< PreviousFeaturesBooks and movies bring mythical mariners such as Capt. Jack Sparrow to life with tales of sea-faring treasure hunting under star-laden skies, marveled at through rum-hazed eyes. But real-life sailor, Capt. Joe Butcher, prefers coffee to rum, and a bag of beans to a chest of jewels. A taste for adventure, however, is something Sparrow and Butcher have in common.Joe Butcher and his wife, Terry, are the owners of El Lago Coffee Co. in Seabrook. They sell hand-roasted Central American coffee by the bag or cup in their store, which doubles as an antiques shop and collectors’ Sailing dreams and coffee beansSeabrook company pioneering future of commercial importingStory and photos by Zach TateOwner Capt. Joe Butcher created a 3D version of El Lago Coffee Co.’s Pirate blend label to add to the ambience of the coffee and antiques shop.Capt. Joe Butcher enjoys a cup of Pirates Blend brand hand-roasted Guatemalan coffee in the courtyard of the El Lago Coffee Co. in Seabrook. A scale model of the 79-foot schooner he plans to build will import 50,000 pounds of beans per trip using only wind power. 50 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015Features(Above) Roasted coffee beans soon to be packaged at El Lago Coffee Co. (Below) Coffee beans cool after being roasted.paradise. They also sell products online and through a few retail outlets and restaurants in the area, including Arlan’s Market and the Seabrook Waffle Co. The Butchers reside aboard a permanently docked 45-foot cabin cruiser in the Clear Lake area with their two dogs, Dodge and Boats, and are frequently asked about a particular oceanic adventure for which they have become quite famous in the Gulf region.The story begins Christmas Day 1914, the last time coffee was commercially imported by sail power into the United States. Fast forward to 2007, when El Lago Coffee Co. opened and the Butch-ers quickly realized they could make more money buying beans directly from farmers in Central America and by doing something they loved — sailing. In December 2008, Capt. Butcher and his crew — brother Doug, wife Terry and dog Skipper — set sail from Galveston to become the first such importers in nearly a century. After arriving in Ambergris Caye, Belize and loading their 42-foot steel hulled ketch, RedCloud, with 10,000 pounds of Guatemalan coffee beans, they cast off for their trip back to Galveston on Christmas Day. The RedCloud was just 130 miles off the coast of Galveston when a violent storm ripped a fatal gash in the hull and forced Butcher to send a Mayday distress signal. Although Butcher had fought the storm for more than a day and night, 35-foot swells ultimately overwhelmed the ship.In a harrowing U.S. Coast Guard heli-copter rescue, all aboard, including Skip-per, the company mascot, were soon safe on dry land. Despite Butcher’s highest hopes, the ship might somehow stay afloat and some of her cargo salvaged after the storm passed, RedCloud sank later that night 2,000 feet to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, carrying the 10,000 pounds of fine Central American coffee. Today, with his contagious optimism, Butcher, 52, is a living example of how to cope with setbacks and disappointment and has by no means given up his dream of importing coffee by sail. His current plan includes a scale model of the 79-foot schooner he’ll build, complete with a cargo COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015 51Featureshold exactly proportioned for one large commercial shipping container such as those seen on oceangoing freighters. Each trip will move 50,000 pounds of coffee with a minimum of two trips required each year to sustain the business. Find-ing a company, bank or investor willing to provide $650,000 needed to build the ship hinges on having a contract with a high-volume coffee retailer such as H-E-B or Walmart and is taking longer than expected.Butcher insists his coffee is better in quality than that offered by the big import-ers, largely because smaller quantities al-low for a more controlled selection process. Working at sea for most of his life — for the U.S. Navy and the oil industry — Butcher isn’t a strict environmentalist. But he does point out that of the many advantages of using wind power to trans-port coffee beans, zero emissions is an important selling point. It’s been nearly seven years since the RedCloud went down. And although Butcher is patient, he concedes to hearing the call of the sea and longs for the day when his dream will be realized. “It’s the perfect job,” he said. “Sailing up and down the coast, good fishing, beauti-ful sea, beautiful weather, tropical breeze and, of course, a good cup of coffee.” CEL LAGO COFFEE CO.1206 Moskowitz Ave., Seabrook 281.291.7998Monsoon Malabar beans, from Malabar, India, fill a shell at El Lago Coffee Co. Before shipping to the United States, the raw beans are drenched by India’s monsoon rains for weeks. The process naturally eliminates the acidity of the bean, making it one of the world’s most sought after. 52 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015 Left: Gary Hankins, MD Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology Center Left: C. Joan Richardson, MD Chair, Pediatrics and Director, Division of Neonatology Center: Randall Urban, MD Chair, Internal Medicine Center Right: Cynthia Judice, MD Chief Medical Officer, Community Based Clinics Right: Barbara Thompson, MD Chair, Family MedicineThe five clinicians featured here are representative of the whole team of specialists spanning our primary care services.The University of Texas Medical BranchMember, Texas Medical CenterThe University of Texas Medical BranchMember, Texas Medical CenterWith four daughters, one son, a husband, and an elderly dad all on Mary Jo’s mind, every day is a family reunion. She’s come to count on the primary care physicians at UTMB Health.What’s more, when serious issues have come up, Mary Jo has seen the critical connection between primary and specialty care. Two of her daughters required such attention. “These doctors did not wait. They were all over it.”Whether you’re selecting a family medicine doctor, internist, ob/gyn, pediatrician, or geriatrician, when you choose UTMB Health, you’re getting the highest quality care backed by the extensive UTMB network.With exceptional primary care doctors, more than 30 locations in Galveston and the Bay Area, and the convenience of MyChart, our family is ready to take care of your family. Take charge and call us at 800-917-8906 or go to utmbhealth.com.rough thick and thin:Taking care of your family starts with primary care. COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015 53/MitchellPropMitchell Historic PropertiesFOR OFFICE LEASING, CALL 409.761.4110OR VISIT www.MitchellHistoricProperties.comWant more info?Available Office Space/MitchellHistoricPropertiesThe beautiful 1875 Heidenheimer Marine Building has just been completely reno-vated. Office spaces ranging in size from 201 square feet to 1,600 square feet are available. Executive Suites are available on both floors sharing conference rooms, seating areas and kitchen facilities.Marine BuildingNewly Renovated Office Building305 21st Street - Galveston, TexasFeaturesKelly Railean, of Railean Rum in San Leon, prepares her Talk Like A Pirate Rum Punch.Ham and grits; salt and pepper; peanut butter and jelly; friends and Facebook; 5 p.m. and cocktails — some things are just meant to come in pairs.It can be said without fearing argument that this includes pirates and rum. Can one even mention rum and not have a flash-ing thought of a swashbuckler? The marriage is easily reinforced by a brisk walk down any rum aisle in your favorite spirits store. There’s Captain Morgan, Black-beard, Lady Bligh and Black Roberts — complete with skull and crossbones — in a squatty bottle a little farther down. If not in the actual name, rum bottles are awash in labels showing pirate ships, pirate symbols and pi-rates replete with sword and shoulder-perched parrot.Or take Kelly Railean, co-founder, owner and master distiller of the area’s best known rum makers, Railean Handmade Texas Rum in San Leon. Railean isn’t a pirate, but she’s a sailor.Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rumHow pirates and the demon grog became good mates on the high seasStory by Mark G Hanna | Photos by Stuart Villanueva54 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015 55OFFSHORE DRILLING RIG MUSEUM AND EDUCATION CENTERGaido - A Trusted Name on Galveston Island! Michael J. Gaido, IIIRealtor® Associate ABR, GRI, RSPS, SFR, SRES, SRS409.457.4900MichaelGaido@SandNSea.comMichaelGaido.comCarolyn T. GaidoReal Estate ConsultantCLHMS, CRS, RSPS, SRS713.851.3377CarolynGaido@SandNSea.comCarolynGaido.comsandnsea.comKimberly GaidoRealtor® Associate, SRS713.498.2020KimberlyGaido@SandNSea.comWe’re Sold on Service!3830 Sea Urchin4BR/3.5BA with Gulf views from both sides of house.7 Campeche Estates DriveAmazing 4BR/3.5BA custom home in Campeche Cove Estates. 3 Southern Cross Remarkable craftsmanship in this custom 4BR/3.5BA home.921 Marine Drive Unit # 331 Medical student’s dream. Come see this 2BR/2.5BA condo. 16710 Jamaica Beach Road4BR/3BA, Better than Beachfront.4111 Rum BayIncredible views from this second block 4BR/4BA beach house.124 Island PassageOutstanding 4BR/3.5BA home overlooking lake in Evia.23323 San Luis Pass Road 4 BR/3.5 BA Beachfront Property at it’s best.Features“I learned how to sail and then my husband and I bought a sail-boat,” Railean said. “Whenever we would entertain or come back in and want to relax, rum just seemed the natural thing.”Most people just try different rums after that, but she bought a distillery. It opened in 2007 and now makes four styles of rum serving multiple states and most large cities in Texas.Pirate glory is found throughout her craft distillery, right down to the establishment’s Buccaneer Bar, where rum drinks such as Black Beard Dark Beer & Rum Delight, Calico Jack, Pirate Daiquiri, Talk Like a Pirate Punch, The Jolly Roger and Walk the Plank are served up regularly. Buccaneer Bar also celebrates the yearly Talk Like a Pirate Day each September. So, what is this thing that forever binds pirates and rum?History shows it’s kind of a chicken-and-the-egg story. Almost all ships in the glory days of sailing across the bounding Carib-bean main had ample barrels of rum. Almost all pirates, at least the successful ones, were on ships. It was pretty inevitable the two would meet.Medicinal reasons started it all, however. At the time, ships could spend many months at sea and between ports. Fresh water was brought on board in large barrels, but between the filth and heat of the ship’s hold, the untreated wood of the barrels and the untreated water being used, the stuff became pretty darn rancid in short course. As a result, ships also carried beer, which lasted longer. When that ran low, out came the stronger stuff. Before the mid-1600s, the stronger stuff was usually French brandy, but Great Britain went to war with France and promptly captured Jamaica, an island notable for a lot of reasons, rum mak-ing not being the least of them. So, in a French Fry to Freedom Fry move, the Royal Navy poured its last brandy and switched to stocking its ships with rum. Thus began a love affair with rum that, with some good winds and some becalmed ones, continues today. “When I started, the craft movement didn’t even exist, but now it is affecting all kinds of spirits,” Railean said. “I think that is going to continue to grow. And with rum, we are going to start seeing more and more of the aged rums coming out in the next few years.”The appeal of rum in the early days is easy to understand. Sugar was abundant and the rum was made from a molasses that had been discarded. And, unlike whiskey and some other popular spirits, rum has always been a coastal thing. “Barrels of molasses are very heavy,” Railean said. “You don’t lug barrels of molasses uphill into the interior.”Rum did have one drawback. Unlike the water or the beer used, rum had a tendency to intoxicate. A ship swarming with drunken sailors is not a good thing as famed pirates Anne Bonny, Mary Read and Calico Jack Rackham can all attest. Their ships were all taken with hardly a saber unsheathed, the pirate crews being in a happy hour state of bliss. The Royal Navy devised ways to ration the rum to its crews — daily pours called tots, which was originally about 1 pint. This daily practice wasn’t abandoned by the English until 1970. It was a sad, sad day to be sure and for the last 45 years the anniversary is known as Black Tot Day.The deliberate dilution of rum resulted is one of the first and Ingredients for Buccaneer Bar’s Talk Like a Pirate Rum Punch.most familiar rum cocktails. Ship captains had it mixed with the remaining rancid water or beer, sugar and lime juice to make the water more palatable, as well as to prevent scurvy. This concoction became known as grog. The choice of rums today is almost overwhelming. They’re pro-duced in a variety of grades mostly identified by color. Light rums are the mixer ones for cocktails, while darker ones are more likely to be consumed straight or on the rocks. The rules, however, are as loose as a pirate’s morals. There also are premium rums, spiced rums, flavored rums, overproof rums and myriad others, which can be used in uncountable ways.Railean makes four different styles of rum — a white that’s distilled multiple times for smoothness; dark ones distilled once and then aged in small, new double-charred, American oak barrels. Many distillers age their rums in used whiskey barrels, which ab-sorbs some of the whiskey flavors. Railean’s distillery also produces 56 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015 COASTMONTHLY.COM / OCTOBER 2015 57For a reservation, visit our website porchcafe.comChart A Course toYour Holiday Eventat the Most Unique Venueon Galveston!Transform yourevent into an experiencethat you and your guests willnever forget! Our awardwinning facilities, scenicviews and beautifullylandscaped grounds providethe perfect backdrop forany occasion!Dine and Dance across theskyline of Galveston in ourspacious, State of the ArtBanquet Hall or Set Sail withyour Guests Aboard our 111’,newly commissionedBaysmart Express!SEASCOUT BASE GALVESTON7509 BROADWAY, 77554MEET WITH YOUREVENT COORDINATOR: 409-572-2560 ext. 1002Featuresa blended rum, small cask rums and spice rums.“A lot of people just assume rum should be mixed with something, but that is not true anymore,” Railean said. “I make a single-barrel small cask rum that people drink straight or on the rocks. As people learn more about rum, the more serious they take it.”One of the stranger ways to drink rum that found its birth among pirate lore is mixing it with gunpowder. Blackbeard was said to drinks shots of this before battle for protection. This odd cocktail has been served at bars, and there’s even a New Zealand-made rum called Smoke & Oakum’s Gunpowder Rum, which has remnants of real gun powder. The truth behind this drink, however, has less to do with cocktail mixology than it does with pocketbook thievery. It seems buying from rum purveyors was a tricky business, even for pirates. To make sure the rum being purchased had not been watered down, wary buy-ers learned they could mix a little rum and gunpowder then set a spark to it. If it flared, it was proved, meaning it was not watered down — the origin of today’s proof percentage on all alcohol. If it did not flare, pity the purveyor. So, for all Hollywood’s lore of pirates sail-ing the ocean blue in search of gold, jewels and pretty lasses, a captured ship with only a cargo full of rum didn’t disappoint. Edward Teach, better known as Black-beard, once wrote in his journals he feared his crew was plotting a mutiny. “So, I looked sharp for a prize (and) took one with a great deal of liquor aboard,” he wrote. “So kept the company hot, damned hot, then all things went well again.”BUCCANEER BAR AT RAILEAN DISTILLERY341 Fifth St., San Leon713.545.2742 www.railean.com/toursBuccaneer Bar’s Talk Like A Pirate Rum PunchTALK LIKE A PIRATE RUM PUNCHCourtesy of Kelly Railean and Buccaneer BarINGREDIENTS1 part Railean Texas White Rum1 part Railean Reserve XO Dark Rum1 part orange juice1 part pineapple juice1 part ginger ale (or lemon lime soda)Splash of bittersSplash of grenadinePineapple wedge and cherry for garnishDIRECTIONSShake all juices and rum, add soda and then add grenadine and bitters. Serve over ice.Helpful tip from about.com: “One part is any equal part. Think of it as one measure of your jigger. For ‘1 part,’ you would pour a full jigger; for ‘2½ parts,’ pour two and a half jiggers; for ‘½ part,’ pour one half of the jigger full. 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