Steve Anderson Papers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists primarily of ephemera associated with the breweries Steve Anderson worked at (particularly Waterloo and Big Bend Brewing). In addition, there are a handful of photographs, business documents, and personal mementos.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Personal Records 1992-2015
Brewing notes, photographs, press clippings, and personal mementos.
Series II. Waterloo Brewing Co. 2000-2006
Business documents and ephemera.
Series III. Big Bend Brewing Co. 2013-2015
Business documents and ephemera.
Dates
- Creation: 1992 - 2015
Creator
- Anderson, Steve, 1962-2015 (Person)
- Waterloo Brewing Co. (Organization)
- Big Bend Brewing Co. (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Use of these materials requires an appointment. Contact archives@stedwards.edu
Conditions Governing Use
No materials belonging to the St. Edward’s University Archives and Special Collections may be published or exhibited, in whole or in part, without written permission of the Dean of the Library. Specific acknowledgement of the Munday Library Archives and Special Collections must appear in the printed publication or display. The library requests notification of publication or display and a complimentary copy of the published work. Photocopies or scans made of archival materials are intended for private research and permission to create these reproductions should not be taken as permission to publish. All responsibility for possible infringement of copyright law as a result of reproduction and use of these materials is assumed by the applicant. The researcher assumes full responsibility for complying with laws of libel and literary property rights which may be involved in their use. The Munday Library, at its discretion, may deny duplication of materials known to be covered by copyright that it does not own.
Requests for permission to publish should be sent to archives@stedwards.edu
Biographical / Historical
Steve Anderson was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1962. After graduating from high school he moved to Austin and was a valued member of the burgeoning punk scene as a member of Cry Babies, Screws, and Toxic Shock. He was also the original singer for Scratch Acid.
In the 1980s Steve was homebrewing while also working as a bartender at Texas Showdown (a legendary beer bar on the Drag) for his long-time friend Billy Forrester. After attending the Great American Beer Festival in 1991, the pair were inspired to open a brewpub. However, brewpubs were not legal in Texas at the time. The friends made a deal: Steve would attend the Siebel Institute Brewing Program in Chicago to refine his brewing knowledge while Billy would lobby the Texas Legislature to change the law. Both would accomplish their goals and in 1993 (thanks to the passing of H.B. 1425) the pair opened Waterloo Brewing at 4th and Guadalupe, making Steve the first Brewmaster of the first brewpub in Texas.
Though Waterloo generated a tidal wave of interest in craft brewing in Austin and is often credited with creating the city’s craft beer culture, it was an early victim of escalating Austin rents and the building was torn down in 2001.
Steve then became the Head Brewer at Live Oak Brewing Co., working closely with founder Chip McElroy until 2012. As Austin’s population exploded Steve and his wife Ellen Weed came to fall in love with the Big Bend region of Texas. In 2012 he opened Big Bend Brewing Co. in Alpine, Texas. Over the next three years the team would grow to produce 5,000 barrels a year. The brewpub’s mainstays included Tejas Lager, La Frontera IPA, and 22 Porter.
Steve passed away November 25, 2015, at his home in Alpine after a valiant fight against cancer. He is fondly remembered in the Austin craft beer scene and is given much of the credit for helping to foster what the scene became.
Sources: Big Bend Brewing Co. Press Release, 2015
Extent
4 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Steve Anderson was a pioneer in the Austin Craft Beer scene, opening the first brewpub in the state when the law changed to allow it in 1993. This collection consists of personal records and and ephemera from his work at Waterloo Brewing, Live Oak Brewing, and Big Bend Brewing Co.
Arrangement
Arranged in 3 series: I. Personal Records; II. Waterloo Brewing Co.; III. Big Bend Brewing Co. This arrangement scheme was imposed during processing in the absence of an original order.
Custodial History
This collection was compiled by Steve Anderson and donated to St. Edward’s University by his widow, Ellen Weed.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Ellen Weed.
Appraisal
All materials present at the time of processing were retained.
Accruals
No siginificant or regular accruals are expected.
Separated Materials
Specialty items, such as lapel pins, have been separated and stored with items of similiar size in order to conserve archival supplies.
Some items are on permanent display in the Tocker Reading Room.
Processing Information
Processed by Travis Williams, Fall 2019.
- Title
- Steven Anderson Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Travis Williams
- Date
- April 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository