Bishop Cider going big, acquires Wild Acre, Legal Draft

Image: Bishop Cider.

Looking to expand its reach and build upon an already well-established brand, Bishop Cider of Dallas has acquired assets associated with two North Texas breweries - Wild Acre Brewing Co. of Fort Worth, and the recently-closed Legal Draft Beer Co. of Arlington.

TexBev, a beverage co-packing company owned by Bishop Cider, will relocate operations from Dallas to Wild Acre’s Fort Worth facility and expand its capacity and capabilities with the addition of the equipment from Bishop Cider's Dallas operation and Legal Draft’s Arlington brewery. Bishop Cider will also be opening a one-of-a-kind entertainment concept at the site, with details to be revealed in the fall.

Regarding Legal Draft, Bishop Cider acquired the company's equipment, but did not assume their liabilities and will not market beer bearing the Legal Draft name. Bishop Cider will, however, be opening a Cidercade location at the Arlington property around the end of the year.

At Wild Acre, beer will continue to be produced at the facility, but the brand will be getting a refresh - investments will be made in QA/QC equipment, and recipes will be fine-tuned. Grant Wood, co-founder and former brewmaster at Revolver Brewing of Granbury, is joining the new management team to ensure the liquid at Wild Acre is world class.

"Rightfully so, Wild Acre has gained a lot of respect in Fort Worth," says Joel Malone, CEO of Bishop Cider and TexBev. "Founder John Pritchett has built a very impressive facility and the beer can hold its own against other local breweries, but I believe there is potential to compete on a larger stage. I’m thrilled to be able to make this happen and partner on the next evolution of Wild Acre."

Wild Acre Camp Bowie will remain open, but it and a planned Fairview locale will transition to a new brewpub concept by an ownership group independent of Bishop Cider in the coming months.

On the cider side of things, Bishop Cider operates three locations of its Cidercade concept in Dallas, Austin, and Houston. In addition to the outlook for Arlington, construction is underway on Cidercade Fort Worth, set to open by the end of summer just south of the city's downtown area.

What's more, there are plans to relocate Cidercade Dallas to a 79,000-square foot building, a spot nearly 10 times larger than its present home (opening date to-be-determined).

"As the business has grown, we have been blessed to be able to make every new location even better than the last," says Malone. "Here’s the problem with that - Dallas, our home base and literal home, was our first location. A redo of Cidercade Dallas has been on our wish list for years and we finally get to bring our wildest ideas to life and go huge. Get ready."

Case closed for Legal Draft in Arlington

Image © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Six years after drawing up its initial drafts, Legal Draft Beer Co. has announced the closure of its taproom in Arlington.

Founded by Greg McCarthy and Curt Taylor, the company adopted a legal theme derived from McCarthy's background as an attorney. This, of course, was in evidence throughout the company's portfolio, with beers like Accused Amber Lager, Hung Jury Hefeweizen and Hazeas Corpus Hazy IPA being among Legal Draft's staples.

The sale of the brewery had been rumored in recent weeks, but no further details as to the potential future of the facility were shared in a social media post saying farewell. Remaining inventory is expected to remain available at local retailers until supplies are exhausted.

North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus - January 26, 2018 edition

Along with new release recaps, updates on a handful of North Texas breweries in development are included in this edition of the Conspectus, as is information on Mug Club memberships at a long-time local restaurant.

Cheers!


Nine Volt gets packaged at Pegasus City

Pegasus City Brewery of Dallas has packaged its Nine Volt D.P. & L. Tripel, choosing unique 750mL ceramic flip-top bottles as the vessel for delivery. Availability is limited, however, with only Craft Beer Cellar and select Dallas locations of Spec's currently stocking the beer.


Rahr & Sons publishes 2018 production schedule

Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. of Fort Worth is the latest brewery to provide consumers insight into its 2018 production schedule. Notably absent from the list are Bucking Bock, Snowmageddon and The Regulator. As for other changes, Paleta de Mango (a mango lime chile kölsch) and Adios Pantalones (a session beer with lemon and lime) will join the year-round lineup, though neither beer will enter the market until March.


Legal Draft launches new premium American lager

Nowhere But Texas, the newest beer from Legal Draft Beer Co., was unveiled during an event at the brewery in Arlington last evening. The beer, which is a premium American lager, takes its name from a popular song penned by the Steve Helms Band, and its release coincided with the premier of the song's music video.


Eno's welcoming new members to its Mug Club

Beginning February 1, Eno's Pizza Tavern will accept new members into its Mug Club. Memberships, available at a cost of $50, include a 17-ounce personalized mug, taller pours, a free birthday beer and discounts on food. Those interested may apply in person, either at Eno's original Bishop Arts location, or at the company's new restaurant in Forney.


Seguin beers now available in North Texas

According to a social media post, Seguin Brewing Co. is now shipping its products to North Texas. Available exclusively at area Total Wine locations, consumers can purchase the following Seguin beers in six-packs of 12-ounce cans: 9-Pin Kölsch, Bock-N-Röhl, Honey Pecan #5 Cream Ale and Lake Breeze Blonde.


New brewery blurbs

A brewpub license for Turning Point Beer has been approved by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). The company's facility is currently under construction in Bedford.

The Manhattan Project Beer Co. took ownership of a property in Dallas last week. To be located at 2215 Sulphur St., those behind the effort are now in the process of submitting construction plans to the City of Dallas for approval.

Also working through the approval process, Celestial Beerworks hopes to obtain permits soon in order to begin construction on a building at 2530 Butler St. in Dallas.

Brewing operations are no longer part of the plan at Navarro County Brewing Co. of Corsicana. Citing excessive costs and development delays as reasons for abandoning the brewing aspect of the project, the ownership group will instead focus on building a taproom and growler fill station.

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Image credits (top to bottom): Pegasus City Brewery, Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., Legal Draft Beer Co., Eno's Pizza Tavern, Seguin Brewing Co., Turning Point Beer, Celestial Beerworks, The Manhattan Project Beer Co.

North Texas Craft Beer Conspectus - December 26, 2017 edition

Christmas has come and gone, as has the winter solstice...the latter in evidence based on two of the beers covered in this, the latest (and last of 2017) edition of the Craft Beer Conspectus.

Cheers!


See Star Wars, drink C3P-Ale

Created to coincide with the release of the film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland has introduced C3P-Ale (6.37% ABV). The beer, a collaboration between the brewery and the historic Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, is an American-style pale ale that features three popular "C" hops - Columbus, Citra and Cascade. Seek it out at select growler-fill stations and craft beer-friendly cinemas around the Metroplex.


Mix things up with Martin House

The slogan "two great tastes that taste great together" may be the property of a popular candy, but it would seem to apply to a couple of beers recently put out by Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. At least, that seems to be the case behind Cookies (a cookie dough stout) and Cream (a cream ale), two beers that are said to taste great on their own or when combined. Now available at retail, the pair is sold in mixed four-packs of 12-ounce cans.


Winter is here in the form of a beer

In honor of the winter solstice, Noble Rey Brewing Co. of Dallas has unveiled Mother Night. For a little background, Yule was a 12-day winter solstice celebration that marked the return of the sun. On the first night of Yule, otherwise known as "mother's night," Nordic Pagans awaited the birth of the Sun God, Baldur, son of Odin and the goddess Frigg. As for the beer, Mother Night is a Belgian-style dark saison brewed with black currants and plum puree. It's the first beer ever to be bottled at Noble Rey, and one that can only be obtained at the brewery.


Legal Draft serves up Black Letter Law

Originally offered as a limited draft-only release over the summer, Legal Draft Beer Co. of Arlington has canned Black Letter Law (4.7% ABV). Although billed as a black pilsner, the beer's label declares Black Letter Law to be a traditional German-style schwarzbier that delivers "light and smooth drinkability in every glass." Pick it up in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.


A new Hour is upon us

Darkest Hour (11% ABV, 60 IBU) is a beer that's been around for a number of years, and it too (like Mother Night mentioned above) is one that marks the long night of the winter solstice. This time, though, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. of Dallas has aged Darkest Hour in port wine barrels, with the end result described as a beer featuring notes of dark fruit, tobacco, coconut and chocolate. On draft now in the brewery's taproom, Darkest Hour will also be sold in 22-ounce bottles.


Ring in the Season at Braindead

The holiday season is also tamale season, and in recognition of that tamale truth, Braindead Brewing of Dallas has crafted an inspired variation of its standard Export Stout. Said to be festive AF, Tamale Season (6.6% ABV, 43 IBU) is brewed with cacao nibs, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans and a mix of guajillo and chipotle chili peppers.

Also from Braindead, the brewpub is pouring A Friend of Rye (10.3% ABV, 38 IBU), a Belgian-style tripel brewed with rye (obviously) and a dash of palm sugar.

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Image credits (top to bottom): Lakewood Brewing Co., Martin House Brewing Co., Noble Rey Brewing Co., Choice Beverage of McKinney, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Braindead Brewing.

Going over the first Legal drafts

Image credit: Legal Draft Beer Co.

The taproom may not be ready at Legal Draft Beer Co., but the beer apparently is, at least based on the first kegs made available to the public at an event last night at LUCK.

Earlier this year, founders Greg McCarthy and Curt Taylor unveiled their plans to open a brewery in Arlington to be headed by a Doemens-trained brewmaster by the name of Henryk Orlik. The product mix was to include both ales and lagers, some born out of the traditions of Orlik's German homeland, with others leaning on a more American influence.

Given Orlik's background, beers such as Legal Blonde Lager, a Munich helles, and Accused Amber Lager, a classic Vienna-style beer were a virtual given. Yet, having come to the U.S. in 1994, Orlik has been involved in the craft beer movement for over 20 years. His experience during that time includes stints at Abita, Big Bend and other breweries in both North America and Canada, so it's no surprise to find out that styles favored by craft beer lovers are within his wheelhouse as well.

"Henryk is a German brewmaster, so I had no doubt he'd make great lagers," said McCarthy as he mingled with the crowd Thursday evening. "What really impressed me, though, was how he delivered on my requests for an IPA and a stout. I told him what I wanted out of those two beers, and he created exactly what I described."

As for my initial impression of Legal Draft's debut offerings, some basic tasting notes are offered below on what I would call a set of well-crafted, stylistic brews. Try them for yourself at Kool Keg in Arlington on July 14, or at the brewery's grand opening party, which is tentatively scheduled to occur on July 23.


Legal Blonde Lager (4.8% ABV): Aptly described as a classic Munich lager, this beer's grainy-sweet malt flavor falls right in line with the style guidelines for a traditional helles.

Accused Amber Lager (5.5% ABV): Rich, toasted malt leads in this Vienna-style beer which finishes smooth with a clean lager character.

Hung Jury Hefeweizen (5.0% ABV): A straight-forward, though seemingly lighter-bodied approach to a hefeweizen, with the expected notes of banana and clove filling out the flavor.

Chief Justice Stout (6.6% ABV): Notes of coffee and dark chocolate add complexity to this roasty, highly drinkable stout, which finishes with hint of sweetness in the finish.

Presumed Innocent IPA (7.2% ABV): An approachable IPA with good balance, tempered hop presence and a light-to-moderate bitterness.

Legal Draft serves notice on new brewery in Arlington

Image credit: Legal Draft Beer Company

Just days after the grand opening of the city's first ever production brewery, comes news that yet another is set to begin construction in Arlington.

Legal Draft Beer Co. will be located at 500 E. Division, right across the railroad tracks from Division Brewing's new spot on Main Street. The city's second brewery, and third active brewing operation overall, will be built using 14,000 square feet of an existing 25,000 square foot building, with plans calling for renovations both inside and outside of the space.

According to Legal Draft founder Greg McCarthy, the brewery's interior will house the production area and a 2000 square foot climate-controlled taproom, with a 4000 square foot exterior layout consisting of a covered patio, shaded arbor and landscaped beer garden. McCarthy's intent is for the environment to be family friendly, something he hopes to encourage by offering house-made sodas for kids and other non-drinking customers.

Legal Draft's brewery is part of the Union Arbor redevelopment project being
managed by Dodson Development (image the property of Dodson Development).

Regarding production, McCarthy has acquired a 17-barrel brewhouse designed by IDD Process & Packaging, Inc. of California. The high-efficiency system is capable of completing up to a half-dozen batches in 12 hours, which means Legal Draft will have the ability to brew over 100 barrels of beer per day. While the brewery won't be going at full capacity right away, McCarthy says the setup will allow him to focus future expansions on adding fermentation tanks without having to buy another brewhouse.

Running things will be Henryk Orlik, a Doemens-trained German brewmaster who most recently worked at Big Bend Brewing in Alpine, Texas. Orlik has been brewing in the U.S. for 30 years, and is open to creating all styles of beer, not just those of his home country. The current thinking is he'll develop an opening lineup of five beers (a blonde lager, an amber lager, an IPA, a hefeweizen and a stout), then move on to other things. McCarthy says that Orlik is keen on on many of craft beer's currently popular trends, so eventually consumers could see Legal Draft branch out into sour beers or the occasional barrel-aged brew.

The legal theme, which stems from McCarthy's background as an attorney, will extend down to beer names as well, with Legal Blonde Lager and Accused Amber Lager expected to be among the first products out the door. In addition to rolling out beer in kegs, Legal Draft will can its beers from the get-go, though seasonals and limited releases may find their way into 22-ounce bombers in the future.

As far as when it will happen, McCarthy hopes to be shipping beer by April, with a taproom grand opening to occur around the same time. Like with all new breweries, though, the actual date will depend on TABC approvals.


Legal Draft Beer Co.
500 E. Division Street
Arlington