Back in 2013, the Texas Legislature decided to stifle local breweries with a provision in SB 639, known as a “sale restriction,” which forced breweries that produce more than 125,000 barrels a year to use a distribution company or self-distribute. Texas has a three-tier system of alcohol distribution left over…
There’s been a lot of attention toward Tarrant County beer this week in the wake of MillerCoors’ move to acquire a majority interest in Granbury’s Revolver Brewing. Whatever your feelings about the macro giant’s incursion into North Texas craft beer, the sale provides a good pretext to look at our…
Regulars love Bodega for its solid wine list, thoughtfully crafted wine flights and cozy atmosphere. Regulars also know the best place to restock your cellar is at Bodega’s monthly wine fair, where their already-reasonable bottle prices are discounted even more. Held the last Saturday of every month, it’s a place…
The cautionary tale of “the girl next door” brings to mind a (seemingly) mild-mannered, cute girl, right? It’s seldom the case … she always has some sort of a crazy streak. The same could be said about Next Door’s Scorched Peach, a playful cocktail made sweet with cinnamon syrup and…
Let’s set some ground rules: A boilermaker is a beer and a shot served together, but only can be called a proper boilermaker if the whiskey shot is dropped into the beer, then chugged. Otherwise, you have yourself a “one-and-one” situation, which is a shot of liquor with a beer…
Back in 2010, Armadillo Ale Works co-founders Yianni Arestis and Bobby Mullins could not have known the journey that the craft brewing world would take them on in the six years that would follow. Having raised about $34,000 in 2011 through a Kickstarter campaign, it looked as though Armadillo would…
The People’s Last Stand offers delightfully mixed options across its copper-top bar, most created by the men (and women) behind the stick. The Winston McCall is crafted by Dena Sweis, their lone female bartender, and it packs a punch. Prepare your palate for some serious spice thanks to the multiple…
Grapevine Brewery announced on Tuesday that the North Texas craft brewery will no longer sell its beers for distribution to Texas wholesalers. The decision means that Grapevine’s beers will only be sold in the brewery’s taproom and beer garden in Grapevine, according to a press release. “This was a hard…
This summer, the phenomenon of frozen wine slushies has reached critical happy hour mass with a drink that’s proven outrageously popular: frozen rosé wine, playfully dubbed the “frosé.” Grape Ranch, a now-defunct company owned by two Dallasites, was way ahead of the frosé trend when they created pouches of frozen…
When news got out yesterday that MillerCoors’ craft division had purchased a majority interest in Granbury brewery Revolver, opinions on social media were varied — and loud. “I think this is great! People do something cool and get paid.” “Good for the owners of Revolver — hope they cashed in…
One of North Texas’ most popular breweries — brewer of Blood & Honey, one of North Texas’ most popular beers — has been acquired by Tenth and Blake Beer Company, the craft and import division of MillerCoors, according to a press release. MillerCoors, like other big beer producers who’ve seen serious…
Puritanical is the typical word applied to people who insist God commands humanity to stay off the sauce. That might surprise actual Puritans, who brewed (and consumed) a lot of beer on Plymouth Rock. All the same, the divide separating Bible studies and beer halls has lingered over our nation’s…
Were you the kid at camp that alway caught his marshmallow on fire and waved it in front of other campers’ faces and then got in trouble? That kind of reckless behavior has no doubt gotten you far in life. Luckily, today being National S’Mores Day and all, the bartenders…
Fromage eez good, yes? Or, said another way that is less patronizing to the French: you like cheese, right? Of course you do. Who doesn’t appreciate a nice Roquefort? Taste a variety of French cheeses, which will be paired with wine, for $40 per person at Scardello in Oak Lawn…
You know what they say: People in glass restaurants should make delicious drinks. (Wait, is that how that goes?) Savor Gastropub is nestled at the edge of Klyde Warren Park and offers great food, well-crafted cocktails and amazing people watching. Their saké sangria is a new slant on a traditional…
If you need anymore evidence that craft brewing as an industry is here to stay, look no further than Eastfield College’s latest move. When its Journeyman Brewer certificate program gets underway for its fourth term on Sept. 12, class capacity will have nearly doubled from 18 seats to 30. After…
The 6th annual Dallas Observer BrewFest is fast approaching, and this year’s fest is bigger than ever. With 135 breweries on the bill — each one serving four different brews — that leaves you with more than 500 different beers to choose from. Time to start putting together your must-drink…
One of Ocean Prime’s newest cocktails, the Rum Punch, is an exciting version of an old classic thanks to the addition of Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur and a touch of chocolate bitters. The spice from the chile liqueur is faint but noticeable, and then you’re left with a slight whisper…
Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Tropical Double IPA, released earlier this month, is one of the latest signals of an interesting dichotomy that has popped up in the DFW beer scene. It certainly has some things going for it: a combination of interesting flavors, a healthy ABV and can branding that makes…
Great minds do think alike – like mine and the bar manager’s at Meddlesome Moth. We both decided that during the Moth’s Belgian Beer Week there should be a cocktail featuring a Belgian beer. This beertail features one of their features for Belgian Beer Week in a simple, yet delicious cocktail,…
A spirited game of tag wove its way through Oak Highlands Brewery’s first birthday party this past Saturday. Every 20 minutes or so, a gaggle of 8- to-10-year-olds would sprint by, running past the rows of fermenters, weaving through groups of grown-ups congregating in the taproom, even inadvertently interrupting an…
Through the years, Dallas has heard the name of legendary restauranteur Gene Street time and time again. (Ahem … Black Eyed Pea, Snookie’s, Liberty Burger, Good Eat’s, etc.) Luckily, the restaurant industry runs in the family. Recently opened Street’s Fine Chicken is owned by one of Gene’s sons, run by…
