Hospitality. The definition of hospitality is “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.” Owners Padraic & Andrea O’Neil are the epitomy of hospitable people who make all guests of their brewery feel welcome and feel like family. O’Neil and Sons Brewing in Port Lavaca has tapped into a market that was being neglected and they are starting to reap the benefits.
Earlier this year, O’Neil and Sons went through the process of changing their license from a brewery to a brewpub. This strategic decision was done to serve people in the city of Port Lavaca and South Texas in general. What it has allowed them to do is offer their in-house brews in addition to other craft breweries throughout the state and the U.S. While it’s exposed so many people in town to new craft beer that has never been served in the area, this isn’t the real story about the brewery.
The real story of the brewery is their beer and their people. Like I mentioned, the O’Neils are incredibly friendly and hospitable people. I first met them over a year ago at Gordon Street Tavern for a Galveston County brewery tap takeover. They made the 2+ hour trip from Port Lavaca to Alvin just to enjoy the beer and support the craft brewing movement in the area. From the moment I met them, I wanted to make the short trip down south to visit. After various attempts that for one reason or another didn’t work out, I finally got the chance to see them in their brewery on Saturday.
The brewery itself is a small space operating in a small warehouse close to Highway 35 running through the center of town. While the space isn’t large, the love for the brewery is. What I found was several locals who were clearly regulars at the brewery stopping in to have a few pints, shoot the breeze, and get growler fills to-go. The clientele was also a mixed group of some older folks just looking to watch some sports, or as one gentleman said, “I didn’t come here to think. I came here to drink.” There were also younger folks who came by to have some pints and just have some conversation. What I started to realize is everybody felt at home when they came in. They felt like they belonged and felt like they knew the O’Neils for ages.
I’d be remiss if I skipped over their beer. What is truly spectacular is the level of execution in the beers. Padraic is a stout fanatic who clearly understands how to brew the style. My first beer was the D.A.D. Stout, which was an 8% ABV stout. Served properly in their logo snifter glass, this beer had quite the chocolatey coffee flavor created using the roasted malt. It was deceptive as well because it drinks like a lower ABV stout (similar to Guinness), but packs much more flavor.
The second beer I enjoyed was the Gan Ceann Pumpkin Stout. Now, the pumpkin backlash is already being felt throughout the industry as many breweries have scrapped this from their lineups. However, the ones that actually execute the style well are still making it. Me? Well, I’m indifferent to pumpkin brews because I’ve had some that are straight drain pour and others that are life changing. This one? It was solid. The pumpkin spice used wasn’t overpowering and didn’t create the pumpkin spice latte flavoring that I despise. Instead, it provided a nice flavoring that gave it a little kick. Of course, at 9% ABV, it did have a kick that registers closer to an imperial pumpkin stout, which was certainly welcome because the base stout was executed well.
Obviously, the day trip drive didn’t allow me to drink any more full beers, but I was also able to try a few samples including an experimental sour that was out of this world. They used their D.A.D. Stout as the base beer and fermented some dewberries into the brew and barrel-aged it. The result is a red-wine type nose with a boozy barrel-aged stout aftertaste. The sour characteristic from the Brett yeast makes it taste similar to Texian Black Jesus. They are on the fence of whether to make this a production brew due to the cost, but the feedback he has received from the samples they have given out has been overwhelmingly positive, so I’m hopeful.
Again, what made the visit worth every mile of the trip was the hospitality and quality of their craft. I highly recommend visiting the brewery and sampling what they have. They’re really starting to benefit from revolutionizing Port Lavaca into a craft beer drinking town and you have to witness the transformation first-hand.