A craft beer brewery is opening a splendid new facility in Richardson: Happy Hippie Brewing Company, a small brewery specializing in Belgian-style beers, is opening an an 11,000-square-foot brewery and taproom at 500 Lockwood Dr., in the Lockwood area within the city's evolving CORE District.

According to a release, the taproom is expected to open in August or September, when it will join buzzy neighbors such as Communion Coffee Café, Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, Lockwood Distillery, and Monkey King Noodle Company.

The brewery was founded in 2017 by Michael Frederick, a business consultant and former information security officer who's been brewing beer more than 35 years, including three years professionally.

As suggested by the name Happy Hippie, the company also embraces a hippie philosophy of "good vibes that bring people back to a time of peace and love" - a theme that's evident in the tie-dye logo and the names of their beers.

Signature beers include

• Captain Tripels: a strong golden ale that's named as a nod to their "patron saint" Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead (AKA Captain Trips)
• Friend of the Devil: a smooth and creamy milk stout with hints of salted caramel
• Smoke on the Water: smoked porter infused with cayenne pepper, creating a smooth smokey flavor with a slight cayenne finish
• Lemon Drop: standard pale ale that gets its name from the use of Lemon Drop hops and the old fashioned Lemon Drop candy used in the brewing process

“Being a hippie is a philosophy of walking your path, being who you are regardless of what society may expect you to be,” Frederick says in a statement. “Hippies come in all shapes and sizes and have diverse perspectives that span the spectrums of political, philosophic and religious views. It is our mission to build a destination brewery in Richardson built upon these principles."

The brewery will have a spacious taproom with indoor and outdoor seating and performance stages for live music.

"We look forward to being near one of the highest traffic areas in Dallas County and serving taproom customers who are the lifeblood of craft breweries," Frederick says. "We thank the City of Richardson and Durkin Properties for their support in making this dream possible.”

Durkin Properties owns the 500 Lockwood Drive property, and president Manasseh Durkin has worked with the city on area revitalization efforts.

“We feel Happy Hippie will be a great addition to the CORE District since it fits into the overall vision of the Lockwood area as an entertainment destination,” Durkin says. "The Fredericks also live in Richardson, so we are excited to have another business operator in the area who lives and works here in our great community."

The CORE District includes the Downtown, Richardson Heights, Interurban, Lockwood and Chinatown neighborhoods, and was one of six citywide zones identified for intentional enhancement or redevelopment efforts in Richardson’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan.

Over the past few years, the City’s major investments in the CORE District include a new $80 million public safety campus, public art projects, and $21 million in infrastructure, roadway, and pedestrian improvements such as wider sidewalks, lighting fixtures, picnic tables, benches, urban parks, tree-lined medians, and tree plantings along both sides of Main Street east of U.S. 75/Central Expressway.