Voodoo Brewing brings Pennsylvania pours to Grand Prairie

Tranquil Breezes, a West Coast-style pale ale, is one of over 20 beers on tap at Voodoo Grand Prairie (all photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D).

Voodoo Brewing Co. of Pennsylvania announced its intent to enter the North Texas market a mere two months ago, which makes you wonder if they've got some kind of mystical magic at work, considering the brewery's first satellite taproom is already open at 1015 Ikea Pl. in Grand Prairie.

Plans for Voodoo Grand Prairie were first revealed here in late March. Since then, it's been reported that additional Voodoo locations may follow, with the cities of Fort Worth, Plano, Prosper and beyond on the company's radar.

As for Voodoo's debut in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the Grand Prairie locale is independently owned and operated by local franchisee, Roland Rios. He's overseeing a spot occupying just under 4,000 square feet in a retail development across the street from the city's Ikea furniture store.

Inside, patrons looking to take a shopping break, or perhaps seeking to soothe the stress of an afternoon assembling modular furniture, can expect to be met with a rather comprehensive menu of consumables.

Left: Chicky Chicky Bang Bang, a tikka masala fried chicken sandwich, is one of several "handies" served on a craft beer bun.
Right: A variety of Voodoo beers are available to go in cans. Select barrel-aged bombers are on sale as well.

On the food side, options begin with appetizers, burgers, pizza, wings, salads and sandwiches (or "handies"). Then there are a number of items featuring beer infusions, whether it be the beer cheese mac, beer cheese queso, beer mussels, or one of the aforementioned sandwiches served on a craft beer bun.

And speaking of beer, Voodoo brought its full portfolio to bear when stocking the Grand Prairie taproom. Twenty-four taps pour beer shipped from the company's production facility in Pennsylvania. Among the options are German styles (Berliner weisse, kölsch), Belgian classics (tripel, witbier), pale ales, IPAs, a "robust" brown ale, stouts, standard lagers and more.

More, incidentally, covers two barrel-aged beers on tap, an imperial stout called Where Our Secrets Go and a tripel named Voodoo Love Child. Both are sold in 22-ounce bombers as well, anchoring an extensive to-go selection featuring ten or more Voodoo varieties in cans.

Beyond all that, hard seltzers, hand-crafted cocktails and wine round out the boozy beverage offerings, with sodas, juices and root beer on hand as non-alcoholic alternatives. You can even buy a complimentary round of drinks for the kitchen, if you're so inclined.

Voodoo Grand Prairie is open seven days a week, with operating hours beginning at 11 a.m.

A look at 2022 North Texas production numbers

Click image to enlarge.

Presented is an updated chart showing a breakdown of brewery sizes in North Texas based on production data reported to the Brewers Association and published in the May/June 2023 issue of The New Brewer.

Note that not all brewing companies provide their numbers, while others report numbers combining multiple locations. As a result, the number of brewing companies represented in the data is not equal to the total number of breweries open and operating at any given time.

Inside the numbers:

The large-size brewery tier in North Texas, based on production (shown alphabetically):

• Community Beer Co. of Dallas.
• Deep Ellum Brewing Co. of Dallas.
• Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth.
• Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. of Fort Worth.
• Revolver Brewing of Granbury.
• Tupps Brewery of McKinney.

Tier movement

• Two breweries advanced from the "very small" to the "small" production tier in 2022 - False Idol Brewing of North Richland Hills and Siren Rock Brewing Co. of Rockwall. One brewery dropped from the large to mid-size production tier - Four Corners Brewing Co. of Dallas.

Year-to-year production change - overall (based on those reporting numbers in 2021 and 2022).

• Overall production in North Texas was down roughly 7% in 2022.
• Comparison: Overall industry production growth was flat nationally, according to the Brewers Association.

Year-to-year production change - by tier (based on those reporting numbers in 2021 and 2022).

• Large (> 10,000 bbl): -13%.
• Mid-size (5000-10,000 bbl): 0%
• Small (1000-5000 bbl): -6%.
• Very Small (< 1000 bbl): +21%.
  
• Comparison: While individual percentages for local tiers are inflated, the general trend of larger breweries making less beer, and smaller breweries making more beer, falls in line with results shared during the Brewers Association's "2023 State of the Industry" presentation.

Largest year-to-year production gain (based on those reporting numbers in 2021 and 2022).

• Manhattan Project Beer Co. of Dallas had the largest reported gain in raw barrels produced locally for 2022.

Boozie's closing restaurants, consolidating ops in southern Tarrant County

Image credit: Boozie's Brewery.

Despite just recently opening locations on opposite ends of the Metroplex, Boozie's Brewery will close brewpubs in Fairview and Fort Worth, with plans to consolidate operations at a new location in southern Tarrant County.

Boozie's established a presence earlier this year after taking over two brewpubs formerly owned by Wild Acre Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. Following a sale of Wild Acre's assets to Bishop Cider of Dallas in May 2021, the brewpubs transitioned to a separate ownership group led by developer Bruce Conti. At the time, the team behind Boozie's also included Chef David Hollister and award-winning brewer Bobby Mullins.

The company's future home will be at 685 John B. Sias Memorial Parkway in Edgecliff Village. Already under construction, this spot was originally intended to be a production-only location feeding the Fort Worth brewpub, but now it will house a brewery, taproom, and outdoor music venue. Mullins, by the way, will continue to oversee production going forward.

As for closing dates, Boozie's Brewery & TX Fare will offer its final service in Fairview on Friday, May 19, with Boozie's Brewery & Gourmet Sandwiches to shutter in Fort Worth on Sunday, May 21.

Update (6/14/2023): According to a story in Fort Worth Magazine, Boozie's Brewery in Edgecliff Village will not move forward due to ownership holding interests in violation of the state's implementation of the three-tier system.

Railport taps community input for new TxIPA

Image credit: Railport Brewing Co.

Railport Brewing Co. of Waxahachie recently took a crowdsourcing approach in creating a new house beer especially for Union 28, a bar & grill/live music venue in Midlothian.

For this project, Railport held a series of tasting events at Union 28. Patrons were asked to try a number of different beers, picking their favorites from among the sample groups. This helped the brewery zero in the general preferences of Union 28 customers, according to Railport's head brewer, Jacoby Womack.

"It was about establishing a consistency as far as what the patrons are drinking [at Union 28]," says Womack, " which is a drinkable light beer with flavor, but also with a mouthfeel similar to what they drink regularly."

The problem with most light beers, of course, is how the bland and generic nature leaves you wanting more. So, with that in mind, Railport worked to develop a craft ale that drinks like a macro light lager.

Introduced as the brewery's TxIPA, the beer features a mix of Citra and Galena hops. Think session IPA, but even lighter, with a hop-forward presentation and less malt character than an American-style pale ale. 

"It's light, it's clear, and it has the perfect amount of bitterness for people to drink it and say it has flavor, but drinks like a Miller Lite or Bud Light!" says Womack.

And, as the graphic says, you're invited to "Come and Drink It!", whether that be at Union 28 or the Railport taproom, where TxIPA is on tap and available now.