North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus - October 17, 2017 edition

In an effort to provide more complete coverage of the goings on related to our craft beer community, presented here is the first edition of what I'm calling the North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus.

Long story short, the plan is to publish an occasional summary of notable news items as a way for me to keep up with all that's happening in the local scene (since time constraints and/or limited details make it impossible to write long-form features on everything), and a way for you - the reader - to catch up on things you may have missed on social media.

As is the case with feature articles, information appearing here will be new, which means you won't see mention of re-releases or returning seasonals, both of which generally get due attention on the weekly events page. The exception to that rule being any case where a beer (year-round, seasonal or otherwise) is being packaged for the first time.

Lastly, the intent is for this to be like a week (or month) in review piece, so the past tense prevails, meaning anything occurring in the future (e.g. a new beer being released later this month) will be reserved for later editions.

Got it? Good. Off we go then...


Malai Kitchen opens third location in Fort Worth

Image credit: Malai Kitchen.

Established in Fort Worth's Shops at Clearfork development, Malai Kitchen opened the doors to its third location on October 4. According to a Facebook post, the restaurant does expect to do some brewing with a small-batch brewhouse set up on-site, but the majority of Malai's barley-and-hop-based libations will continue to be made at its site in Southlake.


Panther Island now packaging its beer

Image credit: Panther Island Brewing Co.

Last week, Panther Island Brewing Co. of Fort Worth became the latest North Texas brewery to begin canning its beers. Panther Island utilized the services of Beer Dudes Mobile Canning to package Allergeez (5.7% ABV), an unfiltered American wheat ale brewed with local honey, chamomile flowers and rose hips. The new cans feature a label graphic referencing a silver medal awarded to the brewery for Allergeez, which placed in the Herb and Spice Beer category at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival.


Noble Rey introduces Eagle Tears

 Image credit: Noble Rey Brewing Co. 

Noble Rey Brewing Co. of Dallas has introduced Eagle Tears, a beer crafted in response to Dallas Sucks, a seasonal offering from Pennsylvania's Weyerbacher Brewing Co. The two beers call attention to the longstanding rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

Billed as a "better beer, with a better name and a way better design," Noble Rey's announcement was met with a swift reply from a Philadelphia-area reporter who suggested Eagle Tears wasn't even a good comeback. A curious counter, considering the amount of deep thought that must have gone into coming up with the oh-so-original phrase, "Dallas Sucks." Either way, with five Super Bowl rings to our team's credit, we'll take being better at football over being better at comebacks any day of the week.

Also from Noble Rey, Tactical Combat Firefighter IPA (6.2% ABV) was canned for the first time last week. Pick up six-packs at the brewery in the Design District, at Noble Rey's taproom in the Dallas Farmers Market, or at a craft beer-friendly retailer near you.

Image credit: Pegasus City Brewery.

From Pegasus City to your porch

Highpoint Porch Ale (5.3% ABV), the second #porchapproved product to be canned by Pegasus City Brewery of Dallas, is now available at retail in six-packs of 12-ounce cans. The beer, an English-style mild ale, was the first ever made by the team at Pegasus City, with the original test batch being one that was crafted on an actual porch.

  Image credit: Martin House Brewing Co.

Martin House launches Saturday IPA

Launched at the brewery last Thursday, Saturday IPA (8.0% ABV) is the newest micro-seasonal from Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. The beer is brewed with three hop varieties and 200 pounds of blood orange puree, creating a double IPA that is said to be "a bit boozier with a heavier mouthfeel" compared to its predecessor, Friday IPA. Look for it in four-packs of 12-ounce cans.