On the mead-maker behind the white door in Wylie

 Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

If you've got a need for mead in North Texas, options for enjoying a honey-based fermented beverage are unfortunately somewhat slim. There are only a handful of active producers in the area, and even then, not all of them have a taproom.

For those wishing to sit and sip for a spell, one possibility is Texas Longhouse Meadery, located behind an unassuming white door at 2311 E. Stone Rd. in Wylie. Owned by Carlos and Kayla Herrera, both military veterans, the business is nearing its one-year anniversary, having debuted in December 2024.

On the menu at Texas Longhouse, you'll encounter a mix of traditional and session meads. Everyday pours consist of lightly-carbonated, lower-strength taps (6% ABV) like Odin's Gift (traditional), Raided Gold (lemon with lemon drop hops), Baldur (mango) and Lothbrok (peach), along with stronger stills (12-13% ABV) in the form of Skål (traditional, barrel-aged), Tyr's Vindrue (oak-aged with Chilean Malbec grapes) and Asgard's Orchard (cranberry and apple).

There are also limited and seasonal selections favoring the sturdier side of the strength spectrum, with barrel-aged meads and bochets (caramelized honey meads) being featured offerings.

Of the regulars sampled, Baldur was the favorite, though the rotator Idunn's Reserve (apple mead aged in Amburana barrels - 13% ABV) was also a satisfying sipper. Among others, a sneak peak of Surtur (smoked pineapple and chipotle - 13% ABV) was particularly intriguing, while Law Giver (inspired by the Old Fashioned cocktail - 13% ABV) came highly recommended by fellow patrons.

As for the setting, the meadery is part of a backroads destination with Wylie Urban Farm & Market. The taproom is small, but cozy and welcoming with low lighting and a dark color motif giving the space a sort of hideaway feel. But then it's an appropriate ambiance, given that Texas Longhouse is a bit off the beaten path.

It's an urban escape, to be sure, and one that's designed to bring together the community of like-minded mead drinkers - the latter fitting the vision of what a longhouse was used for historically. And taken together, it all makes for a nice little Nordic nook, tucked away on the far eastern edge of North Texas.

Texas Longhouse Meadery is open five days a week, with hours beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, and at noon on Saturday and Sunday.

Glen Echo Brewing a welcome addition to Wylie

All images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

One year after initially announcing plans to establish a new brewery in Wylie, Glen Echo Brewing is now open and operating near the city's downtown district at 106 N. Birmingham St.

Reading through the company's website, you get the impression owners Steve and Debbie Schoenekase are all about craft beer, conversation and camaraderie. So, it's not surprising to find upon visiting that the couple has created a space exactly in line with those ideals.

An open and unified floorplan fills the interior of a 4,000 square foot structure occupied by Glen Echo, with the brewery's taproom flanked by the production area off to one side. The atmosphere exudes a chill vibe, with low lights and distractions at a minimum. Families can gather around a board game, but the brewery's projection TV will only emerge for special events.

Even the seating options (community tables, couches, booths) seem chosen to encourage patrons to come together over a beer. And indeed, they did just that during a soft opening this weekend. Among the steady stream of customers, a fair number of folks clearly knew each other beforehand, meaning Wylie residents made up a majority of the crowd. Naturally, this bodes well for a business looking to make a name as the local, neighborhood brewery.

As for beer offerings, Glen Echo is still dialing things in as it works to convert recipes originally brewed on a one-barrel setup to an advanced 10-barrel system. Once production is in full swing, look for upwards of a dozen house beers to be pouring on the regular.

Full pours and flights of up to six beers are available to enjoy in the taproom at Glen Echo.

To start, four beers (kölsch, amber ale, IPA, chocolate milk stout) and an orange seltzer are currently on tap. Of those, future batches of the IPA are expected to be hoppier, and while the chocolate milk stout will likely be a year-round staple, a "stoutier stout" is also in the works.

Add to those a bock, a hefeweizen, a non-alcoholic root beer and more to see how Glen Echo is working to build a portfolio favoring classic, everyday drinkers. That said, trendier brews will certainly surface from time-to-time as well.

Foodwise, Glen Echo stocks daily snacks in the form of a chips and salsa basket, which features a family-size bag of chips, along with either Smoky Red or Spicy Green Salsa from ZPalm Kitchen of Garland. Food trucks will provide plates on the weekends too, but patrons are free to bring in outside eats anytime.

It all makes for a welcome addition to Wylie, not to mention the North Texas beer scene as a whole, considering only a few breweries dot the map on the far eastern edge of the coverage region. One imagines craft beer drinkers local to the area will echo that sentiment as well.

An official grand opening is still to come, so follow Glen Echo's social media channels (Facebook, Instagram) for the latest information. Once regular service begins, the brewery will have hours Wednesday-Sunday. An important note, with parking not available on site (the concrete pad out front is for patio seating), drivers should seek out the free lot one block over and directly behind the brewery on N. Jackson Ave.

Glen Echo working to open brewery in Wylie

Preliminary renderings showing potential design concepts (Glen Echo Brewing).

A new brewery is in the works for the City of Wylie, after the town's city council approved a special use permit this week allowing Glen Echo Brewing to be established on a property located at 106 N. Birmingham St.

Founders Steve and Debbie Schoenekase originally targeted another nearby city for their brewery, but shifted the focus to Wylie around the summer of last year. And, according to Debbie, things are on the fast track now that they've got the initial approvals out of the way.

"The Wylie Economic Development Corporation, the planning department, and the city manager's office have supported our vision from the beginning," says Schoenekase. "Working with Wylie is refreshing!"

Once up and running, Glen Echo will occupy an existing structure comprising just over 4000 square feet. The building itself lies on a 0.21 acre plat, with plans calling for an outdoor patio space to be built out front. Then in the back, a concrete slab lining the building would be used as a potential parking spot for a food truck.

Glen Echo will operate within the confines of the city's Downtown Historic District, which is fitting given the couple's plan to integrate a bit of their own family history in the theme of the place. The brewery's name is drawn from Glen Echo Dairy, a business run by Steve's great-grandfather in Illinois during the early 1900s. Plus, the original font and orange color from the dairy's logo will be carried over into Glen Echo's design motif.

Regarding production plans, the company will utilize a 10-barrel brewhouse fabricated by Deutsche Beverage Technology. Debbie expects the brewery to have 10-12 beers on tap once Glen Echo is fully operational.

"We will brew traditional ales and lagers like a Czech pilsner, German hefeweizen, bock, märzen, English brown ale, and chocolate milk stout-- in honor of the family dairy farm," says Schoenekase. "In addition, we will brew some trendier IPAs and seltzers, and for the non-alcoholic option, we do make a flavorful root beer."

As for project timelines, construction should start in March, with the majority of work involving a remodel of the interior. From there, if all goes well, Glen Echo Brewing will look to open sometime this summer.

Good Neighbor closing Wylie brewery

Image credit: Good Neighbor Brews.

After two years in business, Good Neighbor Brews has announced the closure of its Wylie brewery.

Good Neighbor debuted in February 2017, starting out as a draft-only operation before eventually packaging beers like Slim Sweetness Blonde Ale and O'Carroll's Irish Red in cans. The brewery also had a hand in helping Landon Winery of Greenville get its own brewing operation up and running later that summer.

According to a Facebook post, those behind the company are embarking on a new restaurant venture in Wylie. Plans for what that entails are still in the works, but those interested can click here to be placed on a mailing list that promises to reveal all details in due time.

As for the brewery, it will remain open on weekends through the end of February, with special pricing available for remaining beer on draft and in cans.

Good Neighbor rolls out the welcome mat in Wylie

You won't find a cup of sugar at this Good Neighbor...this
place is all about the beer (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Don't look now, but the newest brewing operation in North Texas opened this past weekend, as Good Neighbor Brews began selling the area's 50th brand of beer. The business is the first of its kind for the City of Wylie, and one whose name suggests that it hopes to make a good impression on the locals.

Along those lines, a large part of Saturday's grand opening crowd did seem to have come from just up the road. Time and again conversations could be heard where someone exclaimed, "I live like a block from here!" Indeed, at least based on early returns, Wylie residents appear to be fully on board with the idea of having a brewery to call their own.

So, what can you expect should you decide to drop in on the neighbors? Well, for starters, founders Jill Bresnan and Darin Petersen are operating within a 6400 square foot space. In terms of allocation, roughly a third of that is devoted to the production area, while the rest is outfitted with bar seating and an array of picnic tables. The latter furnishings extend outdoors as well, where there's ample room for anyone wishing to enjoy a pint in the open air.

Good Neighbor is both dog and kid-friendly, with plenty of room outside for chilling
with a beer or tossing a football between friends (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

As for the liquid, yours truly arrived a little late to the party, so I only had time to try two of the three beers the brewery had on tap. The one I missed was Slim Sweetness (5.5% ABV), a blonde ale intended to be Good Neighbor's entry-level offering. While I can't speak for that one, the other beers available were clean and enjoyable efforts, which is a good sign for a brewery just coming out of the gates.

• Jackalope Stout - At 4.2% ABV, Jackalope might best be described as a session stout, a depiction supported by the beer's light body and easy drinking feel. Of course, whether it's a stout, a black ale or whatever, what matters most is how it tastes. In this case, Jackalope had a good amount of flavor, with a hint of roasted grain to go with a light finishing bitterness.
• Nickelville IPA - The name Nickelville refers to an early settlement in Collin County that joined other small communities in forming the town of Wylie in 1887. Nickelville, the beer, is a big, balanced brew that probably qualifies as a double IPA thanks to an ABV of 8.6%.

The brewery's production setup is anchored by a 10-barrel brewhouse
provided by Chicago Brewing Supplies (© Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Future additions to the Good Neighbor lineup include M'Rye, ah!, a rye ale listed on the brewery's website and keg toppers. Once it's ready, that beer will be tapped alongside those mentioned above during taproom hours running Tuesday through Friday from 5-7 p.m., and Saturday from 1-5 p.m.

Beyond that, look for Good Neighbor brews to be on draft in and around Wylie, with expanded distribution to occur based on demand. There's already been a Jackalope sighting in The Colony, where the brewery's stout is currently on tap at The Thirsty Growler.

*Click here for more on the brewery and its founders.

Good Neighbor leases location in Wylie

Image courtesy of Good Neighbor Brews.

Looking to supply local residents with "the beer next door," Good Neighbor Brews has let it be known that it plans to open the first-ever brewery in Wylie.

Jill Bresnan and Darin Petersen make up the husband-and-wife team behind Good Neighbor, a name that brings to mind the idea of people coming together over a beer. And, in the case of the founding couple, it extends to how two people came together over a love of not only drinking, but also making good beer.

"Ours is a second marriage/blended family with three kids," said Bresnan. "We were both hombrewers as single parents, and it was our mutual interest in beer that initially attracted us to each other."

In fact, both have been homebrewing for upwards of 20 years, so it's not surprising to learn that the community aspect of that pursuit will be a big part of what Good Neighbor is all about.

"The name Good Neighbor started out as a joke," explained Bresnan. "Darin is that guy on the block that you ask to help move a couch, but the name stuck when we realized that we wanted our vibe to capture the spirit of what got us into homebrewing."

What Bresnan is referring to is a scene that's familiar to many homebrewers. It's watching over a pot of boiling wort out in the garage, with that "baking bread smell" filling the surrounding air. Next thing you know, friends and neighbors are walking over to see what's brewing, which then leads to everyone hanging out and enjoying a few beers.

"Above all else, we want our beer to be welcoming," adds Bresnan. "We imagine our beer being consumed while sitting in lawn chairs on the driveway, or any place where everyone's invited." She says it's the last part of that statement, especially, that they want people to associate with Good Neighbor's beer, because opening their doors to others is a reflection of who they are as people.

As for where the company will do business, Good Neighbor has signed a lease on a 6400 square foot building situated on the western edge of Wylie. Located at 211 Regency Drive, the address is part of an industrial park that sits just off FM 544. Though currently occupied, the existing tenant is expected to vacate in time for the brewery to get things ready for a spring 2017 opening. Once Good Neighbor takes possession, plans call for installation of a 10-barrel brewhouse and associated fermenters, with a taproom filling out the remainder of the indoor space, and a patio area to be set up outside.

In terms of brewery offerings and where you'll be able to get them, Good Neighbor's lineup will include standards like a blonde ale, a double IPA and a stout, though a recipe for an agave wheat is also in the works, as is another featuring a rye infusion. Products will be self-distributed to start, with coverage areas to be determined based on what demand dictates. The brewery also intends to operate using the taproom model, likely being open later in the week and on Saturdays at the outset, with daily hours following sometime down the road.


Good Neighbor Brews
211 Regency Drive
Wylie