Today we’d like to introduce you to Shayn Robinson.
Hi Shayn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The journey started in 2001, when Shayn Robinson (Co-Founder of New Magnolia Brewing) gave his then-girlfriend’s father (John Ferguson) a homebrew kit for Christmas. John, a chemical engineer by trade and recently returned from a two-year project in Switzerland, and well-versed in European beers, was ecstatic about the Christmas gift and immediately started brewing on the kit. John would go on to brew with this kit for several years before Shayn and his now-wife, Elizabeth, would return from living in New York City. Back in Houston, Shayn asked John to make a few beers for various family gatherings and social events at the Robinson house. Beer after beer, John’s brews were a massive hit with everyone. By 2014, Shayn and John began brewing together at the Robinson house on weekends, progressing from a 5-gallon brew to a 20-gallon brew, and ultimately to a one-barrel (53-gallon) brew. By 2017, our homebrew was being requested by friends for their events, and we enjoyed making beer and sharing it within our social circles. It was in this same time frame, 2015, that Texas legislation changed the alcohol beverage laws to allow for manufacturing and direct sale to consumers. This change allowed for Taprooms to brew, sell, and distribute their own beer directly to consumers. By 2017, Shayn and John began traveling the US for beer tourism, R&D, and to learn from outside markets on what to do and what not to do in craft beer. Loaded with knowledge and encouraged by friends, we began planning our brewery. By 2018, we found our current building and moved in to start work on the brewery planning and grassroots marketing. Throughout 2018 and 2019, we put our plans into motion to open New Magnolia Brewing Co. By November 2019, New Magnolia Brewing Co. opened to the public with incredible fanfare and interest.
For New Magnolia, we envisioned a brewery that pays homage to Houston’s beer history and the original Magnolia brewery, once located on Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston (1895 – 1935). Through this vision, we aim to highlight the historical significance of Houston beer and the cultural impact it had on the early days of Houston. In opening New Magnolia, we envisioned a family-friendly, all-inclusive neighborhood craft brewery, with a focus on returning to the quality and standards of where craft beer originated. We aspire to deliver clean, balanced craft beers that give our patrons an unparalleled beer experience.
Since opening, we have won 11 national awards and built a reputation as one of the top craft breweries in the Houston market. Our beer program focuses on lagers, pilsners, and European styles. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred just months after our opening in 2020, we decided to re-script our narrative. In June 2022, we held our Grand Opening. Today, we have the #1 light lager in the Houston craft beer market – called Heights Light Lager, which is the recipient of two national awards. One of the keys to our success is our focus and design of our water profiles for the beers we brew. For each beer, we take Houston tap water, purify it to 99.9% purity, and rebuild the water to match the profile from which that particular beer originated in the world. Our beers can be found across Houston in over 400 accounts, ranging from grocery segments to bars and restaurants.
Lastly, we are incredibly honored to be brewing the original handwritten recipes from the historic Magnolia Brewery, dating circa 1911-1920. This opportunity came to us via Philip Brogniez, the grandson of Frantz Brogniez, who was the Head Brewer at the original Magnolia Brewing (1912-1920). In 1913, the Historic Magnolia Brewery won #1 beer in the world for Southern Select, at the Competition de Grand Prix in Ghent, Belgium. Coming full circle, we now brew that historic beer from the same handwritten recipes of Frantz Brogneiz, giving Houstonians and Texans at large a taste of the past, 112 years later.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Opening in November 2019, just ahead of the 2020 COVID pandemic, has been the most significant single challenge we have faced. The effects of the pandemic are nowhere close to gone and have continued to impact the beer and alcohol beverage industry to this very day. The effects of the Pandemic forced New Magnolia to pivot our sales model to off-premise package sales, through which we immediately went to the grocery store sales and draft sales in the greater Houston market. In 2020, grocery stores were so desperate for canned beer that they relaxed the rigorous requirements for gaining shelf access, which allowed New Magnolia the opportunity to brew beer and secure placements throughout our market. This opportunity put New Magnolia in front of thousands of grocery store shoppers each week, building brand equity across our market. In these early years, we won several national medals for our lagers, which helped solidify our reputation and our commitment to quality. Winning medals for lagers comes with built-in challenges. Consistently brewing lagers and pilsners all year round is an incredibly challenging economic decision for a brewery. These styles take 6-8 weeks to complete and 4-6 weeks to sell. The cycle of financial stress, incurring expenses, and then waiting 12 weeks to recover is not an easy equation to balance for a small brewery. It took New Magnolia 18 months to overcome the stress of this cycle.
By 2024, it was clear that consumer behaviors were changing with respect to alcohol consumption. Between the green movement and shifting social priorities, craft beer began a slow slide into negative growth. These effects resulted in our mobile canning partner closing shop and our can supplier going out of business. These events pushed New Magnolia to acquire a small commercial canning line to package our beer for distribution. This brought a new challenge, both financially and in terms of staffing. Through perseverance, we have mastered canning and now produce thousands of cases per month for distribution throughout greater Houston and beyond.
The one challenge that never lets up is acquiring and retaining new patrons. The Texas craft beer consumer remains fluid in their purchase and consumption decisions. Meaning a craft enthusiast will jump from a craft IPA, to a Lager, and then over to a domestic macro beer, and finish with an RTD. A large part of this is a function of price parity created by the macro brands that acquire craft brands and lower the craft price points. Consumers no longer see craft as a premium and bounce back and forth.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Following college, I began my professional career in the oil and gas industry, working as a management consultant for Shell Oil. In this role, I specialized in operational efficiency and process improvement. Over the course of five years, I was fortunate to work on a corporate-wide reorganization, right-sizing, and reducing the number of operating companies under Shell. I was part of the acquisition and transition team when Shell Oil acquired Pennzoil-Quaker State, where we took inventory of all PQS assets and determined what was retained and what was cut. Moving from Houston to New York City, I continued in management consulting, working in healthcare, publishing, and then finance. My experience in finance enabled me to refine my skills in financial modeling, contract negotiations, and business development. In my transition back to Houston after seven years in NYC, I consulted again for Deloitte – Financial Advisory Services with a specialty in asset-backed finance. These skills, gained over 20 years, have given me an appreciation for taking a project from cradle to grave, leveraging resources, and identifying hidden opportunities.
As Co-Founder and Head of Operations, the skills I gained before founding New Magnolia have significantly contributed to our continued success and ability to navigate the craft beer industry. My past has given me the ability to read the market, interpret consumer behaviors, and apply both the art and science to crafting award-winning beers, while building a respected brand. As an organization, we are proud that we have minimal team member turnover, consistently grow year over year, and have helped to shape the Texas craft beer market.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
New Magnolia is home to one of six Feather Bowling lanes in North America. This game originated in Belgium back in the 15th century. This incredibly unique game brings shuffleboard, bocce, and curling together for a game unlike anything you’ve ever played. Our table is 36 feet long by 4 feet wide. Since installing the table in 2024, we have hosted three entertaining and successful tournaments. This game, being of Belgian origin, aligns with our ethos and our connection to Europe, as well as with Frantz Brogniez, who was born in Ghent, Belgium.
As a unique way to celebrate our anniversary each year, we invite 20+ Texas breweries to our event called Bloomfest. For Bloomfest, we ask each brewery to bring two to three artisanal craft beers, not found in the market, showcasing what that brewery is excited about, launching, or experimenting with. Bloomfest is held in May each year and brings in several hundred attendees for a day of fun, music, food, and unique craft beers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://newmagnoliabrewing.com/
- Instagram: @newmagnoliabrewing
- Facebook: @newmagnoliabrewing
