooks the delicious burgers and fries, makes homemade pizza, does all the cleaning and renovation work required, and tends to the garden that supplies most of his restaurant’s needs. Some have called him “a real Renaissance man”. The brewery and restaurant was once a school from 1928 to 1983, and back then, the center of the community of Eola. Mark is from Portland, Oregon but his roots are in Texas. After arriving in 2003, he soon purchased the school. Many speculate his was the only offer. The place still looks like “an unfinished construction zone” according to some, but being a one-man show, many have also admired what he’s done with the place. If you can overlook the “rough edges”, Mark’s brewery, restaurant, and his Farm Ale have a cult-like following on the internet, and seem deserving of the 5-stars he gets.

The South Concho Taphouse & Brew Company (or simply, The Soco Taphouse) offers a wide variety of craft beers “at a good price”. Its founders started as friends. Mark was a bartender and Brandon was a regular patron at the bar where Mark worked. The two became friends and attempted to open a bar of their own. Fast forward to a couple of years and the bar Mark worked for offered the two an opportunity to purchase the bar. The two formed a partnership with Mark’s father, Mike, and after some renovation, the bar opened in March 2015. The South Concho Taphouse & Brew Company or SoCo Taphouse serves five unique beers brewed in house, plus a selection of beers from local Texas breweries. There’s plenty to choose from with over 24 taps. Moreover, Mark and Brandon promise to serve excellent beers at affordable prices.