Dallas-Fort Worth is swimming in beer, thanks to a flood of new breweries that have opened in the past few years. This list by the Beer in Big D blog puts the total number of breweries around Dallas-Fort Worth at 20, but the brews news keeps coming: Just in the past week, three new breweries have opened or signed a lease on a permanent location. One new brewery is looking to open in Garland, and another in Deep Ellum hired a chef.
There is so much news in the world of Dallas-Fort Worth beer that we had to round it up.
Audacity Brew House
This new brewery in Denton, which had a grand opening on October 24, comes from brewer Doug Smith and University of North Texas grad Scott Lindsey. Smith has been a brewer for eight years and was a certified master brewer at the University of California-Davis. They hatched the idea to start a brewery while both were living in Colorado, where Smith worked at the Fort Collins Brewery.
Audacity sells beer for consumption onsite, with an initial lineup of six: IPA, English brown porter, amber ale, Berliner weisse, Munich lager and Texas pale ale. Smith intends to rotate new selections constantly, up to 25 to 30 a year, incorporating local ingredients like prickly pear and agave.
On October 30, they'll host a tap takeover at Oak St. Drafthouse in Denton, featuring all six beers.
Armadillo Ale Works
Armadillo has been calling itself a Denton brewery, despite the fact that its beer has been made at Deep Ellum Brewing Company. But now it has its Denton address, in a 40,000-square-foot warehouse at 1512 I-35W. Owners Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins, who previously worked at St. Arnold Brewing, were originally looking to settle near Denton's downtown district, but they couldn't find enough space to accommodate their needs. They'll have weekly tours and a taproom that's open Monday-Saturday, 5-10 pm.
Armadillo has already brewed some memorable beers, including a watermelon kölsch and Brunch Money, a hearty golden ale with sweet flavors of coffee, vanilla and chocolate that has become prized in the beer world.
Bearded Eel Craft Brewery
Husband-and-wife team B.J. and Becky Burnett got the brewery bug after a stint in Switzerland, where they saw the way breweries had a role in each small town's life. They wanted to contribute that same thing to their hometown of Saginaw. They launched a Kickstarter campaign and had a grand opening at the beginning of October. Although the current headquarters are in an industrial park warehouse, they hope to eventually expand into a more rural farmhouse-type setting. For now, they're brewing fine stouts, IPAs and a serrano-infused Texican ale.
Nine Brand Brewing
Every suburb needs its own brewery. Allen will soon be home to Nine Band Brewing, from a trio with lots of experience in the beer world. Owner Keith Ashley is a former investor at Franconia. Brewmaster Jack Sparks worked at a brewery in Bolivia, and brewer Mike Kraft worked at Lagunitas and Two Rows. They hope to be open and putting out beer by the beginning of 2015. They have big goals, starting with four to six beers in the taproom, followed by bottling for distribution.
Intrinsic Brewing
This Garland mom-and-pop craft brewery and pub is not yet open and is, in fact, still in funding mode. But their beers sound tasty, from English pale ale to IPA to Hefeweizen to a rosemary gose. The owners have designs on a space in Garland's historic center and a plan to be brewing by fall 2015.
Braindead Brewing
The Deep Ellum brewery-restaurant-bar starring brewer Andrew Huerter has signed on a chef: David Pena, formerly of Palomino Euro Bistro. The menu will be regional Texas and Southwestern with charcuterie, cheese boards and house-made pickles.
Armadillo Ale Works now has a Denton address.
See you at the Tastemakers. Photo by Guillermo Rosas