Local Craft Breweries near Van Alstyne, TX (5)

The Sasquatch Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout is one of 903 Brewers’ award-winning beer, and its biggest triumph so far. It won the silver in the 2015 Great American Beer Festival in the aged beer category. The brewery is owned by husband and wife team Jeremy and Natalie Roberts, and they opened the brewery’s door to the public in 2013. Their first hits, The Chosen One Coconut Ale and Roo’s Red Ale continue to be bestsellers. The taproom at Sherman serves both the mainstays as well as seasonal and special release brews. It also serves food courtesy of the Grilled Cheese Company & Pies, a company owned by Jeremy’s parents. Here’s how good their beers are from a reviewer: “I never thought I would be one of those people… who will drive for a great beer…[even if it’s] about 45 minutes outside of Dallas.” The brewery hosts trivia nights movie nights, too, so go catch a Sasquatch!

Founded by Brewmaster Dennis Wehrmann, Franconia Brewing Co. is a company in McKinney that started operations in 2008. Dennis comes from a long family line of brewmasters. He traces his family’s involvement in beer to a great great grandfather. Grandfather Schaubert owned and operated a brewery in Germany in the 1800s. Dennis also got his start in traditional German brewing practices in Germany until his move to the U.S. in 1999. Under his guidance, Franconia strictly follows the Reinheitsgebot or German Purity Law. They only stray from tradition for special releases. The brewery is also equally known for their “green” brewing practices. The brewery’s eco-friendly facilities include an on-site mini-power plant that works on renewable fuels such as solar and natural gas. 100% of the plant's power requirement comes from these renewable sources. They use 100% natural ingredients and also donate spent mash for conversion to cattle feed by local farmers.

The “Tupps” in TUPPS Brewery is Tupper Patnode, its co-founder, head brewer, and half of a two-man partnership. Its other half is co-founder Keith Lewis, a sales and marketing guy. Together, they blend art and science, and sprinkle in some business savvy to run a successful brewery. They start with great beer, which accounts for the artistic side, and use the senses to create, validate, and refine the beers. The scientific side comes in “to ensure quality and consistency in the brewing process”. A brewery is a business, however, and needs business smarts. For TUPPS, that means using management tools to streamline operations or taking in an excellent distribution partner. It seems Keith and Tupper perfected beer brewing. They opened in 2015, and a year later, production grew by 400 percent in total volume. Visit TUPPS at McKinney’s historic Cotton Mill complex and see for yourself. They have free tours every Saturday at 12:30pm.

Opened in 1998 as a pub, the Cellarman’s Pub & Brewery started out serving just five craft beers and a relatively small menu. With its license approved in 2016, the 100-seat pub planned to expand to 200-seats and to establish its own brewery on-site. In February 2018, the new Cellarman’s opened and guests got a view of the brewery’s equipment at the back of the pub. The brewpub also built its own grain silo on the premises. The brewpub has since built its offerings to about a dozen craft beers produced by the brewpub's own brewery. They also offer draughts from other breweries, and 100 local and imported bottled beers. The large menu now includes their own gourmet pizzas coming from their wood-fired stone oven, burgers, oysters, and more. The bar also has over 200 spirits, a selection of wines, and house specialty mixed drinks.

Gabe Parker bought the building where Ivanhoe Ale Works stands for $10 -- a gut job that Gabe’s wife thought could never be repaired. Meanwhile, Homestead Winery, stood just next door. Also owned by Gabe, the winery started operations in 1989 making it the oldest continually operating winery located in the Red River Valley of North Texas. To start Ivanhoe Ale Works, Gabe partnered with brewmaster Johnny Wells. Opened in May 2015, they subsequently restored to the old building to its art deco roots. Gabe’s unique vision allows wine and beer drinkers to come together in one taproom – Texas’ first brew-winery! The brewery’s lineup of beers includes their Ivanhoe IPA. In an interview, Gabe says he got started with the winery after his wife gave him a wine making kit. A few years before establishing the brewery, she gave him a home brewing kit. These days, he wonders what’s next.