Howling Mutt opens new nanobrewery in Denton

Howling Mutt offers full pours and flights of Haufen Beer (Photo: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

North Texas has a new nanobrewery in the form of Howling Mutt Brewing Co. of Denton. Located just off The Square at 205 N. Cedar St., founders Alex Manning and Justin Reed debuted the spot on Thursday night.

And to be clear, the nanobrewery tag applies to the operation as a whole. Indeed, Howling Mutt is making beer on a one-barrel system in digs encompassing roughly 1200 square feet. They say good things come in small packages, though, so no doubt Dentonites are hoping for big things from what might be the smallest brewery in North Texas.

On that note, production area takes up a third of Howling Mutt's available space, with the rest allocated to the taproom. Elbow room is limited, but a patio out back is as big or bigger than the entire indoor allotment combined. Taken together, there's plenty of room to move around, especially if you're the type that enjoys imbibing outside - granted, it might be nice if Mother Nature would finally flip the switch on fall.

As for what there is to drink, Howling Mutt serves up its own creations, as well as guest beers (on draft and in cans) from other local brewers. House brews are called Haufen Beer, with available options on opening day including the brewery's Session IPA, Redwood IPA and Strawberry Blond.

Of course, batch sizes are small, which suggests any given beer will only be available for a limited time. Then again, that's the beauty of a small-scale setup. It allows a brewer the freedom to quickly adapt and adjust the brewery's lineup based on customer feedback, while also providing those same customers something new to try virtually every time they visit.

With that in mind, if you wish to sample Howling Mutt's inaugural offerings, you should probably plan to drop by over the next couple of days. You can do so during the company's grand opening event continuing this weekend, with hours set for Friday from 10-5 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. - midnight.