It’s the feeling of having a neighborhood pub to go to, Matt Gilstrap says, a place to hang out after work, to meet with friends, to have a pint and talk about the day, to talk about the future. Whatever ails you, “Nothing helps that better than sitting around with close friends and having a pint.” It’s a feeling that’s definitely on tap at East Texas Brewing Co.
“We’ve invested our lives, our livelihoods,” says brother, fellow brewer and business partner Brian Gilstrap. “We’ve put everything we own on the line – we’ve taken savings out to be successful. We’re glad that we have a city that has our back and is willing to put forth the same, to put forth their heart and soul into helping us be successful.”
That success has been hard-earned, agrees Annie Gilstrap, rounding out the trio at the Broadway Avenue alehouse and eatery. Brian’s wife and Matt’s sister-in-law, she’s the dynamo in the mix.
“I’m not part of the brew process. I’m here for the tasting,” Annie quips. “I like being able to come up with really fun, creative ideas and bring it to the guys.”
Those kinds of ventures find fertile soil in downtown Tyler, she added, and ETX Brewing Co. is all about opportunities. “We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got a lot of room to grow.”
There are a lot of ingredients that go into making a community thrive, and there’s a lot of the same that goes into a good brew. Put things together in different ways, new ways, Brian says, and any number of possibilities await.
“It’s like cooking. Every recipe, a little bit of love goes into it,” he explained. “For me, it’s all about the creativity, just the love and passion behind the beer itself, being able to appreciate it for what it is.
“You take basically the same ingredients for every beer, and you can have them taste completely different. Being able to do that, it’s basically magical.”
The Gilstrap brothers began home-brewing in 2002. Annie was happy to give them an extra push, when necessary, to turn the hobby into a business.
“They’d gotten really good at making beer,” she recalls, telling the brothers, “I’m tired of hearing you dish about your jobs. Why don’t you do something you want to do, something you love doing?” Fair enough, the pair thought.
“We both worked in the corporate world, got tired of our jobs,” Matt said. “We’d always talked about opening a brewery.”
When they discovered the potential of 221 S. Broadway and re-imagined the former tire shop as a restaurant, they knew the venture was moving forward.
“Ultimately, it was just the search to find a great building that would align with our core values: community, giving back,” Brian said. “This building was old and dilapidated for a long time. We never really paid attention to it until we were looking to open the brewery up.
“We immediately fell in love, and this is where we wanted to be. What better place to do it than downtown Tyler?”
They did their due diligence, he added, looking into other areas, like South Tyler, putting some consideration toward warehouse spaces and industrial districts.
There were buildings available, but none that spoke to the Gilstraps. It was hard to find one that was the right fit, especially considering the brewery is categorized as a ‘manufacturing facility,’ limited to specific zoning.
Finally finding the perfect spot on Broadway, they were eager to plug-in to downtown’s business and arts culture.
Among other boons, it’s a centralized location, Annie said, much better than ending up off the beaten path where similar operations are relegated in other communities – “You kind of have to hunt for some of these breweries.”
The warm welcome the brewery received from the community was more than the founders anticipated. “We thought the original taproom was big,” Annie said. “We learned from the first night of opening that it was too small. We knew from that point that we wanted to expand.”
There’s plenty on tap at ETX Brewing Co. Though she’s not plugged in to the brewing process directly, “Once a great recipe has been developed and brewed,” Annie said, “I have to be able to present it to the general public so they’re aware of what’s in it, what’s gone into it, and to also come up with an appealing label, a design.
“You’re going to pick something up for what it looks like before you know what it tastes like.” There’s a similar, wide variety on the roads around the square as well, and people don’t really know everything that’s at hand until they plug in to experience it:
“I didn’t realize how much tourism there is in Tyler,” Annie said. “I didn’t realize how many people come regularly, just to visit Tyler.”
For Brian, “Tyler’s just far enough from Dallas/Fort Worth that we still get a lot of that influence,” he said. “Tyler is a growing community. With that comes diversity and a lot of different lines of thinking. That’s ultimately what fosters growth in any environment. That’s ultimately what we’re after, to bring as many people here as possible, to bring that community aspect.”
All the various stakeholders seem to be on board, he added. “Everybody wants to see downtown be successful. The people that are around downtown and are in downtown, they want the same thing that we want,” Brian said. It’s a genuine sense of community, he added, that keeps the district pulsing and helps businesses like East Texas Brewing Co. thrive, “just the sheer, amazing support that we saw from the get-go.”
The trio wants to feed downtown Tyler’s progress as much as they want to benefit from it. “A lot of cool local businesses have been going in downtown,” Annie said. “Everybody just wants the best for Tyler and wants to see downtown grow. Downtown really is the heart of the city.
The trio wants to feed downtown Tyler’s progress as much as they want to benefit from it. “A lot of cool local businesses have been going in downtown,” Annie said. “Everybody just wants the best for Tyler and wants to see downtown grow. Downtown really is the heart of the city.
In addition to the community support, Brian said, the business and others like it receive healthy, practical support from the City of Tyler and organizations within it.
“We see a lot more city support just because of the same goals of growth and building more awareness of what Tyler has to offer. We’ve got the same goals as the city; we’ve got the same goals as the businesses. It brings that support community together,” and it’s not to be found elsewhere.”
Growth is part of the brewery’s future and the present, too.
There’s been a lot happening, despite the challenging circumstances of COVID-19 – there were some specific plans in place prior to the shutdown, Matt said, plans that are still going to move forward as soon as the opportunity arises, especially since they could help the business weather the new reality of a post-pandemic economy.
For example, “We’d like to put a covered patio out front, making it more welcoming throughout the day,” he said, whether it’s breaking the heat, fending off the rain or helping people social distance. They’ve considered putting down Astroturf as well, “to bring in a backyard-feel to the downtown. “When we don’t have to social distance so much, bigger and better events.”
Opportunities are rife throughout the nearby area, Annie added. “I think we’re seeing that downtown is growing. There are more new things every month coming in. Our plan is to continue to grow with that.”
The brewery will continue to give people, residents and visitors, more options and things to do in Downtown Tyler, Brian agreed.
“Keeping it fresh,” Annie said. For example, “We’re constantly coming up with new and very different beer” in addition to new menu items and specials: “It’s not the same thing every time you come in. Whether you haven’t been here in a year or whether you come in every week, there’s something new.”
“What gives me the chills is when I look out there at night, all those picnic tables are full.” They’re 16-foot tables, Brian said, but they’re filled with all manner of diners – some come for the beer, some for the food, some for the atmosphere, some for the camaraderie. Whatever brings them in, the brewers have a warm welcome waiting.
“Every single table is full and you’ve got nothing but smiles from people that don’t even know each other, sitting next to each other,” Brian said. “We really pride ourselves on just being a cool place to hang out, to provide a cool atmosphere.”
“So many people from so many backgrounds, so many different ages and races and genders, sitting next to each other with a big ol’ pint of beer Matt and I created with smiles on their faces. That’s what gives me the most satisfaction out of making beer: They’re happy about it.”
