Pizza Americana in Richardson adding on-site brewery

Image credit: Pizza Americana.

A neighborhood pizzeria in Richardson will soon be adding its name to the roster of North Texas brewpubs.

Pizza Americana originally opened its doors at 800 W. Arapaho Blvd. in February 2019. Now, just over two years later, the restaurant is installing equipment for the creation of house beers to supplement its menu of fresh-made salads, pastas and brick-oven pizzas.

Michael Wilson will oversee brewing operations for Pizza Americana by way of Nano Brewing, LLC., a Dallas-based service company that specializes in adding the brewery experience to existing restaurants. The firm, which Wilson co-founded with Jeff Batson, handles all aspects of the brewing process, from installation of the equipment, to recipe design, to production.

"We manufacture our own proprietary brewery solution in our client's space and manage all brewing operations for them," says Wilson. "It's a completely new concept in brewpub design and we are thrilled to bring it to Richardson first."

At Pizza Americana, an ever-changing lineup of house beers will be tapped alongside upwards of 30 guest beers from local, national and international breweries.

"We will have a handful of [house] beers on tap at a time," says Wilson. "We focus on specialty beers and rotate them frequently. Some beers we are tapping first will be a Summer Ale, Tangerine IPA, Hazy IPA, and a Fireball Stout that is bourbon barrel-aged and infused with Atomic Fireball Candy."

Naturally, house beers will be available to enjoy on-premise, but visitors will also be able to visit Pizza Americana's drive-thru, where they can get all their beer and food to-go.

Look for Pizza Americana to tap its inaugural house beers on or about July 1. 

Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery now open in Farmers Branch

Cedar Creek Brewhouse and Eatery is a joint venture between Cedar Creek Brewery of Seven Points (Founder: Jim Elliott)
and Chef Engineered of Dallas (Partners: Jeff Dietzman, Ned Steel and Lance Bodwell). All images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

It's been more than two and a half years since Cedar Creek Brewery of Seven Points announced plans to join forces with the owners of LUCK (formerly of Trinity Groves) for a second location in Farmers Branch. Patience and persistence have finally paid off, as Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery is now open at The Shops at Mustang Station.

Set up on the southeast corner of Bee St. and Valley View Ln., Cedar Creek Mustang Station occupies a two-story structure with an open and expansive feel. The latter is enhanced by high ceilings and a wealth of windows letting the light shine in. Amenities also include indoor and outdoor seating options on both levels, with the second-floor balcony being an especially inviting space for those looking to enjoy an "elevated" brewpub experience.

Amenities at Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery include 30 beers on
tap behind the bar downstairs, and balcony seating options upstairs.

Surveying the "Eatery" aspect, Cedar Creek Mustang Station currently offers a menu of soups, salads and sharables, along with "Hands On" entrees (burgers, sandwiches) and "Build Your Own" pizzas. Selections are limited while the restaurant gets its routines down, but LUCK fans should take heart as familiar favorites like Bierocks and the Signature Pastrami Sandwich are planned as future additions.

In terms of beverages, Cedar Creek Mustang Station has a full bar to go along with barley and hop-based selections emerging from the "Brewhouse." Beers pour from 30 taps located behind the bar, most of which are Cedar Creek originals, though a handful of guest brews are available. Plus, Cedar Creek has its own hard seltzer, with blueberry and margarita flavors being served at present.

Indoor seating on the second level overlooks the brewhouse below (the domain of head
brewer Aaron Eudaly), while the brewery's mascot, Freddie, watches over patrons at the bar.

The brewery in Seven Points is sourcing the majority of the beers on tap, including a full range of popular Dankosaurus IPA variants. Small-batch offerings brewed in-house will fill slots on the tap wall as they are produced. The first of these tapped this past weekend in the form of Pretty Floral Bonnet, a pale ale brewed with grapefruit, ginger and lavender.

As for when to go, Cedar Creek Mustang Station is operating on a soft basis with reduced hours as it works to achieve optimal staffing levels. The restaurant hopes to expand service in the coming weeks, but for now it's open Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Friday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight.

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.