Dean Weaver’s Autonomous Society Is a Beer Connoisseur’s Playground

Ask any entrepreneur: navigating a new business is a tricky endeavor. Opening a brewery is, well, an entirely different beast altogether. The cost and risk? Immense.

“It took years of planning and consideration," Dean Weaver told the Observer. "Starting a brewery isn’t for the faint of heart because it can cost you everything if it doesn’t work." Fortunately for Weaver, a multiyear vision of a thriving brewing operation is coming to fruition.

Dean Weaver is the man behind Deanitude Brewing. His brick-and-mortar brewery, Autonomous Society, can be found in the Cedars neighborhood, in the shadows of downtown Dallas, in a building erected in the 1940s. On the day we visited, it was mid-morning, and Autonomous Society had just opened. A customer was already on the porch with a pup at his feet, enjoying a picture-perfect Dallas day while sipping one of Weaver’s sudsy concoctions.

As we entered Weaver’s rustic playground of hop-laden craft beer, we were greeted by his right-hand man, Tom Graybael, who also doubles as an Autonomous Society bartender. Graybael, an overall delight of a man, provided expert recommendations while guiding us through the deep roster of Deanitude brews. They range from the “English Biscuit” (English pub ale) and “The Red” (with rich caramel notes) to the potent “Smooth Operator.” All in all, there are at least two dozen Deanitude brew selections in the rotation at any given time, plus limited-series beers on deck (check the chalkboard behind the bar).
“My favorites are dictated by season and mood, but The Smooth Operator is definitely a favorite. It’s a Belgian dark that has a complexity of caramel, dark fruit and Belgian yeast that finishes dry. Obviously, it’s a one-and-done beverage with its 12.5% ABV,” Weaver said. Other popular house sellers are the Elderweiss (hefeweizen) and Cascading Bavarian pilsner.

We ordered a trio of beers for the table: A popular, smooth and hazy fruit-centric called IPA Bye Bye Spaceboy, Hot Flash Helles (a light and crisp lager) and Baron Von Schwartz, with its prominent coffee and dark chocolate notes. All were top shelf.
“I spent two years in Germany when I was in the army. That started my love affair with craft beer. In 1993, I started home brewing,” Weaver told us.

Weaver’s first love, though, was the film industry.

“I spent 33 years in the film industry," he says. "My passion for that industry faded, but I wasn’t ready to retire. With my wife’s blessing, I decided to turn my brewing hobby into a business.”

The wealth of premium craft beer options is certainly the main appeal at Autonomous Society, but the food menu doesn’t lag far behind.

“I didn’t have any experience with the restaurant industry, so we just started with a few panini sandwiches,” Weaver said with a grin. “Thankfully, an acquaintance offered to help elevate the menu. We spent six months developing dishes that could be prepared in our small kitchen with relative ease, and we strived for pub fare that would reach the same level as the beer.”
Our table started with a beer-candied BLT ($10.75) with thick-cut bacon, baked and candied in a sweet and peppery Big Rig lager glaze, with romaine, tomato and sriracha mayo. Next, we tried a pair of Bellman’s BBQ tacos ($11.75): pork belly braised in Asian spices and the house English porter, then topped with citrus cabbage slaw and a sweet hoisin-based Bellman’s BBQ sauce. Both were upscale bar bites. But our final order — banh mi sliders ($11.75) of braised pork belly topped with pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro and sriracha mayo — were some of our favorite bar bites of 2024.

Other options that caught our eye were the chicken carnitas tacos, Carolina hot honey mustard wings and Big Rig bruschetta (sliced sourdough topped with a traditional bruschetta mix and Autonomous Society’s “Big Rig Beersamic” glaze).

Autonomous Society has all the proper ingredients: excellent beer and food and a neighborhood bar atmosphere with folks at the helm who are deeply passionate about their product and customers. Things are slowly but surely coming into focus for Weaver and the Deanitude team, as Weaver keeps one eye on possible distribution in the future.

“We’re going to see how 2025 goes first. But we’re getting closer and closer to making that leap,” he says.

Autonomous Society, 1928 S. Akard St. Wednesday – Friday, 4–10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 9 p.m.