E-Malt.com News article: USA, TX: Ribbon cutting for Neches Brewing Company set for September 8

Port Neches Avenue is getting a little bit hipper with the addition of Neches Brewing Company, The Port Arthur News reported on September 3.

The soon-to-open brewpub at 1108 Port Neches Ave. has an upbeat feel with colorful distressed fence wood on one wall while surfboards are hung at intervals on an opposite wall. Old lobster buoys were customized and shine light onto the seating area.

Owners Tyler Blount and David Pool did their research and now, after a two-year journey of designs, recipes, licensing, permits, crowdfunding and hard work, Neches Brewing Company is set to open.

A ribbon cutting is set for 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 and the business will officially open Sept. 11.

Blount and Pool seem to have cornered a market that is booming in other, much larger cities. Beaumont’s second Craft Beer Fest is scheduled for late September while the three-day annual BrewMaster’s Craft Beer Festival is taking place over the Labor Day weekend in Galveston. The city of Austin, commonly thought of as a hub for new trends, has about 30 breweries and brewpubs and Houston is stocked with them as well.

Locals Blount and Pool both have marketing degrees and jumped into the craft beer business headfirst, first as a hobby then as a business.

“He’s the brains and I’m the brewer,” Blount said.

Behind a red door with a “do not enter” sign is where the magic happens.

“We have three beers brewed so far,” Blount said of the company’s own craft beers which will be sold along with other craft beers.

The backroom hold the equipment needed to create the beers. Blount is currently using a small batch or pilot system that makes about 25 gallons at a time as he perfects the bigger system that can create 100 gallons.

Blount brews mostly ales because the fermentation time is quicker at a week to a week-and-a-half as opposed to lagers, which sometimes take a couple of months.

Lagers, he said, will be added to the menu down the road.

“We have mostly IPA’s, those are the most popular. There are pale ales, wheat beers, stouts, porters and we have a honey blonde we’re working on now,” he said.

Debbie Plaia, executive director of the Port Neches Chamber of Commerce, said the two men did their research on the topic of craft beers and of business, traveling to different areas and preparing a portfolio when the business was just an idea.

“The community has really embraced this and everybody is excited for it to open,” Plaia said. “This (brewpub) will reach a new crowd as far as regional tourism.”

Back in the brewpub area Blount pointed out a special decorative item — a pirogue that hangs above the bar. The Cajun boat is named Miss Logan after his daughter and the serial number off to the side is his daughter’s birthdate.

Blount and Pool also worked hard on other decorative areas to make the brewpub different and inviting. The bar features 12,000 red bottle caps that were individually glued on and hand grouted. A bar rail was bought locally and came from the original Pompano Club dating to 1960. Booths were found for sale online and came from a Dairy Queen out of Woodville.

The bar stools feature a leather strap along the back with laser engraved names and the words “Patron Altruist” and a chalkboard menu behind the bar will have the bar menu of beers and there are 20 on tap.

“There is a pale ale called the Pea Patch,” he said motioning towards a spigot with a golf ball on top. “We told Andrew Landry (professional golfer from Groves) that if he did well at the U.S. Open we’d name a beer after him.”

Besides craft beers Neches Brewing Company will also host musical entertainment. The owners have already begun filling the calendar with musicians. Silas Feemster is set to entertain on Sept. 8.

The brewpub has also connected with Blue Daves Barbecue who will bring their food truck to Port Neches for the upcoming grand opening.

“This (brewpub) shows us dreams do come true if your pursue it,” Plaia said.

Port Neches Avenue is undergoing a renaissance of sorts as the city works to update the streets, add decorative lighting and crosswalks. Shops tout everything from antiques and collectibles to a photography studio, hair salon and an old-fashioned soda fountain to name a few.


04 September, 2016