Galveston has always been a playground. It’s also a microcosm of the rest of the country, reflecting the newest trends being celebrated all over the U.S. As new micro-breweries and artisanal distilleries pop up throughout America, Galveston is following suit.
Consumers are demanding more in terms of quality and flavors in their booze and brews. In turn, spirit makers are creating new flavors and implementing innovative techniques with an accent on quality, not quantity. Folks want to drink good alcohol, made with the best ingredients, and island-based brands are creating small-batch editions to give them what they are looking for.
Surely the success of established businesses like Beerfoot Brewery, Galveston Island Brewing, Texas Tail Distillery, and Devil and The Deep Brewery have paved the way for newcomers. This month, Galveston Monthly is pleased to feature two new brewing companies and a specialty distillery that have opened on the island.
Naked Iguana Brewery “The craft beer community on the island has been very inclusive and supportive to us,” Naked Iguana Brewery founder and owner Richard Rennison said. The island’s newest micro-brewery is located at 1828 The Strand and opened its doors in November 2023.
Rennison, a retired FBI agent, moved to the island’s east end with his wife Tracy after their youngest child left for college three years ago. Before that, the Rennison family enjoyed island life as regular visitors.
“We have always loved the island’s vibe and the building became available at just the right time,” he said, as the timing coincided with his retirement.
“The location was perfect for us. The downtown district is very walkable and convenient and there is always something going on like a parade, festival, or ArtWalk. We love the island, its people, and its history. Honestly, the hardest thing about all of this was making the decision to do it. Once we signed the lease, we dove right in and were purchasing equipment the next day.”
Rennison has been a home brewer for 25 years and says he has always had a passion for good beer. He brewed his first batch during Christmas of 1996 and tapped into the final product the following New Year’s Day. He was surprised at how well it turned out and fell in love with the process.
Naked Iguana currently offers 13 craft beers on tap and three hard seltzers. They also offer an extensive wine list for non-beer drinkers.
Flights are available and include a great variety of craft beers. Favorites include: the Checkered Past, an India pale ale (IPA); the Baltic Shipwreck, a darker, porter-style beer with a complex, malty profile; the Island Boi Lager, a German Pilsner; and the SPF 35, a pale ale.
When they first opened, they sold out of hard seltzers quickly, and vow to make bigger batches from now on, Rennison said. Drunken Campfire, made with bourbon and notes of vanilla, cinnamon buns, and marshmallows, has been a customer favorite.
For a one-time fee of $1,000, beer enthusiasts can become a member the Founders Club. Members receive their own personal stein, in which your first beer of each day is filled for free, for life. Don’t delay if you’re interested in this deal - membership will be capped at 100 and 70 people have already sign up.
You can consume a pint on premises or have the beer-tender fill a 64-ounce, reusable, container called a “growler” to go.
Naked Iguana beer is available on tap at The Tremont House, Vida Agave, Island Time Beach Bar & Grill, Brewchachos Tacos & Cantina, and Tin Cup’s Caddy Shack on the island and Craft 96 in League City. If it is not available at your favorite libation location, Rennison suggests asking them to carry it in the future.
Bar snacks like popcorn and mixed nuts are provided at the bar and a full menu is available for delivery from Coastal Grill, located directly across the street. Just ask your server for a menu or use the QR code provided for ease of ordering.
Restaurant waitstaff will deliver your food in to-go containers but brewery servers can provide place settings and silverware if a customer prefers. Free parking is available on The Strand in front of the brewery.
For more information on Naked Iguana Brewery call 409.295.4008 or visit www.nakediguanabrewery.com.
Coastal Star Brewing Co. A lot of thought and ingenuity goes into every batch cocktail and brew made by Hubcap Grill owners Teffeny and Frank Caruso. The couple recently founded Coastal Star Brewing Co. and is now offering 13 craft beers on tap from their downtown restaurant, Hubcap Grill, located at 2021 The Strand.
The couple have always been fans of beer and regularly followed the Untapped Beer App and decided that brewing beer was a natural next step. “Frank and I both love beer. We got into this to make beers that we like,” Teffeny said.
A self-proclaimed gypsy brewer, Teffeny, who acquired her brew pub license during COVID, develops the recipes and flavor profiles and has an established brewer make the beers. The couple concentrates on flavors that fit best with their Hubcap Grill menu.
“Our beer profiles are influenced by our food, batch cocktails, and cake offerings,” Teffeny said. “Our Texas Lavender beer was influenced by our margarita by the same name. Similarly, the notes of our Cake Haze and Chocolate Haze beers line up with our cakes of the same names.”
“We make four base beers, then add special notes to make additional beers,” Teffeny said, describing the profile process.
Some of the beer currently on tap includes the Texas Lavendar, a double IPA that is a hoppy and hazy beer with a hint of lavender; Pop Your Hops, a nitro imperial stout with notes of salted caramel and chocolate; Tropical Imperial Stout, a nitro with chocolate and coffee notes; Salted Caramel Popcorn, inspired by Mario’s gelati of the same name; Texas Pale Rider, a hazy pale ale; and Pumpkin Haze, reminiscent of a pumpkin spice latte. '
Other beer currently on tap includes Hill Country Radler, a pale ale with notes of prickly pear and pineapple; Cake Haze, inspired by Hubcap’s pink champagne cake; Chocolate Haze, an imperial stout with chocolate, white chocolate, and raspberry notes; and the Island Dream, with notes of pineapple and coconut.
The couple relocated from Michigan several years ago and are currently remodeling a historic home near downtown Galveston. The move to Galveston has been a good fit.
“It’s a big city with a small-town vibe,” Frank said. “We visited often from Houston and decided island life was more our style.”
The Carusos have recently added a line of hot sauces distributed by Coastal Kraken, another label they developed. The Kraken line of sauces is available for retail sale at Hubcap Grill. Customers are encouraged to order a sample of sauce with their food or in a Bloody Mary.
“Our spicy sauces have depth and are really flavorful, but they won’t knock your socks off,” Teffeny said
In the future, the Carusos plan to can their beer and cocktails as well as offer both a newly created Bloody Mary mix and a barbeque sauce.
For more information call 409.220.3551 or visit www.hubcapgrillgalveston.com.
Galveston Distilling Co. The popularity of small-batch brands selling alcohol is growing exponentially across the country and Galveston is no exception.
“People want their drinks to taste good, special, and unique,” Galveston Distilling Co. founder and owner Timothy Church said. “They are interested in the flavor profiles offered by artisanal distilleries because, frankly, those options are missing from the larger spirit-making corporations.”
Timothy and his wife Kristen opened the island’s newest distillery, located at 2618 Market Street, in December 2023. They are a small craft distillery featuring multiple spirits that are made in-house, and they sell cocktails and bottles of alcohol. All the supporting liquor used to craft their cocktails is house made.
“To function as a distillery bar, all the liquors used in each cocktail must be made by us,” Timothy said.
“We make our own supply of supporting liquors like triple sec, absinthe, and hazelnut liquor. While triple sec is rarely consumed neat, it is used in preparing many mixed drinks such as margaritas, cosmopolitans, sidecars, Long Island iced teas, and mai tais.”
You will find Timothy behind the bar daily making craft cocktails with their house-made vodka, rum, and gins. Their first batch of whiskey has been barreled and will be tapped next summer.
The Churches have created a fun, relaxing, family-friendly atmosphere. Children are welcome and toys for all ages are close at hand. They don’t sell food on premises, but customers are encouraged to brown bag it while they are enjoying a cocktail.
The couple came to the island, fell in love with it, and never left. Now they are raising their two young children here and live within walking distance of the distillery.
Kristen is an accomplished artist, and her original mural greets customers as they enter the distillery. She is also available to custom decorate whiskey barrels with any company logo.
Timothy began brewing his own beer when he was 19 years old. “I was old enough to buy the ingredients but not the actual beer. So, I made my own. It wasn’t long before I started experimenting with liquor,” he said.
“I built my first still from scraps and just kept trying different flavor profiles.”
The process of making vodka takes about two weeks from start to finish, stripping it through his new, custom-made, 24-plate still. The whiskey must age in barrels and takes a much longer amount of time.
Their goal is to make smaller batches, with a larger variety, ensuring there will always be something new on the shelf.
Timothy is looking forward to offering different series of alcohols. “The four main ingredients of whiskey are barley, rye, corn, and wheat. I am going to separate them so that each batch is 100 percent of each grain” he said.
“I have found that people prefer one bourbon over another, but don’t understand why. When we break down the grains and offer pure flights of each of the four, they discover the favorite for their individual palate. They can then purchase a bourbon that is heavy with that accent.”
Customer feedback is welcome and, to that end, note cards will accompany flights at the bar. Future plans include classes on gin, whiskey, and cocktails in general, and classes on varying topics related to cocktail making like the creation of clear ice.
Special events will be hosted in their event space, The Barrel Room which is located upstairs and includes a 1,100-square-foot balcony. The Barrel Room can accommodate up to 100 people if you include the balcony and is available for rent.
For more details call 409.351.3248 and follow their social media for upcoming special events the Superbowl and Mardi Gras.