Southern Ground Bottle Company brings craft beer, regional wines to Lindale.

Published 5:30 pm Sunday, August 6, 2017

When the downturn in the oil and gas business finally caught up with James Oden last year, he found solace in the bottle – but no, not like that.

“I spent a lot of years in the oilfield, and I was early retired last June,” explains Oden. “So I had to find something to do. I decided I wanted to get into the craft beer and wine business.”

Last week, Oden opened Southern Ground Bottle Company in Lindale, just down the street from the Pink Pistol, Love & War in Texas and other new businesses in this booming community.

Southern Ground sells hard-to-find craft beers, many made in Texas, along with local and regional wines.

“It’s a gamble,” Oden acknowledges. “But I live here in Lindale, and I saw the limited selection in the grocery store. I knew there’s so much more out there, and I knew there are a lot of craft beer lovers around here.”

Applying for permits and looking for a location took some time, but he’s now settled in at 305 E. Hubbard St. in Lindale.

Oden has focused on selections from Texas craft breweries – including Tyler’s own True Vine – but he carries some from all parts of the nation.

Southern Ground Bottle Co. also carries wines, mostly from wineries on the Piney Woods Wine Trail, including several in and around Tyler.

What is a craft beer?

It has to be from a small brewery, where things are done by hand, Oden said.

“It’s not something mass produced,” he said.

But primarily, he added, craft beer is brewed with love.

“What makes craft beer special to me is the passion you can see in the eyes of these brewmasters,” he said. “That passion is contagious.”

Oden works with distributors but also with individual craft breweries. And he takes special orders.

“If you want something specific, I’ll see if I can get it,” he said.

The store is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Twitter: @tmt_roy