Hemisphere closing brewery in Rockwall

Image credit: Hemisphere Brewing Co.

Hemisphere Brewing Co. has announced it will close in January, the brewery's run coming to an end after nearly six years of operation in Rockwall.

Founded by Ruben Garcia and Brandon Mullins, Hemisphere opened in March 2017. The debut occurred, coincidentally enough, roughly six years after the pair kicked-off the project in 2011. Mullins would later leave the company in 2020, but Garcia carried on and eventually brought on a new partner in 2022.

On the Hemisphere name, it represented the idea of exploring beer styles from hemispheres around the world. From those forays, the brewery's Belgian grisette was a personal favorite, with other popular recipes including Shiver Blueberry Wheat and Black Sacrament Imperial Stout.

In October 2020, the company expanded its offerings outside the realm of beer with the addition of HBC Hard Red Cola. The product was a high-ABV beverage inspired by Big Red, a beloved soft drink with origins in Waco, Texas.

According to a social media post, Garcia decided not to renew the lease on the facility because of the difficulties of running a small brewery in an unsustainable market, and a desire to pursue new opportunities.

Hemisphere is here: Long-awaited brewery now operating in Rockwall

All images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Finishing the final leg of a journey that's lasted nearly six years, Hemisphere Brewing Co. has opened its doors in Rockwall.

Indeed, if ever there was a brewery that ought to have a beer called Murphy's Law, Hemisphere would be the one. All startups face obstacles, but it seems as if founders Ruben Garcia and Brandon Mullins have met with more than their fair share since kicking off the project in 2011.

"Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong," says Garcia.

In the last year alone, they've dealt with code issues related to ramps and doors, not to mention problems with getting the gas line hooked up. Then, on top of all that, Mullins ended up landing in the hospital right as Hemisphere was poised to announce its long-awaited opening.

A small-batch system and a working list of over 90 recipes means patrons can expect a lot of
experimentation when it comes to what Hemisphere has to offer (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Thankfully, though, perseverance has finally paid off. And to hear Garcia tell it, it's rewarding just to be able to get to the point where he and Mullins can say "We're open!"

"There a lot of things we want to do with the brewery," explains Garcia. "For now, though, we really just want to enjoy being open here in Rockwall. Eventually, we'll work on getting our beer out to a wider audience, but we'd like to get settled in first while building a following with the local community."

As for the types of beer Hemisphere will be serving, the brewery's debut weekend featured five different beers. Early returns suggest Straight Dope IPA will be the crowd-pleaser, but my favorite beer on the board was Hemisphere Grisette (the coffee porter was a close second). No matter which you choose, though, this first run of beers suggests that balanced, approachable brews will be the order of the day.

• Shiver Blueberry American Wheat (5.86% ABV, 17.6 IBU): An easy-drinking wheat beer with a hint of blueberry sweetness and a lightly tart finish.
• Straight Dope IPA (6.46% ABV, 73 IBU): A hazy IPA, with upfront notes of citrus and tropical fruit that's backed by a moderate bitterness.
• Hemisphere Grisette (5.56% ABV, 15.3 IBU): Complex and crushable, this light-bodied beer is a little tart and a little funky, with elements of citrus and bread yeast rounding out the flavor.
• Superfleek Coffee Porter (7.22% ABV, 46.3 IBU): Distinctive roast and an earthy underbelly form the base of this coffee-forward beer, which finishes smooth with little bitterness thanks to the use of cold-brewed coffee.
• Gnarlacious English Pale Ale (6.46% ABV, 30.5 IBU): A dry, estery and earthy English-style pale.

Hemisphere's taproom has an open and casual feel, with wide-screen TVs and
Giant Jenga offering entertainment options (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Of course, other beers are in the works, but what form they'll take remains to be seen. According to Garcia, the partners are working from a list of over 90 different recipes. What ultimately gets chosen, though, will depend on a variety of factors. Naturally, consumer preference will play a part, but so will a desire to offer styles and/or flavor combinations that are currently missing in the local marketplace (ergo, offering up a style like the grisette).

Regardless of what styles get brewed, expect Hemisphere to remain draft-only for the time being. Packaged products will follow at some point, but when that happens will probably depend on that whole getting their feet firmly on the ground thing. Either way, a trip to the taproom is currently your best bet if you're looking to try a Hemisphere beer.

On that note, taproom hours will occur on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to start. Exact times are still being worked out, so be sure to follow the brewery's social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter) for the most up-to-date information.

* Click here for more on the brewery and its six-year journey.

Hemisphere shaping up for summer debut in Rockwall

All images © Brian Brown/Beer In Big D.

A year ago at this time, Rockwall was a Dallas suburb without a brewery. In a matter of weeks, though, the city's brewery count will be two after the long-awaited arrival of Hemisphere Brewing Co.

Ask founders Ruben Garcia and Brandon Mullins about their journey, and the first response is likely to be a sigh and a shake of the head. It's taken them five years to get to this point, with seemingly one obstacle after another getting in the way. And, while they've settled on Rockwall as Hemisphere's home, the path to opening their brewery actually began in another city.

"We originally planned to open in Richardson, but for a variety of reasons it just didn't work out," says Mullins. "Here in Rockwall, though, things seemed to fall in place a little easier and we felt like there was some amount of progress right away."

Yet, despite closing on the brewery's location in 2014, it's taking them another two years to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Part of the reason is that they are handling renovations to the interior and exterior of the structure themselves, while another is simply a matter of working through city and county requirements like anyone else.

That's why, even now, they aren't ready to commit to an opening date beyond saying that'll be early summer. Another factor is that pesky licensing process, which for them is now nothing more than a waiting game, but as soon as that completes they'll fire up the brewhouse and start building up a stock of beer.

On that note, Hemisphere will be working with a combination of equipment obtained from 903 Brewers in Sherman and the now-defunct Texas Big Beer Brewery of Buna. The brewery will employ a four-barrel system for production, with the operation being draft-only for the time being. Packaging is something that's in the long-term plan, but at least initially, Hemisphere will spend its time and resources on building the brand and getting beer to market by way of draft accounts.

Hemisphere's 3200 square foot building feels bigger than it is, thanks in part to the three large retractable
doors that open to the front. An additional door will lead to an outdoor beer garden in the back.

Product-wise, Hemisphere will launch with six beers, though which styles will be available on opening day has yet to be decided. Garcia and Mullins are hoping to differentiate by offering types of beer that may be under-represented as part of their portfolio, which will otherwise remain flexible with no hard and fast rules as to how long any given beer will be made available.

"We'll have an IPA and other approachable styles," says Mullins, "but we also plan to take advantage of our small-scale system to do a lot of experimentation. With that, we'll reserve one or two handles in the taproom for brewery exclusives and recipes where we'll be looking for consumer feedback to help decide if something is worthy of wide release. Beyond that, we may or may not have year-round beers, it just depends on consumer demand."

The creativity aspect, in fact, is what got Garcia and Mullins interested in opening a brewery in the first place. Both are musicians who've been homebrewing for about 10 years, and from time spent doing both, they see a philosophical parallel between the art of making music and the art of making beer. So, as they see it, the brewing process represents another way to express themselves.

"There are layers to a song just like there are layers to a beer," explains Garcia. "And, in both cases, it's all about putting all the pieces together and coming up with a great finished product. Whether it's beer or music, you want to be proud of what you make and you want to share the passion that went into it with others."

"Plus, for us it's that constant need for a creative outlet," adds Mullins. "It kind of goes along with the idea of idle hands when you get right down to it. When we're not writing music, we want to be making beer."

Regarding Hemisphere's location, the company's 3200 square foot building sits right across the street from Woodcreek Brewing Co., which should make the spot a destination for anyone looking to drink local beer in Rockwall. Of course, being located on the far eastern edge of the Metroplex also means trying to find ways to get people from Dallas and beyond to want to come out for a visit, but that's something the founders are keeping in mind as they design the space.

"Whether you're having a beer at the bar, or hanging out in the beer garden we'll create out back, we want the space to have a relaxed, chill vibe," says Mullins. "I mean, if you're going to make the drive, it outta be worth the trip. So, hopefully we're able to create an atmosphere that makes people want to stay a while."

As alluded to above, federal (TTB) and state (TABC) licenses are still pending for Hemisphere, but once obtained the brewery expects to be open for regular taproom hours, both on select nights during the week and on weekends.


Hemisphere Brewing Co.
2015 Kristy Lane
Rockwall