Monday, June 27, 2022

Local amateurs honored at 2022 National Homebrew Competition

Photo © American Homebrewers Association.

The American Homebrewers Association has announced the winners at the 2022 National Homebrew Competition.

Recognized as the world's largest amateur homebrew competition, this year's gathering logged 2,940 entries from 1,187 homebrewers located around the globe. Overall, a total of 132 medals were awarded across 44 different categories covering homemade beer, cider and mead.

A list of winning beers from North Texas is provided below. You can also click here to view a full competition summary.

Nicholas McCoy of Sachse.
  • Affiliation: Draft Punk.
  • Award: First Place in the Specialty IPA category.
Jarrett Long of Arlington, with John Bates.
Nigel Curtis of Arlington, with Come & Brew It.

Cheers and congratulations to all!

Friday, June 17, 2022

Steam Theory to close in Dallas, June 19

Image credit: Steam Theory Brewing Co.

Four years after debuting in Trinity Groves, a multi-use entertainment destination in Dallas, Steam Theory Brewing Co. will shutter at the close of business on Sunday, June 19.

Founded by Jonathan Barrows and Chuck Homola, Steam Theory opened with backing from the former host of ABC's The Bachelor, Chris Harrison. Initially, the concept paired beers with culinary selections curated by Chef Michael Weinstein, but over time Steam Theory shifted its focus to pub fare featuring Neapolitan pizza.

Steam Theory's name was derived from the idea of taking an old-school approach and applying it to the modern day. This fusion of elements was symbolized by the decor of the space, which took on a steampunk vibe.

According to a social media post, the business was unable to overcome financial difficulties encountered due to the "global pandemic, the great resignation of 2021, a recession and inflation."

Despite the closure of the physical location, a report says the Steam Theory brand will carry on by way of a "virtual brewery" model, with beers produced and distributed by a North Carolina-based company.

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

A look at 2021 North Texas production numbers

Click image to enlarge.

Presented is a chart showing a breakdown of brewery sizes in North Texas based on production data reported to the Brewers Association and published in the May/June issue of The New Brewer (this information was last covered in this space during July 2019).

Note that not all brewing companies provide their numbers, while others report numbers covering multiple locations. As a result, the number of brewing companies counted here does not equate to the total number of brewing operations open and operating at any given time.

Takeaways:
  • Smaller breweries continue to dominate the North Texas landscape, with the majority producing less than 1000 barrels per year. Moreover, the number of breweries producing more than 1000 barrels has not changed significantly over the past five years.
  • Movement between the higher tiers has been minimal over time, with only Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth (2019) and Tupps Brewery of McKinney (2020) crossing into the upper threshold. Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland is the sole entry to drop down, moving from "Large" to "Mid-Size" in 2020.
  • Based on total production, Martin House is now considered to be an independent "Regional Brewery." Other regionals owned by larger entities include Deep Ellum Brewing Co. of Dallas (CANarchy Craft Beer Collective), Four Corners Brewing Co. of Dallas (Constellation Brands), and Revolver Brewing of Granbury (MillerCoors).
  • Joining the aforementioned five, the other two "Large" producers in North Texas are Community Beer Co. of Dallas and Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. of Fort Worth.
  • The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on production, and by extension sales, can be seen in the total barrelage reported by North Texas breweries over the last three years. Over  barrels 190,000 barrels combined were produced locally in 2019. That total dropped to over 178,000 barrels in 2020, with levels recovering to over 189,000 barrels in 2021.

Monday, June 13, 2022

Lakewood cycles back around with Rock Ryder

Image credit: Lakewood Brewing Co.

A former year-round recipe is set to return at Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland on Saturday, June 25.

Rock Ryder is an American rye wheat beer that first appeared in Lakewood's lineup when the company debuted in 2012. It's described as "light and refreshing," with "just enough bite to quench a Texas-sized summer thirst."

The beer is being re-released to coincide with a Bikes & Brews event Lakewood is hosting with Bike DFW, a non-profit group that "supports and promotes the safe use of bicycles as an affordable, viable, and sustainable means of active transportation and personal enjoyment." Naturally, Rock Ryder is an appropriate choice of refreshment for the festivities considering its package art features a cyclist traversing a bridge.

As for the upcoming event, participants may start at the Dallas Farmers Market at 10 a.m. for the full ride, at White Rock Lake at 11 a.m. for a half-ride, or at the destination - a vendor fair at Lakewood at 12:30 p.m. - for no ride. If you choose to ride, note the first 20 cyclists to arrive at Lakewood will get two free beers from the brewery's array of taproom offerings.

To learn more, visit the event web site at https://lakewoodbrewing.com/event/bikes-brews-with-bike-dfw/.

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Vector Brewing recognized at 2022 NABA International Beer Awards

Image credit: North American Brewers Association.

Vector Brewing of Dallas has been honored for one of its beers at the 2022 NABA International Beer Awards.

The NABA International Beer Awards is an annual event put on by the North American Brewers Association, with the goal of "providing recognition and incentives by the way of awards to demonstrate excellence in the field of beer brewing." Entries to this year's competition were evaluated against the 2022 North American Brewers Association Style Guide, with medals handed out in more than 100 different categories covering beer, cider and hard seltzer.

For Vector Brewing, recognition came in the form of a silver medal for Slightly Darker Black, an India black ale whose recipe was originally brewed in collaboration with Braindead Brewing of Dallas. As for other winning beers, click here to view a full competition summary.

Vector Brewing
  • Silver for Slightly Darker Black in the Cascadian Dark Ale/American Black Ale category.

Cheers and congratulations to Vector Brewing!

Bois d'Arc ceases production at Cork & Brew in Commerce

Image credit: Bois d'Arc Brewery.

In-house brewing operations have ceased at Cork & Brew in Commerce.

Lizardo Garrett manned the brewhouse at Cork & Brew by way of his nano-brewing project Bois d'Arc Brewery. His first two beers, Osage Pale Ale and Bad Gorilla DIPA, debuted in mid-November 2020, shortly after Cork & Brew celebrated its grand opening.

Remaining stock of a single beer, Nitro Bois d'Arc Barleywine, was still being poured as of mid-May, but a production stop apparently occurred late last year. Garrett confirmed the news in a social media correspondence.

Cork & Brew continues on as a wine and beer bar, with the tapwall featuring products from North Texas and beyond.

Monday, June 6, 2022

Cedar Creek satellite in Farmers Branch now closed

Image credit: Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery.

After opening its doors one year ago, Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery in Farmers Branch is now closed.

Initially announced in October 2018, the project was a collaboration between Cedar Creek Brewery of Seven Points and former owners of the Dallas-based craft beer-centric restaurant, LUCK at Trinity Groves. Naturally, the brewpub paired popular elements of LUCKs food menu with Cedar Creek's line of craft beers and hard seltzers.

Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery also built on LUCK's legacy of supporting both local charities and the North Texas craft brewing industry as a whole with community events like SliderMania, and the revival of the North Texas Craft Beer Chili Challenge.

According to a social media post, "trials and tribulations brought on by operating during a global pandemic" contributed to the closure.

Cedar Creek's original spot in Seven Points remains open, with the brewery expected to celebrate its 10th anniversary this summer.

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Tupps to launch 'Build Your Own Business' program in December

Artist rendering of the B.Y.O.B Courtyard at Tupps Brewery (Image courtesy of Tupps Brewery).


Last July, Tupps Brewery of McKinney announced the intent to relocate its business to a historic McKinney grain site east of Downtown McKinney. Now, the company is sharing details on a key feature of the new location.

The B.Y.O.B. Courtyard at Tupps Brewery will be home to a unique 'Build Your Own Business' program. Set up with multiple grain bins, each bin will allow a local business to get started or stimulate growth by offering a place to work and sell their products to customers. 

“We started Tupps by brewing beer in my garage on the weekends," says Keith Lewis, founder and president of Tupps. "Our weekend hobby turned into a real idea for a business. We built the company from the ground up and we want others to have the opportunity and encouragement to do the same.”

Each B.Y.O.B business will be open on the weekends. Tupps will have multiple resources to offer each of the businesses that range from sales and marketing to coaching and advice. 

“We will also offer business seminars to the owners of these businesses to help stimulate and advance their product or service," adds Lewis. "Our taproom, brewery and events drive significant traffic which provides a built-in customer base for these B.Y.O.B participants.”

Construction is currently underway at Tupps' new location, where crews are remodeling the site's 120-year-old grain mill and building a new state of the art production brewery. The total project will encompass over 45,000 square feet of buildings on a four-acre spread. 

As of now, Tupps intends to open the space, including the B.Y.O.B. Courtyard, in December of 2022. In the meantime, Tupps is accepting applications for the B.Y.O.B program from now until June 30, 2022. This is an equal opportunity for all - anyone and everyone may apply.

Interested parties can click here to fill out the online application.