2017 Year in review: More beer, more regulation as the NTX craft beer beat goes on

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Another year and a lot more beer...that may be the best way to describe all that occurred in the North Texas craft beer scene during 2017. Of course, based on recent history, that's a sentiment that could have applied to any beer-centric year in review piece published since about 2011. Still, it feels like there is a lot more to digest this time around.

Among the items of interest for 2017, positive developments include the establishment of more new breweries and more new places to fill your growler. This year, though, there's an added bit of positivity to be found in some notable national recognition for local brewers. As for negatives, perhaps not surprisingly, most boil down to the seemingly never-ending tale of craft brewers coming out on the wrong end of legal wranglings.

Details on those topics and more are covered in what follows below, with a final segment at the end focusing on tastes and trends encountered during the year in beer.


North Texas on the National Stage

• Zymurgy readers anoint Peticolas Brewing Co. as top Texas brewery for 2017: In the past, accolades such as this were reserved for a certain brewery in Austin, so it's nice to see someone finally realize that there are other breweries worth going to in Texas. Incidentally, Peticolas also nabbed its third medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2017, winning silver for It's Always Something. The win completes a sort of style trifecta for the brewery, since it has now won medals for English, Scottish and Belgian-style brews.
• Internet gose crazy over Cup O' Beer: The Collective Brewing Project first brewed its ramen noodle gose, then called Wabi Sabi, in 2016. But it wasn't until this year, when the brewery bottled and branded it as Cup O' Beer, that the national press took notice. Including Food & Wine Magazine, articles declaring Cup O' Beer to be the envy of incoming college freshman everywhere were published by Beer Street Journal, Circa, Geek.com, Men's Journal, Simplemost, Tasting Table, Thrillist, Wide Open Eats and others.
• Dallas drinks the Tears of its enemy: Noble Rey Brewing Co. got some east coast attention after crafting a gose called Eagle Tears in response to a Philadelphia brewery's beer-based declaration that Dallas Sucks. And, while the Dallas Cowboys haven't done much to prove Weyerbacher Brewing Co. wrong based on the teams play this year (especially against the Philadelphia Eagles), at least Noble Rey showed that DFW's smack talk game is strong.

Comings and Goings

If you read this section at the end of 2016, it had to leave you wondering what the future was going to look like in terms of the number of breweries operating in North Texas. Growth numbers had fallen for the first time in the six years that make up the current boom, which for some signaled the start of the long-predicted bursting of the craft beer bubble.

Yet, while there were three closures, a total of 12 new brewing companies opened in 2017. Granted, that number came up short of the 17 or more openings that were anticipated at the start of the year, but it's still an indication of a continuing upward trend. Either way, as things stand right now, North Texas is home to 62 total brewing operations (44 breweries, 18 brewpubs), with 58 unique brands of locally-brewed beer available in our market.

Openings:

• Breweries: Denton County Brewing Co. (Denton), Dirty Job Brewing (Mansfield), Good Neighbor Brews (Wylie), Hemisphere Brewing Co. (Rockwall), Hop & Sting Brewing Co. (Farmers Branch), Pegasus City Brewery (Dallas), Thirsty Bro Brewing Co. (Royse City), TKO Libations (Lewisville), Unlawful Assembly Brewing Co. (Plano).
• Brewpubs: Landon Winery (Greenville), Malai Kitchen Fort Worth (third location), White Rock Ale House & Brewery (Dallas - kitchen only, brewing ops to come in 2018).

Closings:

• Breweries: Audacity Brew House (Denton), Backcountry Brewery (Rowlett).
• Brewpubs: Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Dallas). 

Source: Individual research.

As for what's on the horizon for 2018, at least 16 new brewing entities have obtained locations around the Metroplex. Of those, around a dozen are currently in various stages of construction, though all 16 are hoping to host opening day parties in the coming year.

Future breweries:

• Celestial Beerworks (Dallas), Deep Ellum Brewing Co. (Fort Worth), Navarro County Brewing Co. (Corsicana), New Main Brewing Co. (Pantego), Oak Cliff Brewing Co. (Dallas), Railport Brewing Co. (Waxahachie), Turning Point Beer (Bedford), Westlake Brewing Co. (Dallas).

Future brewpubs:

• Cellarman's American Pub & Restaurant (Sherman), Cowtown Brewing Co. (Fort Worth), Flix Brewhouse (Little Elm), G Town Brewery (Greenville), Parker County Brewing Co. (Willow Park), Pathfinder Brewery (Hudson Oaks), Steam Theory Brewing Co. (Dallas), Union Bear Brewing Co. (Plano).

Expanding the Reach

It took five years for it to finally happen, but Peticolas Brewing Co. kicked off the year's brewery expansions by adding a taproom to its Dallas facility in January. From there, we witnessed the arrival of Malai Kitchen's third location in Fort Worth, not to mention the impressive upgrade undertaken by Four Corners Brewing Co., as it made a move to The Cedars in South Dallas.

On the restaurant and retail side of things, growler fill stations continue to sprout up in various locales. Two such spots, Guitars & Growlers in Richardson and 3 Flights Up in Little Elm, became the first to offer house-prepared food options with their fills. As for others, Local Pint and State Draft House both set up shop in Flower Mound, while Cork & Growler got operations underway in Frisco. Beyond that, 2017 also saw the opening of The Common Table's second location in Frisco, and the unveiling of  The Holy Grail Pub 2.0 (with more space) in Plano.

Looking ahead to 2018, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. has announced its intention to establish a satellite location in Fort Worth. Plans are also in the works for a permanent facility to house The Manhattan Project Beer Co. in West Dallas.


Legal Wranglings

By all accounts, the craft beer industry took a beating on the legislative front in 2017. Crowlers may be legal again (were they ever really illegal in the first place?), but attempts to secure off-premise sales for breweries were brushed aside by lawmakers once again (HB 2555/SB 1217), as were efforts to allow the direct shipping of beer to consumers (HB 2291) and a bid to legitimize homebrew competitions at licensed facilities (HB 3315).

Indeed, it's rather disheartening to realize that Texas is now the ONLY state in the Union that doesn't allow off-premise sales at a brewery. You may recall that Deep Ellum and Grapevine Craft Brewery joined forces to mount a legal challenge to this law back in late 2015. According to a report, however, a ruling has been pending since November of last year.

Getting back to the 2017 legislative session, craft brewers absorbed an additional gut punch in the form of HB 3287, a bill the Texas Craft Brewers Guild believes puts a "ceiling on success." Provisions in the measure stipulate that only breweries making less than 225,000 barrels per year may operate a taproom. Should a brewery go over that limit, taproom sales would then effectively be taxed by way of a direct payment to a distributor (in exchange for zero work done).

Oh, and that's not all. Just this month, the Texas Third Court of Appeals overturned a 2016 decision that gave brewery's control over the sale of their distribution rights. The suit, which brings the constitutionality of withholding such rights into question, was originally brought by Peticolas Brewing Co, Revolver Brewing and Live Oak Brewing Co. in 2014. As for the next step in the proceedings, the matter is now headed to the Texas Supreme Court.


The Year in Beer

• Celis returns: It may not be a North Texas brand, but one of the more celebrated happenings of 2017 was the opening of the new Celis Brewery in Austin. Pierre Celis founded the original company in 1992, but Austin's first craft brewery would eventually close at the end of 2000. Now, more than 16 years later, a name revered by many of the state's early craft brewers is back in business.
• Style trends: While sour beers and barrel-aged offerings continue to be popular, perhaps the most sought after style in today's market is the New England IPA. A few local breweries have taken a stab at the style (Malai Kitchen, Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery, Small Brewpub, Braindead,  Chimera Brewing Co., Manhattan Project and others), with additional offerings beginning to come in from outside the state (Roughtail, Great Raft). Future breweries in North Texas intend to get on the action as well, with hazy IPAs playing a major role in the planned portfolios of Celestial Beerworks and Turning Point Beer.
• North Texas award winners: Click here to review all of the award-winning beers from 2017. Coverage includes results from the Great American Beer Festival, U.S. Open Beer Championship, North American Beer Awards, San Diego International Beer Competition Los Angeles International Beer Competition, United States Beer Tasting Championship and Best of Craft Beer Awards.
• The 2017 list of Beer In Big D's preferred pours (i.e. new-to-market beers some blogger found to be particularly enjoyable): 3 Nations Sticky Nuts Imperial Milk Stout, 903 Barrel-Aged Birthday Sasquatch, Bell's Black Note Stout, Braindead Memory Hole, Collective Brewing Project Peach Folk, 2016 Deschutes The Abyss Brandy, Great Raft Grace & Grit, Lagunitas High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout, Lakewood Cuvée de Vélo, Prairie Artisan Ales Bourbon Paradise, Rabbit Hole Midnight Snark, Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel No. 18, Small Brewpub Underdog IPA v2.0.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus - December 26, 2017 edition

Christmas has come and gone, as has the winter solstice...the latter in evidence based on two of the beers covered in this, the latest (and last of 2017) edition of the Craft Beer Conspectus.

Cheers!


See Star Wars, drink C3P-Ale

Created to coincide with the release of the film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland has introduced C3P-Ale (6.37% ABV). The beer, a collaboration between the brewery and the historic Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, is an American-style pale ale that features three popular "C" hops - Columbus, Citra and Cascade. Seek it out at select growler-fill stations and craft beer-friendly cinemas around the Metroplex.


Mix things up with Martin House

The slogan "two great tastes that taste great together" may be the property of a popular candy, but it would seem to apply to a couple of beers recently put out by Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. At least, that seems to be the case behind Cookies (a cookie dough stout) and Cream (a cream ale), two beers that are said to taste great on their own or when combined. Now available at retail, the pair is sold in mixed four-packs of 12-ounce cans.


Winter is here in the form of a beer

In honor of the winter solstice, Noble Rey Brewing Co. of Dallas has unveiled Mother Night. For a little background, Yule was a 12-day winter solstice celebration that marked the return of the sun. On the first night of Yule, otherwise known as "mother's night," Nordic Pagans awaited the birth of the Sun God, Baldur, son of Odin and the goddess Frigg. As for the beer, Mother Night is a Belgian-style dark saison brewed with black currants and plum puree. It's the first beer ever to be bottled at Noble Rey, and one that can only be obtained at the brewery.


Legal Draft serves up Black Letter Law

Originally offered as a limited draft-only release over the summer, Legal Draft Beer Co. of Arlington has canned Black Letter Law (4.7% ABV). Although billed as a black pilsner, the beer's label declares Black Letter Law to be a traditional German-style schwarzbier that delivers "light and smooth drinkability in every glass." Pick it up in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.


A new Hour is upon us

Darkest Hour (11% ABV, 60 IBU) is a beer that's been around for a number of years, and it too (like Mother Night mentioned above) is one that marks the long night of the winter solstice. This time, though, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. of Dallas has aged Darkest Hour in port wine barrels, with the end result described as a beer featuring notes of dark fruit, tobacco, coconut and chocolate. On draft now in the brewery's taproom, Darkest Hour will also be sold in 22-ounce bottles.


Ring in the Season at Braindead

The holiday season is also tamale season, and in recognition of that tamale truth, Braindead Brewing of Dallas has crafted an inspired variation of its standard Export Stout. Said to be festive AF, Tamale Season (6.6% ABV, 43 IBU) is brewed with cacao nibs, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans and a mix of guajillo and chipotle chili peppers.

Also from Braindead, the brewpub is pouring A Friend of Rye (10.3% ABV, 38 IBU), a Belgian-style tripel brewed with rye (obviously) and a dash of palm sugar.

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Image credits (top to bottom): Lakewood Brewing Co., Martin House Brewing Co., Noble Rey Brewing Co., Choice Beverage of McKinney, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Braindead Brewing.

Dirty Job marks official grand opening in Mansfield

Dirty Job is the first known brewery to operate in Mansfield (Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

It's been a full five months since Dirty Job Brewing started serving beer in Mansfield, but up until now the company had yet to host an official grand opening. That changed this past weekend, with an event featuring the requisite attractions of food, live music and a lineup of some of the area's newest local beer.

Founded by Derek and Lashawn Hubenak, along with Justin Watson, the business is the first of its kind in Mansfield. Established in the city's Historic Downtown district, Dirty Job's brewery and taproom occupies a 4000 square foot space originally built in 1895.

Inside that space, the setup itself is straightforward. Upfront, the taproom is outfitted with a handful of televisions and around a dozen tabletops, while house brews are served from behind a small bar towards the back. There, patrons can choose from beer pouring from as many as 20 taps, all but one of which was active during Dirty Job's debut event.

Agave, amaretto, coconut, cucumber and vanilla are just some of the flavorings used in Dirty Job's recipes (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

On that note, it's apparent that the brewery intends to explore the full spectrum of craft beer's flavor wheel with its small-batch system. Of the 19 beers on the board last Saturday, all but four included some sort of additive element. Together with a popular maple pecan porter called The Short Stack, examples included No Big Dill (cucumber wheat), Raspberry Beret (fruited hefeweizen), Killa Vanilla (oatmeal stout) and Agave Davida (blueberry agave wheat).

Surveying the styles forming the base of those brews, selections at Dirty Job cover a fairly standard range. A variety of American, German and Belgian-inspired wheat beers are on the menu, as are an assortment of IPAs and stouts. Most would appear to be designed for wide appeal, with tempered flavor components and a light-to-medium body being the norm.

Of course, you'll want to find a place to check out the brewery's offerings in order to test that appeal. Availability, however, isn't plentiful due to Dirty Job's limited distribution. That means, at least for now, a taproom visit is the best bet for anyone looking to try the brewery's beer. Therefore, those so inclined will need to head south and make their way to Mansfield.


Dirty Job Brewing (Web, Facebook, Twitter)
117 N. Main St.
Mansfield

Then and now: Comparing Plano's newest brewery to the one that started it all

Unlawful Assembly is the third brewing entity to exist in Plano (Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Nearly 30 years after the last production brewery operated in the city, Unlawful Assembly Brewing Co. (UABC) has opened its doors in Plano. The brewery exists on the third floor of Legacy Food Hall, in the new Legacy West development.

Indeed, while breweries have popped up in all corners of the Metroplex, Plano has seemed like a forgotten city. Other than an offshoot of the Gordon Biersch brewpub chain (just across the Dallas North Tollway from UABC, in the Shops at Legacy), Plano has been bereft of a dedicated brewing operation since Texas' first ever microbrewery, Reinheitsgebot Brewing Co. (affectionately known as Reinbo), closed in 1989.

Of course, things are a lot different now than they were in the 1980s. While UABC's setup screams modern-day industrial facility, getting Reinbo up and running meant scavenging and/or inventing the equipment used to make its beer.

For example, UABC's system consists of a newly-minted 30-barrel brewhouse, along with 21 large-scale tanks situated for use in the cellar and production space.

Unlawful Assembly's three-vessel, 30-barrel brewhouse and an impressive lineup of tanks can be
viewed on the second and third floors of Legacy Food Hall (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

And Reinbo? Its founders equipped their brewery by converting used dairy equipment for things like a lauter tun and fermentation vessels, making a grain grinder from scratch, and retrofitting a household water heater to act as a hot liquor tank.

At Reinbo, dairy tanks served as fermentation vessels (left), grain grinders were made by hand (middle) and
water heaters posed as hot liquor tanks (right). Photos courtesy of Russ Klisch, president of Lakefront Brewery in Wisconsin.

Regarding the types of beer made by each company, as the name suggests, Reinbo's products followed the German Purity Law - i.e. the brewing ingredients consisted of only malt, hops, water and yeast. The brewery's two main beers were a pale lager called Collin County Pure Gold, and a dark lager called Collin County Black Gold.

As for UABC, Plano's newest brewery has already gone on record as saying that it "won't be afraid to break a few brewing rules." In other words, it won't be guided by such limitations. One of UABC's beers proves that to some extent, considering Idol Time, a passion fruit pineapple wheat, was among the brewery's opening day pours.

Other beers on tap at UABC, at least for now, come together to form a fairly standard craft beer lineup. A brown ale, a pale, an amber lager and a witbier make up the list of what's to be had currently, but further experimentation is promised. Should that come to pass, Plano residents can look forward to a more diverse range of offerings, especially compared to what was being made in the city more than 30 years ago.

Either way, it's interesting to see how the industry has changed since the times of the first microbrewery to exist in the city, the region and the state. Reinbo may be a thing of the past, but the efforts of those behind it laid the early groundwork that allows breweries like Unlawful Assembly to be a part of the future.

Texas Ale Project to release The Caucasian 2017

Image courtesy of Texas Ale Project.

Next week, Texas Ale Project of Dallas will release the 2017 edition of its popular white Russian imperial stout, The Caucasian.

First arriving on the scene in 2015, The Caucasian (9.0% ABV, 75 IBU) is brewed with vanilla beans and cold brewed coffee, prior to being aged on toasted American oak. The vanilla beans used in the beer are sourced from the Bourbon Island of Madagascar, while the coffee is a selection chosen in collaboration with a Dallas-based roasting company.

“Once again, we partnered with Michael Wyatt at Full City Rooster to choose the perfect beans to enhance the flavors and bring the right acidity and sweetness to the malts of this year’s stout," says Brent Thompson, co-founder of Texas Ale Project. "After several tastings, we decided on a bean from the Palo Blanco Estate in the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala.”

This year's vintage of The Caucasian will debut during an event at Texas Ale Project's facility in the Design District on Tuesday, December 12 from 6-10 p.m. The evening will also feature tappings of The Caucasian 2016, The Caucasian 2015 and The Caucasian Bourbon Barrel-Aged 2016, not to mention a special food pairing and glassware presentation.

“To add a decadent tasting element to the release, we partnered with local chocolatier, Chocolate Secrets, to create a chocolate-infused truffle in the shape of a 'Dude' mustache for customers to pair with the beer,” reveals Kat Thompson, CEO of Texas Ale Project. “We also selected a unique and playful glass this year that reflects White Russian cocktail-style barware to commemorate this release.”

In addition, Texas Ale Project has obtained nine bourbon barrels from Knob Creek, one of Jim Beam's small-batch brands, for use in aging a portion of the 2017 release. As for when the finished beer will be available, The Caucasian is expected to age for around 10 months, so look for the barrel-aged version to appear in the fall of next year.

Oak Highlands enlists Jack Daniel's for 2017 BBA Chump Change

Image courtesy of Oak Highlands Brewery.

Initially teased in a Facebook post over the summer, Oak Highlands Brewery has partnered with Jack Daniel's Tennessee distillery for the 2017 release of Bourbon Barrel Aged Chump Change (11.3% ABV, 28 IBU).

Led by Kevin Sanders, a.k.a. "The Barrel Man," representatives from Jack Daniel's hand-delivered 34 spent barrels to Oak Highlands in late June, after which those casks were filled with the brewery's seasonal imperial black saison. Now, six months later, those barrels are being emptied in preparation for the beer's taproom debut, something set to occur on Saturday, December 16.

Rolling barrels into the brewhouse with "The Barrel Man" (Oak Highlands Brewery).

In addition, Bourbon Barrel Aged Chump Change will be packaged for the first time for sale in four-packs of 12-ounce cans.

"Previously, all of our barrel-aged releases have been draft only," says Brad Mall, co-founder of Oak Highlands. "In working with Jack Daniel's on this year's release of Bourbon Barrel Chump Change, we decided to broaden the reach and also offer it in four-pack cans."

Bourbon Barrel Aged Chump Change is the first barrel-aged brew

Oak Highlands has packaged for retail sale (Oak Highlands Brewery).

Quantities of the packaged beer will be very limited, with only 275 cases to be available. Consumers can expect the beer to start showing up at both retail and draft accounts during the week of December 18.

A number of joint launch events with Jack Daniel's are also being planned, according to Mall. Details on those festivities will follow in the coming weeks, so be sure to keep up with the brewery's social media channels (Facebook, Twitter) for the most up-to-date details.

North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus - December 6, 2017 edition

In the past, the arrival of the holiday season has meant a slowdown on the craft beer newsfront, but that's apparently not the case this year. As seen below, a lot has happened in the three weeks since the last Conspectus, with a big distribution announcement heading up a new list of items that includes the usual roundup of recently released beers, along with updates on the status on four North Texas breweries in development.

Cheers!


Collective joins up with Shelton Brothers

Shelton Brothers, Inc., a Massachusetts-based import/export firm, has added The Collective Brewing Project to its portfolio. According to a blog post on Collective's website, the Fort Worth brewery will work with Shelton Brothers to deliver its beer to festivals and events it plans to attend in the coming year.


Snap up the latest release from Wild Acre

Now in stores, Snap'd is the latest beer to emerge from Wild Acre Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. Billed as a gingerbread strong ale, the seasonal offering packs a fair amount of punch, with an ABV of nearly 8%. Look for it in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.


Nick the newest Full Grown variety on tap at Tupps

Tupps Brewery of McKinney has unveiled its newest Full Grown Man variety in the form of Full Grown Nick (12.1% ABV). Brewed with holiday spices, Full Grown Nick is the third seasonal treatment of Full Grown Man Imperial Stout, following brethren brews Full Grown Hombre and Full Grown Jack. Find it in four-packs of 12-ounce cans.


Deep Ellum flies its Freak Flag

Freak Flag (7.8% ABV, 14 IBU), the initial offering in Deep Ellum Brewing Co.'s Barrelhouse line, has been released in 500mL bottles. The beer is a sour red ale that's spent 18 months in red wine barrels, and it's the first fully barrel-fermented brew to produced by the company. Freak Flag's release also kicks off the brewery's Solera program, an initiative that involves the fractional blending of different vintages over time to create a beer that gets older every time you drink it.

Also from Deep Ellum, a new IPA variety pack is available at retail, containing Deep Ellum IPA, Dreamcrusher, Easy Peasy IPA and the brewery's new White IPA.


Future brewery blurbs

The TABC has approved the licenses for New Main Brewing Co. of Pantego and Parker County Brewing Co. of Willow Park. Both entities are currently under construction with early 2018 target dates.

After many years in development, there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel for Steam Theory Brewing Co. of Dallas. Construction on the future brewpub's site in Trinity Groves began in November, with the latest update projecting an opening to occur as early as April of next year.

The Corsicana City Council has cleared the way for work to begin on Navarro County Brewing Co., after a variance was approved for a proposed site on December 1. Set to be the city's first brewery, Navarro County Brewing will be located at 321 W. 6th Ave. in Corsicana.

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Image credits (top to bottom): Collective Brewing Project, Wild Acre Brewing Co., Tupps Brewery, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Parker County Brewing Co., New Main Brewing Co., Steam Theory Brewing Co., Navarro County Brewing Co.

Oak Cliff Brewing offering 99 years of free beer

Image courtesy of Oak Cliff Brewing Co.

Once the doors open at Oak Cliff Brewing Co. in Dallas, its founders will have worked to establish a new brewery in one of Dallas' oldest neighborhoods. And while their families have called the area home since the 1950s, Oak Cliff Brewing isn't just about producing a hometown brand of beer. It's about making new memories and creating a gathering place for the surrounding community.

As for where the scene will be set, the brewery will be part of a co-working village called Tyler Station. The development is located at 1300 S. Polk St., in a historic building that once housed the Dixie Wax Paper Co. Built in the 1920s, the 110,000 square foot structure is being re-purposed to support a variety of business types. Oak Cliff Brewing will occupy 14,000 square feet of that space, with the remaining real estate being open to retail, creative and small-scale manufacturing outfits willing to join the collective.

Looking to aid in the revitalization effort, Oak Cliff Brewing has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Idiegogo. According to co-founder Joel Denton, himself a third-generation Oak Cliff native, the bulk of the money raised through the campaign will go directly towards the restoration of the building. The campaign has a flexible goal of $60,000, and it will fund regardless of the final tally, but the amount of money brought in will determine how well the group is able to realize its vision at the outset.

"The success of the campaign will somewhat impact the finish of the taproom," says Denton. "We're prepared to open no matter what, but reaching our goal will enable us to do all the things we want to in the space."

Potential supporters will notice that the perks offered by the campaign don't follow the usual recipe. There aren't any stickers, pint glasses or other swag-like items to be had. Instead, the company has designed a set of rewards that offer contributors a more meaningful buy-in.

"We're doing this for the beer, to bring people together, and to share it with them...and that's the focus of the campaign," explains Denton. "We wanted to offer perks that drive that vision, that incentivize people to come to Oak Cliff, and that hopefully provide some real value in return for the contribution."

One perk sure to get people's attention is the offer of "99 Years of Free Beer." Essentially a free beer for life promotion, Denton was emboldened to run with the idea after seeing it offered by others in the industry, most recently by Saint Arnold Brewing Co. of Houston.

"It's sort of a reference to the old '99 bottles of beer on the wall' song," says Denton. "Initially, we were going to do presales of taproom pints, with the biggest quantity allowed being 99 pints. But, since we aren't licensed yet, we can't actually sell beer. The TABC is fine with me giving it away, so I decided to just go with free beer."

Details on how to get free beer for 99 years, as well as more on the story behind Oak Cliff Brewing Co., can be found by clicking here to visit the campaign's website. The fundraising drive will go on for one month, after which the founders will hit the ground running in hopes of getting the brewery and taproom open by March 2018.

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Stay up-to-date with developments at the brewery by following Oak Cliff Brewing Co. on Facebook and Twitter.