Alamo Beer Company is throwing open its doors on Lamar Street this weekend for Hops and Heroes, a two-day fundraiser benefiting Haven for Hope and local unhoused veterans. The main event runs Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. with a barbecue cook-off, live music, a DJ, bounce houses, face painting and auctions rounding out the day.
The gathering is produced by Nevermore Events Co., which describes Hops and Heroes as a “purpose-driven community experience bringing together Texas barbecue, live entertainment, local businesses, community organizations, and supporters,” according to the event's listing. As WOAI reports, the weekend kicks off Friday with cook-off setup, vendors and a comedy show, before the main festivities take over Saturday.
Music, a Comedy Show and a $5,000 Cook-Off
Friday night's lineup includes performers Jacob Flores, Scott Ramos and Patrick Christopher, all slated to take the stage from 8 to 9 p.m. as part of Alamo Beer Company's First Paw Fridays comedy show, per the station's report. Saturday evening brings Selestial Alcoser, a performer from Somerset, who is scheduled to play from 7 to 10 p.m.
Community members are invited to form barbecue teams and register for the cook-off, which offers a $5,000 prize payout to the winner, the same account notes. Hops and Heroes is billed as one of the First Pour Friday events that Alamo Beer Company holds every first Friday of the month.
Tickets, Donations and a Discount for Giving Back
General admission tickets cost $25, while children's tickets run $10, and both are available through Nevermore Events Company's website, according to the report. Attendees who bring donations such as hygiene products and shoes can receive a ticket discount, per organizer Leann Gutierrez, who organizes Nevermore Events. Those donations go directly to Haven for Hope, the San Antonio organization described on the event page as providing “critical services and resources to individuals and families experiencing homelessness.”
Gutierrez said supporting veterans carries personal weight for her because family members of hers serve or have served in the military. The fundraiser aims to support people who served the country and help Haven for Hope continue its work, she said, per the station's report.
Veteran Homelessness in Bexar County
Haven for Hope's Veteran's Service team helps veterans experiencing homelessness establish Social Security disability and Veterans Affairs benefits and apply for other federal and state resources, according to Haven for Hope. The need remains significant: Bexar County's latest Point-in-Time count found 3,625 people experiencing homelessness, up from 3,372 the year before, according to KSAT. That same count found nearly 69% of those experiencing homelessness were living in shelters, while 31% were unsheltered, and veterans made up 4.3% of those surveyed, or 19 people.
Other measures tell a more mixed story over a longer stretch. San Antonio's Department of Human Services reported that the total number of people experiencing homelessness rose 6.8% from 2023 to 2024, even as unsheltered homelessness in the city and county fell 25% between 2019 and 2024, according to San Antonio's OpenGov data. The department said its fiscal year 2025 homeless programs aimed to serve 9,774 clients.
Veteran-specific numbers have moved in different directions depending on the year measured. The 2022 Point in Time Count recorded the lowest number of unsheltered veterans in Bexar County and San Antonio since 2016, even as chronic homelessness among veterans had increased 77% from 2020, according to KSAT's earlier reporting. Nevermore Events Co. also lists a separate Hops & Heroes Brewfest at VFW grounds, with VIP gates opening at 1 p.m. and general admission at 2 p.m., where tickets include a tasting cup and sampling card for local beers.
