Bankhead closing brewpub in Fort Worth

Image credit: Bankhead Brewing Co.

Bankhead Brewing Co. has announced the pending closure of its location in Fort Worth.

The company's Fort Worth space opened in August 2021, being the second of three brewpubs under the Bankhead banner. It followed the original in Rowlett, which debuted in 2016, while a third spot opened in Farmers Branch in 2023.

As for the fate of the Fort Worth site, the property was purchased and will be redeveloped by another entity.

From a social media post:

"It's time for a new chapter for Bankhead! Earlier this year, we received an exceptional offer for our Fort Worth property, one that made perfect sense for our long-term plans. We accepted it, and something even bigger is coming into that space soon.

But this isn’t a goodbye story - it’s a growth story. We’re already exploring new locations and are excited for what’s ahead in 2026 and beyond. To our incredible guests and employees: thank you for the love, the memories, and the loyalty. If you’ve shared a beer or a meal with us, you’ll always be part of the Bankhead family."

The final day of service in Fort Worth will be Tuesday, December 30. Note that the Rowlett and Farmers Branch locales will continue to operate business as usual.

Santa's Last Stop is at Beard Science this holiday season

Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

It's not just beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Beard Science Sour House, they've got a whole deck the halls thing going on right now at the brewery and beer hall attached to Truck Yard in The Colony.

For the holiday season, Beard Science has been transformed into "Santa's Last Stop at Truck Yard," a limited-time pop-up bar featuring holiday-themed cocktails, rare whiskey pours, seasonal beers and more, with the surrounding scene decked out to its core with more decor than you can shake a peppermint stick at. Indeed, photo ops abound, whether you choose to strike a pose next to the Christmas tree, under the mistletoe, or in the naughty phone booth off in the corner.

Plus, reminders of classic holiday movies (both traditional and non-traditional) like Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Die Hard  and The Gremlins  are everywhere, with some call-outs found in drink options on the "Santa's Last Stop" special menu.

Along those lines, among the boozy beverages are Bad Santa Sangria, Clark's Irish Java, and Gizmo's Hot Spiked Apple Cider, along with "Naughty Shots" called Resting Grinch Face and Elf Fart. Then, for a non-alcoholic option, there's the Elf-inspired Buddy's Hot Chocolate.

Oh, and just so you don't forget you're at Beard Science, a handful of the brewery's daily Berliner Weisse offerings are on tap, supplemented by seasonal pours of Pumpkin Spiced Ale, Wild Huckleberry Sour and Candy Cane Seltzer.

As for how long the holiday pop-up will last at Truck Yard in The Colony, the displays and drink specials will run through Sunday, January 11 - that includes operating hours on both Christmas and New Year's Day.

After that, the standard array of Beard Science sour beers will return. Though, Brew Boss Dennis Wehrmann says to keep an eye out, as there are more foeder-aged beers and open-fermentation projects in the plans, and he may even serve some beers directly from the foeder in the future.

New brewery looks to leave its footprint in Glen Rose

Texas Honey Blonde one of 10 beers on tap at Glen Rose Brewing Co. (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

If you find yourself making tracks in the far southwestern region of North Texas, there's a new craft beer destination for your consideration, now that Glen Rose Brewing Co. is open and operating in the city known as the "Dinosaur Capital of Texas." It's the first brewery for Glen Rose and the surrounding county of Somervell.

David Dulcie founded the company, which debuted in early July at 302 Lake View St. on a site that sits just over a mile northeast of Glen Rose's historic downtown district. There, the brewery shares an outdoor public area with a neighboring restaurant called 3B Beers, Brats & Burgers. It's a convenient co-existence, since hungry patrons can order one of the shop's build-your-own burger, bratwurst or grilled chicken baskets at the bar inside the taproom.

On that note, Glen Rose operates within a smaller structure, with the taproom and production space each taking up about half of the available square footage. A two-barrel brewing system sets up in the back, with small-batch fermenters lining the walkway along one side of the building.

From those tanks, finished recipes pour from 10 taps, with most product names calling attention to city's topography and dinosaur heritage. Among those are Brazos Brown Ale and Paluxy Pecan Porter (the Paluxy River is a tributary of the Brazos River), along with Raptor Weizen, TriceraHops Hazy IPA and Fossil Fuel Oatmeal Stout.

Of those sampled, the pecan porter (brewed with 20 pounds of locally roasted nuts) was the favorite, though the brewery's Texas Honey Blonde seemed a popular choice as well. With an ABV of 7.1%, the blonde boasts more strength than is typical for the style, the result of a happy mistake when more honey than intended was added during development, according to the beertender.

Other styles on the board included a helles lager, light lager and a bock. And for the non-beer drinkers, Glen Rose offers Big Rocks Hard Seltzer, which can be enjoyed as-is or customized with one of various flavored syrup options.

As for other amenities, the inside has barstool and community seating, along with a handful of widescreen televisions. Then outside, there are cornhole setups, Adirondack chairs and picnic tables for those wishing for a bit more elbow room. There's also a merch stand with swag featuring the brewery's hop logo centered by a three-toed dinosaur footprint, and if you bring your own growler, they'll fill it with your choice of beer to take home.

Glen Rose Brewing Co. opens for business five days a week, with hours beginning at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and at noon from Thursday-Sunday.

A visit to the new Bosque River Taphouse in Stephenville

A flight of beers paired with the Hothead Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sando
at Bosque River Taphouse (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

This weekend, time was spent catching up on new facilities setting up somewhat outside the orbit of the immediate Dallas-Fort Worth area. One of these, Bosque River Taphouse of Stephenville, originally opened in a temporary space in late 2023. The company has since upgraded to an expansive new spot at 320 S. Harbin Dr., just south of the campus of Tarleton State University.

Sean and Amanda Mosher form the duo behind the family-owned business, which completed the move to its new locale in May. The couple now operates the brewery and taproom in a 15,000 square foot building fronted by roughly 7,000 square feet of outdoor space and a sizable dedicated parking lot. 

On the inside, available area is divvied up between larger and smaller dining sections, the kitchen and the brewhouse, with the main dining room surrounded by more than a dozen wide-screen televisions. Then outside, more seating options occupy both covered and open-air patios, the latter finished with artificial turf and outfitted with ping-pong tables and a fire pit.

So, what about the consumables? Well, Bosque River's food menu features a full range of starters, sandwiches, burgers, flatbread pizzas and "Fried Faves" - like chicken fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and fried catfish. They also have "STX Style" southwestern specialties (tacos, nachos, quesadillas), "Heart Healthy" salads and a kids menu.

For beverages, in addition to wine, cocktails and a full bar, 16 taps pour house beers and a handful of guest offerings. Bosque River recipes include Top Goat Texas Bock (maybe their best beer), Don't Feed This to Your Cows Wheat Ale, Sunfisher IPA (the brewery's Citra-infused flagship) and States Up Texas Lager - the official lager of Tarleton State Athletics. Also rotating in are sour ales, blondes, a hefeweizen, Kölsch, light lager, seltzers and more.

As for the vibe, Bosque River Taphouse was built to be a family-friendly destination for all, with the goal of bringing people together while being an active part of the community, as opposed to just another place to eat. Of course, given the proximity to Tarleton State, university students are bound to become part of the brewery fam as well. Either way, Bosque River would seem to be an ideal hangout for Stephenville locals, whether they're looking to grab a beer and a bite while catching the game, or simply catching a break from their studies.

Bosque River Taphouse serves patrons six days a week, with hours beginning at 11 a.m. from Tuesday-Saturday, and 10 a.m. on Sunday.