A new beer garden has taken over the downtown New Braunfels address where Faust Brewing Company poured pints for 16 years, bringing local craft brews, a tasting room and a 26-seat room packed with vintage beer signs to 499 S. Castell Ave. Braunfelser Beer & Wine Garden opened at the site on October 13, under the ownership of Five Stones Artisan Brewery founder Seth Weatherly.
Weatherly previously brewed a German-inspired beer series called Braunfelser with his team back in 2019, and the new venue's name was inspired by New Braunfels itself, according to Community Impact. Weatherly also separately told CultureMap San Antonio that the name borrows from one of his most popular beers, and that he originally planned to launch the beer garden at the former Faust Brewing Co. spot in mid-August.
Three Spaces, One Downtown Address
Braunfelser Beer & Wine Garden is built around three separate spaces, according to Community Impact's report. The first is a welcome area where visitors can learn about the business and pick up snacks, while the second functions as a beer garden meant for families and friends to gather over drinks, with yard games and live music planned for that space.
The third space, dubbed the Braunfelser capsule, seats 26 people and leans into nostalgia, filled with old beer signs, leather bar chairs and vintage decor, per the same report. Taylor Kroeger, describing the overall concept, said the venue is intended as a downtown community gathering place.
Filling Faust's Old Footprint
Faust Brewing Company previously occupied the Braunfelser location and had sold lagers, IPAs and mixed drinks before its announced closure, according to a separate Community Impact report from September. That brewery, which opened in 2009, had announced plans to close on October 31 after 16 years in business at 499 S. Castell Ave.
Kroeger described Braunfelser as a love letter to the community, and said the venue aims to welcome both locals and tourists while fostering connections and shared memories. The beer garden now carries local craft brews and a tasting room of its own in the same storefront Faust once called home.
Weatherly's Brewing Roots
Weatherly's path to Braunfelser runs through Five Stones Artisan Brewery, which he opened in Cibolo after about a year of home-brewing, encouraged by friends and family, according to Community Impact's 2019 coverage of that venture. In its first year, Five Stones won the inaugural Startup Brewery Challenge at Brewbound in San Diego with its Aloha Piña beer and medaled at the Great American Beer Festival.
That early track record has followed Weatherly into his latest project, which brings German-inspired brewing traditions and a new gathering spot to a stretch of South Castell Avenue that New Braunfels regulars have frequented for years.
