Friday, June 18, 2021

On Rotation now flight ready at The Braniff Centre

A mural behind the brewhouse depicts the Dallas skyline as seen from the south end of Love Field (All images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

The move from its original location in Lakewood is now complete, as the "craft beer laboratory" known as On Rotation has officially landed at The Braniff Centre at Love Field. With the new digs comes a new business model, which is reflected in the company's new name - On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen.

Adding an on-site kitchen, of course, is the new spin. And as the name implies, the food at On Rotation is expected to share equal billing with the brewery aspect.

“By taking our time and working with people who know the food business well, we were able to put together a menu that we feel works with almost any flavor we have on tap,” says Lindsay Sloan, co-owner of On Rotation. “From the very beginning, we never wanted our food to come second, which is why we didn’t open a kitchen in our first location. The menu we’ve put together shows you we were serious about that. The food is an equal part of the experience.”

Summing up On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen in three words - chicken, biscuits and beer.
Left: Chicken Tenders with Five Sauce Selections. Center: Thai Peanut Chicken Sandwich. Right: Biscuits with Honey & Jam.

Led by Devin McFarland (formerly of The Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Lucia Dallas and Top Knot), On Rotation's food program centers on gluten-friendly fried chicken. Menu options include bone-in chicken plates, tenders, sandwiches and salads, with offerings intended to complement whatever stylistic twists and turns arise from the brewhouse.

“We have a range of flavors to work with between the tap list, our menu, and our housemade sauces,” says McFarland, kitchen manager at On Rotation. “And, beyond just what you can order day one, we’re going to be able to do some very special things when we host beer dinners and more adventurous pairings.”

As for the brewpub's practice of frequently rotating an array of small-batch beers, things are expected to remain much the same in that department. 

"We wanted to keep the setup as a three-barrel system, so we started with the same equipment - the same brewhouse and the same original fermenters out front," says Jacob Sloan, co-owner of On Rotation. "We added two sets of stacked tanks to take advantage of the high ceilings, and also a canning line. So, we'll start doing cans to fill up the fridges out front for beer to-go."

Seating options at On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen are available indoors throughout the taproom, or outdoors within three distinct patio areas.

Dan Heinzerling (formerly of Humperdinks Restaurant & Brewery) is heading up brewing operations, bringing with him over 20 years of experience in the industry.  He's got the system running full-bore to start, with two IPAs, a dry-hopped pilsner, and a seltzer currently occupying On Rotation's four fermenters.

Those beers are set to fill one of 40 slots on the brewpub's tap wall. Breaking them down, on Rotation will eventually serve selections from 37 standard taps, along with two others on nitro, and then a Lukr side-pour faucet providing for a slow pour pils.

Once staffing levels allow, look for On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen to be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. For now, though, the brewpub will open only for dinner Tuesday through Sunday beginning next week.

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