What's new at Ivanhoe Ale Works in Denison

Left: The brewery's Too Legit to Wit, a Belgian witbier (Ivanhoe Ale Works).
Right: Ivanhoe's marquee out front reminds patrons of the building's theater past © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Change is in the air at a longtime brewery in far North Texas. Though, that turn of phrase is a little inadequate considering just about everything except the building, the furnishings and the marquee out front is changing at Ivanhoe Ale Works of Denison.

For those not familiar, the brewery operates in tandem with a sister business, Homestead Winery, at 220 W. Main St. in Downtown Denison. Gabe and Barbara Parker opened the winery's tasting room in 1988, with Gabe and another partner coming together to start Ivanhoe in May 2014. Nowadays, daughter Rebecca Ingram runs the day-to-day operations of the combined business, which is historically the state's first "brewinery."

So, what's the impetus for change? Part of it is a desire to reboot the brand ahead of the brewery's 10th anniversary in 2025. Beyond that, there's simply a desire to improve upon Ivanhoe's products and presentation. Along those lines, Ingram's first order of business was to overhaul the beer program from production to pour. That meant hiring a new brewer and getting him everything needed to be successful.

Bryan Thomas joined Ivanhoe in December after working at Deep Ellum Brewing Co. and Steam Theory Brewing Co., both formerly of Dallas. Ingram knew he was right for the job when Thomas said after auditing Ivanhoe's infrastructure, "There's no way I'm pouring any beer I make through that [dilapidated] draft system."

Out it went, right along with Ivanhoe's original 10-barrel brewhouse and set of 20-barrel fermenters. Thomas prefers the flexibility of a smaller setup, so a four-barrel system was installed in its place. For Ingram, the idea of lower volumes was appealing, since quicker turnover helps keep things as fresh as possible.

It's also a fit because the creative aspects of brewing are what drive Thomas, and being small allows for more freedom to experiment. Plus, batches are small enough he can support another local business by buying ingredients from a homebrew shop in Sherman.

On the portfolio plan, all of Ivanhoe's old recipes have been retired as well. Thomas is in "see what sticks" mode right now when it comes to a new style mix, but locals seem to like lighter, less hoppy beers the most, so his blonde ale and a Mexican lager are likely candidates for everyday standards. Others he's rotated in thus far include a Berliner weisse, Belgian witbier, Czech pilsner, and an English brown.

As for other things in the works, there's a new logo, new merchandise to come, and a new website is currently being designed. More engaging events are also being mapped out, and there will be food you won't have to go out for - the winery side of the building is being outfitted with an onsite kitchen.

The hope, of course, is that all of this makes Ivanhoe a more inviting community destination. Ingram wants the brewery to be a go-to local hangout with a unique ambiance and attraction, or a she puts it, "a place with an experience you can't get just anywhere, with beer you can't get just anywhere."

Moral of the story - if it's been a while since you've visited Ivanhoe, it might be time to head to Denison soon to check out the changes for yourself. The rollout will be ongoing over the next few weeks, with the goal to have much of the new shine in place for Ivanhoe Oktoberfest, set to go down on September 21.

Vector Brewing expands hours, offerings with AM and lunch service

Cinnamon Rolls from Salt Sweets and the new Brekky Sando at Vector Brewing.

Since opening in 2020, Vector Brewing of Dallas has primarily been a late afternoon, evening and weekend destination, but now with the addition of coffee, breakfast and lunch service, the brewpub sets up as the ideal place for a pick-me-up all hours of day.

One reason for the move - East Dallas has some wonderful local coffee shops, but none within the almost four-mile stretch between Northwest Highway and US-75. Until now.

“We live on the west side of East Dallas,” says Veronica Bradley, co-owner of Vector Brewing, “and we really felt the need for a neighborhood coffee spot that wasn’t corporate.”

Plus, it's becoming more common for breweries to incorporate coffee programs into their business plans. Manhattan Project Beer Co. in Oak Cliff has served up espresso drinks since day one. Jaquval Brewery and Gastropub in the Bishop Arts District shares their space with Trades, a coffee and deli lunch spot owned by the same restaurant group.

“When we were toying with the idea of adding coffee and breakfast, it was great to hear that our beer peers were doing the same,” says Craig Bradley, co-owner of Vector Brewing. “After being open for a few years, sales dip and costs rise. That’s the business. So, we always need to find new ways to use our space. Coffee was the obvious next step for us.”

The Bradleys, a husband-and-wife team from Lake Highlands, consulted with longtime friends Kevin and Marta Sprague of Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters to find the equipment, select coffee and espresso blends, and to get words of support. Tiffani Kocsis of East Dallas Middle Ground also shared her knowledge with the couple.

“When it came to launching this next phase of Vector, the outpouring of support from our fellow small businesses was what my soul needed,” Veronica adds. “You aren’t going to get that kind of help from anyone who hasn’t owned a small business.”

Now that the doors open at 7 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, Vector had to add new food items to the menu. Their Brekky Sando, a folded egg sandwich on focaccia bread from La Casita Bakeshop, has proven to be the most popular breakfast item. Other choices include cinnamon rolls from Lake Highland’s own Salt Sweets, as well as kolaches and klobasneks (also known as pigs in a blanket) from Lake Highland’s Hummingbird Sweets.

Voodoo Brewing opens third NTX franchise in Fort Worth

Food and drink offerings at Voodoo - Fort Worth include Key Lime Kölsch and the pub's Not a Philly Cheesesteak (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Voodoo Brewing Co. of Pennsylvania continues to add to its presence in Texas, this time with the recent opening of its latest franchise taproom in Fort Worth. It's the third Voodoo locale in North Texas and the fourth overall in the Lone Star State, following previous debuts in Grand Prairie, Katy and Plano.

Locally-owned by David Goldblatt, a recently retired veteran, Voodoo - Fort Worth occupies the ground floor of a building at 1001 S. Main St. in the Near Southside neighborhood of the city. This sets up on the still-developing southern border of South Main Village, placing it down a few blocks from where other popular bars and restaurants do business in the area.

Of course, by now we've covered the fundamentals of how Voodoo does its thing. The home office provides house beers and baseline food selections, while allowing local owners the freedom to add personal touches to the menu or decor. In this case, it being Cowtown, the obvious aesthetic addition is the set of longhorns on the Voodoo logo.

As for how it compares to its brethren in Plano and Grand Prairie, Voodoo - Fort Worth is most similar to Plano in terms of having a downtown neighborhood pub vibe. Beyond that, the food menu is a bit more streamlined in Fort Worth (with apps, greens, handhelds, signature pizzas and wings), and guest taps play a bigger role in the everyday beer lineup.

On that note, Voodoo - Fort Worth pours beer from 26 taps (three of which are nitro), with half of those allotted to company standards, seasonals and spontaneous releases. Examples of each currently on tap include Lacto Kooler Berliner Weisse, Key Lime Kölsch and White Magick of the Sun Belgian Wheat, respectively.

Then on remaining handles, Voodoo - Fort Worth offers a range of local and regional products from the likes of Panther Island Brewing of Fort Worth, Manhattan Project Beer Co. of Dallas, Real Ale Brewing Co of Blanco, Altstadt Brewery of Fredericksburg and others.

From there, those preferring other types of beverages will find hard seltzers, craft cocktails, Liquid Death Mountain Waters (and "Death Mixers"), mocktails, soda and apple juice as options rounding out the drink menu.

Voodoo - Fort Worth serves patrons seven days a week, with operating hours beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 11 a.m. from Wednesday through Sunday. They also have packaged beers if you're looking to grab beer to go.

Franconia has closed McKinney site, will move operations

Logo: Franconia Brewing Co., Image:© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

After months of uncertainty, Franconia Brewing Co. has announced the closure of its McKinney site, with the intention of moving operations to another location. The status of the brewery had been in limbo since January, when Franconia notified patrons of a temporary closure due to storm damage.

Changes at Franconia have perhaps been in the works since July 2023, when a commercial real estate listing on Crexi offered the business for sale "with or without the equipment." The ad has since been modified to include only the building, with the equipment now set to being auctioned off by New Mill Capital.

Further comments from the brewery on a social media post suggest Franconia intends to purchase all new equipment to outfit a new facility, the location of which is yet to be determined.

Franconia is currently owned by Arvind Sharma, an investor who took over after original founder Dennis Wehrmann exited the company in 2020.

Celestial and Oak Highlands secure wins at 2024 USBTC Summer Competition

Image credits: Celestial Beerworks, Oak Highlands Brewery, United States Beer Tasting Championship.

Regional winners have been announced at the 30th Annual Summer Competition of the United States Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC).

As is the norm for this event, submitted beers were evaluated across 18 different style categories, with judges singling out Regional Champions first (North Texas breweries compete in the Rockies/Southwest region). Within style groups, regional winners then compete side-by-side to determine a Grand Champion for each category. This final round is still pending, with results to be released in early August. 

Local honorees include Celestial Beerworks and Oak Highlands Brewery, both of Dallas. Oak Highlands has made regular appearances on this list since 2016, while Celestial Beerworks is receiving USBTC recognition for the first time.

For more on the 2024 USBTC summer event, click here to visit the official competition website.

Celestial Beerworks, Dallas

• Stellar Remnants - Regional Champion in the Hazy IPA category.

Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas

• Derelict - Regional Champion in the IPA category.
• Allgood - Regional Champion in the Cream Ale/Golden Ale/Kölsch category.
• Golden Mustache - Regional Champion in the Dortmunder/Helles category.

Cheers and congratulations to Celestial Beerworks and Oak Highlands!