Houston’s Ginger Man Pub Celebrates 25 Years

From its front-porch perch overlooking Rice Village shoppers and partyers, through the charming Old World bar and out back to the amply shaded courtyard, the Ginger Man for 25 years has been a haven for Houstonians in search of beer that’s not brewed by the millions of barrels.

Expect an appreciative crowd on Saturday to celebrate the pub’s silver anniversary. For many, the G-Man is a touchstone, the place they discovered there were alternatives to Bud, Miller and Coors.

“Seeing that wall of taps, I was like, man, I had no idea any of this existed,” said James Cunningham, recalling his first visit 17 or 18 years ago. “It opened a whole new world for me.”

Cunningham, now the Gulf Coast sales representative for Saint Arnold Brewing Co., has since seen the inside of countless good beer bars as part of his work. But he considers the Ginger Man “basically the genesis of all craft beer in Houston.”

“Look at them now,” he said. “What’s cool about it is they haven’t lost any of their neighborhood character. … I love that place.”

Joe Jackson, general manager, understands the nostalgia completely. The Ginger Man was the first place he hit after moving here from Cleveland a decade ago.

“My aunt had a friend from the Czech Republic, and this was the only bar he would go to,” said Jackson, who has been working there nearly five years. “… I’ve been coming here since literally my first day in Houston.”

The pub has thrived for a number of reasons.

The location is perfect, with the Village shops and restaurants ensuring constant foot traffic and the nearby Rice University and Texas Medical Center concentrating a large professional class in the area.

The G-Man crowd tends to be a little older — at least until Friday and Saturday nights — and it tends to be eclectic.

“Many different languages are spoken throughout the week here,” Jackson said.

Plus, the laid-back, comfortable atmosphere means you can actually hear and enjoy what’s being said. Jackson said that is another big part of the appeal.

“More conversations are started here than dollars are put in the jukebox,” he said.

Throw in a consistently strong beer lineup, and you have a rarity in Houston — a place with staying power.

“Twenty-five years is a long time in the bar business, especially in Houston,” Jackson said.

How big an accomplishment is that? Consider this: Though it shares an excellent location on the well-traveled Morningside in perhaps Houston’s coolest shopping district, the G-Man outlived several bars in the space next door. (How many of you remember Lailah’s or Señor Rita’s?) The popular Little Woodrow’s that now occupies that adjacent building is 17 years behind in longevity.

So expect multiple generations at the anniversary celebration, which gets started at noon Saturday. Some of the imports and U.S. craft beers that made the Ginger Man popular will be selling at turn-back-the-clock prices. How does $2.50 sound for a pint of Harp or Guinness, Sierra Nevada or Samuel Adams?

Throughout the day, Jackson will tap vintage kegs he’s been keeping in storage, among them Avery Hog Heaven, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and an India Pale Ale from Dogfish Head. He also saved a keg of Saint Arnold Bourbon Barrel Stout for the occasion. A band will play later in the evening.

It should be a happy homecoming for the regulars and used-to-be-regulars alike.

“I think people appreciate that not a lot changes here,” Jackson said. “Most of what was, is.”

Click here to read the full article “Toasting a Milestone at the G-Man” and contact the author on The Houston Chronicle online

(Image: Joe Jackson is general manager of the Ginger Man. Courtesy of Julio Cortez for the Houston Chronicle)