Local Food Businesses in West Texas (6)

Kevin Carr is the founder of Community Beer Company. Opened to the public in January 2013, the brewery’s motto is “Beer for the Greater Good,” and the events at the brewery’s huge 21,000 square feet of space reflect this motto. Their four-point manifesto also reinforces the motto. In summary, it states that “beer is communal” and that the brewery is “passionate about providing quality beer” to the community. As stewards of the community, they “adhere to environmentally sustainable practices” and promise to give back by supporting charitable activities and local artists. Their events lineup always aims to bring people together. The team always tries to make it a hub for the North Texas community. Last August 2019, for example, the brewery held a recruitment drive for bone marrow donors. One reviewer says “Dallas is lucky to have such a fantastic brewery to call its own!”

Voted "Best Local Brewery" by Dallas Observer, Pegasus City Brewery is an Independent, craft brewery located in the Design District of Dallas, Texas. They are using their space in one of downtown Dallas’ oldest buildings to brew limited-production offerings and test out new recipes alongside a bar area that will stay true to the building’s history. Will Cotten is the Brewmaster, and one of the co-founders at Pegasus City Brewery. He began home brewing in 2011, and his passion for making “great-tasting beer for family and friends” led him to pursue a commercial brewery of his very own. Pegasus City’s ambition is to change the drinking scene downtown without changing much about itself. Small but mighty, their taproom is a place to relax, enjoy a cold brew, and be among friends.

Founded in 2010, Peticolas Brewing Company is a family owned, award winning, and independent craft brewery, serving carefully handcrafted beers in Dallas and Fort Worth area. Behind this successful brewery are “honest, friendly, down-to-earth brewers” delivering world class passion in a glass. They have a laid-back, 3-level taproom, offering a rotating list of homemade craft brews. Their most popular beers are “Velvet Hammer imperial red ale, Golden Opportunity kolsch-style ale, and Sit Down Or I'll Sit You Down imperial IPA,” available in four-packs of 16-ounce cans exclusively from its taproom in the Design District. They also offer growlers and crowlers of draft beer to-go. Peticolas Brewing Company also have games for all ages, ping pong, football, board games, TVs, and they welcome people to either bring/order in food or from rotating food trucks.

Steam Theory Brewing Company offers an elevated craft experience with their scratch kitchen, in house artisanal craft beers, full service bar and wine list. This brewpub in Dallas features fresh signature cocktails. Their award winning brew master creates beers that rotate seasonally and compliment their seasonal “Modern American Cuisine.” The decor inside is vintage industrial with a Steam Punk twist. Their pooch friendly patio has a lovely view of the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge in the re-invigorated Trinity Groves/West Dallas area. They have an immersive environment where people can enjoy food and beer that are not only intertwined in themselves, but also with a goal of educating folks on where they came from as an industry as well as where it will take them in the future. They are open 11 am on Mondays.

Texas Ale Project has been brewing beers in Dallas since 2014, but there are some unique twists to their story. For one, they recently launched their first hard seltzer beverage, TAP WTR hard seltzers. This line is an “alternative offering for those who are gluten-intolerant” and want a “lower calorie alcoholic beverage”. They’re also the first brewery and taproom “built from the ground up” since the 1800s. The brewery is a veteran-owned family affair. Navy veteran Brent Thompson is Head Brewer, and wife Kat is CEO. Kat’s father, David Stevens, an entrepreneur and also a veteran, heads sales and business development. Kat’s mom Shelley, an interior designer, led the design team for the brewery’s construction. The company’s facilities at the Design District are family and dog friendly. They have free brewery tours every first Saturday of the month at 2pm.

The Manhattan Project Beer Company’s name is a nod to the scientific way the brewery’s founders create their beers. Of course, the brewery’s name also makes for cool beer names. Consider Particles Collide (a Hazy IPA), Atomic Alliance (a piña colada IPA), and their infamous Bikini Atoll (a Gose). The most fascinating thing about The Manhattan Project Beer Company besides their delicious beers, however, is how the founders upended everyone’s business plan. The founders essentially proved that one didn’t need a taproom or own a brewery to succeed in the brewery business. Their story started with a brew created for a wedding, which led to a win at a homebrewing competition, and finally culminated in their “renting brewing space like a room on Airbnb”. Since those early days in 2016, founders Misty Sanford, Karl Sanford, and Jeremy Brodt have enjoyed a cult-like following. They’re expecting to open their taproom in late 2019.