A brewery that’s been years in the making is inching closer to opening in Dallas: Called Smittox Brewing, it's a small indie brewery located at 930 E. Clarendon Dr. in east Oak Cliff, currently under construction with completion targeted for October.

Smittox is from Kuumba Smith, a self-taught brewer who started his brewing operations out of his home in 2013. In 2018, he decided to make it official and began collaborating on joint releases with local brewers such as Martin House Brewing.

He settled on a location in 2023, and has been wading through the challenges that face first-time business owners.

"During the permitting process, we ran into a major zoning issue that took over a year to resolve," Smith says. "The problem had to be resolved before the permit team would even look at the application."

In the meantime, he’s been working in financial services and doing brew collaborations with Vector Brewing and Oak Cliff Brewing.

He recently acquired some tanks (for storing and serving beer) from White Rock Alehouse for his Short Order Porter, a dark brew which has notes of pecans, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Once the inside construction is done, the space will have indoor seating, a bar, cold room for the taproom kegs, closed-in storefront, and a section for Smittox merch such as t-shirts and glasses. There will also be a patio.

This will be the third brewery in Oak Cliff, joining Oak Cliff Brewing on Tyler Street and the nanobrewery Jaquval in Bishop Arts, plus two breweries in West Dallas: White Rock Brewing and Manhattan Project.

"My vision is to have a comfortable, laid-back spot," Smith says. "Smittox is heavily influenced by our love of music, with a focus on hip-hop. This will be reflected throughout the tap room. I thought it was a great opportunity to be a part of a growing community. Oak Cliff has some wonderful people, as well."