On eleven, and another spicy little number at On Rotation

Image credit: On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen.

I just happened to be going over some numbers related to On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen when I got a message from owner Jacob Sloan about a few things they've got going on at the brewpub over the next few weeks.

At that moment, the number five was foremost on my mind, considering it's how many awards - five silver medals - the company's Jalapeño Saison has won at major competitions over the years. Not only that, it's a beer we've been drinking for at least twelve years, if you consider it was first poured at Brew Riot in 2014, which happened the year before On Rotation opened for business in early 2015.

Of course, this brings up the number eleven and On Rotation's upcoming Eleven-Year Anniversary Party on Saturday, March 7. The festivities will take place...you guessed it...eleven years to the day since On Rotation released their first beers commercially. And did you know being eleven makes them the oldest continuously operating brewpub in the City of Dallas?

As for event details, Sloan says it'll be an an all-day Stranger Things-themed affair featuring Stranger Things trivia at 5 p.m., and a Steve Harrington's "6 Little Nugget" Basket for $1.10 all day.

There will also be a few new beers (adding to 450+, the number of different beers On Rotation has released historically), one of which is Chaotic Evil, a Belgian dark strong ale. In fact, Chaotic Evil will be aligned with the brewpub's Dallas Dry Beer (a dry saison) to create "a never-before-seen take on a black & tan [they're] calling the Upside Down."

But, getting back to the thought process that got this whole thing started, those five Jalapeño Saison medals include four from the Texas Craft Brewers Cup (TCBC) and one from the Great American Beer Festival. Plus, Jalapeño Saison is only one of three beers (by my count) to have been honored four separate times at the TCBC.

With that, I keep coming back to one question. Given the history, recognition and longstanding commitment to excellence, isn't it about time we label Jalapeño Saison as iconic in the lexicon of original North Texas beers?

Discuss amongst yourselves (while making plans to attend the anniversary party).

North Texas secures 15 medals at 2026 Texas Craft Brewers Cup

Image: Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

The awards ceremony for the 2026 Texas Craft Brewers Cup took place tonight in Austin, with breweries from North Texas claiming fifteen medals, along with one People's Choice award.

Presented by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, the event drew 930 entries from 142 Texas breweries (note, membership in the Guild is not required for entry). Competition beers were broken down into 30 different categories representing over 150 beer styles, then judged against guidelines published by either the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) or the Brewers Association as created for the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

Of the eleven North Texas breweries to secure a medal, Four Bullets Brewery of Richardson was the sole first-time honoree. Also worth mentioning, Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth followed up their silver for Romanov's Revenge at last fall's GABF with a gold at the Texas Craft Brewers Cup.

Other statistics of note are listed below, followed by the complete list of local award winners.

Notable statistics:

• Just over 30% of active Texas breweries competed (142 down from 162 in 2025).
• Medals were awarded to a total of 56 Texas breweries - 20% of those being from North Texas.
• North Texas medal count: 5 gold, 6 silver, and 4 bronze.

For more on the Texas Craft Brewers Cup, click here for a full competition summary.

3 Nations Brewing Co., Carrollton

• Bumgarner Bock, Silver in the Legislative Pro-Am category.
• Devour - Mexican Chocolate, Bronze in the Chocolate & Coffee Beer category.

Celestial Beerworks, Dallas

• Kashmir, Silver in the Brett & Mixed Culture category.

Denton County Brewing Co., Denton

• Doppelbock, Bronze in the Strong Lagers category.

False Idol Brewing, North Richland Hills

• Passive Dissent, Gold in the Belgian & Farmhouse Ales category.
• Snacks Ahoy, Bronze in the Decadent Beer category.

Four Bullets Brewery, Richardson

• Black Jack Brown, Gold in the Classic UK Styles category.
• Sweeten the Pot, Gold in the Fruit & Field Beer category.

Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Fort Worth

• Romanov's Revenge, Gold in the Barleywine & Strong Ale category.

Odd Muse Brewing, Farmers Branch 

• Unified, Gold in the Legislative Pro-Am category.
• Playground Battles, Silver in the Decadent Beer category.

On Rotation, Dallas

• Jalapeño Saison, Silver in the Smoke & Chili Beer category.

Peticolas Brewing Co., Dallas

• Royal Scandal, Silver in the Classic UK Styles category.

Rollertown Beerworks, Frisco

• The Big German, Bronze in the Kölsch category.

Vector Brewing, Dallas

• Sine Die, People's Choice in the Legislative Pro-Am category.

White Rock Brewing Co., Dallas

• Shadow Cat, Silver in the Session & Standard Dark Lager category.

Cheers and congratulations to all!

Panther Island closing brewery in Fort Worth

Image credit: Panther Island Brewing.

Panther Island Brewing has announced its closure in Fort Worth.

Led by Ryan McWhorter, the family-owned business debuted in December 2014 after taking over a spot formerly occupied by two other North Texas breweries of the past - the first of these opening in the year 2000.

The name Panther Island, of course, was drawn from the area surrounding the brewery, which consisted of 800-acres of land set to be revamped as part of the Panther Island development project. Though, long-time industry observers may also recall the early days when the venture went by the name of Wahoo.

As for notoriety, Panther Island pulled off the rare feat of winning a GABF medal before its first anniversary, bringing home a silver for Allergeez in September 2015. The brewery's American wheat ale colored-up just four years later, when Allergeez won gold at the 2020 event.

Beyond those awards, Panther Island was also known for its Buc-ee's beer, after the brewery rolled out Road Trip Snacks, a brown ale made with the popular Buc-ee's Beaver Nuggets corn puff snacks in early 2020. Then, a year later, Panther Island made news once again by promoting a female, Sandra Murphy, to the position of head brewer - a first for the local industry.

From a social media post:

"After 11 unforgettable years, Panther Island Brewing will be closing its doors.

We’re endlessly proud of the beers we brewed, the stories we shared, and the people who made it all meaningful.

To everyone who worked with us, the artists and musicians who filled our space with life, the fellow brewers who inspired us, and the incredible Fort Worth community who supported us from day one... thank you.

You’ve made Panther Island Brewing more than a business, you made it a family."

Panther Island will remain open through this weekend, with the last full day of service being Sunday, February 8. After that, a final Farewell Event will take place on Friday, February 13.

Oak Highlands gets Grand result at 2026 USBTC Winter Competition

Image credits: Brian Brown/Beer in Big D (background image), United States Beer Tasting Championship (award logo).

Four beers from Oak Highlands Brewery of Richardson have been honored at the 32nd Annual Winter Competition of the United States Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC).

For the 2026 edition of the event, 562 beers were submitted by breweries from across America. Regional Champions representing seven different U.S. regions were crowned across 19 different style categories. And as always, North Texas breweries competed in the Rockies/Southwest Region.

Surveying the winning beers from Oak Highlands, the brewery's Vanilla Porter was a Regional Champion for the fourth consecutive year. On top of that, Oak Highlands capped off its tenth anniversary in 2025 with a Grand Champion in its Quad Bless Texas Madeira-Aged Belgian Quad (arguably one of the best local beers of the year).

For more on the 2026 USBTC Winter Competition, click here to visit the official competition website.

Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas

• Quad Bless Texas, Regional and Winter Grand Champion in the Non-Whiskey-Aged Beer category.
• Freaky Deaky, Regional Champion in the Belgian Tripel category.
• Oktoberfest, Regional Champion in the Vienna/Marzen Lager category.
• Vanilla Porter, Regional Champion in the Bean Beer category.

Cheers and congratulations to Oak Highlands!