Gallant Brothers To Team Up With Ale On Oak Street For First New Orleans Nano-Brewery Pidgin Town
NEW ORLEANS – Paul and Taylor Gallant are brothers with a dream.
Born and raised in the Greater New Orleans area, they were introduced to beer brewing in 2003 when they were gifted their first home brewing kit. They were then introduced to all-grain brewing by local home brewing legend Larry Hartzog who taught them the nuances of brewing with grain at his infamous "brew haus."
Hartzog’s wife, Mrs. Nancy, has since become the Gallant brother’s "brew mom" and continues to be their go-to resource for brewing advice.
The Gallant brothers have become a part of the growing beer scene in New Orleans, contributing to local beer fests and events including NOLA on Tap, LarryFest, Bugs and Brew, Jingle Bells and Beer, Hogs for the Cause and movie screenings, and they hope to expand their events repertoire.
As their casual hobby became an all-consuming passion and plans developed for building their own brew house, Pidgin Town Brewing, the brothers have turned to crowd funding platform Kickstarter to raise $10,000 for their new venture.
This method of funding represents not only a way to raise money, they said, but also a way to interact directly with their community and customer base, increasing brand awareness.
The Gallant brothers’ goal is for Pidgin Town to become the house brewery at Ale on Oak Street and to create a community-based brewery with at least two flagship custom beers and additional seasonal offerings.
Pidgin Town gets its name from one of the least known yet most storied neighborhoods in New Orleans, the Gallant brothers said. Dating back to the 1830s, and located in back-a-town of Carrollton, Pidgin Town was a place where immigrants of many different nationalities came to settle. People of North European, Caribbean and African heritage moved to this neighborhood and spoke a port-lingo or "pidgin English."
“We really appreciate the idea of people from different cultures and religious backgrounds coming together and living harmoniously,” the Gallant brothers said. “In this, we hope to create a similar culture around Pidgin Town Brewing where we can bring people of different races, religions and cultures together with one common love: beer.”
Pidgin Town Brewing will host a Happy Hour series on Saturday, July 22, 29, and Aug. 5, at Uptown Frames, 237 Broadway, from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., where attendees will enjoy complimentary Pidgin Town brews, small bites and 10 percent off of custom-framed orders under $200 and 15 percent off orders over $200.
