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.

unspecified

Chef News

Beloved Dallas chef debuts farmers market restaurant Bucket & Rope

Bucket & Rope

Chef Victor Hugo is back.

A historical building near the Dallas Farmers Market has a stellar new tenant: Called Bucket & Rope, it's a new restaurant from acclaimed chef Victor Hugo, who previously owned the beloved Victor Hugo’s Dining and Bar in Oak Cliff, which closed in 2021.

Bucket & Rope is located at 600 S. Harwood St., in the space previously occupied by Green Door Public House, and is a partnership between Hugo and Mike Ruibal, owner of the famed Ruibal's Plants, who owns this space adjacent to his garden shop.

Dallas history buffs will remember that this structure, built over a century ago, was once home to Liberty Bank on Cesar Chavez Boulevard. It was relocated to the current location and rebuilt brick by brick to recreate the original structure. Green Door Public House was in the building for 10 years until it closed in August.

Ruibal was a regular at VH in Oak Cliff. He told Victor Hugo the first time they met that one day they would have a restaurant together.

“I decided to build a restaurant I would love, a neighborhood restaurant, and I wanted to do this with Victor," Ruibal says.

Bucket & Rope veggie plate Beautiful vegetable plate at Bucket & RopeInstagram

Hugo is an accredited chef who moved to Dallas from California and worked primarily for the Lombardi's group at Bistro 31 in Highland Park Village, before founding his own place in Oak Cliff.

After it closed, he launched a new VH location in Round Top at Oak Bones cabins, which he opens twice a year for the Spring and Fall antique shows in the area and for special events. He had a catering business as well — but was ready for more.

“Mike and I wanted to do something for the community, a place with great comfort food where neighbors can come two or three times a week, as an extension of their home," Hugo says.

The menu is New American, with steak, seafood, pasta, sandwiches and salads. Highlights include:

Rope In A Bucket: Crispy calamari strips, lemon caper aioli, Sriracha romesco
Steak Frites: 10oz New York Strip, green peppercorn sauce, skinny fries, spicy broccolini
Blackened Texas Redfish: Creamy parmesan risotto, green beans, mango habanero salsa
Duck & Rope Pasta: Duck confit, maitake mushroom, spinach tagliatelle, peppercorn cream, parmesan
Mike’s Burger: 8oz grilled Wagyu, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, bucket & rope sauce, grilled onions, pickles on brioche bun with skinny fries

Prices are reasonable, with salads and sandwiches at lunch for $12 to $18, and dinner entrees ranging from $18 for pasta to $28 for a Wagyu beef roast with cheddar grits.

An anecdote on the website explains that the name came from Ruibal's son, and that the team felt like it was a perfect fit for the building's history and aesthetic.

The restaurant represents a welcome return to Dallas' culinary scene for Hugo and his wife Brianna Ruelas, whose hospitality and great food at VH in Oak Cliff were much beloved.

“We are really excited to be part of this community, we have already met many customers who are happy to have us here," Hugo says.

downtown openings