New brewery looks to leave its footprint in Glen Rose

Texas Honey Blonde one of 10 beers on tap at Glen Rose Brewing Co. (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

If you find yourself making tracks in the far southwestern region of North Texas, there's a new craft beer destination for your consideration, now that Glen Rose Brewing Co. is open and operating in the city known as the "Dinosaur Capital of Texas." It's the first brewery for Glen Rose and the surrounding county of Somervell.

David Dulcie founded the company, which debuted in early July at 302 Lake View St. on a site that sits just over a mile northeast of Glen Rose's historic downtown district. There, the brewery shares an outdoor public area with a neighboring restaurant called 3B Beers, Brats & Burgers. It's a convenient co-existence, since hungry patrons can order one of the shop's build-your-own burger, bratwurst or grilled chicken baskets at the bar inside the taproom.

On that note, Glen Rose operates within a smaller structure, with the taproom and production space each taking up about half of the available square footage. A two-barrel brewing system sets up in the back, with small-batch fermenters lining the walkway along one side of the building.

From those tanks, finished recipes pour from 10 taps, with most product names calling attention to city's topography and dinosaur heritage. Among those are Brazos Brown Ale and Paluxy Pecan Porter (the Paluxy River is a tributary of the Brazos River), along with Raptor Weizen, TriceraHops Hazy IPA and Fossil Fuel Oatmeal Stout.

Of those sampled, the pecan porter (brewed with 20 pounds of locally roasted nuts) was the favorite, though the brewery's Texas Honey Blonde seemed a popular choice as well. With an ABV of 7.1%, the blonde boasts more strength than is typical for the style, the result of a happy mistake when more honey than intended was added during development, according to the beertender.

Other styles on the board included a helles lager, light lager and a bock. And for the non-beer drinkers, Glen Rose offers Big Rocks Hard Seltzer, which can be enjoyed as-is or customized with one of various flavored syrup options.

As for other amenities, the inside has barstool and community seating, along with a handful of widescreen televisions. Then outside, there are cornhole setups, Adirondack chairs and picnic tables for those wishing for a bit more elbow room. There's also a merch stand with swag featuring the brewery's hop logo centered by a three-toed dinosaur footprint, and if you bring your own growler, they'll fill it with your choice of beer to take home.

Glen Rose Brewing Co. opens for business five days a week, with hours beginning at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and at noon from Thursday-Sunday.

A visit to the new Bosque River Taphouse in Stephenville

A flight of beers paired with the Hothead Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sando
at Bosque River Taphouse (Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

This weekend, time was spent catching up on new facilities setting up somewhat outside the orbit of the immediate Dallas-Fort Worth area. One of these, Bosque River Taphouse of Stephenville, originally opened in a temporary space in late 2023. The company has since upgraded to an expansive new spot at 320 S. Harbin Dr., just south of the campus of Tarleton State University.

Sean and Amanda Mosher form the duo behind the family-owned business, which completed the move to its new locale in May. The couple now operates the brewery and taproom in a 15,000 square foot building fronted by roughly 7,000 square feet of outdoor space and a sizable dedicated parking lot. 

On the inside, available area is divvied up between larger and smaller dining sections, the kitchen and the brewhouse, with the main dining room surrounded by more than a dozen wide-screen televisions. Then outside, more seating options occupy both covered and open-air patios, the latter finished with artificial turf and outfitted with ping-pong tables and a fire pit.

So, what about the consumables? Well, Bosque River's food menu features a full range of starters, sandwiches, burgers, flatbread pizzas and "Fried Faves" - like chicken fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and fried catfish. They also have "STX Style" southwestern specialties (tacos, nachos, quesadillas), "Heart Healthy" salads and a kids menu.

For beverages, in addition to wine, cocktails and a full bar, 16 taps pour house beers and a handful of guest offerings. Bosque River recipes include Top Goat Texas Bock (maybe their best beer), Don't Feed This to Your Cows Wheat Ale, Sunfisher IPA (the brewery's Citra-infused flagship) and States Up Texas Lager - the official lager of Tarleton State Athletics. Also rotating in are sour ales, blondes, a hefeweizen, Kölsch, light lager, seltzers and more.

As for the vibe, Bosque River Taphouse was built to be a family-friendly destination for all, with the goal of bringing people together while being an active part of the community, as opposed to just another place to eat. Of course, given the proximity to Tarleton State, university students are bound to become part of the brewery fam as well. Either way, Bosque River would seem to be an ideal hangout for Stephenville locals, whether they're looking to grab a beer and a bite while catching the game, or simply catching a break from their studies.

Bosque River Taphouse serves patrons six days a week, with hours beginning at 11 a.m. from Tuesday-Saturday, and 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Lakewood now serving up brews and bites all day long

Bacon Me Crazy, the Flatbread of the Month at the Lakewood Kitchen (Image: Cassie Henderson).

Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland looks to become a regular lunch destination for its patrons, as the company has expanded its hours to allow more time to enjoy the Lakewood Kitchen's lineup of "not your typical pub fare," which includes shareables, salads, sandwiches, flatbread pizzas and desserts.

The brewery first opened its on-site kitchen in the fall of 2022, but lunch service was originally only offered later in the week and on weekends. Now, taproom visitors can order a midday meal seven days a week, with hours beginning at 11 a.m.

“Our kitchen team has been knocking it out of the park, and we wanted more people to experience that,” says Wim Bens, founder and president of Lakewood. “Lunch gives us another opportunity to surprise guests with what brewery food can be.”

As for the menu, one highlight is the brewery's rotating "Flatbread of the Month." This month's selection, created by line cook Juan Fleming, is appropriately named Bacon Me Crazy. It features a crispy crust and an alfredo-sauced base layered with mozzarella, bacon, spinach, marinated cherry tomatoes and a Temptress balsamic drizzle.

On that note, several other dishes also incorporate flavors from the brewery's range of beers - Lakewood Lager enriches the jalapeño queso, the Bavarian Pretzel is served with Temptress-infused mustard, and the Prosciutto Flatbread is finished with a Temptress reduction.

For more details on the everyday food offerings at Lakewood, check out the full menu posted on the brewery's website at https://lakewoodbrewing.com/taproom-food-menu/.

Lake Saucer hosting Burlington beer dinner on New Year's Eve

Image credits: Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, Burlington Beer Co.

Ring in the New Year at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium located on the banks of Lake Ray Hubbard in Garland with an exclusive pairdiné featuring  Burlington Beer Company on Wednesday, December 31 at 7:30pm.

Established in 2014, the Vermont-based brewery is known for creating recipes that bring together a variety of local and international ingredients to infuse unique flavors into classic beer styles. Come New Year's Eve, examples of their work will be expertly paired with a five-course menu during this special dinner experience.

Tickets for the event are $85 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Reservations are required and space is limited. For more information or to secure your spot, call 972-226-0725. 

Amuse Bouche
Hamachi Crudo
(sushi-grade yellowtail, cucumber pico, cilantro)
w/
Mango Whale Cake Fruit Beer (5.5% ABV)

Appetizer
Boudin-Stuffed Peppers
(bacon, bell pepper, Monterey Jack)
w/
Intangible Tides Triple IPA (10% ABV)

Soup
French Onion
(beef broth, baguettes, gruyere)
w/
Barista Single Origin Coffee Porter (7.3% ABV)

Entree
Lamp Lollipop
(sunchoke puree, mint chimichurri)
w/
Oaken Hive Barleywine (11.4% ABV)

Dessert
Apple Crumble with Ice Cream
w/
Seances & Sacrifices Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Maple Stout (11.5% ABV)