Pflugerville native Shaun Siems was raised by entrepreneur parents and grew up with hopes to join the family’s business after graduating from high school. However, Siems’ career plans took a pivotal turn when the business was sold, leading him to eventually become the owner of his own local company.

The backstory

Siems founded the Spirit of Texas Brewstillery in 2009 and started perfecting his craft using a homemade three-gallon still. Using skills from his previous career as an engineer, he created the business’ first custom hybrid stills.

The distillery started out as a passion project led by Siems and his two friends, but after some time Siems was left to take the reins on the business. Siems said he hoped to provide a space for both locals and out-of-towners with the new distillery.

“I know a lot of the people in Pflugerville that have been here for a really long time and we do enjoy having people from the neighborhoods come over as well as from out of town,” Siems said. “We've kind of looked at making Pflugerville like a little destination location where we can put our name on the map.”


What they offer

Customers can get their hands on four spirits produced at the distillery including Pecan Street Rum, Straight Silver Rum, Pfluger Single Malt Whiskey and the newly released Pythagoras Whiskey.

Sales manager Paul Gray said he handles the bottles from start to finish, including cleaning them out when they first arrive, putting the spirit in the bottle, inspecting the bottle, putting the packaging on and writing down the batch number on the back label to an individual touch to each one.

What makes the distillery’s spirits stand out from the rest is the way Siems adds flavor to the rum and whiskey. He does so by aging the Pecan Street Rum in a stainless steel vat containing oak cubes, compared to the traditional aging technique using oak barrels. The team also steeps large bags of shelled Texas pecan halves inside each vat to contribute to the flavoring. With its latest addition, Pythagoras Whiskey, Siems uses both oak barrels and oak cubes to produce more complex flavors.


“We’ve come up with this technique that I’ve been using the entire time on the Pecan Street Rum and have now moved into making whiskey the same way,” Siems said. “I don’t know anyone else that does it in the world, so it’s something new that I think will set us apart.”

After some regulars mentioned wanting more drink options in addition to spirits, Siems decided to add a brewery to the mix in 2019. Customers can order from a range of beer options or partake in a variety of cocktails and mocktails.

The business hosts events regularly, including live music performances and comedy shows in addition to hosting food trucks, which rotate out from time to time.

Stay connected


Operations manager Danielle Varnell said her favorite part of the business is when they host their annual Down with the Dance event—a benefit supporting Down Home Ranch in Elgin. The event takes place each October and attendees can typically expect a live DJ, a silent auction and food trucks.

Details for this year’s event are still being finalized but interested individuals are welcome to keep updated by checking the business’ Facebook page.