Drinking News

Stay warm and toasty with these winter batches from Dallas craft brewers

Dallas winter weather can be brutal, dipping into the high 40s for hours at atime. So warm up with these winter brews.
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If you stare at Deep Ellum Brewing Company Darkest Hour long enough, then DeepEllum Brewing Company Darkest Hour stares back into your liver.
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Four Corners Block Party Porter just wants to party with you. It doesn't meanany harm. Get your Miller Lite-drinking buddies hooked on some real beers withthis easy-to-drink winter seasonal.
Art by Cristi Brinkman
It might seem harmles, with its cute name, but Peticolas Wintervention uses itsspice and 10 percent ABV to play tricks on you.
Photo courtesy of Peticolas | Facebook

Dallas winter weather can be brutal, dipping into the high 40s for hours at a time. Thankfully, our local breweries are up to the task of providing hearty winter seasonals that can get us through these trying weeks.

Peticolas Wintervention is a strong, spiced winter ale that checks in at a healthy 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). This full-bodied ale keeps you warm with a hearty mix of nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and ginger with some good bite.

Franconia Winter Wheat is a dark hefeweizen that surprises drinkers with its sweetness. It's a summer beer disguised in a winter coat, which can be great for those surprisingly warm days we get every now and again. It checks in at more than 9 percent ABV to stay in line with its winter compatriots.

Rahr & Sons Winter Warmer has a rich, full body that makes you feel like you’re in a British pub. Its rich, full body recalls mahogany paneling and surly barkeeps with beards .

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. has the Darkest Hour, an Imperial Rye Stout, to commemorate the winter solstice. Hints of coffee and chocolate that make it pleasant to drink, even at 9 percent ABV. It really is as dark as the December night.

Deep Ellum Festivus is a beer for the rest of us. This dark India Pale Ale has a good bitterness to it, which lends well to the airing of grievances. At 7.5 percent, drink enough of these and you’ll be performing sloppy feats of strength in no time.

Rahr & Sons Winter Warmer is a blanket in liquid form. You feel like you’re in a British pub with this beer, as its rich, full body recalls mahogany paneling and surly barkeeps with beards. At 8.5 percent ABV, it’s no slouch.

Rahr also has the Iron Thistle Scotch Wee Heavy Ale, an 8.5 percent dark ale that took silver at this year's Great American Beer Festival in the Scotch Ale category. This deep and rich ale has a malty and creamy body with low hops.

Firewheel Brewing is currently working on an unnamed brown ale with 5.5 to 6 percent ABV. It has a lightly roasted taste with a hoppy finish and notes of biscuits and caramel. It will be unveiled at the Flying Saucer in Addison, but, until then, it can be sampled during the brewery's Saturday tours.

Block Party Porter from Four Corners Brewing Co. is a robust porter that's smooth and chocolaty with a round, full-bodied malt character. It's got medium bitterness to go with a subdued 6.5 percent ABV. With mild hop flavor and layers of malt, this is the beer that gets people that aren't into "strong beers" into strong beers.

Revolver Brewing has the uniquely named Mother's Little Fracker Stout with 7.75 percent ABV. This little guy has a sweet side to it with notes of roast and chocolate that makes for a smooth drinkability.

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News you can cheers to

Assembly Icehouse in Plano adds swanky adults-only cocktail lounge

Photo courtesy of Assembly Icehouse

Espresso martini at Assembly Icehouse.

An east Plano restaurant and entertainment venue is expanding with a chic new lounge aimed exclusively at the 21-and-up crowd: Assembly Icehouse, the sports bar and family-friendly restaurant at Assembly Park, is adding a cocktail lounge, giving the mixed-use development its first adults-only destination.

According to a release, the 2,200-square-foot lounge will go in the former Tacoro Tacos & Tequila space, which has closed.

The lounge will offer a more upscale atmosphere than the adjoining icehouse, and will focus on premium cocktails, spirits, music, and socializing, the release says. Features will include a vinyl listening station with an extensive record collection, a pool table, and private spirit lockers where regulars and members can store personal bottles for future visits.

Yes, memberships will be available. So swank.

The lounge's name, opening date, membership details, and beverage program will be announced later, the owners say.

Assembly Icehouse, announced in fall 2024, opened in November 2025 as one of the anchor restaurant concepts at Assembly Park, the redevelopment of the former Plano Market Square Mall at 1717 E. Spring Creek Pkwy. Developed by Triten Real Estate Partners, the project has transformed the aging shopping center into a mixed-use destination with apartments, offices, restaurants, and a central park.

The 4,850-square-foot restaurant was developed by Dallas hospitality group Blender Brands and features elevated bar food, more than 30 TVs, live entertainment, and expansive indoor-outdoor spaces overlooking the property's lawn. The menu includes smashburgers, chicken and waffles, double-fried wings, and sandwiches such as the Tejas Philly.

Assembly Park in Plano. Rendering courtesy of Assembly Park

The adjoining lounge will mark the latest evolution for Assembly Park, which also includes Cliff Coffee and other food-and-drink concepts from Blender Brands. (The now-closed Tacoro had operated as a quick service, pick-up and go Mexican restaurant and taqueria.)

"Assembly Icehouse has been embraced by the community in a way that exceeded our expectations," says JR Muñoz in the release. "As we looked at what was next, we saw an opportunity to create something completely different within Assembly Park. This lounge will offer an elevated adults-only experience where guests can relax, enjoy great music, share exceptional spirits and feel like they're part of something special. It's designed to be a destination for connection and conversation."

Blender Brands, founded by Dallas-Fort Worth entrepreneurs Jacob Cox and Danny Wilson, also operates Select Start Arcade & Bar in Deep Ellum, Good Side Pizza Pub, and other hospitality concepts across North Texas.

Assembly Park's location, the former Plano Market Square Mall, was a 300,000-square-foot shopping mall that was built in the 1980s. Triten acquired it in 2021 with the goal to create a walkable mixed-use neighborhood featuring dining and retail, creative office, and urban-style living options with a connection to the outdoors, centered around a freshly planted park and event space. It includes the Annabel at Assembly Park, an apartment community with 304 units that opened in summer 2024.

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