Checking Out Oak Highlands Brewery in Lake Highlands

As we've said before, the Dallas-Fort Worth area gets a new brewery about every 10 minutes, as the craft beer industry grows locally and nationally, some worry about an economic bubble.  Until that bubble pops, if you live out in one of the suburbs that still lacks a brewery, just hang on. Craft beer is headed your way. 

One of the newest breweries to open is Oak Highlands Brewery in Lake Highlands. For those willing to drive to north of LBJ Freeway, OHB's taproom is open Thursday-Friday in the evenings and noon-6 p.m. Saturdays.   Currently, Oak Highlands is offering five beers on site and on tap locally: "Allgood," a Kolsch; "Derelict IPA," an American IPA; "DfDub," a German Dunkelweizen (dark wheat), "Freaky Deaky," a Belgian Tripel; and "Golden Mustache" a German Dortmunder lager. OHB plans on having upwards of 20 beers offered in their taproom.

Looking to avoid the 100+ degree heat on Saturday, I arrived at OHB, located near Plano Rd and 635, paid $15 and received the standard three drink tokens and pint glass.  The taproom of OHB is a bare-bones set up with tables and stools scattered around, plus  two dart boards, an oversized Jenga, and a single bar at the far side where you can fill your glass and buy more tokens if need be.

The first beer ordered was OHB's Kolsch, Allgood.  Poured with a very light color and a faint aroma, the taste of Allgood is what I wish all light beers tasted like and reminds me of Nine Band's Cactus Cat.  It possess a really light body and almost nonexistent aftertaste that had a tiny hint of citrus, so consuming too many pints would be easy, especially since it has a surprising 5.8 percent ABV.  As is seemingly now required of all craft breweries, OHB offers their own IPA.  Derelict IPA is 6.1 percent ABV, has a deep copper color and nice hoppy flavor with a typical IPA bitter aftertaste; while hoppier than Grapevine Craft's IPA, Derelict does not offer anything new to the style.  OHB's Dortmunder, Golden Mustache, reminded me a lot of DEBC's Dallas Blonde; the flavor is sweet, it has a thicker-than-medium body, yet at 5.5 percent ABV the beer feels heavier than the Allgood.  OHB's strongest beer, their Belgian tripel, comes in at 10 percent ABV and has a standard, sweet tripel taste and mouth-feel.  Unlike many tripels available, with Oak Highlands' the taste of alcohol wasn't coming through in the flavor at all, which was a pleasant surprise.


The most interesting beer Oak Highlands offers is their DfDub, the Dunkelweizen (dark wheat) beer.  On the first taste, the banana and clove flavors are strong. The taste is well-balanced and complex, with a nice banana aftertaste, all coming in a medium-heavy body.  DfDUb is different than a lot of local beers being offered, which makes it the OHB beer most worth giving a shot. Unless you don't like wheat beers.

Most of what Oak Highlands is putting out is nothing new to the craft beer scene, but it's nice when more quality beer is being produced locally.  So, if you see an OHB on tap, give them a chance; their Allgood and DfDub beers are highly recommended.