Two energy industry veterans are bringing a new brewery to Sugar Land’s Imperial neighborhood east of State Highway 6.
Talyard Brewing Co. will start construction on a 3.5-acre site at 1033 Imperial Blvd. next month, according to Keith Teague, who co-founded the brewing company together with longtime friend and neighbor Chuck Laughter.
The brewery will include a nearly 12,000-square-foot, 20-barrel brewhouse with an annual production capacity of 10,000 barrels as well as a two-story, 8,300-square-foot building with a restaurant and bar on the second floor and bathrooms on the first floor.
The 3,380-square-foot restaurant with its 3,340-square-foot terrace and patio will seat about 250, Teague said. The approximately 1-acre pet-friendly beer garden area could seat another 350 and will also include pickleball courts, backyard games, a kids’ playground and a stage for live entertainment.
Talyard Brewing Co. tapped Gensler's Houston office as the architect and Richmond-based DMAC Construction as the general contractor.
The project is slated to open in early 2024.
“We are very excited to welcome Talyard Brewing Co. to Imperial,” Jerry Ulke, vice president and general manager of the 720-acre master-planned community, said in a statement. “This fully fits into our vision for Imperial beyond residential, which is to create an entertainment destination for the Sugar Land area.”
Teague and Laughter both come from careers in the energy industry. Teague recently retired as the COO of Houston-based natural gas company Tellurian Inc. (NYSE American: TELL). Laughter is currently vice president of operations for Latham, New York-based fuel cell company Plug Power, which has a growing Houston presence, and plans to keep that position, Teague said.
The idea to open a brewery came over some of the many backyard gatherings the two next-door neighbors have had over the years. They met a brewer, Sean Maloney, through Laughter’s son, Teague said.
"And so that was the genesis,” he said. “We’re passionate about beer, meeting a guy who brewed beer, enjoying it around town and lamenting that we didn't have that kind of option down here in southwest Houston.”
In Greater Houston overall, there are now more than 90 craft breweries, according to a count by Houston-based real estate company Partners. None of them are in Sugar Land.
Teague and Laughter started looking at real estate in 2020 and bought the 3.5-acre property just north of Constellation Field from Houston-based Johnson Development Corp., the developer of Imperial, in May 2021, Teague said.
They hired Maloney in the beginning of this year and sent him to a master brewer program in Chicago and Munich.
“Sean was very West Coast-influenced,” Teague said. “And now he comes back from basically four months in Munich. … I think it’s going to be fun to see how he takes what have been his creative influence and how it evolves with this added education and exposure.”
The city of Sugar Land requires bars and other alcohol-serving establishments to offer food as well, which is why Talyard hired a chef, Brad Pitre, whose kitchen will include barbecue, Tex-Mex and Southern comfort food.
The brewery team also includes Jason McCain, who will serve as general manager, and Vice President of Operations and Development Chris Kalinec, who will be in charge of production and tap room operations as well as business development and distribution.
Overall, Teague expects to eventually have around 100 employees, including brewing and restaurant staff.
If the groundbreaking ceremony last weekend — with 100 invited guests and dozens of walk-ups — was any indication, Teague said, business will go well.
“It was a fantastic event and just really exemplified that there's a literal thirst for a brewery in the Sugar Land area,” he said.