As members of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets over a decade ago, Mark Norman ‘15 and Dylan Byerly ‘16 turned an unlikely friendship into a business venture neither one imagined pursuing. Now, the former students are solidifying their place in the brewing industry one beer at a time.
“I was a freshman, and Mark was a sophomore,” Byerly said. “And the first time I met Mark, he blew cigar smoke in my face. But yeah, I don’t know, I hated his guts for a year, and then when I became a sophomore, I was like, ‘Oh, man, he’s actually a really nice person, and he doesn’t have to be mean.’”
Following graduation, the two went down seemingly parallel journeys, each navigating careers of their own. Norman worked as a teacher while also maintaining a part-time job at a local brewery. It wasn’t long until the brewery asked him if he wanted to join the team full time, to which he replied with “Yes.”
A series of saying “yes” led him to a position as head brewer at that same brewery in Marble Falls. The two kept in contact while Byerly pursued a career at a big ag company, gaining experience in beef processing.
The idea of owning a business was not their vision when they graduated from A&M. It wasn’t even an option until a single phone call caused their once parallel paths to merge.
“I think, about seven years before we opened the doors, [Norman] called me and said, ‘Hey, do you want to quit your job and start a brewery?’” Byerly said. “And I said, ‘Yesterday.’”
Coming up with the idea was the easy part; configuring plans to execute their goals presented an entirely different challenge.
“Everybody’s got this idea of what it’s like to work for yourself, and you really have no idea what that is until you actually do it,” Byerly said. “It was not in my plan, that’s for sure. … You meet somebody that you really respect and admire, and you decide, ‘Okay, this is a big risk, but I know I’m not alone. So, let’s make the jump. Let’s do it.’”
Working day in and day out, the pair finally broke ground, opening a brick-and-mortar store in 2020. With that, Lago Vista Brewing Company came to fruition, extending a unique identity that boiled down to the products and environment they offered to customers, as well as reflecting the identity of those who stood behind it.
Their standout brew in particular, Howdyfest, offers a twist on a traditional German Märzen, mirroring qualities of a classic Oktoberfest beer. The name, however, is derived from the shared roots they once had planted in Aggieland.
“We say ‘Howdy’ to everyone that comes up to the bar, and I just thought that it was a really fun name,” Norman said. “The name was floated out there, kind of mixing the Oktoberfest with, you know, our identity, our personality.”
The unique spin quickly paid off. Gaining traction on the national stage, Howdyfest won bronze at the World Beer Cup, the world’s most prestigious beer and cider competition. Shortly after, the brew earned silver at the Great American Beer Festival, a large-scale competition with entries coming from almost every American brewery.
“I think that’s why it’s done so well,” Norman said. “It’s the unique spin on it, while also being a high-quality product.”
The recognition carries major weight as the World Beer Cup — often referred to as the “Olympics of beer,” draws entries from across the globe, including some of the most established names in the industry.
In addition, running their own operation comes with the benefit of experimenting with new things, allowing them to fully embrace the creative side of the business as often as they can. Beyond their widely known brews, the menu features a variety of unique and rotating spouts so that customers can taste something new every time they come in.
“We can come in every week and say, ‘What do we want to brew?’” Norman said. “‘I don’t know, what do we have?’ When we can be, we allow ourselves creativity.”
For both owners, the ability to run a successful business, as well as lead a small team, stem from shared values as part of a foundation built while at A&M and, more specifically, in the Corps.
“We learned all that at A&M, on how to take care of people and how to push them towards a singular goal,” Byerly said. “We definitely use that every day with our crew.”
The same drive they pride themselves on internally within the company extends to the community they hope to reach. Norman and Byerly described wanting to create an inviting space at the brewing company that is welcoming and where people can connect over a meal or drink.
“We try to be that family-friendly community place that, you know, everybody’s got three places, or everybody’s got two places: your home and your work,” Byerly said. “We’re trying to be that third place that everybody wants to go.”
For Norman and Byerly, their goals stretch further than what goes into each glass. Norman said they want to bring authenticity to their product, reflecting who they are, both as individuals and as Aggies.
“Especially being in the industry we are, where, you know, one of our biggest things is people want to buy a product not from a faceless corporation,” Norman said. “People want to know the owner because then you feel invested, and you feel like I’m buying this from Dylan. I’m buying a product from Mark; Mark made this. And you get an emotional connection.”
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