Keyworth Brewing Co. now open in North Richland Hills

All photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

By all accounts, the road to opening the area's newest brewery has been a long one. The name Keyworth Brewing Co. first popped up during the pandemic, with the build-out originally beginning sometime in late 2020. All's well that ends well, though, as the company finally reached the finish line and is now pouring beer in North Richland Hills.

A family-owned enterprise sporting an eponymous moniker, I counted at least two Keyworth couples working the crowd on opening day - Josh and Michelle Keyworth, along with Kevin and Angela Keyworth. Together they welcomed a steady stream of thirsty beer drinkers anxious to experience all the new business has to offer.

Keyworth's locale, by the way, occupies a 2,500 square foot spot at 6428 Davis Blvd., this being part of a retail development called The Railyard in North Richland Hills. The structure itself is raised, with patrons primarily accessing the brewery by way of a stairwell leading up from a parking lot down below.

The production space - equipped with hardware from Stout Tanks & Kettles - fronts the primary taproom seating area at Keyworth Brewing Co.

Once through the doors, visitors are met with an open and inviting space designed around the production area acting as a centerpiece. Amenities include typical seating options (barstools, table tops) and a family-friendly lounge (complete with a selection of board games) on the inside, with a small patio supplementing the public area outside. Wide-screen televisions are tacked to the wall as well, for those desiring a bit of visual distraction during their visit.

Shifting gears to the beer, Keyworth offered up a starting slate of nine house recipes (tapwall capacity is 12 handles). In addition to straightforward selections like a kölsch, helles bock and a farmhouse ale, the lineup featured a pair of fruited sours, two IPAs and a chocolate-peanut butter stout. There was also an interesting pecan amber ale called Scrat's Stash, this beer presenting with a sort of candied caramel pecan character.

As for other menu items, guest wines and cider are available for those preferring a different indulgence, while sodas are stocked in the fridge as a non-alcoholic alternative. Food-wise, snack chips are sold in the taproom, or you can order in from the neighboring Back Forty Smokehouse.

It's also worth mentioning Keyworth is the third brewery to set up shop in the city, joining Brutal Beerworks and False Idol Brewing. The trio exists within a three-mile stretch, which creates a convenient day-trip for craft beer seekers making a trek to the Mid-Cities.

On that note, look for Keyworth Brewing Co. to operate on weekends initially, with doors opening at noon on Saturday and Sunday. The brewery plans to expand its hours to select weekdays sometime later in September.

Locals joining Kokua Project in support of Maui relief efforts

Image credit: Maui Brewing Co.

Maui Brewing Co. of Hawaii recently organized the Kokua Project, an industry-wide collaborative effort described as  "one beer, brewed by many, to support our Maui 'Ohana who have been affected" by the devastation of the Maui wildfires.

A partnership with the Global Empowerment Mission, the Kokua Project follows similar past initiatives in that it offers both professional and homebrewers access to a shared beer recipe. By choosing to brew and release the beer, participants then agree to donate 100% of the proceeds to ongoing relief efforts.

Brewers willing to join the cause can visit the project website at https://mauibrewingco.com/kokua/, where they'll find a pledge form, marketing materials and a base recipe for Kōkua - "Maui Strong" Session IPA.

So far, over 500 breweries have signed up for the project, with more than 35 of those hailing from the Lone Star State. Among them are the following brewers from North Texas:

• Bankhead Brewing Co., Rowlett/Fort Worth
• Beer Geeks, Fate
• Celestial Beerworks, Dallas
• Dr. Jeckyll's Beer Lab, Pantego
• False Idol Brewing, North Richland Hills
• Keyworth Brewing Co., North Richland Hills
• Lakewood Brewing Co., Garland
• On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen, Dallas
• Revolver Brewing, Granbury
• Siren Rock Brewing Co., Rockwall
• Three Wide Brewing, Fort Worth
• Union Bear Brewing Co., Plano
• Vector Brewing, Dallas
• Westlake Brewing Co., Dallas

Anvil Brewing is forging new relationships in Royse City

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

In May, Anvil Brewing of Pittsburg expanded beyond its original East Texas home with the soft debut of new location in Royse City. A grand opening followed on July 4th, the celebration officially establishing the business as a new resident of the North Texas beer scene.

Owned by Byron and Kristin Aldredge, Anvil Brewing began operations in Pittsburg during the fall of 2017. They contacted Royse City to express interest in starting a project after another brewing company decided not to move forward with plans for a space at 232 E. Main St. in the city's downtown district.

The building in question formerly housed the Royse City Fire Department. Built in 1982, the structure contains roughly 4500 square feet. Naturally, given the history, it's fitted with a set of three roll-top garage doors, which presumably can be raised to let a little bit of the outside in. Though, when it's not a hundred and infinity degrees out, patrons may also wish to take advantage of patio space created along the front elevation.

As for what to expect at Anvil Brewing "No. 2" (as it's billed on social media), the place is the epitome of a local bar and grill. The primary public area upfront contains ample seating for dining customers, while a separate spot in the back takes the form of a neighborhood pub, this complete with dark wood furnishings (featuring a penny-topped bar), high-top tables, billiard games and a wide-screen television.

Offerings-wise, Anvil's food menu is rather expansive, with appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and fry baskets served throughout the day, and steak and salmon "Dinner Selections" available after 5 p.m.

For beverages, there's beer, wine, a full bar and a variety of non-alcoholic options. House beers, of course, are the headliner, sharing space with guest drafts on a 20-handle tapwall. Anvil recipes pouring on a recent visit included a chocolate stout, a German brown ale, a traditional (non-hazy) IPA and a Japanese rice lager. Another, a Mexican pale lager, had just kicked according to the beertender.

On that note, a small pilot system is visible on-site, but Anvil's production batches are brewed in Pittsburg and trucked into Royse City. Any local brewing is limited to test runs or small volumes needed to create condiments like Anvil's beer cheese and beer mustard.

In that sense, Anvil Brewing No. 2 is essentially a satellite taproom helping the company extend its reach to new customers. The restaurant side of things is more or less a must-have in the current market environment, but all the better in order to create an entertainment destination for craft beer fans in Royse City and beyond.

Anvil Brewing No. 2 is open five days a week, with operating hours from Wednesday thru Sunday.

Oak Highlands adds to win totals at 2023 USBTC Summer Competition

Image credit: Oak Highlands Brewery.

The United States Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC) has announced the winners from its 29th Annual Summer Competition.

Overall, a total 165 breweries submitted 696 beers to the event, with entries broken down into 18 different style categories. As always, judges identified Regional Champions first (North Texas breweries compete in the Rockies/Southwest region), then pitted the best beers from each region against each other to determine a Grand Champion.

As for local results, Oak Highlands Brewery of Dallas once again found itself among the winners, continuing a run of USBTC placements dating back to 2016 (the brewery opened in July 2015). In fact, Oak Highlands has now been recognized well over 30 times over the course of its history at the USBTC. Not only that, one beer from this year's group, Golden Mustache, is now a four-time Regional Champion.

For more on the 2023 USBTC summer event, click here for a full competition summary.

Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas

• Allgood - Regional Champion in the Golden Ale/Kölsch category.
• Chump Change - Regional Champion in the Belgian/French Specialty category.
• Golden Mustache - Regional Champion in the Dortmunder/Helles category.
• Guavagood - Regional Champion in the Fruit Beer category.
• Shandy - Regional Champion in the Radler/Shandy category.

Cheers and congratulations to Oak Highlands!