Getting multiple craft breweries together in a small, personal setting isn’t as easy as you might think. Many times, all you hear about are the massive beerfests that have become all the rage. However, the nature of these events makes it nearly impossible to spend time with the brewers, actually discuss their beers and get their opinions on what is happening in the craft beer industry.
Last week, Gordon Street Tavern in Alvin hosted a tap takeover for all of the craft breweries in Galveston County called Tap Attack. It gave folks the opportunity to not only sample the delicious beer, but also meet the people responsible for making the beer you know and love.
Fetching Lab Brewing, Galactic Coast Brewing, Galveston Bay Beer, Galveston Island Brewing, and Texas Beer Refinery were the breweries who took over the taps. In addition, Gordon Street Tavern had their own beers on tap and guest breweries supporting the event included O’Neil & Sons from Port Lavaca, BAKFISH Brewing from Pearland, and Vallensons from Alvin.
Any bar that devotes themselves to craft beer usually will give me an instant positive vibe. Gordon Street Tavern was no exception. With a tap wall of over 30 beers on draught, an array of bombers available for purchase, and a full food menu, this feels like the type of place you can spend hours with friends on Sunday funday without feeling uncomfortable. Not to mention that owner/operator Henry Dillmann is friendly, hands-on and eager to get your opinion of their in-house brews.
The beers we drank during this event were an array of styles. First up, Fetching Lab’s Laelaps IPA, which has a grapefruit flavor and hoppy profile that finishes bold and crisp. Next was Galactic Coast’s Sneaky Blonde which lives up to its name. A sneaky strong blonde ale that has its high ABV (7.1%) masked by its smooth finish, it was a little overpowering, but still a great beer for a summer evening. What originally was going to be our final beer of the evening, Galveston Island Brewing’s Oktoberfest, turned out to be just the third of five. A traditional Oktoberfest-style marzenbier, it tastes like a Texas Oktoberfest beer that has the German mild hop profile typically associated with this beer type.
Fortunately, we ran into Theresa from Fetching Lab who promptly introduced us to everybody from the participating breweries and guest breweries. Of course, we can’t talk beer with our fellow beer lovers empty-handed, so next up was a Galveston Bay Beer Lafitte’s Wheat. A traditional hefeweizen with the banana and clove flavor profile, this incredibly refreshing beer is a nice light beer designed to be sessionable and enjoyed with friends.
Finally, Theresa knowing how much we love their brewery’s Bound and Determined Stout made sure we didn’t leave without having another one. One of the star beers from Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival over Labor Day weekend, this chile stout is just about the perfect stout beer. It has the chocolate flavor typically associated with stouts, but the spiciness that pleases any true Texan’s palette. We feel like Fetching Lab made this beer specifically for our taste buds as we rate this among our all-time favorite stout beers.
Getting a chance to talk to current breweries about their growth plans, distribution footprint, and opinion on many of the issues that are current hot-button issues in the craft brewing industry was a treat. Everybody we talked to was thrilled and passionate about their beer. Most wanted the participants of this event, including myself, to visit their respective breweries. Making the trek out to new brewery locations is something that will be high on our list because we want to see the new exciting beers being made at the up and coming breweries in Texas.
To end the evening on a high note, the owner of Gordon Street Tavern, Mr. Dillmann, was gracious enough to show us his on-site brewhouse. A small operation to start, it allows them the flexibility to not only make several different types of beers, but also the ability to adjust recipes in house based on customer feedback. This gives him an unbelievable advantage to not only cater to his customers and continue to provide them with great beers that will sell quickly, but also make great beers that will be in-house favorites.
Overall, this event showed that Galveston County has some of the best breweries in the state and that the area should not be overlooked in the Texas craft brewing scene. The quality of the brew is how we judge success. Based on the number of people drinking craft beer down south of Houston, it’s clear this is a hotbed of brewing talent and quality results. Hopefully there are more events like the one that Gordon Street Tavern hosted in the future because this was a pleasure for us to attend.