New breweries turn up on North Texas taps every month, but not many come carrying the same legacy as Big Bend Brewing. Founded deep in the heart of the Lone Star State’s last frontier by the punk rock godfather of independent Texas brewing, Big Bend bottles (or rather cans) the…
On the first day, God made … what was it again? Well on the last day, he made bacon. And the day after that, he made bourbon. Nickel and Rye put them together and made something heavenly. Nickel and Rye’s Maple Bacon Manhattan is an incredibly simple yet flavorful way…
All in all, 2015 was a banner year for craft beer in the DFW area, with several breweries opening across the region. Not to be outdone, 2016 is turning out to be yet another great year for the craft beer boom happening across the country. It seems like each month…
Patio season is upon us … blah blah blah. That line’s been the intro for every article/blog post/Instagram caption for the last month and a half, but in Dallas, patio season is fleeting; great cocktails are not. I stopped into Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse in the West End for a quick…
Just outside the average Dallasite’s comfort zone lies some North Texas beer that’s well worth the drive. Rabbit Hole Brewing in Justin has been canning the official brew of the greatest-ever American-born hockey player since the team of Matt Morriss, Tom Anderson and Laron Cheek swung open their doors in late…
There was a lot of beer — and a lot of great beer — at Brew Riot, the homebrew fest that took over Bishop Arts on Sunday afternoon. Established breweries shared their goods, homebrewing clubs showed off seriously above average beers (I would like a dozen six-packs of Trunk and…
May 16 kicks off this year’s American Craft Beer Week, first organized by the Brewers Association’s Craft Beer Program in 2006. The week of tastings, tappings and events provide craft brewers an opportunity to commemorate what they do with fellow craft beer lovers. This isn’t some silly made-up and oddly…
We all have a little pain in our lives. Some of us have physical pain (stupid plantar fasciitis), some of us have broken hearts (stupid Bumble date), and some of us just have to deal with a pain in the ass neck at work (stupid Judy in accounting and her expense reports)…
Beer people are a devoted bunch. We stand in long lines in the heat of the day to secure 750 milliliters of twice-fermented squash-and-beet saison. We wrap cases worth of rare ale in Depends undergarments, stuff them in a box and ship it to a stranger 12 states away with…
If you’ve nursed a cocktail after work anywhere in Dallas, chances are it’s either come from the hands of Eddie “Lucky” Campbell or has at least been influenced by his work. With an impressive list of bars and restaurants under his belt, Campbell found his stride at Parliament, the former…
It’s Cinco de Mayo, one of the holidays we all wish was acceptable to skip entirely but social norms (and your amiga, Stacy) would label us “weak sauce” if at least one margarita or tequila shot wasn’t consumed to celebrate … something. (What is it Cinco de Mayo celebrates, again?…
When you name a bar after a 1977 movie depicting an oversexualized and devinely mustached Burt Reynolds running Coors across state lines in a Trans Am, you’d better get it right. Eastbound and Down Icehouse, the newest bar on Ross Avenue, comes pretty damn close. This weekend was the softest…
One of Plano’s newest eateries, Hash House A Go Go, bills itself as “twisted farm food,” but the only thing twisted about this place is anyone who would choose not to experience happy hour. Let us paint a picture: inexpensive drinks every day of the week alongside buckets — actual…
From garnishes to liqueurs, flowers are springing up everywhere in cocktails bars around Dallas this season. There has always been a passive element of florals behind the bar thanks to spirits like St-Germain, Orgeat and crème de violette — along with cheesy edible flowers — but lately, it seems our favorite…
Spring in Dallas means storm season, hookup season and strawberry season. Paul Martin’s American Grill mixed up their own perfect storm with this pick from their new cocktail menu, the Corralejo Strawberry Splash. Using 100 percent blue agave tequila and fresh, muddled strawberries, this bright, fruity cocktail is a perfectly…
When Shannon Osbakken flipped a century-old home into the Bearded Lady in 2013, it created one of the most celebrated craft beer bars in Fort Worth. The cozy spot is on Magnolia Street, which has a similar feel to Oak Cliff’s Bishop Arts, and it added something outside of the typical…
In April 2015, nearly a year after originally planned, Bitter Sisters Brewing Co. opened its doors just off Belt Line Road in Addison. Named after owner and brewmaster Matt Ehinger’s wife and her sisters, Bitter Sisters is the only brewery in the Addison area. Before opening, Ehinger brewed at home while…
As Dallas heads toward a future where absolutely everything on Earth can be delivered to your door, Austin company Sourced Craft Cocktails launched in Dallas today with a curious concept — delivering everything you need to make a specific cocktail, right down to the recipe and glassware. Here’s how it…
Children’s literacy and gender equality are two incredibly important issues worthy of ou … hey, is that wine? The fifth annual In Vino Educatis (“in wine there is learning”) will be held this Thursday at Times Ten Cellars. Enjoy a glass of fine wine, live performances and auctions, all while…
Pear cocktails get a bad rap. Grey Goose Le Poire and Absolut Pear started a sick trend in which the poor fruit can’t win, because let’s face it, most drinks are doing it wrong. They use too much pear and not enough something else. Luckily Matt Tanner, Pappas Bros. beverage…
It’s 240 miles from the front door of the Dallas Observer to Real Ale Brewing’s unpaved driveway down in Central Texas, but we joined up with the other 2,000-odd guests who came from all over the state to celebrate the first 20 years of craft beer’s Davy Crockett. Pouring everything…
For beer lovers looking for an excuse to get out of the house and drink, Dallas-Ft. Worth has several events brewing. With any luck, Dallas won’t have another rainy May like last year. Here is a list of upcoming craft beer-related events worth checking out: April April 18-24: Strangeways’ Barrel Week — Enjoy…
