New Beer Roundup

Check out these 5 new local craft beers before you order another round

A handful of new local beers are hitting the market right about now, so it seemed like a good time to round them up. We’ve got two different coffee beers, a fruity twist on a Dallas favorite, a beer made for outdoor activities and one you won’t find anywhere but at the brewery that makes it.

Happy drinking.

Community Beer Company Ascension Coffee Porter
Community kept it in the Design District family and teamed up with Ascension to create a coffee porter. Brewery owner Kevin Carr says the inspiration for the beer came from head brewer Jamie Fulton’s award-winning history with the style from his pre-Community days.

The 6.8 percent ABV brew uses fresh-roasted Sumatra beans from Ascension to create a deep Baltic porter with a little kick of caffeine. It’s one of 15 beers available at Community’s birthday bash on January 18.

Deep Ellum Brewing Company Oak Cliff Coffee Ale
Deep Ellum Brewing has also decided to go the coffee route, combining an oatmeal brown ale that has a bit of milk sugar with a Panamanian coffee from Oak Cliff Coffee called Carmen. Head brewer Jeremy Hunt calls it “the best beer that I have ever had a hand in making. Seriously.”

The ale is 7.5 percent ABV with 33 IBUs and is currently making its debut tour beginning with a preview party at Davis Street Espresso in Bishop Arts on January 16.

Lakewood Brewing Company Raspberry Temptress
The Temptress at Lakewood is one of Dallas’ most popular beers — and with good reason. Now the brewery is bringing one of its variations on the imperial milk stout to full production with a raspberry Temptress. Lakewood takes a completed batch of Temptress and throws it in a fermenter with raspberry puree for a drink that contains notes of chocolate and the tartness of raspberries.

It’s still at Temptress’ original 9.1 percent ABV, and the beer debuts February 10 at bars that typically carry the regular Temptress, such as Common Table, Goodfriend and Holy Grail Pub.

Martin House Brewing Company Gateway XPA
Although most breweries embrace rich and dark beers during the colder months, Martin House has gone the opposite direction and created Gateway XPA, an extra pale ale designed for “session” drinking. At 5 percent ABV and 19 IBUs, Gateway, which draws its name from Fort Worth’s Gateway Park Trail, is an easygoing beer designed for drinking during a post-mountain bike adventure or in the backyard with some friends playing cornhole.

It officially launches on January 17 at the Bearded Lady in Fort Worth.

Peticolas Brewing Company Black Curtains Stout
The new Black Curtains stout from Peticolas is arguably the hardest beer to get on this list. Michael Peticolas and company only pour the beer during tours on the first and third Saturday of each month, and they have no plans to let it leave the nest.

The stout blends the roasted malt bitterness with relatively high levels of citrusy and floral hops and boasts an 11 percent ABV. Peticolas drew inspiration for the beer from Cream’s song “White Curtains,” which is, just maybe, a hint for the future.

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat and grandchildren. According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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