Deep Ellum releases fruit-forward football seasonal

Image courtesy of Deep Ellum Brewing Co.

With the promise of fall football just around the corner, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. of Dallas is inviting consumers to "go sideways this season with a new hazy IPA."

According to a press release, Lateral Haze (7.5% ABV, 25 IBU) is a tropical hazy IPA brewed in honor of the greatest game on earth - football. Billed as "the only part of game day guaranteed not to disappoint.," the beer is said to be dank, hoppy and fruit-forward with the flavor and aroma of fresh pineapples.

"With Lateral Haze, we set out to make the perfect companion for football season," says Brian Morris, head brewer at Deep Ellum. "A triple-option of sorts, Lateral Haze is triple dry-hopped with three different hops (Amarillo, Simcoe and Idaho-7) that come together to provide a beautifully tropical drinking experience."

Lateral Haze is available now through October in six-packs of 12-ounce cans. Look for the beer at select retailers across Texas.

Ten years ago today: One beer writer's retrospective, penned amid a pandemic

Source: Individual research.

Ten years ago today, I started writing about craft beer. And my, how things have changed.

Who could have imagined we'd be in the situation we are now, where breweries are hanging on day-to-day and we have no idea what rule changes the next hour may bring? Indeed, there's a lot of uncertainty going forward because of the pandemic, but for posterity's sake let's look back on the last ten years for maybe a minute or two.

Ten years ago today, there were nine brewing operations in North Texas, with roughly another dozen or so in planning around the entire state. Today, we have 84 active brewing companies with more than 30 new projects being developed in North Texas alone.

Ten years ago today, there were no brewery taprooms. Drinking beer at a brewery meant taking a tour, enjoying a few samples and getting some glassware to take home. And beer to-go? That was a no-no until late last year. Today, taprooms are rampant, though breweries have had to alter operations temporarily because of current conditions. And beer to-go? It's a go, and thank goodness, because it's been key in keeping our beloved breweries afloat.

Ten years ago today, the local panorama of pubs serving something other than imports was a tad bit limited. We had established locations of the Flying Saucer, Ginger Man and Londoner (various locations have opened and closed for all three), along with a trio of newcomers all less than a year old: The Common Table Uptown (gone, but not forgotten), Holy Grail Pub and Meddlesome Moth. Today you can drink beer in a plethora of pubs, restaurants and even grocery stores if the mood strikes...and daily mandates allow.

Ten years ago today, we mostly drank beer out of bottles. No local breweries canned their beers, and there was no such thing as a crowler. We had growlers, but only at brewpubs, as the growler shop was a non-entity. Today, dozens of growler shops fill jugs and seam crowlers on a daily basis. The only issue there being a looming can shortage, once again due to that whole ongoing pandemic thing.

Ten years ago today, things weren't great, but they were surely getting better. Since August 2, 2010, I've covered the debut of 100 brewing companies and 25 closures, not to mention the comings and goings of countless numbers of pubs, restaurants, events and other supportive projects.

And yet today, despite all of the growth, things aren't great again, all because of an invisible enemy.

But we hope they will get better.

Do what you can to support your local pubs, restaurants and breweries, so we have more good than bad to talk about in another ten years time.

Cheers, stay well and #SaveTexasBreweries!

Tupps Brewery moving to historic McKinney grain site

All images courtesy of Tupps Brewery.

Tupps Brewery will soon trade one historical setting for another, as the company is set to make a move closer to Downtown McKinney.

Since debuting in 2015, Tupps has occupied a 17,000-square-foot space at The McKinney Cotton Mill. However, the brewery has outgrown that location and will now expand to a spot with over 40,000 square feet on a 4.3-acre campus in the city's  Historic Mill District.

Helping to spur the project, the McKinney Community Development Corporation approved a grant in the amount of $11,333,262 for construction, and the McKinney Economic Development Corporation has provided a loan for use in purchasing additional equipment Tupps will use to meet growing market demand.

“The McKinney grain site is a perfect location to build our forever home as it fits the Tupps vibe and allows us to meet increased demand for our products while providing more space for additional customers visiting the brewery,” says Keith Lewis, founder and president of Tupps.

This new location will be an extension of Downtown McKinney in a grain processing factory that has been in operation for over 120 years. The layout will comprise a 12,000-square-foot taproom in the original grain-milling building, a state-of-the-art production facility and a retail shopping area housed in reused shipping containers.

Current view and future rendering of Tupps' new location.

“The city of McKinney is committed to revitalizing the eastside of our historic downtown area and I could not think of a better partner than Tupps to start this process. Tupps will bring much needed energy to this area which will attract other businesses and expand our historic downtown footprint,” says McKinney Mayor George Fuller.

On the production side, Tupps will operate in a 28,000 square foot facility. The building will incorporate a barrel-aging area housing over 200 barrels that will age unique beers to be available for sampling on selected tours and for sale in the brewery's beer-to-go store.

As for other amenities, Tupps is a family business to its core and will continue to welcome families both young and old. The brewery will have a unique playground for all ages and plenty of space to relax inside and out. To that end, in addition to a large outdoor stage hosting live music and theater performances, the site plan will include shops featuring local artists, craftsman, and food vendors.

Tupps has also pledged to continue its strong commitment to the community with charitable work. Tupps got started by brewing beer in Keith’s garage, so it wants to give other dreamers the ability to start their own business in a supportive environment.

On Rotation releases Black is Beautiful to benefit Campaign Zero's #8CantWait

On Friday, July 17, On Rotation of Dallas will release its rendition of Black is Beautiful, a beer brewed in collaboration with Marcus Baskerville and Weathered Souls Brewing Co. of San Antonio.

When it was announced, the Black is Beautiful project set goals to raise awareness for the injustices people of color face daily, and to raise funds for police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged. Upon learning about this, the team at On Rotation knew they had to join in.

“We had been thinking about the best way to contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement, and our favorite language is beer,” says Jacob Sloan, co-founder and owner of On Rotation.

Breweries participating in the initiative have taken an imperial stout recipe developed by Baskerville and Weathered Souls and added a touch of their own creativity. On Rotation made a few minor changes to the beer by adjusting the grain bill to their preferred balance and adding a significant amount of chocolate.

The beer was brewed, appropriately enough, on Juneteenth, and according to a press release it presents with "a chocolate and bready aroma and powerful cocoa flavor throughout." It's a big beer, with an ABV of 10.2%, but with the "luscious chocolate flavor and dry finish," the alcohol is said to not overwhelm the palate.

“For me, it’s a perfect chocolate cake in a glass — not sweet but chocolate through and through,” says Sloan.

Proceeds from sales of Black is Beautiful will benefit Campaign Zero, specifically the group's #8CantWait campaign. The #8CantWait initiative aims to drive eight policies proven to decrease police violence by 72 percent. Research shows the more restrictive use of force policies #8CantWait is fighting for can reduce killings by police and save lives.

Of note, On Rotation points out Dallas is only halfway there. While the city has enacted four of the eight #8CantWait policies, Dallas still has four more to go.

The city has yet to ban chokeholds and strangleholds, require a warning before shooting, establish a duty to intervene, or ban shooting at moving vehicles. Citizens can get involved and contact Dallas’ Mayor Eric Johnson about these policies at 8cantwait.org.

In the meantime, show your support for Black Lives Matter and Black is Beautiful by purchasing “chocolate cake” stout this Friday at On Rotation. The taproom will be open at noon for curbside pickup of crowlers and growlers. Customers may pre-order online at on-rotation.com/order.