Parker County Brewing Co. now occupies new stable in Willow Park

Top center: Parker County's Spicy Chicken Sammie (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Parker County Brewing Co. of Willow Park first appeared on the North Texas scene after opening in early 2018. Now, seven years later, the brewpub has traded-in its retail development digs for a standalone place of its own right across the highway from its original location.

Currently owned and operated by co-founder Ryan Stewart, the company began looking to expand to a larger facility in late 2022. At first, the plan was to pursue a new construction just down the way along I-20, but an alternative became available when a building once home to Parker County Ice House hit the market.

Located at 210 Willow Bend Dr., the existing building consisted of 4,500 square feet on 0.72 acres of land, but an additional 1,500 square feet was added during the renovation process. And to put it quite simply, the resulting venue is a bigger, better version of the Parker County brewpub.

Bigger being the operative word when talking about the kitchen, dining room and bar area. Add to that an outdoor wrap-around patio (with a covered stage) that has as much room or more than the interior, and patrons and crew members alike should have more than enough room to move around in Parker County's new surroundings.

With regards to other aspects of the upgraded experience, there's also something new on the drink menu. Beverage options begin with Parker County's portfolio of "Unbridled Brews," but now in addition to wine, cider and seltzer, a fully-stocked bar provides the spirits necessary to create a range of hand-crafted cocktails.

Really, just about the only thing standing pat, at least for now, is the brewpub's production setup. Trucked over as-is, the brewdeck and equipment array is manned by Mike Kraft, a longtime industry vet who got his start in North Texas during the brewpub boom of the 1990s. And he's got plenty of taps to play with, considering 30 handles are installed on each side of the service area.

On that note, these days the year-round beer lineup includes Side Pony Blonde, Southern Passion IPA, Just a Phaze IPA and Galactic Cowboy Double Hazy IPA. Then, seasonal selections like 1879 Prohibition Ale, Velvet Reaper Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Peach Blonde, Wild Cherry Sour and others rotate in regularly.

As for the food, Neapolitan pizzas are still the primary culinary attraction, with salads, sammies, wraps, and a kids menu set to fill out the daily offering sheet as well.

Parker County Brewing Co. is now open for lunch and dinner six days a week (closed on Tuesday). An official grand opening takes place on Saturday, March 1, with live music acts hitting the stage starting at 2:30 p.m.

903 Brewers moving to multiple new locations

Left: Sherman site at 221 W. Houston St. (7500 square feet).                    Right: Denison site at 421 W. Main St. (4500 square feet).
Images courtesy of 903 Brewers.

A new beginning is on the horizon for 903 Brewers, as the 12-year old company is planning to take out a fresh lease on life. Well, a few of them actually. No, this isn't the project previously announced for FM 1417 - that one is no longer active. This is different, and something that looks to help 903 Brewers expand its daily reach beyond the borders of its original home in Sherman.

The long and the short of it is this...903 Brewers is moving, and not just to a single location. With the lease up on the Elm St. spot in Sherman, founders Jeremy and Natalie Roberts have put together a future plan that involves a new production site, along with not one, but two non-production taproom/restaurants.

Details from the source...

"First Stop: Downtown Sherman!

Opening June 2025, our new Sherman taproom will be located at 221 W. Houston St., inside the historic Kreager Feed Store - one of Urban Sherman’s incredible downtown revitalization projects. We’ve partnered with D2 Built and the talented David and Joshua Downtain to bring this space to life, blending modern design with the building’s rich history.

At 7,500+ square feet, this taproom will feature a spacious front patio, a huge back patio, and tons of parking - perfect for gathering with friends and family! We invite you to drive by and see the incredible transformation happening.

Next Up: Downtown Denison!

Coming September 2025, we’re teaming up with our good friends Scott & Meghan Furhman to bring you something truly special at 421 W. Main St. This taproom will be two stories with - wait for it - a ROOFTOP PATIO overlooking beautiful Downtown Denison! 

If you’re in the area, swing by and check out the progress - we can’t wait to welcome you!"

Specifics on a new production-only locale are still being finalized, so expect to hear more about that in the coming months. And not to worry, 903 Brewers will remain open on Elm St. until the new Sherman site is ready.

Toasty Bros. a place for pints and paintings in Denton

Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Six years after first debuting its brand, Toasty Bros. has a place to call its own with the opening of a permanent location for its brewery, taproom and art gallery at 104 N. Bell Ave. in Denton.

Toast Tiensvold launched Toasty Bros. in March 2019 with the release of Damage Dealer Double Stout. Since then, that beer and others have been brewed at Hop & Sting Brewing Co. of Grapevine through an alternating proprietorship agreement. All the while, the path to self-sufficiency has been in the making, the last leg of the journey starting when a lease was signed on the Bell Ave. building around three years ago.

Speaking of the new home of Toasty Bros., the business sets up in a former auto repair shop complete with front-facing roll-top doors. There's roughly 1500 square feet of space to work with, a little more than half of that devoted to the taproom.

And inside, it's unquestionably cozy, with earth tones on the walls and natural wood tabletops in the seating area. Then there's the bar installation, which has barrel staves forming the foundation for a bar top featuring wood planks framing a neon blue light centerpiece. Add to all that the surrounding gallery of original paintings, and you've got what amounts to a neighborhood tavern turned artistic oasis.

On the beer, house recipes pour from 12 taps, with selections like Bäkéneko Black IPA, Earl the Orange Alien Dessert Stout, Experience Points Porter, Random Number Generator DIPA, Rock Philosopher Undead Ale and others joining Damage Dealer on the current menu. Future offerings will be borne out of a three-barrel system on site, maintaining the small-batch approach Toasty Bros. has touted from the outset.

As for other amenities, sodas and bottled water are kept on hand for those not imbibing. There's also a dart board if you need a competitive diversion, and charging outlets are installed just below the bar for anyone needing to give their phone or tablet a battery boost while enjoying their beer.

Looking back on past coverage, fostering local pride has always been a focus for Toasty Bros. (the phrase is in the logo), and opening a taproom someday in Denton was the goal from its earliest days. Now that the ambition has been realized, fans of the brewery can celebrate the arrival of the city's newest craft beer destination.

Stop in and raise a glass with Toasty Bros. five days a week, with hours beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 10 a.m. on Sunday and Monday.

A sip of something different with Fox & Raven Mead

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

It's been mentioned here before, but the field of fermented beverages in North Texas goes beyond just beer. There are cider and mead-makers around town as well, though their numbers are far fewer compared to the landscape of local breweries.

One of those dropping honey-based alcoholic drinks goes by the moniker of Fox & Raven Mead. Founded by Bryce DeShazo and Savannah Castillo, the company has been in business since 2021. It operates out of a small production and pickup-only storefront at 1510 Randolph St. in Carrollton, but the owners are out nearly every weekend sampling and selling their meads at area festivals, vendor markets and other special events.

Products from Fox & Raven range from The Hunt - The Hare (14% ABV), a traditional mead that dries out quite nicely in the finish, to Fellow Traveler (12% ABV), a tasty acer (or maple mead) with fresh green apples. Their portfolio also features a few lower strength fruited hydromels and sparkling meads (6% ABV), with prickly pear and mango/habanero among the flavor options.

Sampling some of Fox & Raven's creations this weekend while shopping the Farmers Market at The Lawn in Little Elm, what stood out the most was how well-balanced their meads are across the board, not being overly sweet or dominated by added ingredients. Similar thoughts applied to a bourbon barrel-aged version of their base mead called The Hunt - The Hart, which was entirely too easy to drink considering its boozy backbone.

Given those impressions, the most highly-anticipated taste might be Whidbey, a barrel-aged bochet (or black mead) made with caramelized honey and marionberries. This one was only available to take home, as samples were understandably cost-prohibitive due to batch size.

As for how to get a taste for yourself, Fox & Raven meads can occasionally be found on guest taps at local breweries. Then on the packaging side, corked bottles can be purchased online for shipment or pick-up, but they are also available at Lone Star Beverages of Carrollton or at the aforementioned pop-ups. For details, visit the "Find Mead" link on Fox & Raven's website.

Balanced Rock ready to roll in The Colony

Logo: Balanced Rock Brewing, Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

The newest brewery in North Texas has one thing in mind as it approaches its opening in The Colony, and that quite simply is to "Keep Texas Beer'd."

Balanced Rock Brewing, founded by Jim Dooley and James Wirz, will do business at 5265 State Highway 121. The partners are working with a unique 8600 square foot spot formerly occupied by Urban8 Food Court. In fact, the food hall's debut in 2018 provided Wirz with the first vision of what Balanced Rock could be.

I visited Urban8 the week it opened and thought it would make a great brewpub," says Wirz. "When it closed and hit the market, we snagged it."

On the outside, the building looks like a two-story structure, but the brewery and taproom is laid out on a single level, with high ceilings, large forward windows and rows of skylights combining to create a bright and open atmosphere.

Within, the setup is somewhat evenly split between public and production space. A bar top inlaid with reclaimed wood and river rocks centers the room while surrounding a 40 tap draft tower. Then, towards the back and enclosed by plexiglass, the layout of the brewing equipment takes full advantage of the available height, with both horizontal and vertical tank arrays reaching to the rafters.

"This space had some challenges for a retrofit, so we went vertical to get some nice production capacity in a relatively small footprint," explains Wirz.

Anchoring the installation is what Wirz calls Balanced Rock's pièce de résistance, a copper-clad 10 hectoliter brewhouse (or about 8.5 barrels for those needing a conversion) built by Caspary GMBH Co. KG of Germany. It's unlike any system head brewer Michael Harper (formerly of Funky Picnic Brewery & Café, Oak Highlands Brewery and others) has used before, with a different sort of process flow that took some getting used to.

And speaking of being different compared to others when it comes to brewing techniques, Balanced Rock also has a single open-top fermenter in its arsenal. Think more oxygen, happier yeast, more complex flavors in your beer.

"We wanted to do some things not too common in North Texas," says Wirz. "On the copper, it's a cool look and the system fits our interior space well."

As for Balanced Rock's offerings, Harper is in the process of building up a portfolio of beers promising to be...well, balanced. In other words, the brewery won't lean too heavily into any one type of beer.

Once production ramps up, roughly 12-15 house beers will be pouring on the regular. For now, style options to start include a pale ale, hazy IPA, dry-hopped Kölsch, Belgian blonde, pub ale and a grodziskie (note, the latter four beers were created in collaboration with other area breweries to ensure liquid was ready for opening day). Among others in the works are a Belgian tripel, Mexican lager, and a West Coast IPA.

Then on the food, while the menu is still being finalized, the idea is for the eats to be elevated, but approachable with wood-fired pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more currently in the plans.

Balanced Rock Brewing expects to begin operating on a soft basis as soon as this week, pending final inspections, with a grand opening to follow. For updates, follow the brewery's social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

Operational changes in store for Revolver

Image © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Industry chatter circulating on Monday morning suggested changes were in the works at Revolver Brewing of Granbury. Recall that Tilray Brands, a global lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company based out of New York, purchased the brewery (and others) from Molson Coors in September. This led some to speculate that operations at Revolver might be subject to consolidation down the road.

And yes, that is indeed the case, at least to some degree. While large-scale brewing will no longer take place in Granbury, the site will still function in other capacities. What remains to be learned is what this all means for the Revolver Brewhouse in Arlington.

From Tilray Brands:

"As the Tilray Beverages business continues to evolve and transform, we have undertaken a reallocation of resources to enhance efficiency and leverage synergies. As such, large-scale production will transition from the Revolver Brewing facility to other brewing locations. The Revolver Brewing facility will continue to operate, focusing on unique and innovative brews, and the taproom will remain open.

We are grateful for our employees’ commitment and are confident these adjustments will enhance customer experience and ensure our long-term success."

Oak Highlands extends streaks at 2025 USBTC Winter Competition

Image credit: Oak Highlands Brewery.

Results have been announced at the United States Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC), which completed its 31st Annual Winter Competition this weekend.

A total of 550 beers were submitted for evaluation across 20 different categories at this year's event, with entries arriving from 176 breweries located across the country. Regional Champions were determined in 7 separate U.S. regions, then those beers were judged side-by-side to determine a Grand Champion in each style category.

North Texas breweries compete in the Rockies/Southwest Region, and it's notable the only area honoree, Oak Highlands Brewery, has continued to place at USBTC gatherings since 2016 - the year after the Dallas-based brewery opened. As for the company's winning recipes for 2025, Devil's Snare and Vanilla Porter have both been Regional Champions at the USBTC for three years in a row.

For more on the 2025 USBTC Winter Competition, click here to visit the official competition website.

Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas

• Bourbon Barrel Chump Change, Regional Champion in the Whiskey-Aged Beer category.
• Devil's Snare, Regional Champion in the Porter category.
• Bois D'arc, Regional Champion in the Dark Czech Lager category.
• Vanilla Porter, Regional Champion in the Bean Beer category.

Cheers and congratulations to Oak Highlands!

North Texas reaches new heights at 2025 Texas Craft Brewers Cup

Image credit: Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

Earlier tonight in Austin, winners were announced at the 2025 Texas Craft Brewers Cup, an annual event presented by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. It was another strong showing for North Texas beer-makers, as 11 area breweries secured medals honoring 21 locally-made beers. That number, incidentally, beats the area's best ever count of 20 medals in 2022.

In addition, for three years running now, a North Texas purveyor of pints was named Brewery of the Year. This time it was False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills in the Over 620 bbl Group - congrats to the Wolf Pack!

Completing its fourth year, the Texas Craft Brewers Cup is designed to "showcase the outstanding quality and variety of Texas craft beer and the brewers that make them." For the 2025 edition, 162 Texas breweries submitted 931 entries sorted into 30 different categories. Those beers were then judged against style guidelines published by either the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) or the Brewers Association as created for the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

Notable statistics:

• Just over 35% of active Texas breweries competed (162 down from 170 in 2024).
• Medals were awarded to a total of 55 Texas breweries - 20% of those being from North Texas.
• North Texas medal count: 8 gold, 8 silver, and 5 bronze.

A list of winning beers from North Texas and the breweries behind them is provided below. For more on the Texas Craft Brewers Cup, click here for a full competition summary.

3 Nations Brewing Co., Carrollton

• Devour - Mexican Chocolate, Silver in the Chocolate & Coffee category.

Celestial Beerworks, Dallas

• Ube Piña Colada Tropic, Silver in the Pastry/Dessert/Puree, a.k.a. Decadent Beers category.
• Stellar Remnants, Bronze in the Hazy IPA category.
• Dreamhack, Bronze in the Fruit & Field Beer category.

False Idol Brewing, North Richland Hills

• Hollowveil, Gold in the Pastry/Dessert/Puree, a.k.a. Decadent Beers category.
• The True One, Gold in the Brett & Mixed Culture category.
• Squirtle Squad, Gold in the Belgian & Farmhouse Ales category.
• Let it Rip, Silver in the Belgian & Farmhouse Ales category.
• Life of an Outlaw, Silver in the American IPA category.

Jaquval, Dallas

• Abbey Normal, Bronze in the Belgian Abbey Ales category.

Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Fort Worth

• Battle of Britain, Gold in the Barleywine & Strong Ale category.
• Paradise Porter, Gold in the Fruit & Field Beer category.

Martin House Brewing Co., Fort Worth

• Tropical Nuke Juice, Gold in the American & European Sour category.
• Imperial Texan, Silver in the Barleywine & Strong Ale category.

Odd Muse Brewing, Farmers Branch 

• Unified Dry-Hopped French Saison, Gold in the Legislative Pro-Am category.
• Graveyard Ghosts, Silver in the Amber & Dark Beers category.
• Eyes Never Lie, Bronze in the Strong Hoppy Beer category.

On Rotation, Dallas

• Jalapeño Saison, Silver in the Smoke & Chili Beer category.

Three Wide Brewing Co., Fort Worth

• Off With Your Red, Bronze in the Specialty Hoppy category.

Union Bear Brewing Co., Denton

• Mexican Lager, Gold in the American & International Pilsner category.

Vector Brewing, Dallas

• Bullpen, Silver in the American & International Lager category.

Cheers and congratulations to all!

Cidercades of North Texas now serving Wild Acre beer

Image credit: Bishop Cider Co.

A selection of Wild Acre beers is now being served at all North Texas locations of Bishop Cidercade.

Previously, ciders produced by Bishop Cider Co. of Dallas, the parent company of Cidercade and Wild Acre Restaurant & Beer Garden, had been the primary beverage option at Cidercade. The reason being a need to acquire different licensing in order to offer beer from the company's brewery at Wild Acre in Fort Worth.

After applications were made, license approvals came in one-by-one, with Cidercade Arlington begin the first to pour Wild Acre beer in mid-January, followed by Cidercade Dallas going online at the end of the month. Then, just this week, Cidercade Fort Worth got the go-ahead as well.

As for what's on tap, area Cidercades are stocking the following Wild Acre products: Bock Bock, Sundance Wheat, Texas Blonde and Wild Acre IPA.