Bearded Ax has a handle on brewing beer in Midlothian

A flight of beers and Pork Belly BLT Sliders at Bearded Ax Brewery (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

The co-owner of a brewery in the southern part of the Metroplex has quite the beard, but by all accounts, his facial follicles aren't what inspired the name of Bearded Ax Brewery in Midlothian. It was simply the gift of an ax, randomly passed on by a complete stranger.

And the bearded part? That refers to the hooked lower half of an ax blade...or axe blade, with the added "e" depending on whether you're using American or British English. These factoids, at least for me, falling under the heading of the internet acronym TIL (that is, "today I learned").

In any case, this namesake chopping tool now resides on the wall of Bearded Ax, which opened in December of last year after being founded by Danny and Anna Hammonds. The venture anchors one corner of Lawson District, a mixed-use site sitting one block back from the city's main downtown drag at 301 W. Main St.

Within the building, Bearded Ax has a space allotment of roughly 4,500 square feet. Public space consists of a 1,500 square foot taproom, supplemented by an 800 square foot covered patio - which can be open-air or fully enclosed by way of rolling garage doors. Then, the remaining real estate is split between the kitchen and a 1,500 square foot production area.

From behind the bar, liquids flow from a 20-handle tapwall. House beers occupy a half-dozen of those, with guest beers from Cowtown and Peticolas, selections from Bishop Cider, hard tea and Saint Arnold Root Beer pouring from others. Additional drinks by the glass, bottle, can or dispenser include wine, non-alcoholic beer, sweet/unsweet tea and soda.

For its own brews, Bearded Ax offers a wheat beer, märzen, Mexican lager, pale ale, SMaSH IPA and a stout. The latter, called Split Veil, was the personal favorite, it being a roasty and slightly bitter American-style stout. Incidentally, this beer is one of the aforementioned Bearded Ax recipes that's also available to go in cans.

Among food pairing options, a number of menu items feature house-smoked proteins prepared on a commercial smoker from J&R Manufacturing of Mesquite. Examples are the brewery's Pastrami Cheesesteak, the Pork Belly BLT Sliders and the Chicken Basil Pesto Sammy. Overall, Bearded Ax serves a variety of shareables, "Comforts" (burgers, sandos, sliders), salads and sweets. Plus, there's a menu section devoted to the "Tiny Humans." 

As for things to do, if you're wondering about ax throwing like I was, the FAQs on the brewery's website actually addresses this question. Bearded Ax doesn't have the activity itself, but outdoor ax-throwing parties are occasionally hosted on-site by DFW Battle Axes. These are in addition to recurring brewery events like music bingo, puzzle races, trivia nights and more.

So, are you looking to make the trip to Midlothian yourself? Bearded Ax Brewery is open for business six days a week, with hours beginning at 11 a.m. from Tuesday through Sunday.