Rollertown breaks ground on new Frisco HQ

Logo courtesy of Rollertown Beerworks. Insets © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D (click to enlarge).

Officially kicking off a project first announced in November 2022, Rollertown Beerworks of Celina broke ground today on what will become the company's new headquarters in Downtown Frisco.

The principals at Rollertown include Jonathan Rogers, co-founder and CEO, along with Ben Rogers and Jeff "Skin" Wade, co-founders and hosts of The Ben & Skin Show on 97.1 The Freak. They were joined at the event by Frisco city leaders and a list of sports and entertainment celebrities who also happen to be Rollertown investors:

Dirk Nowitzki, formerly of the Dallas Mavericks.
Travis Frederick, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys.
Torii Hunter, formerly of the Minnesota Twins.
Matt Kemp, formerly of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Dude Perfect, Frisco-based Sports and Comedy Group.

As for Rollertown's future home, it will be built on 2.9-acre tract at the northeast corner of Main St. and John Elliot Parkway. Buildings will be designed with an industrial look meant to play off their proximity to the BNSF railroad, while also paying homage to mills that once occupied the land.

Exterior views of the brewhouse, taproom and event lawn (Rollertown Beerworks, City of Frisco, PGAL).

Among the features are over 6,350 square feet of air-conditioned indoor hospitality space, including a two-level taproom with large porches and multiple bars, a 4,320 square foot outdoor beer garden, a 25,200 square foot great lawn connecting Frisco’s historic grain silos to the taproom’s porches (fronted by an 800 square foot performance stage), and a 15,000 square foot production hall featuring three different sized brewhouses (30-bbl, 7-bbl, 1-bbl).

"We are absolutely thrilled to be planting our flag in what is consistently recognized as one of the finest cities in the country," says Jonathan Rogers. "To join the family of companies based in Frisco that includes the Dallas Cowboys, the Dallas Stars, the Frisco Roughriders, the PGA of America, and Keurig Dr Pepper among many others is a true honor.”

Interior views of the two-story taproom (Rollertown Beerworks, City of Frisco, PGAL).

Rollertown Frisco will be equidistant from Toyota Stadium and Frisco’s Historic Downtown. This family and dog-friendly venue is meant to be a cornerstone of Frisco’s Downtown development plans and a beacon of community engagement.

“We’ve been brainstorming for years about how to find the best project for the silo tract to incorporate into our plans to redevelop historic downtown,” says Mayor Jeff Cheney. “We believe Rollertown Beerworks fulfills our vision to bring destination entertainment to the heart of our city. Research shows our residents want live music, brewery experiences, and historic downtown settings – all while being family friendly. Rollertown delivers."

Look for Rollertown Frisco to open in the summer of 2025.

Total solar eclipse brews and views at NTX bars and breweries

Image by kjpargeter on Freepik.

Unless you've been living under a rock of galactic proportions, you know a cosmic event of some significance is coming up on the calendar. A total solar eclipse is set to occur on Monday, April 8, with much of North Texas positioned in the path of totality.

Naturally, watch parties will be taking place at breweries and other craft beer-centric locales across the region. Most, but not all, events will have solar glasses on hand for attendees (quantities may be limited), while some will even be serving up special beers to mark the occasion. And, judging by a beer name appearing more than once, a certain song by Soundgarden is sure to be spinning at solar soirees around town.

In addition, those raising a "Toast to Totality" can pick up commemorative merchandise from the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. Click here to view exclusive items designed by DeuxSouth Creative of San Antonio.

As for all the happenings going down in D-FW, check the listings and links below for details. Note, tickets are required for some events.

The brews:

• Black Hole Sun Blackberry Berliner Weisse - 3 Nations Brewing Co.
• Black Hole Sun Black Lager - 903 Brewers (available now).
• Black Hole Sun Black Pilsner - Three Empires Brewing Co.
• Brownie Totality Coffee Milk Stout - On Rotation (releases April 6).
• Darker Shade of Ellum - Westlake Brewing Co.
• Day Ruiner Barrel-Aged Blonde Barleywine - Martin House Brewing Co. (releases April 5).
• In the Path of Totality Hazy IPA with Eclipse Hops - Celestial Beerworks.
• Maximum Totality Cascadian Dark Ale - Autonomous Society Brewpub (releases April 5).
• Moon Pie Full Grown Man - Tupps Brewery.
• Path of Totality Stout Aged on Hazelnut, Coconut and Vanilla - 903 Brewers (available now).
• Sunburst Wheat - Lakewood Brewing Co. (available now).
• Total Eclipse of the Hops IPA - Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery.
• Totality Black IPA - Railport Brewing Co. & Southern Roots Brewing Co.
• Umbral Shadow Golden Stout with Pistachios, Marshmallows, Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla - Keyworth Brewing Co. (releases April 5).
• Umbraphile Golden Stout with Coffee, Vanilla and Chocolate - Division Brewing (available now).
• Yellow Haze of the Sun Hazy Pale Ale - Odd Muse Brewing Co.

The views:

• Day Drinkin' in the Dark at The Bearded Monk of Denton.
• Eclipse at the Wolf Den at False Iddol Brewing of North Richland Hills.
• Eclipse Micro Rave at Rickhouse Brewing of Mineral Wells.
• Eclipse Party at Four Bullets Brewery of Richardson.
• Eclipse Watch Party at Cedar Creek Brewery of Seven Points.
• Eclipse Watch Party at Southern Roots Brewing Co. of Waxahachie.
• Get Mooned at Vector Brewing of Dallas.
• Great North American Eclipse Watch Party at Rollertown Beerworks of Celina.
• Solar Eclipse Day at Oak Highlands Brewery of Dallas.
• Solar Eclipse Party at Martin House Brewing Co. of Fort Worth.
• Solar Eclipse Party at Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. of Fort Worth.
• Solar Eclipse Party at Second Rodeo Brewing of Fort Worth.
• Solar Eclipse Viewing Party at Glen Echo Brewing of Wylie.
• Solar Eclipse Viewing Party at Oak St. Drafthouse/East Side Denton.
• Solar Eclipse Viewing Party at Texas Ale Project of Dallas.
• Solar Eclipse Viewing Party/Black Hole Sun Release at Three Empires Brewing of Frisco.
• Solar Eclipse Watch Party at Flying Saucer Fort Worth.
• Solar Eclipse Watch Party at Guitars & Growlers Flower Mound/McKinney/Richardson.
• Solar Eclipse Watch Party at Pegasus City Brewery of Dallas.
• Solar Eclipse Watch Party at Siren Rock Brewing Co. of Rockwall.
• Solar Eclipse Watch Party at The Ginger Man of Irving.
• Solar Eclipse Watch Party at Turning Point Beer of Bedford.
• Staring at the Sun Eclipse Garden Party at Meddlesome Moth of Dallas.
• Total Eclipse at Flying Saucer Cypress Waters in Dallas.
• Total Eclipse at Tupps Brewery of McKinney.
• Total Eclipse of the Heart at Hop & Sting Brewing Co. of Grapevine.
• Total Eclipse of the Hop at HopFusion Ale Works of Fort Worth.
• Total Eclipse of the Sauce at Flying Saucer on the Lake in Garland.
• Total Eclipse of the Sun Watch Party at Odd Muse Brewing Co. of Farmers Branch.
• Total Eclipse Party at Celestial Beerworks of Dallas.
• Total Eclipse Party at Manhattan Project Beer Co. of Dallas.
• Total Eclipse Viewing Party at 903 Brewers of Sherman.
• Total Eclipse Viewing Party at Community Beer Co. of Dallas.
• Total Eclipse Watch Party at Railport Brewing Co. of Waxahachie.
• Total Solar Eclipse Watch Party at 3 Nations Brewing Co. of Anna/Carrollton.
• Total Solar Eclipse Watch Party at Armor Brewing Co. of Allen.
• Totality Awesome Eclipse Watch Party at On Rotation of Dallas.
• Umbraphiles Unite Total Eclipse Celebration at Division Brewing of Arlington.
• View the Eclipse at Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland.

Maple Branch, Flix Mansfield among winners at 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards

Image credits: Best of Craft Beer Awards, Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Flix Brewhouse.

This past weekend, the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards competition was held in Redmond, Oregon, with two Tarrant County breweries landing among the winners.

Now in its tenth year, the Best of Craft Beer Awards has grown to be the third largest professional brewing competition in North America. At this year's event, more than 1850 submissions were received for evaluation against style guidelines covering 55 categories and subcategories.

From the entry pool, judges awarded 169 medals to 123 breweries located worldwide. On the North Texas medalists, Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth previously won a Best of Craft Beer award in 2022, while Flix Brewhouse Mansfield appears on the honoree list for the first time.

Local winners and their beers are highlighted below. For more on the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards, click here for a full competition summary.

Flix Brewhouse, Mansfield

• Luna Rosa, Bronze in the Fruit & Field Beers category.

Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Fort Worth

• Monkey Business, Gold in the German Wheat Beers category.
• Lion's Den, Silver in the Bocks category.
  

Cheers and congratulations to Maple Branch and Flix Mansfield!

Neutral Ground closing brewery in Fort Worth

Image credit: Neutral Ground Brewing Co.

Neutral Ground Brewing Co. has announced it will close its brewery in Fort Worth.

Owners Sean Doublet and Stan Hudson got inspiration for the brewery's name from a historical reference to the disputed border between Texas and Louisiana after the Louisiana Purchase. The "neutral ground" was a hostility-free zone set aside to allow for safe trade until the matter was resolved.

Their choice also made for a symbolic fit, since Doublet and Hudson came together to open the brewery after having been born on opposite sides the border themselves.

Taking further influence from Texas' neighboring state, Neutral Ground's flagship beer recalled the Christian feast day of Epiphany, which in Louisiana marks the beginning of Carnival season. This is the time King Cakes are made, so Epiphany was brewed with cinnamon and nutmeg to create a King Cake-inspired ale.

Reasons for the closure have not been revealed, but Neutral Ground will celebrate its third anniversary on Saturday, March 23, before shutting down operations after the close of business on Friday, March 29.