Chambers Creek becomes Maypearl's first brewery

Chambers Creek couples with neighboring restaurant Hissy Fits to provide a one-stop
shop for beer and barbecue in Maypearl (All images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

The craft beer scene in North Texas continues to expand its reach geographically, as the newest brewery to open its doors has done so in the Ellis County town of Maypearl.

Founded by Lyle Chambers, the self-named Chambers Creek Brewing Co. slots into a spot at 319 N. Main St. in the city, along route FM-66. If the latter stretch sounds familiar, it's the road you take off I-35E to get to Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie. Except now, you go past the gates of the fair and drive on for another 10 miles.

Once you arrive in the heart of Maypearl, Chambers Creek is essentially the first thing you see, along with a neighboring business, Hissy Fits Barbeque. The two firms share the same structure, with the brewery now occupying a former gas station dating back to the 1940s.

On the space and setup, Chambers Creek is the epitome of a small-batch brewery in a small town. Maypearl's commercial district only extends a few blocks, with Chamber Creek's spot occupying just over 2000 square feet. Within those bounds, a pilot-sized brewing system is tucked behind a bar inside the main building, with a larger taproom area situated in the gas station's old garage.

Small-batch offerings during Chamber Creek's grand opening party included Dad Joke, a cream ale with an ABV of 5.7%.

Beyond that, an outdoor patio offers some additional streetside seating, though Chambers hopes to one day develop an area out back to provide more room to move around.

As for the liquids, four beers and a house-made pineapple and black cherry hard seltzer were on tap during grand opening festivities last weekend. Beer styles consisted of a bock, a cream ale, an IPA, and an oatmeal stout. Of those, Maypearl Bock (6.0% ABV, 16 IBU) was my favorite beer on the menu, thanks to its clean, dark and drinkable nature.

The bock is also billed as "the beer that started it all" for the brewery, which suggests it'll be a standard on the day-to-day tap list. Other beers are expected to rotate in regularly, with recipes for a Belgian tripel and a Vienna lager currently on Chamber Creek's radar.

Should you be thinking of making the trek yourself, Chambers Creek is open on Saturdays, with hours from 12-8 p.m. Be prepared to park on a patch of grass, if need be, and be sure to get there early to fuel up at Hissy Fits, as the food goes fast - I should know, since I arrived too late to grab some grub myself.