🏁 Happy Wednesday!

🌤️ Today's weather: Opposite of autumnal — a high in the mid-90s and a "feels like" temp over 100.

Situational awareness: Texas Rangers executed 14 search warrants against the family that runs Camp Mystic as they investigate possible criminal charges, including manslaughter.

• A camp spokesperson did not respond to the New York Times' request for comment.

Today's newsletter is 1,036 words — a 4-minute read.

Fewer new breweries are opening in Texas, even as some breweries are closing, per recently released information from the Brewers Association.

Why it matters: The once-thriving industry is now struggling amid a shift away from alcohol consumption, particularly among younger people, and brewers are looking for ways to adapt.

• Meanwhile, the industry has been hit with cost increases.

By the numbers: The number of Texas breweries dropped from 440 in 2024 to 420 in 2025, per the Brewers Association.

• "A lot of attention is being paid to brewery closures, and rightfully so, because people love their local breweries," Caroline Wallace, executive director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, a nonprofit trade association, tells Axios.
• But the real slowdown has been in new openings.

Zoom in: 2023 saw 50 new openings and 30 closures of breweries and taprooms in Texas.

• 2024 and 2025 each saw less than 25 new openings — and at least 25 closures.
• "It's a capital-intensive business, and high interest rates, and the rising costs of real estate and ingredients" are contributing to the slowdown in openings, Wallace says.

The big picture: The national craft beer market continued its historic decline in 2025, with a 5.1% decrease in production and 2.9% contraction in U.S. breweries, a recent report shows.

Yes, but: Production in Texas actually bounced back, from 1.369 million barrels in 2024 — an 8.7% drop from 2023 — to 1.422 million barrels in 2025.

• And craft beer nationally outperformed the broader beer market, which experienced a 5.7% decline.

What we're watching: Fort Worth brewery and live music venue Second Rodeo Brewing is eyeing San Antonio for its first location outside North Texas, potentially at The Rim, per CultureMap SA.

• CultureMap SA also reports a new guided brewery tour is giving beer lovers an inside look at San Antonio's craft beer scene.

Texas State University saw the nation's biggest drop in a new campus free speech ranking.

State of play: Texas colleges overall lost ground in the latest national ranking from the civil liberties group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), though results varied widely by campus.

How it works: FIRE and College Pulse, a digital survey research and analytics company, surveyed nearly 63,000 students and incorporated campus speech policies and recent free speech incidents.

By the numbers: Texas State fell from No. 112 last year to No. 259 out of 261 schools this year, the largest year-over-year decline in FIRE's ranking.

• UT San Antonio dropped five spots to No. 67.
• Texas A&M dropped 145 spots to No. 192.
• Texas Tech also fell sharply to No. 193.
• UT Austin improved its overall score and moved up in the ranking to 124, though FIRE still gave its campus speech climate a D-.

Zoom in: FIRE attributed Texas State's sharp decline to several incidents over the last year, including the firing of a tenured professor over an off-campus political talk and the expulsion of a student who mocked Charlie Kirk's assassination.

• Texas A&M also recorded one of the country's largest declines, which FIRE attributed in part to students' declining perceptions of "administrative support," and the firing of lecturer Melissa McCoul after a student secretly recorded a class discussion involving gender identity.

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⚖️ A federal judge ordered Texas to install air conditioning in all state prisons by the end of 2029 after finding that conditions in uncooled facilities violate the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment. (Texas Tribune)

🍽️ The Shops at La Vaca is seeking two to three tenants, including a potential restaurant or coffee shop, ahead of its planned opening next year in Southtown. (SA Business Journal 🔑)

☕ The Old English Tea Shoppe in Stone Oak will close Oct. 4 after three years in business as its owners prepare to return to the U.K. (Old English Tea Shoppe)

Three San Antonio coffee roasters brought home medals in the Global Coffee Awards.

How it works: Two days of double-blind judging took place in Houston last month, in which the judges didn't know which roaster they were tasting.

• Local roasters competed against others in the U.S. and Canada.

Zoom in: Pulp Coffee Roasters won gold overall in the ready-to-drink category for its cold brew.

• Merit Coffee Co. won overall silver in the plant-based flat white category. In addition, it earned two gold and five bronze medals across various subcategories.
• What's Brewing won six medals: two each of gold, silver and bronze across subcategories.

What they're saying: "To receive this recognition on an international stage, with coffee roasted right here in San Antonio, means a tremendous amount to our team, our customers, and the producers who made this coffee possible," Pulp founder James Mireles said in a statement.

Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" reached 23 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" for the longest tenure at No. 1.

Why it matters: Modern hits often break through on TikTok, streaming or radio. "Choosin' Texas" caught fire across all three, the Washington Post wrote in April.

Catch up quick: The song was released last October and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 shortly afterward. It shot into the top 10 in January and had its first week at No. 1 in February.

• Carey's 1994 holiday hit accumulated its previous record across recurring trips to No. 1 between 2019 and 2026. It could add to its total again this winter.

Methodology: The Billboard Hot 100 combines data across U.S. streaming, digital and physical sales and radio play.

Thanks to our editors Astrid Galván and Bob Gee.

👏 Madalyn loves that Becky G was able to enjoy a fun night on the River Walk barges during her recent tour stop with Karol G.

💘 Megan first tried Pulp's cold brew last year at the San Antonio Coffee Festival, and has loved it ever since.