SHINER (July 4, 2009)--By all accounts, Shiner beer shouldn't have survived 100 years.

The Spoetzl in Shiner ferments its brew in a one-stoplight town that's not on the way to anywhere.

Much larger regional brewers long ago succumbed to consolidation and the muscle of national brewers, but today, the 100-year-old Shiner brand of beers is more popular than ever.

It's the oldest and largest craft beers in a state where people cling fiercely to their beer and to all things Texan.

Before Prohibition and easy interstate travel, the nation was dotted with small regional brewers, but only a handful have survived and remained independent for a century or more.

Yuengling Beer Co. and Matt Brewing Co., maker of Saranac beers, sell mostly on the East Coast.

August Schell Brewing Co. and Stevens Point Brewery, maker of Point beers, sell primarily in the Midwest.

In Texas, there's just Shiner now, and it's growing.

The brewery now produces 400,000 barrels a year, 10 times what it did 20 years ago, and distributes to 39 states.

Brewery officials say it sells especially well with ex-Texans and Texas-themed restaurants.