Collective Brewing Project announces indefinite closure in Fort Worth

Image credit: The Collective Brewing Project.

Effective immediately, The Collective Brewing Project has closed in Fort Worth.

Founders Ryan Deyo and Mike Goldfuss began brewing Collective's initial recipes out of a temporary facility in Haltom City during the summer of 2014. A permanent location debuted in Fort Worth's Near Southside neighborhood later that year, and from there Collective soon began making a name for itself as the premier wild and sour beer brewer in North Texas.

Along the way, Collective's reputation grew to the point that its products were added to the portfolio of noted import firm, Shelton Brothers, in late 2017. That move, along with subsequent partnerships with other distributors, allowed the brewery to extend its reach outside of Texas to more than a dozen other states across the country.

As for its beers, Collective produced a number of notable offerings by way of its Brett Series and the Foeder Fantasies line, but the brewery may best be remembered for two beers that gained national attention for their use of unusual ingredients - Cup O' Beer, a gose with ramen noodles, and Peep this Collab, a sour beer brewed with Marshmallow Peeps.

How breweries are broadening the reach with more beverage options

Image credits: Peticolas Brewing Co. (top left), Brutal Beerworks (top right),
The Collective Brewing Project (bottom left, bottom right).

Visiting a brewery in North Texas isn't just about drinking your everyday beer, as taprooms tend to offer alternatives appealing to a wide range of tastes. In many cases, breweries supplement their menus by bringing in guest taps, craft sodas, wine or cider options. Some, though, are finding ways to get creative with products made in-house.

Whether it's efforts to pique the interest of a different kind of drinker or simply a matter of trying something new and fun, here are three ways local breweries are branching out with hand-crafted products meant to enhance the taproom experience, and make it a welcoming environment for all.

Cocktail Beers

Ever innovative, Peticolas Brewing Co. of Dallas seized upon a void in the local market and introduced its first "cocktail beer" in late 2017. According to founder Michael Peticolas, quality cocktail beers sampled at breweries around the country provided the inspiration to produce Grin & Tonic, modeled after a gin and tonic, and later The Usual, an homage to the Old Fashioned.

"Cocktail beers provide us the opportunity to spread our wings and try something new, unique and different," says Peticolas. “And, cocktail beers excite consumers. We've reached a point where classic styles simply don't excite the vocal minority of craft beer drinkers, but they still go crazy over new and innovative styles."

Cold Creations

Hot days call for cool and refreshing drinks, and while a cold beer can certainly hit the spot, some local breweries are employing devices that turn house brews into frozen treats.

In Fort Worth, The Collective Brewing Project has been crafting beer slushees with simple syrups using herbs, spices and real fruit to accentuate and balance certain flavors in their brews.

"We saw the slushee machine as a way to implement new flavors and provide refreshment for those incredibly hot days," says Dave Riddile, who handles sales and marketing at Collective. "Since most of us have culinary or bartending backgrounds, it's a natural fit to want to experiment with beer as an ingredient. The slushee machine was definitely born out of fun, but it has been a way for us to be creative outside the brewhouse as well."

Cold creations of a different sort are on the menu at Brutal Beerworks in North Richland Hills. The company's Fro-Beer machine freezes beer and fashions it into a soft serve-like frozen head that acts as a "topper" for the beer your drinking.

Hard Seltzer

The Collective Brewing Project was also one of the first North Texas breweries to add a house-made hard seltzer to its lineup. Made from fermented sugar, hard seltzers check boxes for drinkers seeking a lower calorie, low carb option. Moreover, these drinks are a gluten-free alternative.

"After some research and our first test batch, we were satisfied hard seltzers could be a great option we wouldn't have to outsource like we do with our wine and cider list," says Riddile.

Others hopping on the hard seltzer bandwagon include Dallas-based breweries, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. and Texas Ale Project.

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Originally published as part of a special section on NTX Beer Week in the October 31, 2019 edition of the Dallas Observer. An online copy of the complete newspaper is available by clicking here.

North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus - December 6, 2017 edition

In the past, the arrival of the holiday season has meant a slowdown on the craft beer newsfront, but that's apparently not the case this year. As seen below, a lot has happened in the three weeks since the last Conspectus, with a big distribution announcement heading up a new list of items that includes the usual roundup of recently released beers, along with updates on the status on four North Texas breweries in development.

Cheers!


Collective joins up with Shelton Brothers

Shelton Brothers, Inc., a Massachusetts-based import/export firm, has added The Collective Brewing Project to its portfolio. According to a blog post on Collective's website, the Fort Worth brewery will work with Shelton Brothers to deliver its beer to festivals and events it plans to attend in the coming year.


Snap up the latest release from Wild Acre

Now in stores, Snap'd is the latest beer to emerge from Wild Acre Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. Billed as a gingerbread strong ale, the seasonal offering packs a fair amount of punch, with an ABV of nearly 8%. Look for it in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.


Nick the newest Full Grown variety on tap at Tupps

Tupps Brewery of McKinney has unveiled its newest Full Grown Man variety in the form of Full Grown Nick (12.1% ABV). Brewed with holiday spices, Full Grown Nick is the third seasonal treatment of Full Grown Man Imperial Stout, following brethren brews Full Grown Hombre and Full Grown Jack. Find it in four-packs of 12-ounce cans.


Deep Ellum flies its Freak Flag

Freak Flag (7.8% ABV, 14 IBU), the initial offering in Deep Ellum Brewing Co.'s Barrelhouse line, has been released in 500mL bottles. The beer is a sour red ale that's spent 18 months in red wine barrels, and it's the first fully barrel-fermented brew to produced by the company. Freak Flag's release also kicks off the brewery's Solera program, an initiative that involves the fractional blending of different vintages over time to create a beer that gets older every time you drink it.

Also from Deep Ellum, a new IPA variety pack is available at retail, containing Deep Ellum IPA, Dreamcrusher, Easy Peasy IPA and the brewery's new White IPA.


Future brewery blurbs

The TABC has approved the licenses for New Main Brewing Co. of Pantego and Parker County Brewing Co. of Willow Park. Both entities are currently under construction with early 2018 target dates.

After many years in development, there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel for Steam Theory Brewing Co. of Dallas. Construction on the future brewpub's site in Trinity Groves began in November, with the latest update projecting an opening to occur as early as April of next year.

The Corsicana City Council has cleared the way for work to begin on Navarro County Brewing Co., after a variance was approved for a proposed site on December 1. Set to be the city's first brewery, Navarro County Brewing will be located at 321 W. 6th Ave. in Corsicana.

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Image credits (top to bottom): Collective Brewing Project, Wild Acre Brewing Co., Tupps Brewery, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Parker County Brewing Co., New Main Brewing Co., Steam Theory Brewing Co., Navarro County Brewing Co.

North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus - November 14, 2017 edition

In this, the first edition of the Conspectus since the close of NTX Beer Week, new beers and a brewpub-to-be make an appearance, as does a bit of distro news from out of Fort Worth. Additionally, one Dallas brewery provides consumers with an early look at its 2018 lineup.

Cheers!

The beers of Beer Week

In case you missed it, a number of beers were released during the aforementioned NTX Beer Week. The list of new brews includes 2017 Braindead Hammer of the Gods and Bent de Garde (to-go bottles, sold at the brewery), 2017 Community Barrel-Aged Legion (retail four-packs), Hemisphere Black Sacrament (draft, brewery only), Lakewood Cuvée de Vélo (on-premise bottles, sold at the brewery), Noble Rey Eagle Tears (to-go cans, sold at the brewery) and Texas Ale Project Blood IPA (draft accounts).

Small Brewpub debuts first bottled beer

For the first time in its three-year history, Small Brewpub of Dallas has bottled one of its beers for take home sales. Lord of the Beers is a concoction inspired by Lord of the Pies, an apple pie made by Small Brewpub's fellow Oak Cliff establishment, Emporium Pies. Fermented with spiced granny smith apples provided by Emporium, Lord of the Beers is an English strong ale that's been aged in rye whiskey barrels.


White Rock Alehouse & Brewery obtains TABC approval

White Rock Alehouse & Brewery is now an officially licensed entity, after its permit was approved last week by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). The brewpub has yet to announce an opening date, but it will be situated in a retail development at 7331 Gaston Ave. in Dallas (that's just across the road from On Rotation). White Rock owners Dave Kirk and Greg Nixon have hired Blake Morrison, formerly of Cedar Creek Brewery and Whistle Post Brewing Co., to head up brewing operations.


Collective headed to Cali

The Collective Brewing Project of Fort Worth has announced its intent to begin distribution to California. To that end, the company has signed on with Lime Ventures, a wholesaler based in Concord. In a blog posted to the brewery's website, co-founder and California native, Ryan Deyo, discusses how the move will now allow him to send his beers to family and friends back home. Initial shipments to The Golden State are expected to occur in December.


Deep Ellum unveils 2018 production schedule

Looking ahead to next year, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. of Dallas has published its production schedule for 2018. In addition to the return of Oak Cliff Coffee Ale and the release of Play Date in cans, the lineup includes new barrel-aged offerings (Bellman's Bride, Vinous Ado), plus the first beers in the Deep Ellum Barrelhouse series (Farmhouse Ale, Sour Red Ale). More on those beers, and others, can be found by expanding the image to the right, where you can see the complete list of expected releases.

Shannon offers up something Mór

Shannon Brewing Co. of Keller has launched Mór IPA, a beer whose name is derived from the Irish word for "big." Along those lines, the beer is said to be "a big celebration of aromatic hops," with hop varieties such as Warrior, Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo being used in its creation. Mór IPA is a year-round beer, set to be available on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.

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Image credits (top to bottom): NTX Beer Week, Small Brewpub, White Rock Alehouse & Brewery, The Collective Brewing Project, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. Shannon Brewing Co.

My 2016 Fort Worth Untapped tasting card.

Image credits: CrowdSource, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Grapevine Craft Brewery,
3 Nations Brewing Co., Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., The Collective Brewing Project.

Read any recap of Saturday's Untapped Festival in Fort Worth, and within the first few sentences there's probably going to be some mention of the weather. It was hot. It was humid. It was sticky. Hell, it was Houston (I grew up there, so don't go getting all offended if you're a current resident)!

Thankfully, though, there was beer...and while beer can't solve all the world's problems, a cold one or two can certainly help take the edge off a hefty dose of heat-induced delirium. Which reminds me, was I really involved in a conversation about drinking Delirium "Tree"-mens under the gathering point that became the big tree?

Anyway, by now you surely know all there is to know about Untapped and what it has to offer, so we'll stick to the routine here and just cover a handful of beers that helped beat the heat. And, of course, the standard disclaimer applies...these are non-whale, new to me beers that I found to be noteworthy.

Cheers!

• 3 Nations Bull's English Brown with Coffee & Cinnamon: This was almost certainly the first specialty beer I've had from 3 Nations, and it was a good one. I always approach spiced beers with more than a little trepidation, but this one displayed great balance between the added ingredients and the underlying beer.
• Collective Brewing Project Funky Thunder: A take on the brewery's Tropic Thunder fermented with Brett, this is a beer that pretty much matches right up with the dry and lightly funky description given on Collective's website.
• Grapevine Prickly Pear Wheat: I've had three or four versions of this beer over the course of its existence, first as a homebrew recipe prior to when head brewer Jonny Daylett joined the team at Grapevine, and now as a commercial product. I've always felt like each incarnation was better than the last, and it appears the production batch is no exception.
• Rahr & Sons Bourbon Barrel Snowmageddon: I've been wondering what happened to this beer since it was first said to be in the works back in January. Now that I've finally had a chance to try this slightly boozy barrel-aged offering, I can't help but think maybe those at the brewery are just trying to keep it for themselves.
• Saint Arnold Boiler Room Brett Raspberry: Big on the berries, with just a hint of funk from the secondary fermentation, this was probably the most refreshing beer I had all day. And, at only 3.7% ABV, it's a beer you could probably drink all day as well.

Also notable: Four Corners Santana Ray Equinox Lager, Rabbit Hole Wonderlust with Tart Cherries, Tupps For Ella Double IPA.