GRAPEVINE — Several years ago, Gary Humble tapped into the home brew craze by making beer for family and friends.
The former church worker did it for fun, but friends convinced him to do it for profit.And the seed of the idea to tap into the successful area wine market for Grapevine Craft Brewery was born.The City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved Humble’s request to proceed with plans for a private and locally-owned brewery at 924 Jean Street, one block east of South Main Street, at a joint meeting Jan. 15.Humble will open a brewery that features craft beer, which he described as "small, independent and traditional."His business would be classified as a microbrewery that he said, "by the State of Texas means that we produce less than 75,000 barrels" of beer a year."It sounds like something cool and interesting for Grapevine," said Councilwoman Darlene Freed.With a business plan, a location for his approximately 7,000-square-foot business and a builder on board, Humble said he hopes to open this summer.The business will focus on the production of craft beers for bars, restaurants and stores, and offer tours and tastings on Saturdays to give the public an idea of "what we’re doing," Humble said.There will be no retail sales."We are not a restaurant. We are not a pub," he said.In his pitch, Humble said that the business would draw upon local artists, designers and other talent. He said the names of his beers will play off area highlights, such as the Monarch butterfly migration path, the night watchman atop City Hall and the fireworks over Grapevine Lake.He told the council that there are about a dozen licensed microbreweries in the metroplex and that eight of them were licensed in 2012, a testament to the industry’s "amazing growth."Humble said his journey from church musician to brewer began with a move to Texas four years ago to become a musician with a church in Argyle. He and his wife, Andrea, settled in Grapevine and fell in love with the city."Grapevine is so endearing," he said.The family’s move to Grapevine was followed by the October 2011 birth of their son, Grant. That year, he left the Argyle church and became self-employed, concentrating on web development."I said, ‘This is where we’re going to raise a family,’ " Humble said.Although he enjoyed working with the church, he was becoming enamored of his new hobby: home brewing."I started putting a business plan together," Humble said. “People wanted to give me money. It went from a grand idea to a reality in a very short time. We’re about to move some dirt."Humble, whose wife is expecting their second child in March, said he hoped for approval from the City Council, "because Grapevine has a big push to be a destination community.""We’re not just brewing beer," he said. "We’re giving people another reason to come to Grapevine."He declined to say why his beer is so special, joking, “We’re going to put some special Grapevine sauce in there.”Marty Sabota, 214-431-2231
