German immigrant Heinrich Kreische (1821-1882) purchased nearly 175 acres in Fayette County in 1849 and, as a stonemason, built a house, barn, and smokehouse on the high south bluff above the Colorado River. In the 1860s he began brewing Bluff Beer near his homesite on a spring-fed creek, and the brewery used an elaborate tunnel system to control temperature during the brewing process. Bluff Beer was sold throughout Central Texas and continued to be produced until 1884, two years after Kreische died in a work-related accident. The complex remains a reminder of German heritage and culture in this region of the state.