The West End's glory days in Dallas have long since passed. Now, the touristy area is just a couple of sad-looking chain restaurants and the House of Blues. Most people in Dallas haven't even been to the West End since the 1990s, but you may soon have a delicious new reason to head to the Downtown-adjacent neighborhood after work: beer.
Craft breweries have been popping up in Dallas at a thrilling rate in the past few years, and a new West End brewery from former Four Corners brewmaster John Sims may be one of the most exciting announcements to come out of the West End in over a decade. As Robert Wilonsky reported at The Dallas Morning News yesterday, Sims and his business partners applied for a permit to open an "alcoholic beverage establishment" on the first floor of the building that once housed The Butcher Shop.
The City Planning Commission still has to approve the plans to renovate the old Cadillac Bar, and additional permits would be needed to open the actual brewery. According to Wilonsky, Sims hopes to revitalize the sagging West End area, which one Dallas Morning News commenter described as a "a bastion of degenerates, back-alley sexcapades and drug use," a depiction that actually makes the place sound more interesting than it really is.
Before he set out to start a brand new brewery, John Sims was an early hire at Trinity Groves' Four Corners Brewery. He departed Four Corners in March of this year, leaving the brewery in Zach Petty's very capable hands. According to Sims' very neglected Twitter account, he's been working on this new West End "pilot brewery" since June.
I started building another pilot brewery. I will post up more pics and specs as I go. I love welding stainless! pic.twitter.com/VxqSywjXFC
— John M. Sims (@Brewmaster4U) June 6, 2014I finished welding the frame today and mounted custom casters from Ace Caster. Yes, a store that only sells casters. pic.twitter.com/yyHm5TBRP1
— John M. Sims (@Brewmaster4U) June 16, 2014If recent explosive growth in areas like Bishop Arts, Trinity Groves and Knox/Henderson is any indication, a brewery could be exactly what the West End needs. More importantly, Sims is known for brewing excellent beer, which could be the most crucial component for its success. After expanding the brewing operation from its original home in a garage, Four Corners has been able to produce some impressive suds in its short life, which means exciting things for fans of Sims' award-winning brews.
A vote is expected this week on whether or not the owners will be allowed to sell beer out of the historic building, and the brewery would open "absolutely soon" after that. It will likely be a long time before any of us ever sip a beer from this mysterious new brewery, but it is still exciting to see local businesses moving to an area in desperate need of revitalization.
