Last Saturday, my wife and I attended two anniversary parties for two of our favorite local area places – J. Henry’s Draught House and Galveston Island Brewing. Our first stop was J. Henry’s in the Clear Lake area of Houston.
The ultimate draw to J. Henry’s for their one year anniversary party was their unreal beer selection that included some of the most sought after beers from across the country as well as special Texas brews that are in limited supply. My first beer at J. Henry’s was a double dry-hopped glass of Brash’s Pussy Wagon IPA from a limited release cask. The bitterness of the beer was balanced out by the citrus flavor from the Mosaic and Citra hops. It’s reputation as one of the best IPAs in the state is justified.
The two casks that were tapped during our time at the bar were going quickly. The other being Ballast Point’s Pineapple Blood Orange Sculpin IPA, which my wife ordered and was truly something special.
My second beer was Saint Arnold’s Boiler Room Berliner Weisse with raspberries. It’s been a popular beer for several Saint Arnold’s pint nights throughout the state, but this was my first time ordering it. One of the best Berliner Weisse’s I’ve tasted, the tart flavor of the sour was easy drinking and at 3.7% ABV, it helped us appreciate the sessionable nature of the brew.
Finally, what actually drew me to definitively make the trip to J. Henry’s was Real Ale’s Codex Triplex from their Mysterium Verum series. This wild sour ale was perhaps the best sour we’ve ever enjoyed. In fact, my wife is not a fan of sours and she enjoyed it as well due to its balance, fruity flavor, and dry finish. If we would have stayed at J. Henry’s, this would have been my go-to for the rest of the evening, but my local’s celebration was more important.
Our next stop was Galveston Island Brewing. This is my local taproom and I won’t pretend to be unbiased. I love this place. I have since the first time I visited and I’ve probably been over 100 times during the past two years. Therefore, it was a foregone conclusion that I would make sure to be there.
One of the things that made us happy was the reintroduction of Hefen-A, their summer seasonal hefeweizen that epitomizes summer in a glass. It is our daily drinker as soon as the temperature goes above 80. With a sweet flavor and smooth finish, it’s not unusual for us to take a growler or two home (which we did) in addition to drinking a pint at the brewery.
However, I was also there to enjoy their special releases. The next beer I enjoyed was their Charlie Murphy porter that was infused with toasted coconut in a cask. The coconut flavor was subtle and not overpowering, which is good considering how terrific Charlie Murphy is. Even with it being warmer, I can’t turn down a well-made porter no matter what time of year it is.
I finished off with the Night’s Walker Imperial Stout. Tasting more like a milk stout due to its sweetness, it doesn’t drink heavy, despite being over 8% ABV. Upon logging it on Untappd, I realized that this was the same beer I had enjoyed a week earlier and said it tasted much like Nightfall porter. Still good, I enjoyed Charlie Murphy more.
The celebratory atmosphere is what’s special about the brewery. While looking around, I noticed that this wasn’t a ton of tourists making a one-time trip, it was filled with many locals who truly love the brewery and come on a regular basis. This is the reason why the brewery has experienced exponential growth beyond what was originally intended upon opening. The beer is just so good and the people are the biggest reason why this is our favorite place to visit.
We can’t wait for next year’s celebrations at both places. We know they’ll both be even bigger and better!