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| All logos and graphics the property of their respective owners. Image: Brian Brown/Beer in Big D. |
Another challenging year for the North Texas craft beer industry has come to a close. Yes, there are still headwinds. Yes, breweries are still struggling. Yes, growth is still stagnant (for the fourth year running), but a flat growth curve is better than one in a downward spiral, and North Texas is still holding firm (give or take) in terms of overall brewery numbers.
And yes, a lot of these same things were said last year, and the year before that. It's just that the market environment hasn't changed much. If anything, headwinds are stronger (according to the Brewers Association), so many of the same messages from past years continue to apply - adapt, adjust...survive.
As it applies to brewing operations, adjustments could mean changing up a product line, or even a business model. We've seen instances of both over the past few years, as owners have been putting other beverage types on their menus (whether they be made in-house, or brought in from outside), adding food service, getting creative with event offerings, expanding outdoor public areas, building playgrounds and more.
Plus, some local breweries have expanded, while others have contracted. In other words, brewery owners are doing whatever it takes to find the right fit for their place and their approach in the North Texas beer scene as a whole.
With that in mind, one point to make here is this...with somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 venues in town, there really ought to be something out there for everybody. One brewery satisfying the needs of one type of consumer does not a beer scene make.
Having breweries with varying portfolios borne out of different brewing philosophies is a good thing. Then on the question of target consumers, there's nothing wrong with a brewery making time and space so families with kids, canines or both can have a place to go to get a bite to eat and to responsibly enjoy an adult beverage.
So, step away from the keyboard, get up out of your armchair and explore the local scene. Find the places that have the right fit for you and how you like to enjoy your time at a brewery. Then, support those places like there's no tomorrow.
Now, on to the 2025 year in beer...
The Business of Beer - Local Dealings
In the economics section that follows, nearly every indicator is down, and while there's no new growth to speak of, the level of activity in the industry was maybe as high as it has ever been.
Beginning with some of the business moves local brewers made during 2025, new locations were involved in the expansions of 903 Brewers of Sherman, Bosque River Taphouse of Stephenville, Parker County Brewing Co. of Willow Park, Rollertown Beerworks of Frisco, and Toasty Bros. of Denton.
Among those opting to step-down in size, Oak Highlands Brewery did so with their new digs in Richardson, while Turning Point Beer of Bedford moved back into their smaller original taproom in Bedford. Then, of course, Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. ended operations at their Galveston Ave. facility in Fort Worth after more than 20 years, choosing in the short-term to go the alternating proprietorship (AP) route at neighboring Wild Acre Brewing Co.
Now, if we take APs, add in contract brewing, collaborations and/or ghost brewing projects, this leads to a discussion of ways to be a brewer without having a brewery of your own. For the business owner, each is a way to get into the market and build a brand without the burden of a large initial capital investment.
In its "Year in Beer 2025" summary, the Brewers Association identifies such practices along with mergers and acquisitions as a trend under the umbrella of "consolidation," and examples of many have come to pass recently in North Texas.
On the contract brewing front, Believer Brew House and Brew Aleworks (who closed their Granbury taproom in late 2023) both signed on with Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland in 2025. Believer Brew House has been on the market since August, while Brew Aleworks was hoping to get on the production schedule by the end of the year.
Another contract brewer is Landon Winery of Greenville, who returned to the North Texas industry roster after a six-year absence. Their beers are brewed at an unspecified location and distributed to the company's various tasting room locations.
Then, among ghost brewers, there was the emergence of Priory Beer Dinners & Collab Brews, not to mention the sudden reappearance of Noble Rey. Another, Ghost Eye Brewing Co., popped up again as well, but they are no longer collaborating under the now-expired Trinity Forest Brewing Co. license.
And in reality, ghost brewing is how Smittox Brewing Co. has stayed active while building a permanent home in Dallas, and how Murphy's Law Brewery & Pizzeria will work to grow their following while developing a spot in Burleson.
Moving on to mergers and acquisitions, word circulated in the fall regarding the apparent takeover of Four Corners Brewing Co. by Manhattan Project Brewing Co., both of Dallas. Manhattan Project has actually been brewing at Four Corners under an AP agreement since 2023.
An upward growth trajectory over multiple years has led to Manhattan Project becoming the largest producer in North Texas, driving the company to seek out additional capacity. For a time, they had contract relationships out of state, but just this summer they began exploring construction of a dedicated production facility in Mesquite. The latter is said to still be in play, but at least for now, they've covered their immediate needs at Four Corners.
This brings us to the latest developments with Revolver Brewing of Granbury. After Tilray Brands acquired the brewery last year, they began 2025 by ending large-scale operations in Granbury, moving these to other Tilray-owned breweries. The taproom remained open, but Revolver's satellite in Arlington quietly went away. Then, just last month, it was announced Granbury would be shuttered completely, with the brand looking to move to a new location elsewhere in North Texas.
Other business-related items of interest for 2025:
- Three Wide Brewing Co. of Fort Worth added a 300-gallon still with eyes on expanding into distilling.
- Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery of Garland launched their draft cocktails in cans.
- Turning Point Beer of Bedford began offering core beers in 12-ounce cans.
- Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth added an on-site coffee house.
- On the retail side, The Bearded Monk of Denton switched licenses, adding liquor sales.
- Malai Kitchen of Dallas opened a new side concept, Brya Zan Thai Noodle + Brew, in Plano.
- Three Empires Brewing of Frisco continued to persevere through downtown road construction, which has now gone on for more than 500 days.
- Voodoo Brewing Co. of Pennsylvania had its presence in Texas dwindle to one remaining location in Prosper after the re-branding of Voodoo Grand Prairie to Rios Brewing Co., and the closure of Voodoo taprooms in Plano and Lewisville.
The Business of Beer - Statewide Statistics
Economic updates provided by the Brewers Association for 2024 show Texas produced roughly 1.37 million barrels of beer last year (down from 1.52 million), the state's ranking dropping a spot to fourth in production nationally. The total brewery count fell to 440 (from 445), with 2.0 breweries per capita (down from 2.1) - ranking 48th nationally (steady).
As for how things may change based on preliminary 2025 tracking, 31 new brewery openings have been noted across the Lone Star State, offset by 31 closures.
Dips were also noted in total economic impact for 2024. Texas ranked third nationally (steady), contributing about $4.70 billon to the economy (down from 5.26 billion). The number of employees in the state's brewing industry shrunk to 25,623 full-time equivalent workers (from 28,543), with the average wage being $49,827 (steady compared to $49,312 in 2023).
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| Image/data: Brewers Association. |
For 2025 in North Texas, new brewery openings edged permanent closures/consolidations by a 9-8 margin. That said, this year's numbers come with an asterisk, due to uncertainty surrounding some entities.
Dormant brewers - Bendt Distilling of Lewisville (brewing operations inactive, confirmed via email) and Trinity Forest Brewing Co. (non-renewal of license) - are counted as closings in the below graphics, while temporary closures - Edgewise Eight Brewing Co. of Weatherford, Revolver Brewing of Granbury, and Soul Fire Brewing Co. of Roanoke - are not.
On the topic of Soul Fire, their former site in Roanoke has been taken over by The 206 Brewery, which adopts the name of the food hall surrounding the business. Soul Fire's brewing equipment remains on-site, but at last report The 206 had not yet begun producing its own recipes. For now, The 206 is counted as an opening.
Taking this into account, there are currently 87 active brewing companies in North Texas once you subtract temporary closures. After adding side projects and ghost brewers, then subtracting licenses for entities with multiple production locations, over 90 different brands were available in the market during 2024.
On the horizon: Acre Distilling of Fort Worth (adding brewing operations), Blue Flag Distillery of Fort Worth (formerly Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.), East Dallas Brewing Co. of Dallas, La Hermana Cerveceria at Far-Out Dallas (formerly Wriggly Tin), Keller House Collective of Keller, Murphy's Law Brewery & Pizzeria of Burleson, Novak Brewing of Dallas, Palo Pinto Brewing Co. of Strawn, Smittox Brewing Co. of Dallas, Village Creek Brewing Co. of Rendon...and others.
- Balanced Rock Brewing, The Colony.
- Bearded Ax Brewery, Midlothian.
- Believer Brew House, Garland (contract brewery).
- Cooley Bay Winery & Brewery, Van Alstyne (added brewing operations to existing business).
- Forney Brewing Co., Forney.
- Glen Rose Brewing Co., Glen Rose.
- Landon Winery, Greenville (contract brewery, added brewing operations to existing business).
- Rios Brewing Co., Grand Prairie (added brewing operations to existing business).
- The 206 Brewery, Roanoke (former Soul Fire Brewing Co. location).
- 903 Brewers, Sherman.
- Bosque River Taphouse, Stephenville.
- Oak Highlands Brewery, Richardson.
- Parker County Brewing Co., Willow Park.
- Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., Fort Worth (alternating proprietorship at Wild Acre Restaurant & Beer Garden).
- Rollertown Beerworks, Frisco.
- Toasty Bros., Denton (formerly an alternating proprietorship at Hop & Sting Brewing Co. of Grapevine).
- Brya Zan Thai Noodle + Brew, Plano (Malai Kitchen side concept).
- Union Bear Brewing Co., McKinney.
- Voodoo Brewing Co. - Castle Hills, Lewisville.
- Voodoo Brewing Co. - Frontier, Prosper.
- Edgewise Eight Brewing, Weatherford - moving to new location (ongoing since September 2024).
- Revolver Brewing, Granbury - moving to new location.
- Soul Fire Brewing Co., Roanoke - moving to new location.
- Barley & Board, Denton.
- Cedar Creek Brewery, Seven Points.
- Outfit Brewing, Dallas.
- Revolver Brewing, Arlington.
- Siren Rock Brewing Co., Rockwall.
- Trinity Forest Brewing Co., Dallas (assumed closure, license expired in April 2025).
Ceased Brewing Operations:
- Bendt Distillery, Lewisville (distillery open for business, brewing license expires January 2026).
Consolidations:
- Bankhead Brewing Co., Fort Worth.
- Voodoo Brewing Co., Plano.
- Voodoo Brewing Co. - Castle Hills, The Colony.
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| Source: Individual research. |
- A timeline of heady local headlines
January - Celestial Beerworks of Dallas and Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth get the attention of national media with the release of Fred Thirst, an American IPA whose name recalls that of the Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst. Outlets covering the story included: Consequence of Sound, Louder/Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vice and more.
January - Pabst Brewing Co., owners of Texas legacy brands Pearl and Lone Star, announces contract brewing agreement with Anheuser-Busch InBev - this after a pact with Molson Coors expired at the end of 2024. As part of the new deal, Lone Star was the first brand to change venues, moving production from Molson Coors in Fort Worth to Anheuser Busch's facility in Houston.
January - Twin Hospitality Group, operators of Twin Peaks Restaurants and Twin Peaks Brewing Co. in Irving, goes public with an IPO and begins trading on NASDAQ.
February - Celestial Beerworks of Dallas releases Sell the Team, a double hazy IPA "made out of despair and confusion" in response to the shocking NBA trade of Dallas Mavericks star, Luka Dončić.
February - False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills is named Brewery of the Year in the Over 620 bbl group at the 2025 Texas Craft Brewers Cup. It's the third year in a row a Brewery of the Year prize has been awarded to a North Texas brewery.
February - Bishop Cider Co. of Dallas, parent company of Cidercade and Wild Acre Restaurant & Beer Garden, begins serving Wild Acre beers at all North Texas locations of Cidercade.
March - Tired Hands Brewing Co. of Pennsylvania begins distribution to Texas.
April - Surly Brewing Co. of Minnesota begins distribution to Texas.
May - FC Dallas teams with Shiner Beer to unveil exclusive, customized version of the brewery's Mexican-style cerveza, Shiner ¡Órale!. The special release is referred to as a "Futbol Cerveza" on the co-branded packaging.
June - Celestial Beerworks of Dallas releases HopTone, a triple hazy IPA brewed in collaboration with Guitars & Growers to honor the memory of the shop's co-founder, Rob Baker. The beer's name was derived from Baker's guitar-building project, HiTone Guitars.
June - Tupps Brewery of McKinney named state's top brewery by 2025 Texas Travel Awards.
June - Craft beer bills fail to advance during the 89th Texas Legislative Session. Efforts championed by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild: Beers for Steers (tax credit for donating spent grain to farmers), Interfacility Transfer (to allow breweries with multiple locations to transfer their own product between facilities), Beer To You (to allow direct-to-consumer shipping).
June - Local artist receives Platinum Crushies from Craft Beer Marketing Awards for Odd Muse label designs.
June - Peticolas Brewing Co. of Dallas profiled in Pellicle Magazine.
July - Local breweries help with Central Texas flood relief. Participating breweries: 3 Nations Brewing Co. of Carrollton/Anna, Celestial Beerworks of Dallas, Hopfusion Ale Works of Fort Worth, Panther Island Brewing of Fort Worth, Second Rodeo Brewing of Fort Worth, Southern Roots Brewing Co. of Waxahachie, White Rock Brewing Co. of Dallas.
August - Eight One Seven, a dark lager from False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills, appears as part of the "Endless Lager" feature in the Fall 2025 Edition of Craft Beer & Brewing magazine.
August - Rollertown Beerworks of Celina (now Frisco) launches signature tap handle to honor NBA Hall of Famer and Dallas Mavericks legend, Dirk Nowitzki.
September - Windmills Brewery of The Colony hires Marcus Baskerville as its new brewmaster and sales director. Baskerville co-founded Weathered Souls Brewing Co. of San Antonio and was the force behind the Black is Beautiful initiative.
October - North Texas breweries win nine medals at the 2025 Great American Beer Festival (GABF), setting a new record for the number of medals won in a single year by area brewers at the competition.
October - Oak Highlands Brewery of Richardson partners with Hurtado Barbecue to operate an on-site food truck. The restaurant, which has been named among the top barbecue destinations in Texas, has four brick-and-mortar locations in North Texas.
November - Moon Prism Power, a Brett saison with Montmorency cherries from False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills, is reviewed in the Best in Beer 2025 Edition of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine.
December - Live Oak Brewing Co. of Austin begins distribution to North Texas.
- Pub movement
Another round of closures in the retail space took place in 2025, this after at least ten craft beer-centric venues ceased operations during 2024. The most significant of these was the loss of the Meddlesome Moth, with the gastropub's iconic run coming to an end after 15 years in Dallas.
Others closing this year include Hoppin' Fort Worth, On Tap in Arlington and Pouring Glory of Fort Worth.
On a positive note, three closed locations became home to new residents in 2025.
Beer Me, Fate - formerly Beer Geeks.
Our Taphouse, Fort Worth - formerly Pouring Glory.
Prost Taphouse, Frisco - formerly Cork & Growler.
Then, regarding Cork & Growler, the plan was to add a kitchen and move to Prosper. Construction began in the spring at the corner of Preston Rd. and W. Frontier Parkway, but apparently work has since stalled. The last social media update in August suggested an October opening.
Also on the radar is the Canadian-based Craft Restaurant & Beer Market, of which Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi is a partner. What will be the company's first U.S. location is being built in the Preston Center commercial district at W. Northwest Highway and Preston Rd. in Dallas.
- Ten- and Thirty-year toasts
Milestone moments in 2025 included the 30th anniversary of the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. The pub got its start in Fort Worth, eventually opening other spots in later years throughout Texas and in Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. These days, there are North Texas locales in Coppell, Fort Worth, Garland and Grapevine (at DFW Airport).
As for other big anniversaries, no fewer than 10 North Texas breweries celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2025, with another, Barley & Board of Denton, closing just six months shy of the 10-year mark.
3 Nations Brewing Co. of Carrollton
Bitter Sisters Brewing Co. of Addison
Division Brewing of Arlington
Four Bullets Brewery of Richardson
Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery of Garland
Ivanhoe Ale Works of Denison
Oak Highlands Brewery of Richardson
On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen of Dallas
Texas Ale Project of Dallas
Tupps Brewery of McKinney
A couple of pubs added their name to the 10-year list as well, those being Brass Tap - Allen and The Bearded Monk of Denton.
Celebrating 10 years in 2026: Bankhead Brewing Co. - Rowlett, HopFusion Ale Works of Fort Worth, Manhattan Project Beer Co. of Dallas, Wild Acre Restaurant & Beer Garden of Fort Worth. - North Texas award winners: Click here for listings of award-winning beers from 2025, with competition results from the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, Texas Craft Brewers Cup, United States Beer Tasting Championship, U.S. Open Beer Championship, Australian International Beer Awards, National Homebrew Competition and Craft Beer Marketing Awards.
- Cool new quaffs of 2025 (unique and interesting beers encountered that were either new-to-market, or newly-discovered, with a couple of tasty classic styles tossed in for good measure):
3 Nations Woodsmen Oaked IPA
Armor El Fumador (smoked hefeweizen with Spanish cedar)
Beard Science Wild Huckleberry Sour
Black Hawk Winter Ale (blonde barleywine brewed with wheat and honey malt)
Celestial Opalite (barrel-aged Dubai chocolate-inspired imperial stout)
False Idol/Southern Roots Old World Oath (Czech dark lager fermented on white oak)
Forney Hoppy Brown Ale
Lakewood Lion's Share XIII (Belgian imperial stout with proprietary Trappist yeast)
Martin House Hearts on Fire Russian Imperial Stout
Oak Highlands Quad Bless Texas (barrel-aged Belgian quadrupel)
Odd Muse Old Jolly (barrel-aged barleywine/imperial stout blend)
On Rotation Loyal Wingman ESB (brewed with Burtonized water)
Rollertown Cabra Bock
Vector/Murphy's Law Saath (West Coast IPA with curry spices)
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