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.
Deep Ellum Brewing Company/Facebook
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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Quonset Hut News

Familiar names take over Quonset hut for new Far-Out Dallas bar

Yelp

Wriggly Tin is now Far-Out Dallas

There's a new Dallas restaurant and bar coming to everyone's favorite Quonset hut: Called Far-Out, it'll take over the space at 1906 E. Haskell Ave. in East Dallas that was previously home to Wriggly Tin, with a grand opening slated for 2025.

Founders Caroline and James Lee are calling it Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria and promise that a culinary adventure awaits.

"After months of creative brainstorming and a bit of furniture rearranging, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new pioneering concept that will open its doors in 2025," the duo says. "Introducing Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria, a dynamic new restaurant and brewery born from the collaboration of industry veterans."

The team includes some beloved East Dallas names:

Marc Cassel of The Green Room and 20 Feet Seafood Joint
Christopher Jeffers of Bolsa and Smoke
Stephanie Houston, the trailblazing first Latina Production distillery owner in America

Also joining the team is Bar Director Adam Mercado, whose resume includes stints at Billy Can Can and Brass Ram.

Marcado will crafting a unique beverage program, with support from mixologist Brian McCullough. Together, they will create what the founders call "unforgettable drink experiences to complement our delicious culinary offerings."

Wriggly Tin opened in November 2023 as an ultra-hip pizza and craft beer spot inside a renovated Quonset hut near Dallas' Fair Park — a former Cajun fried turkey place which they gave doting makeover with custom plaster walls and art objects from around the world. They replaced one whole side of the hut with glass for sunsets and created a spacious outdoor patio in front.

They earned two nomination in CultureMap's 2024 Tastemaker Awards, one for Best Bar and another for Best Patio.

Alas, the original founders, who'd previously owned Small Brewpub in Oak Cliff, parted ways shortly after it opened. And the bar closed down in September 2024, for what they called "internal changes."

Now the hut is back: The new Far-Out bar is already up and running a few days a week. In the coming days, they will offer updates and sneak peeks as they gear up for the opening of their kitchen.

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