Craft Beer Coverage

Community Beer Company throws its mug into the ever-expanding Dallas craft brew scene

It’s time to throw another shrimp on the barbie. On January 16, Community Beer Company will become the newest Dallas craft brewery.

The brainchild of Kevin Carr and brewmaster Jamie Fulton, Community is located in the Design District, just off of Stemmons Freeway, in a 14,000-square-foot space that they plan to expand this spring.

Carr decided to create Community after more than a decade of home brewing by night and running a tech company by day.

“I look at [the number of breweries] in a positive way,” says founder Kevin Carr. “There’s really something to be said about local beer and its freshness.”

“At the time, there weren’t any breweries in Dallas,” Carr says. “I started doing the research two years ago, but it takes time.”

In fact, local craft breweries have exploded on the scene in the past year. Franconia and Rahr & Sons were once the only breweries around — and they were in McKinney and Fort Worth, respectively. When Community opens, it’ll make an even 10 in the Dallas area.

“I look at [the number of breweries] in a positive way,” Carr says. “We don’t think it’s too crowded, but that there’s a demand as people move away from the bigger beers. There’s really something to be said about local beer and its freshness.”

Carr believes that Community can distinguish itself with a focus on quality, and that starts with brewmaster Jamie Fulton. If the name sounds familiar, you might have spent time at Fulton’s old Fort Worth place, the Covey Restaurant and Brewery.

“Jamie’s understanding of how these machines work is on a very technical level,” Carr says. “He won awards for his beers at the Covey, and he knows what he’s doing.”

Throw in an assistant brewmaster with a degree in microbiology, four vessels (which Carr says is the most of any local brewery) and an onsite lab for yeast development, and Carr is confident in his beers.

“The yeast propagator boosts the process in the beers,” Carr says. “There are really only four ingredients in beer, and people sometimes take for granted how yeast affects the flavor. It’s important to have the highest quality and no flaws.”

Community is making a strong opening statement with a three-day pre-launch tour of Dallas’ beer scene. It starts with an unveiling of the Public Ale at Meddlesome Moth on January 16 from 5-7 pm. An English-style ale that aims to put you in a pub-visiting mood, Public Ale checks in at 5.5 percent ABV and an IBU of 38.

“I’d say the Moth are good friends and big supporters of the beer scene,” Carr says. “It seemed like a good start since we spent a lot of our time there.”

On January 17, Carr and Fulton unveil the Community Pale Ale at Common Table from 5-7 pm before tapping Community Lager at Craft & Growler the next day. The pale ale is a hoppy, American-style brew that grabs four different hops from three different countries; the lager is an old-school, Vienna-style brew with a copper color.

The next beer for Community is the Wit, which was inspired by Belgium breweries. It is set for a spring release.

If there’s any doubt that people are ready for Community to tap their kegs, consider that the grand opening tour on Saturday, January 19, has already sold out, tickets are going quickly for the Sunday tour, and they expect to be in about 40 Dallas locations in the near future.

“People are drinking better,” Carr says. “With watered down beers going down, it makes sense to go to the craft beers.”

Assistant brewmaster Aric Hulsey, brewmaster Jamie Fulton and owner Kevin Carr at Community Beer Company.

Community Beer Company Facebook.

Assistant brewmaster Aric Hulsey, brewmaster Jamie Fulton and owner Kevin Carr at Community Beer Company.

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Holiday Dining

These Dallas restaurants are open for dining on Christmas Day 2024

STK

STK Steakhouse

Dallas restaurants are almost always ready to serve — with one exception: Christmas Day. Most restaurants close, whether it's because of fewer customers or just to give their employees the day off.

But there are still the brave, the few, who persevere with hospitality and lavish spreads — and those generally get rewarded with mobs of diners grateful for a place to grab a bite.

That is what this list is about: Dallas restaurants that are open on Christmas day. (This list does not include Christmas Eve or Christmas to-go.)

Here's what's open in Dallas on Christmas Day:

Bacchus Kitchen and Bar. Grapevine restaurant is offering a four-course Christmas Day feast featuring frisèe & arugula salad, leek & potato cream soup, Prime rib roast, truffle mash, Brussels sprouts, and chocolate marquis paired with layers of chocolate ganache. $95. 5-9:30 pm. 817-251-3040.

Bar Louie. Four-course dinner for two features one bar bite to share, choice of soup or salad, entrée, and one dessert to share. Options include citrus grilled salmon, parmesan crusted chicken, and cinnamon donut holes. $75-$85 at select locations. 3-10 pm. Park Lane 469-638-8050, Las Colinas 469-472-1050.

The Crescent Club. Hotel Crescent Court restaurant will host Christmas brunch featuring holiday specials and desserts. $150, or $60 for 11 and under. 10:30 am - 3 pm. 214-871-3200.

Cut & Bourbon. Live! by Loews Arlington restaurant is hosting Christmas brunch and dinner with specials like Beef Wellington, and a traditional dinner menu of king crab legs, New York strip, and salmon. Prices are a la carte. Brunch is 9 am-2 pm, dinner 5 pm-10 pm. 682-277-4950.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle. Christmas feast features 38-ounce bone-in New York strip King cut and side of sweet potato casserole for an additional $19. $195. Dinner 2-8 pm. Dallas 972-490-9000, Plano 972-312-9115.

Salmon at Bar LouieCourtesy photo

Del Frisco's Grille. Holiday feature filet mignon and lobster tail, apple cranberry cobbler, and red velvet cheesecake. 12-8 pm. Plano 469-661-8012.

Dolce Riviera. Brunch buffet includes omelet bar, bruschetta bar, carving station, and dessert station. $95, or $35 for 12 and under. All reservations require a $50 deposit. 10 am-4 pm. Harwood District 469-458-6623.

Ebb & Flow. Open with the regular menu featuring toasted ravioli, Cubano egg rolls, salmon piccata, and a brown sugar soy-glazed porterhouse pork chop with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. 3 pm-2 am. Available at both Dallas 972-913-2322 and Plano 972-483-2266.

Ellie's Dallas. Three-course prix fixe menu for dinner features winter greens salad, gnocchi, slow-cooked beef picanha, sea bass, and buche de noel sponge cake, plus a la carte selections and festive cocktails. $95. 972-629-0924.

Farena. Loews Arlington Hotel restaurant is offering an Italian Continental breakfast buffet featuring baked pastries, seasonal fruits, and traditional breakfast dishes. The traditional dinner menu includes a classic Margherita pizza, veal milanese, prime 10-ounce filet mignon, and Executive Chef Tony France's Christmas special, herb crusted osso buco. $35 breakfast buffet; a la carte dinner pricing. Breakfast buffet 7 am - 12 pm, dinner 5-10 pm. 682-318-2810.

Fearing's. Christmas brunch features seafood raw bar, kale & spinach sesame salad, fruit & berries, bagels & spreads, smoked salmon, and meat carving stations. $185. 214-922-4848. 11 am-2:30 pm.

Hall Park Hotel. Newly opened Frisco hotel wll offer a grand buffet in the seventh-floor ballroom with a hot cocoa bar, carving station, desserts, juice and coffee, and dedicated kids' buffet station. $99, or $27 for 12 and under. Buy tickets here. 11 am–3 pm. 469-922-2442.

Harwood Arms. Pub will be open on Christmas Day and feature a traditional roast. $30-$50. 11 am-2 pm. Harwood District 214-273-5151.

Knife Italian. Ritz Carlton-Las Colinas restaurant is offering a pre-fixe menu featuring cream of wild mushroom soup, winter salad, Dr Pepper glazed ham, and 60-day dry age 14-ounce ribeye of beef. $159. Lunch 12-10 pm. 972-717-2420.

Kona Grill. Special menu includes roasted turkey, baked glazed ham, prime rib, and pumpkin pie. Holiday cocktails will also be available for $16 each. 11:30 am-11 pm. Dallas 214-369-7600, Plano 214-945-2500.

Monarch. Holiday specials include pork belly porchetta with creamy fennel salad, chestnut agnolotti with parmesan, brandied chestnuts, and Meyer lemon, and The Grinch, a chocolate cake with strawberry filling and chocolate ganache. Plus a custom Monarch crystal ornament as a festive keepsake. Prices are a la carte from $28-$45. 4-9 pm. 214-945-2222.

Montage. JW Marriott Dallas Arts District hotel restaurant is hosting holiday brunch including a seafood tower, charcuterie board, omelet station, chilaquiles station, and carving stations featuring bone-in prime rib and roasted pork loin. $75. 10:30 am-2 pm. 214-736-7760.

NDA Brasserie. Harwood District spot will serve a three-course brunch with a champagne activation and custom mimosa bar. $75, or $40 for 12 and under. All reservations require a $50 deposit. 10 am-3 pm. 945-910-4671.

Pyramid. Fairmont Hotel restaurant is hosting Christmas brunch featuring made-to-order omelets, Viennoiseries, avocado toast, lobster roll, smash burger, braised short rib, and smoked prime rib. Prices a la carte. 10 am-3 pm. 214-720-2020.

Ryder Grille. Frisco restaurant has holiday specials including Prime Rib with rosemary fingerling potatoes, pork belly, creamed spinach served in cast iron, glazed carrots, creamy horseradish and au jus for $48; and lamb chops with polenta, glazed carrots, roasted cippolini, and lamb jus for $44. Texas Pecan Pie with Bourbon whipped cream will be available for dessert. 7 am-9 pm. 469-888-5850.

Sanjh Restaurant & Bar. Elevated Indian restaurant has a Christmas buffet featuring Mulligatawny soup, paneer shashlik tikka, chicken haryali tikka, and ajwaini fish tikka. Plus live stations with made-to-order dosas served with sambar and chutney, omelet station, and a roasted counter with turkey and assorted breads. Desserts include plum cake, stollen, and a chocolate and candy station. $65, or $32.50 for 12 and under. 11 am-3 pm. 972-239-1800.

SER Steak + Spirits. Holiday specials include $18 roasted chestnut mushroom soup, market price Texas Wagyu Chateaubriand, and an "Underneath the Tree" dessert with ginger sable, peppermint mocha gateau, rompope, and praline bonbon. 5-10 pm. 214-761-7479.

Stillwell’s. Hotel Swexan’s steakhouse will offer a Christmas dinner including a la carte dishes and classic Beef Wellington. $95. 469-405-1911.

STK Steakhouse. Uptown steakhouse is open for Christmas Day with Wagyu, prime rib, holiday cocktails and the Holiday Features menu, with premium Wagyu cuts and caviar. Prices are a la carte. 11 am-10 pm. 972-842-9450.

Sushi Marquee. Frisco sushi restaurant will be open Christmas Day serving regular menu, including sushi, rolls, and ramen. 3 pm-2 am. 972-833-1608.

TK's Addison. Comedy club will do a three-course dinner with choics from lobster bisque or Caesar salad, filet mignon with crusted potato croquet and bernaise sauce, butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sage sauce, or Bay of Funday salmon with garlic whipped mashed potatoes & roasted red-pepper sauce. Third course features creme brulee or bananas Foster bread pudding with boozy caramel sauce. $75. 5-9 pm. 945-800-7668.

lists holidays

Craft Beer Coverage

Community Beer Company throws its mug into the ever-expanding Dallas craft brew scene

Assistant brewmaster Aric Hulsey, brewmaster Jamie Fulton and owner Kevin Carr at Community Beer Company.

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Holiday Dining

These Dallas restaurants are open for dining on Christmas Day 2024