Garland breweries team for Zombieland Twinkie beers

Image credits: Lakewood Brewing Co., Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery.

Capturing that 2020 end-of-the-world zombie vibe, Lakewood Brewing Co. and Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery have come together to make two unique beers inspired by the cult movie favorite, Zombieland.   The pairing is said to have been a " no braaaaaaaainer," considering the opening scene of the franchise is set in Garland, Texas, home of the two breweries.

In the film, Woody Harrelson's character is obsessed with Hostess Twinkies, so each brewery has created a Zombieland Double Tap Collab beer using the snack cakes as an ingredient. According to a press release, Lakewood conjured up a blonde stout brewed with banana, coffee and original Twinkies (11.2% ABV), while Intrinsic features the Chocolate Twinkie in their cream stout (10% ABV). 

Lakewood and Intrinsic have also partnered with local artist Brad Albright to illustrate the cans as well as a custom 3D poster. The breweries will be holding a social media contest where fans can tag their friends for a chance to win a poster signed by the artist, and they will also have prints and 3D glasses to give away to the first 100 guests at each location.

The Zombieland Double Tap beers are taproom only releases. They will be available at their respective breweries starting Friday, October 30 at 11 a.m.

North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus - April 20, 2018 edition

A fresh round of North Texas brewery blurbs includes news on four future brewing companies, a new look for an east side operation, and the start of distribution for a barbecuing brewpub.

Cheers!


G Town gets the green light in Greenville

The City of Greenville has approved plans for G Town Brewery, meaning the future brewpub can move on to the construction phase. Since closing on a site at 2824 Lee St., the company had been seeking the waiver of a moratorium on alterations to structures in Greenville's downtown district. That moratorium was rescinded in January, which cleared the way for G Town to initiate the standard permitting process.


Thirsty Bro debuts new logo, can designs

Things continue to be busy over at Thirsty Bro Brewing Co. of Royse City. In addition to signing on as a founding partner of the Royse City Griffins, an independent league baseball team set to begin play in 2019, the brewery recently debuted a new logo and initial packaging designs for two of its beers. Cans of Southern Belle Porter and Bro'd Trip English Style IPA are expected to hit retail later this year.


Brutal Beerworks raising funds via Indiegogo

Brutal Beerworks is the latest entity to turn to crowdfunding as a way to raise funds for its proposed project. The company, which hopes to set up shop in North Richland Hills, has established an open-ended goal of $75,000. Funds would go towards closing and construction on a location, equipment and the required permits. Click here to visit the campaign page, where you can learn more about the group and its plans.


Intrinsic begins North Texas distribution

After signing with Austin-based Flood Independent Distribution, the beers of Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery are now available at draft accounts around North Texas. The agreement took effect in April, after which a launch event was held at Opa Greek Taverna, the Garland brewpub's first outside account.


TABC approves two new North Texas operations

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) issued licenses for Flix Brewhouse Little Elm and Oak Cliff Brewing Co. of Dallas on back-to-back days earlier this month. Both operations are currently under construction, with Flix Little Elm slated to open at the end of April, and Oak Cliff Brewing targeting the end of May at the earliest.

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Image credits (top to bottom, click to enlarge): G Town Brewery, Thirsty Bro Brewing Co., Brutal Beerworks, Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery, Flix Brewhouse, Oak Cliff Brewing Co.

Intrinsic now serving barbecue and beer in Garland

Image credit: Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery.

Following a grand opening event on Saturday, December 5, Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery is now operating in downtown Garland.

Originally known simply as Intrinsic Brewing, the business first appeared on the scene in October 2014. It was then that owners Cary and Molly Hodson launched a crowdfunding campaign with the goal of obtaining additional investment to help get the project off the ground. The initiative, which raised over $30,000 on CrowdBrewed, was boosted by the brewpub's offering of "free beer for life" as one of the rewards for contributing to the cause.

Six months later, the Hodson's joined forces with Taylor Morgan, a.k.a. Pitmaster Tex, who had been a staple at area brewery events providing on-site food service in the form of slow-smoked Texas BBQ, complimented by his own line of condiments branded as Junior's Texas Sauce. Together the group would introduce the re-imagined barbecue and beer concept as Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery.

This, of course, led up to the festivities held this past weekend, as the brewpub welcomed patrons with beer offerings upfront and an a-la-carte menu of barbecue options in the back. Five house brews were tapped on opening day, with the lineup consisting of G-Town Gratzer, IP80 IPA, Lunch Date Blonde, Picker Porter and Tamarind Habanero. A number of guest taps were also available, featuring products from other North Texas brewers.

If you happened to miss the party, Intrinsic will be open six days a week (Tuesday-Thursday) starting today, with both lunch and dinner service planned on the food side of things, and craft beer to-go being an option for those just wanting to stop in and pick up a growler fill. As for the beer, now that the brewpub up and running, house recipes will rotate somewhat, with a dry stout and a doppelbock being among the styles to be introduced over the course of the next few weeks.


Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery 
509 W. State Street
Garland

Intrinsic looks to crowdfund Garland-based brewpub

Image credit: Intrinsic Brewing

Following in the footsteps of other North Texas brewers like Armadillo Ale Works, Rabbit Hole and the Grapevine Craft Brewery, Garland-based Intrinsic Brewing is turning to crowdfunding to help get their project off the ground.

Founders Cary and Molly Hodson have launched a campaign with CrowdBrewed, seeking to obtain pledges in the amount of $30,000 to offset both personal savings and money from outside investors. As to why they decided to pursue this as a funding option, they want to "give the community a chance to get involved and show their love of the craft." At the same time, should the campaign be successful, they look at it as a way to boost not only their confidence, but that of their investors as they move forward.

Current plans are to open a brewpub offering both food and house-brewed beers at 509 W. State Street on the historic square in Downtown Garland. A circa 1910 brick building has been secured, which will have upwards of 6000 square feet to work with, depending on patio space. In it will be assembled a 7-barrel brewhouse designed for cost, quality and creative flexibility, something that should fit in with the couple's vision of brewing a perpetually rotating line of small-batch beers.

Construction is slated to begin in February and take on the order of eight months. That translates to an anticipated opening date of October 2015. Once complete, the couple hopes to have created "an intimate local experience with a focus on in-house pint sales and growler fills." The family-owned operation aims to be an inherent part of their community, and the name Intrinsic is a reflection of those values. One imagines that's also the impetus for the appearance of roots in the company logo.

In terms of experience, Cary recently completed the Brewery Immersion Course at the Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery, where he collaborated with the Echo Brewing Company. He's been homebrewing all-grain recipes since 2010, with his wife getting involved two years later when they wrote their first business plan. Both have judged local competitions while being active in the local homebrewing community, and in that spirit they'll produce pro-am beers once they get things up and running.

As for what types of beers Cary sees in the brewpub's future, he says they both have an appreciation for traditional styles which will show up in things like a blonde ale, an American-style brown and an IPA. Beyond that, though, Intrinsic will work to "set itself apart by brewing experimental styles and maintaining a barrel-aging program." He'd like to do a braggot, a gruit and a raspberry gose, as well as something with smoked figs or a combination of ingredients like tamarind and jalapeños. His ambition even extends to sour beers and an experimental hop series.

Those who attended Deep Ellum's annual Labor of Love Homebrew Competition earlier this year will remember that Intrinsic took home not only the Best in Show prize, but was also named Fan Favorite in addition to taking top honors in both the sour and spicy categories. As a result of their achievement, Deep Ellum will brew a single 30-barrel batch of Intrinsic's Basil Buzz, a honey basil hefeweizen, which should be ready in time for the 2015 competition next July.

If you'd like to help them on their journey, Intrinsic's CrowdBrewed campaign is active now through December 7, and can be accessed directly by visiting the brewery's website at www.intrinsicbrewing.com. Rewards include logo merchandise, handmade furniture (built by Cary himself, and like that which will be used in the brewpub) and a lifetime supply of beer. Though, the couple's mission statement makes it clear they want what comes out of the brewpub to be a reward as well. As they put it, "Our mission is to serve our community by delivering products of distinction, creativity, flavor and intrinsic value. We believe all people should have access to quality craft beer made with the finest ingredients, care and inspiration."

Follow Intrinsic on Facebook and Twitter.