This week in gluttony

Beer dinners, food truck fests and pub crawls: The best food and booze events inDallas this week

The Gin Mill's December 5 winter beer dinner features pairings with StoneBrewing Co. and Franconia Brewery.
Gin Mill/Facebook
Get a Post Oak Red Hot from The Grape's Brian C. Luscher at the holiday-timeWhite Rock Local Market December 8.
Luscher's Post Oak Red Hots/Facebook
Reservations are preferred for the Gin Mill winter beer dinner December 5.
Photo courtesy of Gin Mill

We're now in December, and that means the holiday season is in full swing. We've got a Reindeer Games pub-crawl through Uptown, a giant meeting of food trucks in Deep Ellum and more to keep you occupied as you wonder how you're going to fit that many relatives into your house.

Wednesday, December 5

The Gin Mill Winter Beer Dinner
The Gin Mill is hosting a winter-themed beer dinner beginning at 7 pm, with brews from Stone Brewing Co. and local Franconia Brewery. For $35, diners get four pub-inspired courses paired with two beers from each brewery. Stone Brewing Co. is currently selling its Best By 12.21.12 IPA in local stores but will take it off the shelves on December 22 if the world hasn’t ended. The Gin Mill recommends a reservation for Thursday night. Reach them at 214-824-3343 or ginmilldallas.com.

Sigel’s Craft Distillery Tasting
Sigel’s on Greenville is hosting a craft distilling tasting festival from 6-8 pm, with 65 different spirits on sale and available for tasting. With such a wide range of artisan distilleries, it’s sure to be difficult to pick the 12 tastings that come at the free event. RSVP here to get a look and taste at liquors that include Ranger Creek Bourbon, Garrison Brother’s Texas Straight Bourbon and White Hat Texas Rum.

Saturday, December 8

Reindeer Games by Crawl for Kids
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas-themed pub crawls are back in style. The aptly named Crawl for Kids hosts pub crawls to raise money for children’s charities. The inaugural crawl is Reindeer Games on December 8, 2-7 pm, throughout Uptown. Bars like The Den, 6th Street, Primebar, Blackfriar, Kung Fu Saloon and Renfield’s Corner play host as teams of five go to five bars to consume Deep Ellum Brewing Co. pitchers and play bar games. It’s $200 per team, and funds go to Raise the Arts, a community initiative that provides underfunded schools with art supplies.

DFW Trucks for Tots
Apparently, Saturday is the day for helping out the kids by overindulging. If beer isn’t your speed, DFW Trucks for Tots is offering 25 food trucks in Deep Ellum for a Toys for Tots drive. Attendees are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the corner of Elm Street and Gaston Avenue from 11 am-7 pm. United States Marines are taking toy donations. Participating food trucks include Rock & Roll Tacos, Easy Slider Truck, Gepetto’s Pizza and The Gastro Bomber.

White Rock Local Market Holiday Market
WRLM is hosting its fourth annual holiday market. Along with the usual local vendors — including Brian Luscher's Post Oak Red Hots — more than 50 artists bring their goods for some local, handmade holiday shopping. Also expect seminars on planting tulip bulbs from Northaven Gardens and kid-friendly science experiments courtesy of the Lab at Lakewood. 9 am-3 pm, and admission is free.

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Craft Beer News

Lakewood Brewing brings Fort Worth favorite Rahr beers to Dallas

Photo by Mary Tuab/Flickr

The new partnership will expand production capacity for select Rahr brands.

Longtime Fort Worth craft beer name Rahr & Sons Brewing is about to surface in a new location: The brewery, which exited its longtime brewery space in Fort Worth in 2025, has entered a new partnership with another acclaimed brewery: Lakewood Brewing of Dallas.

The new partnership will expand production capacity for select Rahr brands, bringing together two of North Texas’ most respected craft brewing pioneers.

"Rahr Brewing has been seeking additional brewing capacity to help meet increasing Dallas demand," their statement says. "Under this new agreement, Lakewood Brewing will produce certain Rahr brands at its Dallas facility, while Rahr will continue brewing beer in Fort Worth."

As an added benefit to the new partnership, Rahr beers will be served on tap at the Lakewood Brewery taproom.

Rahr left their Fort Worth location after 20 years, with a goal to find a new home. (Their space was taken over by Blue Flag whiskey distiller.) Rahr has continued to brew their beers, maintaining their availability in restaurants, bars, and stores.

Craft beer pioneer Fritz Rahr debuted his namesake brewery in 2004, back when Fort Worth was “very much a Miller-Coors town,” as he said in 2024. They went on to establish themselves as the godfather of Fort Worth's craft beer scene, thanks to an evolving roster of beers that range from classics like Texas Red American ale to newer favorites like Dadgum IPA — earning them critical nods such as a CultureMap Tastemakers Award nomination in 2023 for Brewery of the Year.

Founded by craft beer aficionado Wim Bens in 2012, Lakewood Brewing has become one of Texas’ most recognized independent craft breweries, winning numerous awards. Their tap room on the east side of Dallas is a popular beer hound haunt.

With the new partnership, the two brands will collaborate on brewing projects, special releases, community events, and initiatives that celebrate the vibrant culture of North Texas craft beer.

“This partnership is built on friendship, mutual respect, and a shared belief in the future of Texas craft beer,” says Fritz Rahr in a statement.

“Together, we can continue to innovate while honoring the traditions that have made both of our breweries successful," Wim Bens says. “Rahr Brewing has long been a cornerstone of the North Texas brewing community. We are excited to produce some of their brands here at our brewery.”

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Celestina Blok contributed to this story.

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