New business offers opportunity to brew your own, take it home

Image credit: Food Experience Corporation.

If you've ever wanted to try your hand at making your own beer, but were hesitant to take the plunge on purchasing the necessary equipment, a new local business now offers a hands-on program tailored for aspiring homebrewers.

Up and running as of April, Food Experience Corporation is a commercial kitchen offering cooking and brewing classes in Aubrey. And not only is the beer program all-inclusive, the company is licensed as a brewpub, which means you get to take home the finished product.

According to Chef/Owner Angie Graffigna, classes consist of two meetings - one to work on the mash, and a second (two weeks later) set aside for bottling. Sessions include access to equipment and ingredients, as well as hearty appetizers and a dozen 12-ounce bottles filled with your beer to-go.

Current pricing is $60 for the "Brewer," who gets the bottles at the end, and $10 for guests and helpers. All are welcome to participate in the brewing process, and snacks are provided for everyone. Participants also have a say in choosing which style will be brewed.

"We ask people what they'd like to try," says Graffigna. "The first recipe we made was an Irish red ale (called 'Eric the Red'). "Our two brew masters tried to choose something that was liked across the board, and that would have interesting processes, but not be too complicated."

As for how often classes will take place, a bi-monthly schedule is planned.

"We are planning on having two brewing cycles per month," explains Graffigna. "Our next cycle will start with the class on June 18, but from now on we will try to stick to classes on roughly the 1st & 3rd and 2nd & 4th Fridays each month."

For more information, or to sign-up, visit the company's website at https://www.foodexperienceco.com/, and click on the "Cooking Classes & Brewing Classes" tab.

Wild Acre expanding east to Fairview

Image credits: Wild Acre Brewing Co., Fairview Town Center.

Wild Acre Brewing Co. of Fort Worth is eyeing an expansion eastward, with plans to establish a restaurant and brewery in the Town of Fairview. The new spot would be the company's third location, but the first to be built outside of Fort Worth. Wild Acre currently operates a production brewery in the Near East Side neighborhood of the city, along with a scratch deli restaurant and brewery on Camp Bowie Boulevard.

Situated at 311 Town Place, the Fairview venture will share a building with IPIC Theatres in Fairview Town Center. Wild Acre is set to reside on the western elevation of the structure, which features a large outdoor area as one of its amenities.

Wild Acre's new restaurant and brewery (housed in the area enclosed by brick) will
share a structure with IPIC Theaters in Fairview (Images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

According to Wild Acre's founder and CEO, John Pritchett, the project is in the very early stages of development. Efforts are currently focused on drawing up plans for the space and the acquisition of necessary permits.

Once open, the culinary side of the business will feature a menu of craft burgers and gourmet sandwiches, while the brewery aspect will produce house beers pouring from a dozen taps, with a small canning line installed on site providing beer to-go.

As for timelines, Pritchett says a 2021 opening would be an "achievement." More likely, locals should look for Wild Acre Fairview to debut sometime next year.

Edgewise Eight serving stylistic slate in Weatherford

All images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Edgewise Eight Brewing first began brewing its brand of beer for distribution in late 2018. For two years, the company created batches at a production-only facility in Weatherford, with deliveries limited to accounts local to the brewery.

In December, founders Barney, Clifton and Colt Ellis - a father and his two sons - made the move to a permanent home in the city's downtown district. Located at 221 N. Main St., Edgewise Eight now occupies a 7500 square foot structure sitting two blocks away from the Weatherford Town Square.

Within the building's walls you'll find all the makings of a small-town craft beer destination. In what amounts to an all-in-one, single room setup, seating areas anchor the space, with a small-batch brewhouse and fermenters installed in one corner, and an on-site food trailer residing in another.

Edgewise Eight and The Grove come together to comprise the "Brewpub & Eatery" at 221 N. Main in Weatherford.

In fact, as further evidenced by exterior signage (out of view in the above image), Edgewise Eight bills itself as a "Brewpub & Eatery." Pub grub is provided by The Grove, quite literally by way of a hollowed-out and retrofitted Airstream travel trailer. Daily dining options include starters, sandwiches, street tacos and sausages.

As for the beer, the brewery's portfolio builds off a set of award-winning recipes from homebrew competition entries dating back to 2016. Offerings lean towards stylistic selections, with the menu on the day of my visit featuring a blonde, a brown and a porter, along with an IPA and an Irish red.

A flight through the final four mentioned showed each to be spot-on to style. The IPA was bold, bright and refreshing, with an almost ideal moniker, Fit of Sanity. Reason being, this IPA is to be enjoyed in its simplicity, the beer and its presentation not being bogged down with this coast or that coast care-abouts, or whatever hype-driven hop is currently the name-drop of the day.

My personal favorite, though, was First of His Name. This dark and roasty porter effused elements of chocolate and coffee, while finishing with a hint of black patent malt bitterness. Here again, with no additives other than oats, the beer was yet another straightforward and tasty take on a classic.

The brewpub's spacious seating area is flanked by a production area upfront, and the food trailer in back.

Foundational brews such as these set the stage for further exploits at Edgewise Eight. Beyond the present range of American styles, the brewery has tapped Belgian and German beers as well, while also exploring the sour realm. In addition, a run of fruit beers is set to be crafted to coincide with the annual Parker County peach harvest.

So how best to describe Edgewise Eight as a whole? Let's call it a one-stop shop for good beer and good food, all brought together in a friendly and relaxing downtown setting.

Moreover, it's a great place to go if you're looking to get away from it all, and by that I mean the daily grind of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Sure, Edgewise Eight may be a bit off the beaten path in Weatherford, but the brewery would seem to be worth a visit should you find yourself exploring the far western edge of our North Texas craft beer frontier.

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Historical note: Edgewise Eight is the first modern brewery call Weatherford home. Current research shows at least four brewing operations were established in the town prior to Prohibition, existing at various times between 1867 and 1879.

Deep Ellum now shipping pickle-flavored hard seltzer

Image courtesy of CANarchy/Deep Ellum Brewing Co.

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. of Dallas has announced the release of Blind Pickle Hard Seltzer, "a guaranteed-not-to-suck seltzer crafted for pickle lovers." Blind Pickle the latest in a series of limited-edition flavors being spun-off the brewery's year-round Blind Lemon Hard Seltzer brand.

From a press release:

"Blind Pickle is a light, zesty hard seltzer infused with natural dill pickle flavor. The result is a dillicious, light beverage that pairs well with Texas summer. Crafted in a process similar to Deep Ellum’s other brands, Blind Pickle uses cane sugar instead of the malted barley that appears in a typical beer, making it gluten free, 100 calories, and high in pickle flavor."

Blind Pickle Hard Seltzer is available now throughout Texas in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.