Dirty Job closing brewery in Mansfield

Image credit: Dirty Job Brewing.

Dirty Job Brewing has announced it will close its doors in Mansfield.

A group made of Derek and Lashawn Hubenak, along with Justin Watson, opened Dirty Job on N. Main St. in Historic Downtown Mansfield during the summer of 2017. And at the time, it was the city's first and only brewing operation.

The brewery's most popular beer was The Short Stack, a maple pecan porter, though a personal favorite was Sluggo's Black EyePA. Dirty Job also produced No Big Dill, a cucumber wheat, throughout its run, with that beer and The Short Stack being examples of the company's trademark willingness to experiment with different flavors in its recipes.

From a social media post:

"We are ready to let you all know. It has taken some thinkin’, some reflectin’ and a lot of back-and-forth decidin’. We are officially closing up shop here in Mansfield. 

Do not be sad for us. We came to this decision for multiple reasons, but mostly because we are ready to get back our time as a family and for our family, as well as some close friends.

Over 9 years, we have done more than we could imagine for our community and the vision we shared with our fellow small business owners and the city representatives that we knew saw what could be. We took the leap and put our full efforts, savings, earnings, hearts, blood, sweat, and sincerity into building something that would instill a heartbeat for this amazing Historic Downtown to thrive. We could not be more proud of what we know we have accomplished, especially when we saw the tragedy of so many small businesses collapse during the few years of the pandemic/post-effects. We doubled-down, worked harder, fought for everyone we could and succeeded.

Recent things have put us in the spot to make the decision. You cannot get back your time with loved ones. You cannot get back every day you are given to make memories and cherished moments. We will cherish the moments we have made and helped make in the welcoming environment we built and know you will, as well. So many friendships and even relationships we have seen spark and solidify before us truly warms our hearts."

As for its final day of business, Dirty Job will close after a "Drinko-Goodbye-o!" farewell event on Saturday, May 2.

By the Horns no longer brewing in Mansfield

Image © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

According to reports on the ground, By the Horns, the resident brewing operation at Del Toro BBQ in Mansfield, is now closed.

By the Horns originally emerged in January 2019 as part of a multi-concept development called The Backyard from Brain Storm Shelter. The brewhouse shared space with a taco purveyor for a little over a year, but both shut down in June 2020 due to COVID. The brewery's absence on the scene was then further extended once the parent company filed for bankruptcy.

The assets on site were eventually acquired by Local Favorite Restaurants, who brought By the Horns back to life in the spring of 2022 with a new food partner in the form of Del Toro BBQ. From there, the brewery essentially picked up where it left off in terms of everyday offerings, though house beers were re-branded with a farm and ranch theme to fit in better with the barbecue element.

While the brewery aspect has been discontinued, food service at Del Toro BBQ will continue business as usual.

Maple Branch, Flix Mansfield among winners at 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards

Image credits: Best of Craft Beer Awards, Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Flix Brewhouse.

This past weekend, the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards competition was held in Redmond, Oregon, with two Tarrant County breweries landing among the winners.

Now in its tenth year, the Best of Craft Beer Awards has grown to be the third largest professional brewing competition in North America. At this year's event, more than 1850 submissions were received for evaluation against style guidelines covering 55 categories and subcategories.

From the entry pool, judges awarded 169 medals to 123 breweries located worldwide. On the North Texas medalists, Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth previously won a Best of Craft Beer award in 2022, while Flix Brewhouse Mansfield appears on the honoree list for the first time.

Local winners and their beers are highlighted below. For more on the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards, click here for a full competition summary.

Flix Brewhouse, Mansfield

• Luna Rosa, Bronze in the Fruit & Field Beers category.

Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Fort Worth

• Monkey Business, Gold in the German Wheat Beers category.
• Lion's Den, Silver in the Bocks category.
  

Cheers and congratulations to Maple Branch and Flix Mansfield!

By the Horns Brewing is back in Mansfield

All images Image © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

It's been nearly two years since difficulties with Covid-19 restrictions led to a decision to shut down the business, but the brew kettles are now back in action at By the Horns Brewing in Mansfield.

A social media post in June 2020 was the last word anyone heard before By the Horns went into hibernation. The brewery's future was further clouded once its parent company, Brain Storm Shelter, filed for bankruptcy protection to cover assets in other areas of the D-FW Metroplex.

Once the dust cleared, By the Horns had become the domain of Local Favorite Restaurants, a group whose portfolio includes El Fenix Mexican Restaurant, Snuffer's Restaurant & Bar, Village Burger Bar and more. At that point, Local Favorite's first order of business was to get the brewhouse back in order before hiring Nathan Crawford (formerly of Wild Acre Brewing Co. in Fort Worth) to head-up brewing operations going forward.

Local Favorite also attached a new food partner to the venture in the form of Del Toro BBQ. The latest entry in a crowded North Texas 'que market, Del Toro features a fairly standard range of BBQ offerings. Patrons can order prime brisket, ribs, jalapeno sausage and other smoked meats by the pound, or instead choose from a selection of salads, sandwiches or tacos.

As for the brewing side of things, five beers make up the everyday menu at By the Horns. Prior to the transition, brews were referred to by their style moniker (i.e., Hefeweizen, IPA, etc.), but a farm and ranch theme complimenting the 'que concept now enters into the naming of beers like Big Hoss IPA, Ranchhand Blonde Ale and Thresher Wheat.

There's also Te Amo Lager...you know, for the lager lovers, as well as Big Rig Stout, which is said to make an ideal pairing with Del Toro's Pork Belly Burnt Ends.

Other than that, the atmosphere remains much the same as it did when By the Horns first opened as part of The Backyard development in early 2019. Beers purchased at By the Horns can be enjoyed throughout the venue, which includes holdover Twisted Root Burger Co., as well as the newly-installed Taqueria La Ventana.

So...beer, BBQ, burgers and tacos? Sounds like quite a consumable quartet.

Grab a beer 'By the Horns' in Mansfield

By the Horns occupies a building with Tacos & Avocados in anchoring
The Backyard development in Mansfield (Photo: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

In terms of operations bringing together so-called classic pairings of food and beer, North Texas boasts brewpubs built around pizza and beer, along with others that lean a little more Texan in being a one-stop shop for barbecue and beer. Now, though, area residents can add the combination of tacos and beer to their list of local options, thanks to the arrival of By the Horns Brewing in Mansfield.

Brought to you by Brain Storm Shelter, By the Horns opened in late January. In doing so, it joined entities like Twisted Root Burger Co., Tacos & Avocados and Truck Yard on the group's restaurant management roster. And, as it applies to Mansfield, three of those names come together to help form The Backyard, a concept by M.R. Development designed to give visitors the impression of hanging out in an extension of their own backyard.

It's an idea to be taken literally, considering By the Horns, Tacos & Avocados and Twisted Root front a development that features a well-appointed, open-air space out back that's both family-friendly and self-contained. What's more, the setup allows patrons to enjoy beverages throughout the complex, since a single liquor license governs the three commonly-owned restaurants.

Within the grounds, By the Horns shares a building with Tacos & Avocados, ergo the tacos and beer part of this whole equation. The food is focused on fresh Tex-Mex, with a By the Horns Beer-Braised Brisket Taco to be had for those looking for a beer-based infusion. And sides? Well, adventurous diners will surely want to get a taste of the Oaxacan Grasshopper Tostada topped with real, dried grasshoppers.

Tap handles at By the Horns take the shape of longhorn horns, while beer to-go
from the brewpub comes in 19.2-ounce crowlers (Photos: © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

On the topic of beverages, while liquor and cocktails are also available, pours of the barley and hop-based variety are the work of head brewer Justin Meyers. His lineup has a tinge of German influence, thanks in part to time spent working with Paulaner, which up until last year had a stateside outpost called Paulaner on Bowery in New York City.

Now, it should be noted that the "German influence" aspect of Meyers' approach is just that...influence. German brewing traditions may date back over 400 years, but the Reinheitsgebot (a.k.a. the German Beer Purity Law) will not govern operations at By the Horns. That evidenced, at the very least, by the presence of an Agave IPA on the menu.

German standards do appear, however, in the form of a helles and a hefeweizen (both of which are quite popular judging by the amount of orders overheard at the bar). These beers slot in alongside an IPA, a pale and a brown ale on a tapwall expected to contain upwards of nine everyday offerings. Brews currently on tap are virtually spot on to style, which suggests recipes will go mostly by the book at By the Horns.

As for accessibility, By the Horns is now open seven days a week, with service starting at 11 a.m. House beers may be enjoyed on-site, or you can grab a few beers by the horns to-go by way of 19.2-ounce crowlers.

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By the Horns is the first brewing concept to be developed by Brain Storm Shelter. Another, called Beard Science, is set to be part of Truck Yard The Colony, currently under construction in Denton County.

Dirty Job marks official grand opening in Mansfield

Dirty Job is the first known brewery to operate in Mansfield (Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

It's been a full five months since Dirty Job Brewing started serving beer in Mansfield, but up until now the company had yet to host an official grand opening. That changed this past weekend, with an event featuring the requisite attractions of food, live music and a lineup of some of the area's newest local beer.

Founded by Derek and Lashawn Hubenak, along with Justin Watson, the business is the first of its kind in Mansfield. Established in the city's Historic Downtown district, Dirty Job's brewery and taproom occupies a 4000 square foot space originally built in 1895.

Inside that space, the setup itself is straightforward. Upfront, the taproom is outfitted with a handful of televisions and around a dozen tabletops, while house brews are served from behind a small bar towards the back. There, patrons can choose from beer pouring from as many as 20 taps, all but one of which was active during Dirty Job's debut event.

Agave, amaretto, coconut, cucumber and vanilla are just some of the flavorings used in Dirty Job's recipes (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

On that note, it's apparent that the brewery intends to explore the full spectrum of craft beer's flavor wheel with its small-batch system. Of the 19 beers on the board last Saturday, all but four included some sort of additive element. Together with a popular maple pecan porter called The Short Stack, examples included No Big Dill (cucumber wheat), Raspberry Beret (fruited hefeweizen), Killa Vanilla (oatmeal stout) and Agave Davida (blueberry agave wheat).

Surveying the styles forming the base of those brews, selections at Dirty Job cover a fairly standard range. A variety of American, German and Belgian-inspired wheat beers are on the menu, as are an assortment of IPAs and stouts. Most would appear to be designed for wide appeal, with tempered flavor components and a light-to-medium body being the norm.

Of course, you'll want to find a place to check out the brewery's offerings in order to test that appeal. Availability, however, isn't plentiful due to Dirty Job's limited distribution. That means, at least for now, a taproom visit is the best bet for anyone looking to try the brewery's beer. Therefore, those so inclined will need to head south and make their way to Mansfield.


Dirty Job Brewing (Web, Facebook, Twitter)
117 N. Main St.
Mansfield