The Road to Opening

This quest to open a brewery all started with a simple Instagram direct message about a beer collaboration in December 2024, and here we are, nineteen months later, closing in on the opening of what has been a dream for most of our adult lives. When we finally open the doors to Gulf Coast Brewing Company, it will truly be something more than either Travis or I could have imagined when we first started talking way back then.

The number one question we get is, "When are you guys opening?" and we can't wait to have an official opening date locked in. Until then, I'd like to take you through the roller coaster ride we've been on and give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it has taken to get to this point and the steps remaining to finally get this ship out of port and sailing for all to enjoy.

Our original plan was to purchase an existing brewery, make our improvements, and be slinging beers within a few months. After two attempts fell through, we realized the only way to make this happen was to build our vision from the ground up, which is a vastly different project than taking over an existing brewery. As fate would have it, the perfect location became available right when we needed it, and all we had to do was turn a former cigar bar into our brewery. There was already a bar, plenty of space for a taproom, a nice patio, and room for our equipment. Of course, as is often the case in life, looks can be deceiving.

Our perfect location (and it really is the perfect location) was rife with issues and hidden treasures. Treasures that would require major renovations and a complete redesign months into the project.

As we started to look closer at our building, we found exposed wiring, hidden leaks, and enough problems that we finally made the decision to take the building back to its original concrete backbone. In doing so, we uncovered our favorite hidden treasure: three huge garage doors that had been covered up years ago with layers of wood paneling on the inside and fake windows on the outside. This incredible discovery led to a completely new design and allowed us to create an amazing open-air taproom and brewery with a large island-style bar and outdoor lounge unlike anything else around.

Now here we are on the last leg of this project, finally moving forward after receiving the approvals needed to complete the extensive remodel. We expect to finish the work over the next few weeks, followed by a couple of final inspections before we can begin brewing. Once brewing begins, we'll be able to lock in our soft opening (approximately four weeks after brewing starts) and our grand opening (approximately two weeks after our soft opening).

So, for now, we continue preparing to host all you scallywags, scoundrels, wanna-be pirates, craft beer lovers, and anyone looking for a little fun in this crazy world! Be sure to follow us on social media and check back on our website often, as we'll be sharing updates on our opening activities as soon as we have them.