In the fall of 2012, we created a guide to North Texas craft beers. Less than one year later, it's time for an update. Following is an at-this-moment current-yet-still-ever-evolving guide to North Texas craft breweries.
Breweries are listed based on the dates they were established, which is based on when they received their original license from the TABC.
Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. RahrBrewing.com Est. July 2004 Rahr sometimes uses the tag line "the brand new beer with a 150-year history" as a token to founder Fritz Rahr's German brewer lineage. Rahr is distributed throughout much of Texas and in 2012 won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival for Iron Thistle. The Fort Worth brewery's full lineup includes five year-rounds and seven seasonal beers. Laid-back brewery tours that resemble community block parties helped arouse a loyal craft beer movement in North Texas.
Franconia Brewing Co. FranconiaBrewing.com Est. January 2008 Brewmaster and founder Dennis Wehrmann was born in Nürnberg, Germany, where both Mom and Grandfather were brewers. He moved to the U.S. after graduating from brewing school and worked at Two Rows brewpub a few years before casting his own net in McKinney.
Franconia recently went completely off-grid with a self-sustaining energy system. While Franconia is a staple in many bars across North Texas, Wehrmann recently started bottling his beer, which can now be found at Central Market, Whole Foods and other area stores.
Deep Ellum Brewing Co. DeepEllumBrewing.com Est. July 2011 DEBC is Dallas' largest craft brewery and continues to add tanks and square footage to its warehouse. Founded by a group of avid homebrewers, they recently brought in Jeremy Hunt, former head brewer at Dogfish Head and Bluegrass Brewing in Louisville, Kentucky. DEBC offers several year-round beers, seasonal specialties and can be found at restaurants and bars throughout Texas, as well as on shelves at Central Market, Whole Foods, Kroger and many others.
Peticolas Brewing Co. PeticolasBrewing.com Est. August 2011 Michael Peticolas was a fifth-generation Texas trial attorney before he decided to open a brewery. His mom first introduced him to the hobby in the early '90s. Velvet Hammer is his year-round brew, while others rotate based on seasons and customer feedback. Peticolas is strictly a family- and volunteer-run brewery. It won a gold medal for its beer Royal Scandal at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival. Peticolas beer can be found at bars throughout North Texas, but is not bottled (yet).
Revolver Brewing RevolverBrewing.com Est. October 2011 Revolver has a 6,000-square-foot brewery in Granbury, west of Fort Worth, where they tap the Trinity Aquifer as their water source. Co-founders and father-son team Ron and Rhett Keisler wooed Samuel Adams brewer Grant Wood to Texas to oversee the finer details of brewing. Revolver's beers include Blood & Honey, High Brass, Bock and Mother's Little Fracker. In addition to craft beer watering holes, they recently started selling six packs at Central Market.
FireWheel Brewing FirewheelBrewing.com Est. April 2012 This small brewery in Rowlett is a one-man operation, all managed by founder, brewer and whatever-the-day-may-demand guy Brad Perkinson. He works a 150-barrel capacity system that has pushed out more than six different beers since opening. FireWheel is on tap at craft beer bars and restaurants throughout Dallas and at Whole Foods.
Lakewood Brewing Co. LakewoodBrewingCompany.com Est. May 1, 2012 Although president and brewer Wim Bens has spent most of his life in Texas, his beers are often a nod to his birthplace, Belgium. Bens cut his teeth on homebrewing, graduated from the American Brewers Guild program and, after an apprenticeship at Rahr & Sons, opened Lakewood the summer of 2012. LBC can be found in bars and in stores throughout North Texas.
Cedar Creek Brewery CedarCreekBrewery.com Est. July 2012 Session beers are the focus and of this brewery in Seven Points, except for when the mood strikes and they want something more robust. A recently completed beer garden allows them to take advantage of the new law allowing on-site sells, and the beer, which is brewed using repurposed dairy equipment, can be found at bars throughout the metroplex.
Four Corners Brewing Co. FCBrewing.com Est. September 2012 Four Corners Brewing Co. is located just west of downtown Dallas, across the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and in a large, open-air brewery. Head brewer John Sims worked at several brewpubs more than a decade ago during the first craft beer boom in Dallas. Local Buzz, Red's Roja, El Chingón, Block Party and Paletero can be found at more than 100 restaurants and bars in North Texas.
The Independent Ale Works Co. IndyAles.com Est. October 2012 Indy Ale in Krum is the first Denton-area craft brewery. Founders Stefen Windham and David Miller recently completed a few renovations to their brewery and are currently in production. Expect to see their kegs rolling into bars this fall.
Community Beer Co. CommunityBeer.com Est. November 2012 Community Beer's new 20,000-square-foot brewery in the Design District opened in January of 2013 and also has a taproom for in-house beer enjoyment, courtesy of recently passed legislation. Jamie Fulton, previously of The Covey in Fort Worth, is the head brewer and his nine beers have taken over taps at well over 100 local restaurants and bars in North Texas.
Martin House Brewing Company MartinHouseBrewing.com Est. November 2012 Founders Cody Martin, Anna Martin, David Wedemeier and Adam Myers opened their 9,000-square-foot brewery along the Trinity Trails in Fort Worth this past March. Martin House has committed to using cans rather than bottles. Imperial Texan, a double red ale, and Day Break, a four-grain breakfast beer, can be found at many area bars and retail outlets throughout Dallas and Fort Worth. 903 Brewers 903Brewers.com Est. April 2013 Owner and founders Jeremy and Natalie Roberts opened their brewery in Sherman in June. They plan to start with three core beers: an English brown ale, a light American coconut ale and a sweet pecan porter. 903 beer can be found at several bars in North Texas, including the Alamo Draft House, Craft and Growler, Jack Mac's, Ten Bells and Flying Saucer in Addison.
Grapevine Craft Brewery GrapevineOnTap.com Est. April 2013 Grapevine Craft Brewery was only the second brewery on record to raise more than $60,000 through a crowd-funding campaign. Prior to getting into the craft beer business, Humble was a pastor for 15 years. He has hired Caton Orrell as head brewer, who previously worked at Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City. They hope to open their new brewery in late December of 2014 but might have beer on taps by the end of October.
Rabbit Hole Brewing RabbitHoleBrewing.com Est. July 2013 Founders Matt Morriss, Tom Anderson and Laron Cheek raised more than $12,000 through a Kickstarter campaign in April to complete their 20-barrel brewery unit and adjacent tasting room in Justin. Rabbit Hole received the green light from the TABC in July and the brewery should hit full production by the end of 2013.
Noble Rey Brewing Co. NobleReyBrewing.com No license yet After completing the Intensive Science of Brewing and Engineering course through the American Brewers Guild, founder Chris Rigoulot has recently signed a lease on a space in South Dallas and anticipates opening in January of 2014.
Reunion Brewing Company ReunionBrewing.com No license yet Founders Brent Thompson and Kat Stevens recently started construction for a brewery at 1001 N. Riverfront Drive in the Design District.
Bishop Cider Co. BishopCider.com No license yet Dallas' first cidery completed a very successful Kickstarter campaign in April of 2013; co-founder Joel Malone asked for $10,000 and received more than $20,000. Since then, the founders have been working out the nuances of opening a business in the city of Dallas.
Armadillo Ale Works ArmadilloAleWorks.com No license yet While this Denton-based brewery doesn't have a home to call its own yet, their beer is being canned and kegged with the help of Deep Ellum Brewing Company. Co-founders Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins are raising capital for a brewery in Denton. In the meantime, Quakertown Stout and Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale are available throughout D/FW and Austin on tap and the latter in cans.
Social Brewing Co. SocialBeers.com No license yet Based in Fort Worth, Social Brewing Co. recently completed a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $15,000 to purchase equipment and create marketing materials. Founders Matt Morales and Brad Morian say the focus will be on North German varieties of beer with a new twist.
Dead Cowboy Brewing Company DeadCowboyBrewing.com No license yet Hailing from Rockwall County, DCBC will focus on craft ales and organic ciders, as well as Barley Bones, dog treats made from spent grain. They're looking for a place to call beer-home.
