Boozie's closing restaurants, consolidating ops in southern Tarrant County

Image credit: Boozie's Brewery.

Despite just recently opening locations on opposite ends of the Metroplex, Boozie's Brewery will close brewpubs in Fairview and Fort Worth, with plans to consolidate operations at a new location in southern Tarrant County.

Boozie's established a presence earlier this year after taking over two brewpubs formerly owned by Wild Acre Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. Following a sale of Wild Acre's assets to Bishop Cider of Dallas in May 2021, the brewpubs transitioned to a separate ownership group led by developer Bruce Conti. At the time, the team behind Boozie's also included Chef David Hollister and award-winning brewer Bobby Mullins.

The company's future home will be at 685 John B. Sias Memorial Parkway in Edgecliff Village. Already under construction, this spot was originally intended to be a production-only location feeding the Fort Worth brewpub, but now it will house a brewery, taproom, and outdoor music venue. Mullins, by the way, will continue to oversee production going forward.

As for closing dates, Boozie's Brewery & TX Fare will offer its final service in Fairview on Friday, May 19, with Boozie's Brewery & Gourmet Sandwiches to shutter in Fort Worth on Sunday, May 21.

Update (6/14/2023): According to a story in Fort Worth Magazine, Boozie's Brewery in Edgecliff Village will not move forward due to ownership holding interests in violation of the state's implementation of the three-tier system.

Boozie's Brewery & TX Fare set to open in Fairview

Logo: Boozie's Brewery & TX Fare.
All images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Fresh off a preview event showcasing its culinary offerings on Saturday, Boozie's Brewery & TX Fare looks to open as early as this week in Fairview.

House beers are pending, but once the doors open Boozie's Fairview will begin food service with a menu of starters, sandos, specialty entrees, sides, salads and desserts from Chef David Hollister. And as the name implies, a Texas flair is featured throughout the menu, though there are noticeable Latin and South American influences as well.

Beyond the sampled plates pictured below, options include items like Fried Quail Legs, Portobello Tacos Ranchero, Smoke Braised Verde Short Rib, Ancho Brown Sugar Pork Chop, and a Griddled Flank Steak Chimichurri with Street Corn.

And to drink? If spirits are your thing, a number of creative cocktails are crafted from a fully-stocked bar. But if not, typical non-alcoholic options (water, soft drinks, etc.) are supplemented by eight Fizzie's brand house-made craft sodas (cherry cola, cotton candy cream soda, ginger beer, lemon-lime/grapefruit soda and more). One of which, by the way, forms the basis of the brewpub's Root Beer Float.

As for the hold up on house beers, a delayed forklift delivery is to blame according to Bobby Mullins, director of brewing operations at Boozie's (and formerly of Armadillo Ale Works in Denton). The hauler's arrival is imminent, giving Mullins hope he'll be moving things around and firing up his 10-barrel brewhouse in the coming days.

Starter: Salsa Verde & Queso - Crema, Cotija, Cilantro.
Entrée: Hatfield Pork Milanesa - Tortilla-Breaded Hatfield Pork Loin, Fried Okra, Grilled Corn Aji Verde, Hot Honey, Fried Egg.
Entrée: Sourdough Chicken Fried Steak - Akaushi Wagyu Eye Round, Black Pepper Cream Gravy, Roast Garlic & Green Onion Mash.
Dessert: Double Chocolate Brownie - Callebaut Chocolate, Cinnamon Ice Cream, Cajeta, Toasted Peans, Golden Raisins, Cocoa Nibs, Candied Jalapeño.

When he does, Mullins will be working to build up a portfolio of 16 Boozie beers. His initial lineup will consist of 4 lagers (bock, helles, pilsner, Mexican), three IPAs (single, double, hazy), a Berliner weisse, hefeweizen, porter, stout (12% ABV) and others. The most unique, though, might be a mezcal cocktail-inspired sour beer brewed with oak-smoked malt, tamarind, hibiscus and sal de gusano (a.k.a worm salt).

"We'll be casting a wide net over the beer rainbow to see what the people here in Fairview like," says Mullins. "I have a hunch what will stick...the lagers, the IPAs, but we'll see what sticks and just kind of rotate through and adjust from there."

Another interesting tidbit is Boozie's actually has bigger plans for its beer program down the road. 

"We've got a third location, and demo started on that last week," reveals Mullins. "It'll be in the automotive building at the old Star Telegram complex in Fort Worth [685 John B. Sias Memorial Parkway]. That will become our production hub and we'll distribute to our locations."

A timeline hasn't been nailed down, but when the production site goes active, Boozie's Fairview will continue to brew small batches on site (with a modest canning operation set up for beer to go). A locale in Fort Worth - Boozie's Brewery & Gourmet Sandwiches, which opened earlier this year, is pouring guest beers for the time being as brewing hardware is not currently installed.

As for when the first beers will be tapped at Boozie's Fairview, Mullins intends to have beer ready in three-to-four weeks.

Two former Wild Acre brewpubs re-branding as Boozie's

Image credit: Boozie's Restaurant Group.

According to a social media post, plans have been revealed for the re-branding of two brewpubs formerly under the umbrella of Wild Acre Brewing Co. of Fort Worth.

In May of this year, Bishop Cider of Dallas announced the acquisition of assets belonging to Wild Acre. And at the time, it was noted that Bishop Cider's path forward involved only the continued operation of Wild Acre's original brewery and taproom on El Paso St.

Regarding the brewpubs - Wild Acre Camp Bowie and a planned location in Fairview, they transitioned to a new ownership group including Chip Stroup, director of operations for Boozie's, and David Hollister, who served as food and beverage director at Wild Acre Camp Bowie. The partners intend to move ahead with a new head brewer and a new brand name.

Once the process is complete, Wild Acre Camp Bowie will become Boozie's Brewery & Gourmet Sandwiches. This locale will maintain the menu as-is, with the only planned changes being expanded hours, a revamped audio/video system and the addition of mixed beverages.

As for the Fairview spot, it will take on the name Boozie's Brewery & Texas Fare. Culinary offerings will differ, with steaks, chops and other items presumably-inspired by the Lone Star State.

Brewing operations at both sites will be overseen by Bobby Mullins, co-founder of Armadillo Ale Works, which closed earlier this year in Denton. Mullins is a multi-award-winning brewer, having won four medals at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup combined. One of his creations, a mesquite bean blonde ale called Honey Please, is one of only two beers from North Texas to ever win a gold medal at both competitions.

Boozie's Brewery & Gourmet Sandwiches will remain closed at 6473 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth during the transition, with an expected re-opening in early November 2022. A timeline for Boozie's Brewery & Texas Fare, to debut at 311 Town Place in Fairview, has not yet been shared.