University of Houston’s 12th Annual Cougar Saltwater Open is Huge Success

September 1st, 2019

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Kimberly Maraldo with some of the sponsors of the tournament; Triump Cabling, Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine and Lonestar Integra Insurance Services.

By Kelly Groce

On Saturday, Aug. 17th anglers fished the Galveston Bay Complex for the 12th Annual Cougar Saltwater Open presented by the University of Houston’s Jack J. Valenti School of Communications Alumni. Being a graduate from the school of communications, it was an honor to become co-chair and help organize this tournament with the guidance of Kimberly Maraldo. With the funds raised from this tournament going to scholarships for the communications school, Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine was proud to be the media sponsor.

Scattered rain showers and wind didn’t hold the participating fisherman down that included men, women and kids. Individuals and teams brought several nice trout, redfish and flounder to the weigh-in at Topwater Grill in San Leon.

Attendees enjoyed complimentary beer from Galveston Island Brewing and whiskey from Nine Banded Whiskey. Calavera Cookers served up some tasty BBQ and pulled pork as everyone visited and enjoyed the shady palapa.

Huge thank you to all the sponsors that help make this event possible; Okuma Fishing, Bombshell’s, Triumph Cabeling & Underground Services, Lonestar Integra Insurance Services, Essentia Water, Houston Sign Company, Calavera Cookers, Cavern Solutions Inc., FS&MG Frontier Sales & Marketing Group and Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine.

Also, thank you to all the in-kind donors such as; Traw Metalworks, Nine Banded Whiskey, Sugar Land Skeeters, Texas Rattling Rigs, D.O.A. Lures, Elaine Ebner, Cougar Pride, Patty Godfrey, Emilee Fontenot, Cathy Coers Frank, Ralph Morales, Judy Wheeler, Alan’s Swampshack, Saltwater Soul, No Label Brewery, Laguna Madre Clothing Co., Typhoon Texas, Raising Canes, Karbach Brewery, Kendra Scott Sugar Land, Leslie McDonald Jr. and Galveston Island Brewing.

Congratulations to all the winners and everyone that participated in this fun tournament. We will see you next year. Go coogs!

COUGAR SALTWATER OPEN WINNERS:

KAYAK/WADE DIVISION

Kayak/Wade Division – 1st place trout, John Liles

TROUT
1st John Liles
2nd Mike Brown
3rd Grant Justice

REDFISH
1st Jason Blackwell
2nd Grant Justice
3rd Rayfield Conley

FLOUNDER
1st Grant Justice
2nd Vince Rinando

 

BOAT DIVISION

Boat Division – 1st place trout, Mason Dees

TROUT
1st Mason Dees
2nd Rafael Pedraza
3rd Arturo Garcia

REDFISH
1st Audra Gould
2nd Mark Gould
3rd Mason Dees

FLOUNDER
1st Arturo Garcia
2nd Tracy Smith

HEAVIEST STRINGER
John Liles – 12.34 lbs.

SHASTA’S PICK
1st Bradley Brown
2nd Rayfield Conley
3rd Leslie Bandiera

University of Houston Alumni member, J.P. Groce supporting the tournament.

Go coogs!

Boat Division – 1st place trout, Mason Dees

Anglers enjoy the shade of the palapa at Topwater Grill.

Live auction of a Leslie McDonald, Jr. wildlife painting.

Future UH Cougars!

Nice fish!

Owner of Galveston Island Brewing Keeps the Island Vibes Alive

July 1st, 2019

tiki wheat 300x200 Owner of Galveston Island Brewing Keeps the Island Vibes Alive

Photo by Josh Olalde

Mark 576x1024 Owner of Galveston Island Brewing Keeps the Island Vibes Alive

Galveston Island native and entrepreneur, Mark Dell’Osso, whose love for craft beer and the Texas coast drove him start Galveston Island Brewing 5 years ago.

Interview by Kelly Groce

What’s your name and where are you from?

Mark Dell’Osso and I am from right here in Galveston, Texas.

What made you get into brewing beer and later start Galveston Island Brewing?

My love for craft beer and a need to stay in Galveston as well as along the coast.

How long has GIB been in business?

We’ve been brewing beer on location for 5 years now.

Which one of GIB’s brews would you recommend to someone new to craft beer?
Tiki Wheat. That is our staple and you can find it on many boats, fishing docks and all over the Gulf Coast.

Which beer is your personal favorite?

Tiki Wheat as well. Also, I have a side of me that loves IPA’s, so our Citra Mellow is a close second.

Do you have a favorite hop?

My favorite hop is citra. That is where our beer Citra Mellow comes from. It is 100% citra hops. So if somebody wants to get an idea of what that hops tastes like try the Citra Mellow, it is relatively rare for IPA’s to be a single hop variety because its harder to replicate year after year and get the same hops. It’s something happens organically and has grown to be our #2 best seller.

Photo by Josh Olalde

Besides brewing beer what else are you passionate about?

Boating, sailing and surfing.

So you surf?

For sure. In Galveston I longboard, but when I go south of the border I shortboard. Also, I’m a mariner and I have my captain’s license. I used to be a small tugboat captain and I’ve also been cruising around the islands on a small sailboat.

Where do you take most of your surf trips?

Primarily Costa Rica and Mexico. I make time to go to Costa Rica probably more than my coworkers would like (laughs). Now that I have little kids I visit Costa Rica more often than Mexico.

How many kids do you have?

I have 2 little girls, Zoe and Gia. They are 7 and 4. I’ve been married for 10 years. My wife is gainfully employed, which is important in the beer business.

Do you work with Galveston Surfrider Foundation?

Absolutely. One of our very first and longest running bartenders is the suto president, Jeff Seinsheimer of Surfrider Galveston. I actually was one of the original members of Galveston Surfrider way back when I was much younger. Its a great organization so we continue to support it. As well as all the local schools, better parks of Galveston. If its on the island or in our distribution area we are going to support it.

Are there any special events or new brews coming out?

Our spring seasonal Hefen-A is being released on May 20th, so by the time this article is out if will be available all summer and on store shelves. The logo is a play on the classic surf movie, Endless Summer. It’s a German Hefeweizen with notes of banana and clove. We actually get those banana flavors from a German yeast strain we bring over from Europe, we don’t use any fake flavoring. We stress the yeast and that gives it a wonderful banana and almost bubble gum note.

Where can people purchase your beers besides the brewery?

So our beers don’t go to Houston. You can find GIB beers up and down the gulf coast, similar to Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine. We distribute from Port Arthur and Beaumont down through Bolivar, all of Galveston County, Lake Jackson, and then we go further down the coast all the way to Victoria. You can purchase our beers at H-E-B, Walmart, Kroger, Randall’s, and of course a lot of bars and restaurants.

Do you do brewery tours?

We do. Every Saturday at 1 o’clock is a free brewery tour. We also have flights available so they can get 4- 4 oz. servings for $6, so that’s a good way to try a lot of different beers without having a bunch of full pints.

What makes Galveston Island Brewing different from other breweries?

Well, we’re the coolest (laughs). I think the biggest thing is that we grow at our own pace, we pride ourselves in what we are doing right here and we aren’t worried about large distribution or rapid growth. We could go to Houston tomorrow and flip a light switch to double our sales but we choose not to. We choose to spend time and be socially involved in our community especially here in Galveston. We’re a small mom and pop business that doesn’t move too fast to make sure our quality stays up. Our emphasis is right here close to home and I believe that there’s tons of room for breweries all through out Texas and there are some great breweries already in Houston. Volume isn’t the name of our game although we are constantly trying to increase volume in our backyard. We just do it on our time… island time.

 

Galveston Island Brewing

8423 Stewart Rd.

Galveston, TX 77554

www.galvestonislandbrewing.com

 

Gulf Coast Mariner Magazine