Brisket, ribs, sausage, beans, peach cobbler and Shiner beer at K. Spoetzl BBQ Co. in Shiner

Peach cobbler at K. Spoetzl BBQ Co. in Shiner

One of the most iconic coming-of-age experiences for any Texan is that first sip of beer.

For me, that moment unfolded during a backyard grilling session with my dad. Autumn had arrived, and the air carried a crisp chill. In between stabs at a couple of TexJoy-rubbed ribeyes on a coal-fired kettle grill, he took swigs from a bottle of Miller Lite. Within earshot, a battered transistor radio crackled with the sounds of an Oilers game. Earl Campbell had just bulldozed another hapless linebacker.

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“Here, try this,” he said, handing me the bottle. I took a tentative sip. But a youthful palate conditioned to the taste of Big Red and Kool-Aid recoiled from the bitterness. Like many........

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