Craft, a new Canadian beer and food concept, now open in Dallas

The beer - Manhattan Project White Sands Witbier, the food - Brewmaster Chicken Sandwich (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

A new Canadian import is now serving up a wide-ranging menu of beer and bites in the Preston Center commercial district of North Dallas.

Simply called Craft, the restaurant located at 5974 W. Northwest Hwy is part of a venture founded by entrepreneur, P.J. L'Heureux. And since debuting the first Craft location in 2011, his company has gone on to open nine restaurants in seven Canadian cities.

Now, for Craft's first foray into the U.S., L'Heureux has partnered with Dallas Stars owner, Tom Gaglardi, to develop a two-story gathering spot which consists of a 10,500 square foot indoor space topped off by a 5,250 square foot open-air rooftop patio/beer garden.

As for the vibe, Craft fits the mold of an upscale sports bar/restaurant (with plenty of widescreen televisions throughout). Yes, the beer selection is literally a centerpiece, with a large two-sided tapwall surrounded by a rectangular bar centering the space, but Craft is a bright and lively spot with plenty of hustle and bustle, as opposed to a dark and quiet neighborhood pub.

The drink menu at Craft touts over 100 beverages on tap, with 75% sourced from local Dallas breweries. The current lineup doesn't hit that number, but you will find many familiar Dallas names among the listings, including Celestial, Community, Four Corners, Peticolas, Manhattan Project, Texas Ale Project and Westlake. These are supplemented by selections from cities further out by Rahr & Sons, Tupps, Union Bear and others.

Roughly 10% of Craft's taps are labeled as "rotating," which suggests they'll be refreshed from time to time. The everyday beers cover a full range of styles (wheat, white, blonde, IPA, stout, porter, Belgian, light lager, pilsner, fruit, sour, etc.), but either way, you should expect to pay $8-$9 a pour.

Regarding food options, they also run the gamut. There's the expected elevated pub fare in the form of appetizers, bowls, handhelds and pizzas, along with chef-crafted signature entrees, steak dinners and more. Then, a kids menu is available as well.

Beyond the consumables, community is also a key aspect of Craft. On that note, the restaurant features a "Community Brew" called Light Eh! Lager, a collaboration between Craft and Kingsville Brewery of Canada - the latter owned by former Dallas Stars goalie, Marty Turco. One dollar from every pint of the beer goes to the Heaven's 27 Foundation, created in memory of the 27 girls who lost their lives at Camp Mystic during the 2025 Central Texas floods.

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Craft serves patrons seven days a week, with hours beginning at 11 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. during the weekend.

Maple Branch, Flix Frisco/Little Elm medal at 2026 Best of Craft Beer Awards

Image credit: Best of Craft Beer Awards.

Two North Texas breweries have been honored at the 2026 Best of Craft Beer Awards competition.

Held in Central Oregon since 2014, and reported on here since locals were first awarded medals in 2016, the Best of Craft Beer Awards is billed as "one of America's fastest growing competitions." For the 2026 edition, the event drew 1,498 entries from 270 breweries, with submissions judged against style guidelines covering 58 beer and beer-adjacent categories and subcategories.

Among this year's winners were Flix Brewhouse Frisco/Little Elm and Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth. This is the first Best of Craft Beer award for the crew at Flix Frisco/Little Elm, while Maple Branch has now nabbed four medals at the competition. In fact, Maple Branch's winning beer, Raspberry Fields, has been recognized at three separate competitions, including the Great American Beer Festival (2022) and the Texas Craft Brewers Cup (2023, 2024).

For more on the 2026 Best of Craft Beer Awards, click here for a full competition summary.

Flix Brewhouse, Frisco

• Flixbrau, Bronze in the Rye Beers category.

Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Fort Worth

• Raspberry Fields, Bronze in the Fruit & Field Beers category.

Cheers and congratulations to Maple Branch and Flix Frisco/Little Elm!

Brewery proposal targets Old Town Roanoke

Image credit: Pirate Panda Brewing/Spiars Engineering & Surveying.

A new brewery may be in the works for Old Town Roanoke, based on the minutes of a Planning & Zoning Commission meeting that took place in the city on Monday, April 6.

Tentatively called Pirate Panda Brewing, the project would be a new construction located on what is now an approximately one-acre empty lot at 200 S. Oak St., just across from Hard Eight BBQ. Plans call for the build-out to consist of a "4,328 square foot brewery, a 3,500 square-foot patio area, and a 200 square-foot kitchen."

Should the proposed venture come to fruition, Roanoke would then be home to two brewing operations, with Pirate Panda joining The 206 Brewery & Bar on Oak St., with just three blocks separating the two establishments.

Also of note, ownership appears to be based in South Florida, which may have been a proposed destination for the project at one time based on a logo design contest held on the graphic design marketplace, 99 Designs.

Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen debuts in Downtown Plano

Plano Pils and the Okie Smash Burger at Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen
(Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

What better way to celebrate National Beer Day than with the debut of a new craft beer destination in North Texas. Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen is now open at 1001 14th St., Suite 500 in Historic Downtown Plano.

The spot is an offshoot of Odd Muse Brewing Co.'s original brewery in Farmers Branch, with the "Craft & Kitchen" naming chosen for a couple of key reasons. For one thing, the Plano locale features a full-service kitchen, upping the culinary game for the company's patrons. Then for another, with no on-site brewing operations, it just made sense to forego the "Brewing Co." tag in creating a clear identity for the satellite location.

Of course, the beer being served is all Odd Muse, with the pub's 23 taps (plus a side-pull) sourced from Farmer's Branch. Recipes will rotate just as they do at the brewery, though co-founder Bobby Diaz says to expect Plano to feature a few taps not currently pouring at headquarters. Right now, satellite exclusives include Plano Pils (a rye pilsner), Woodpecker Lips Scotch Ale, and 2025 Barrel-Aged The Hermit American Barleywine.

Shifting the focus to the food side of things, longtime industry vet Greyson Lane brings a wealth of culinary experience to the project, though his smash burger-based food truck venture The Drop D-FW influences things most at Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen. He's got a good bit of beer knowledge as well, for those who remember Bleshoux Brewing from area homebrew competitions of the past.

Given that, it should come as no surprise that the food menu is designed to pair well with a pint. In addition to burger options like Jam Session (bacon jam), the Okie (grilled onions) and the Mushroom Swiss (mushrooms grilled in the brewery's 500 Pesos Mexican Lager) the kitchen will serve up a selection of starters (poutine, pretzel bites, wings) and sandwiches (cheesesteak, hot chicken, Korean) as well.

On top of all that are additional amenities, which include free parking in an adjacent lot, outdoor patio seating, widescreen televisions behind the bar, and the beer-to-go fridge just off the lobby.

Then there's the convenience of the place, which exists as part of a walkable downtown district that's been in need of a stable brewery presence. Indeed, Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen literally replaces a Voodoo Brewing Co. taproom whose home base was in Pennsylvania, which means there's now a little bit more local flavor to be had in Downtown Plano.

As for when to visit, while an official grand opening celebration is slated for early May, Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen is already running a full schedule, being open seven days a week with operating hours beginning at 11 a.m.  

Black Fox closes brewery in Denton

Image credit: Black Fox Brewing Co.

Black Fox Brewing Co. has announced its closure in Denton.

Michael Velasco opened Black Fox in October 2023 after taking over a space previously occupied by Howling Mutt Brewing at 205 N. Cedar St., just steps away from the Downtown Denton Square.

The product portfolio at Black Fox leaned on a back-to-basics approach, with classic styles brought to the forefront. Black Fox Stout, a straightforward American stout, was the highlight, being a beer Velasco first introduced while taking part in the Homebrewers League at Barley & Board of Denton.

From a social media post:

"We want to take a moment to sincerely thank you for [your] continued support and patronage.  Serving this community as well as those from afar has been an incredible experience, and we are truly grateful for the relationships and interesting conversations we’ve experienced along the way.

Sadly, we have made the extremely difficult decision to shut the doors at our location on N Cedar St. effective immediately.

While this chapter is coming to an end, we want to share that this is not goodbye, rather simply, 'see you later'.

Keep following us on social media and stay tuned, you never know what’s next!"

Odd Muse expanding to Historic Downtown Plano

Image courtesy of Odd Muse Brewing Co.

Odd Muse Brewing Co. of Farmers Branch has announced the upcoming opening of Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen, a new satellite taproom and full-service kitchen concept set to launch in Historic Downtown Plano in Spring 2026.

Set to be located at 1001 14th St., Suite 500 (in a space formerly occupied by Voodoo Brewing Co. of Pennsylvania), Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen will bring the brewery’s acclaimed lineup of craft beer to one of the region’s most vibrant dining and entertainment districts.

According to a press release, the new spot features approximately 3,000 square feet of interior restaurant space and an additional 1,000 square feet of patio seating, creating an inviting indoor-outdoor destination for beer lovers and food enthusiasts alike.

Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen will offer up to 23 rotating taps of its award-winning beer, including flagship favorites, seasonal offerings, and limited-release specialties. The Plano taproom will also feature a full beer-to-go program, giving guests access to packaged releases available for off-premise enjoyment.

In addition, for the first time, Odd Muse is pairing its craft beer experience with a dedicated kitchen program. The food menu will spotlight elevated comfort favorites, including smash burgers, chicken sandwiches, wings, hand-cut fries and more, designed to complement the brewery’s diverse beer portfolio.

“Odd Muse has always been about creating welcoming spaces where community and creativity come together over great beer,” says Bobby Diaz, founder and managing member of Odd Muse. “Downtown Plano gives us an incredible opportunity to expand that experience into a new neighborhood, with a concept that stays true to our brand while offering something fresh through Craft & Kitchen.”

For Odd Muse, which originally debuted in 2019, the Plano expansion represents a strategic next step, leveraging the brewery’s established production facility in Farmers Branch while expanding its direct-to-consumer presence in a high-traffic, walkable market.

As for the timeline, renovations are currently underway at Odd Muse Craft & Kitchen, with an anticipated opening window between April 1 and April 15.

On eleven, and another spicy little number at On Rotation

Image credit: On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen.

I just happened to be going over some numbers related to On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen of Dallas when I got a message from owner Jacob Sloan about a few things they've got going on at the brewpub over the next few weeks.

At that moment, the number five was foremost on my mind, considering it's how many awards - five silver medals - the company's Jalapeño Saison has won at major competitions over the years. Not only that, it's a beer we've been drinking for at least twelve years, if you consider it was first poured at Brew Riot in 2014, which happened the year before On Rotation opened for business in early 2015.

Of course, this brings up the number eleven and On Rotation's upcoming Eleven-Year Anniversary Party on Saturday, March 7. The festivities will take place...you guessed it...eleven years to the day since On Rotation released their first beers commercially. And did you know being eleven makes them the oldest continuously operating brewpub in the City of Dallas?

As for event details, Sloan says it'll be an an all-day Stranger Things-themed affair featuring Stranger Things trivia at 5 p.m., and a Steve Harrington's "6 Little Nugget" Basket for $1.10 all day.

There will also be a few new beers (adding to 450+, the number of different beers On Rotation has released historically), one of which is Chaotic Evil, a Belgian dark strong ale. In fact, Chaotic Evil will be aligned with the brewpub's Dallas Dry Beer (a dry saison) to create "a never-before-seen take on a black & tan [they're] calling the Upside Down."

But, getting back to the thought process that got this whole thing started, those five Jalapeño Saison medals include four from the Texas Craft Brewers Cup (TCBC) and one from the Great American Beer Festival. Plus, Jalapeño Saison is only one of three beers (by my count) to have been honored four separate times at the TCBC.

With that, I keep coming back to one question. Given the history, recognition and longstanding commitment to excellence, isn't it about time we label Jalapeño Saison as iconic in the lexicon of original North Texas beers?

Discuss amongst yourselves (while making plans to attend the anniversary party).

North Texas secures 15 medals at 2026 Texas Craft Brewers Cup

Image: Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

The awards ceremony for the 2026 Texas Craft Brewers Cup took place tonight in Austin, with breweries from North Texas claiming fifteen medals, along with one People's Choice award.

Presented by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, the event drew 930 entries from 142 Texas breweries (note, membership in the Guild is not required for entry). Competition beers were broken down into 30 different categories representing over 150 beer styles, then judged against guidelines published by either the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) or the Brewers Association as created for the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

Of the eleven North Texas breweries to secure a medal, Four Bullets Brewery of Richardson was the sole first-time honoree. Also worth mentioning, Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth followed up their silver for Romanov's Revenge at last fall's GABF with a gold at the Texas Craft Brewers Cup.

Other statistics of note are listed below, followed by the complete list of local award winners.

Notable statistics:

• Just over 30% of active Texas breweries competed (142 down from 162 in 2025).
• Medals were awarded to a total of 56 Texas breweries - 20% of those being from North Texas.
• North Texas medal count: 5 gold, 6 silver, and 4 bronze.

For more on the Texas Craft Brewers Cup, click here for a full competition summary.

3 Nations Brewing Co., Carrollton

• Bumgarner Bock, Silver in the Legislative Pro-Am category.
• Devour - Mexican Chocolate, Bronze in the Chocolate & Coffee Beer category.

Celestial Beerworks, Dallas

• Kashmir, Silver in the Brett & Mixed Culture category.

Denton County Brewing Co., Denton

• Doppelbock, Bronze in the Strong Lagers category.

False Idol Brewing, North Richland Hills

• Passive Dissent, Gold in the Belgian & Farmhouse Ales category.
• Snacks Ahoy, Bronze in the Decadent Beer category.

Four Bullets Brewery, Richardson

• Black Jack Brown, Gold in the Classic UK Styles category.
• Sweeten the Pot, Gold in the Fruit & Field Beer category.

Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Fort Worth

• Romanov's Revenge, Gold in the Barleywine & Strong Ale category.

Odd Muse Brewing, Farmers Branch 

• Unified, Gold in the Legislative Pro-Am category.
• Playground Battles, Silver in the Decadent Beer category.

On Rotation, Dallas

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

Peticolas Brewing Co., Dallas

• Royal Scandal, Silver in the Classic UK Styles category.

Rollertown Beerworks, Frisco

• The Big German, Bronze in the Kölsch category.

Vector Brewing, Dallas

• Sine Die, People's Choice in the Legislative Pro-Am category.

White Rock Brewing Co., Dallas

• Shadow Cat, Silver in the Session & Standard Dark Lager category.

Cheers and congratulations to all!

Panther Island closing brewery in Fort Worth

Image credit: Panther Island Brewing.

Panther Island Brewing has announced its closure in Fort Worth.

Led by Ryan McWhorter, the family-owned business debuted in December 2014 after taking over a spot formerly occupied by two other North Texas breweries of the past - the first of these opening in the year 2000.

The name Panther Island, of course, was drawn from the area surrounding the brewery, which consisted of 800-acres of land set to be revamped as part of the Panther Island development project. Though, long-time industry observers may also recall the early days when the venture went by the name of Wahoo.

As for notoriety, Panther Island pulled off the rare feat of winning a GABF medal before its first anniversary, bringing home a silver for Allergeez in September 2015. The brewery's American wheat ale colored-up just four years later, when Allergeez won gold at the 2020 event.

Beyond those awards, Panther Island was also known for its Buc-ee's beer, after the brewery rolled out Road Trip Snacks, a brown ale made with the popular Buc-ee's Beaver Nuggets corn puff snacks in early 2020. Then, a year later, Panther Island made news once again by promoting a female, Sandra Murphy, to the position of head brewer - a first for the local industry.

From a social media post:

"After 11 unforgettable years, Panther Island Brewing will be closing its doors.

We’re endlessly proud of the beers we brewed, the stories we shared, and the people who made it all meaningful.

To everyone who worked with us, the artists and musicians who filled our space with life, the fellow brewers who inspired us, and the incredible Fort Worth community who supported us from day one... thank you.

You’ve made Panther Island Brewing more than a business, you made it a family."

Panther Island will remain open through this weekend, with the last full day of service being Sunday, February 8. After that, a final Farewell Event will take place on Friday, February 13.

Oak Highlands gets Grand result at 2026 USBTC Winter Competition

Image credits: Brian Brown/Beer in Big D (background image), United States Beer Tasting Championship (award logo).

Four beers from Oak Highlands Brewery of Richardson have been honored at the 32nd Annual Winter Competition of the United States Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC).

For the 2026 edition of the event, 562 beers were submitted by breweries from across America. Regional Champions representing seven different U.S. regions were crowned across 19 different style categories. And as always, North Texas breweries competed in the Rockies/Southwest Region.

Surveying the winning beers from Oak Highlands, the brewery's Vanilla Porter was a Regional Champion for the fourth consecutive year. On top of that, Oak Highlands capped off its tenth anniversary in 2025 with a Grand Champion in its Quad Bless Texas Madeira-Aged Belgian Quad (arguably one of the best local beers of the year).

For more on the 2026 USBTC Winter Competition, click here to visit the official competition website.

Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas

• Quad Bless Texas, Regional and Winter Grand Champion in the Non-Whiskey-Aged Beer category.
• Freaky Deaky, Regional Champion in the Belgian Tripel category.
• Oktoberfest, Regional Champion in the Vienna/Marzen Lager category.
• Vanilla Porter, Regional Champion in the Bean Beer category.

Cheers and congratulations to Oak Highlands!

Harvest House presents opportunity for ownership in Downtown Denton

Image credit: Harvest House.

Axis Realty Group of Denton has been chosen to represent the ownership of Harvest House, a long-time entertainment destination in Denton, as it explores options for a potential transition.

Located at 331 E. Hickory St., just east of the Denton Downtown Square, Harvest House has become a fixture of the city since it opened in 2015. The spot is known for its laid-back Austin-inspired vibe, big backyard-style patio, hundreds of community events, and a stage that has hosted thousands of live music acts.

“This is more than a bar or music venue,” says Brad Andrus, executive vice president at Axis. “Harvest House is part of the fabric of Denton. It’s been the hangout for students, professionals, families, and touring musicians alike. You don’t just sell a property like this; you pass the torch.” 

The opportunity includes the business and the 12,500-square-foot property on E. Hickory Street, giving the opportunity to step into an established concept and create the next chapter of Denton’s entertainment scene. 

According to the owners, this is about thoughtful transition. Harvest House is operating well, the team is strong, and the goal is to find someone who is interested in ownership of both the business and the community it serves. 

Ownership is open to conversations with experienced operators, hospitality groups, or any entrepreneurial individuals with deep roots in Denton. Multiple ownership and transition structures may be considered, including scenarios that support continuity of operations.

Interested parties should Axis Realty Group at 940-891-2947 for more information.