No one throws a party like a brewery and no one throws a St. Patrick's Day party – or parties – like Shannon Brewing Company. The Keller brewery will host jolly shindigs throughout the week leading up to the larger gatherings over the weekend. From 5Ks to trivia nights to the lively St. Patrick's Day party on the day itself, there are so many reasons to come out and embrace the Irish in you. Founder Shannon Carter holds this holiday close to his heart, which is why they go all out.
MY FAMILY IS… Irish, so St. Patrick's Day was always something to be celebrated. My grandfather was actually a brewer in Ireland. Almost every St. Patrick's Day growing up, we had corned beef and cabbage. It was more of a home holiday where we would cook and go to church. As I got older, I found out there was more to the holiday than what I experienced at home, with people going out to pubs and celebrating. My favorite part of St. Patrick's Day is the celebrating. Now, we are welcoming everyone into being Irish.
WE ARE GOING TO CELEBRATE… the entire week with beer specials. We expect to have about 500 people here over the course of the day. People show up with their kids, their dogs – on a leash – and bring their families.
THE SATURDAY BEFORE ST. PATRICK'S DAY… we will be hosting a 5K that starts at 9 a.m. Everyone can go out and run or walk and then come back for a couple pints, dishes from the food trucks and live music. You'll have to brush up on your Irish trivia for our trivia night that Wednesday. We decided to host it because people always want to know about Ireland. Thursday will be Shannon Running Club's Shamrock & Shenanigans. Friday will be a movie night where people can actively sit out in the production area to watch or passively watch in the taproom.
SATURDAY IS THE BIG… St. Patrick's Day celebration. There will be bagpipers, other live music and lots more happening. We will be having some really rare stuff, so we will be using small glasses so people can do 10 different samples. You will get a great breadth of different beers. And the week ends with an Irish breakfast on Sunday where we will be serving corned beef hash. We will also have a small dart tournament and will be finishing the last of those rare brews.
IT”S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US… that people have a good time. Our first year, we did one event and so many people showed up. So we knew we needed to have a few more. We think we have it about right now. It's a real nice string of parties without huge lines for beer.
I LOVE … beer, and it was always my passion to brew an all-natural product. That is why we located the brewery in Keller, so we could brew with the spring water there. The spring we get our water from is the oldest documented spring in Texas.
WE OPENED THE BREWERY… in 2014. It was truly a dream for us. Our brewery is small and intimate, allowing us to take our time in creating some truly wonderful and one-of-a-kind beers.
WE BREW WITH …fire, using local Texas spring water and fresh ingredients – hand-crafting the finest beer available.
WHEN I'M NOT BREWING…I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my family. I have two daughters at home. We love to travel, especially to dog-friendly locations because of Arlo – our German Shepard-Golden Retriever mix. I also sponsor my soccer team here in town.
COME READY TO… have a pint, eat some good food, hear some Irish music and have a great time. It's open seating, so it's not a bad idea to bring your own chair. The day is a celebration of everyone because everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day.