Love FW, a Curated Singles Event
Fort Worth Weekly contributing writer Sarah Angle promises that Love FW will be the “hippest singles event in Fort Worth” this year. The matchmaking night is hosted by the Weekly, Tanglewood Moms, and LoveFrogKisser, and will be held Friday, Feb. 5 at The Collective Brewing Project. Single folks will be given green bracelets, and participants who are already taken will have a –– you guessed it –– red band. Tickets include two beers, a special pint glass, live music, prizes, and a swag bag full of cool stuff. Food trucks will be parked outside, and raffle ticket sales benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth. Tickets can be purchased here.
Craft Beer Happenings in Dallas.
We’re all guilty of it, not visiting the “D” in DFW often enough. Fort Worthians already have dozens of great breweries like Martin House Brewing Company and gastropubs like Trinity River Tap House on our home turf. But the craft beer fan is curious by nature. So let’s see what’s going on in and around our sister city.
I called local historian and author Brian Brown, founder of the beer event compendium blog BeerInBigD and co-author (along with Paul Hightower) of North Texas Beer, a Full-Bodied History of Brewing in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Beyond. I gave his book a favorable review in Fort Worth Weekly last year, and I highly recommend it as a resource for North Texas beer makers and consumers. I asked Brown to highlight several new breweries, brewpubs, and gastropubs that have caught his attention.
Braindead Brewing
The Deep Ellum-based brewery has everything a great brewpub is supposed to, Brown said.
“They’ve proven they have a really good food menu to go with the varied beer offerings,” he said. “With Braindead’s smaller scale brewing system you see more experimentation. Plus, they are in a hot area of town that’s undergoing a revival.”
When you stop by, Brown recommends the 10th Anniversary Brett IPA and the coma burger, made with Texas Wagyu beef, bacon, brisket, and topped with fried shallots and smoked cheddar cheese.
Cobra Brewing Company
Lewisville isn’t known for microbreweries, but that’s changing thanks to Cobra Brewing, Brown said. Plus, the quality and adventurousness of the beer keep rising. Cobra was a popular vender at the Weekly’s recent Homebrew Throwdown.
Brown is a fan of Cobra’s Donut Dunker. He said the porter has a “really rich hazelnut and coffee character that’s light and easy to drink. The owners have plans to overhaul their entire brewing system. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do in the future.”
Luck
Breweries and brewpubs don’t have the craft beer market cornered by any means. Dozens of beer-centric restaurants are riding the wave too.
“If I’m going to go somewhere in Dallas to drink a lot of local beers that has great food I’m going to go to Luck,” Brown said. “You can find 40 craft beers on tap all from within a 70 mile radius. Everything is local. I usually get the pastrami sandwich, but the reuben sandwich, shrimp and grits are great too.”
Look out for food pairing events with themes like “donut and beer” and “Girl Scout cookies and beer”, he added.
On Rotation, Noble Rey Brewing Company, and Oak Highlands Brewery
Rounding out his picks of breweries making waves around Dallas are On Rotation, Noble Rey Brewing Company, and Oak Highlands Brewery.
“The brewers at On Rotation think of the spot as a brewery laboratory,” he said “It’s a very small batch system, and they’re constantly experimenting. They did a great oatmeal cookie beer for North Texas beer Week. All their beers are very drinkable and balanced.”
“All the beers at Noble Rey are something you wouldn’t expect,” he said. “They are infused with breakfast cereals like Reese’s Puffs, Fruity Pebbles, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You don’t see a lot of brewers who think, ‘I’m going to get some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and run a brown ale to see how it tastes.’ They also have some great sours.”
Noble Rey was a hit with visitors to the Weekly’s Homebrew Throwdown.
“Oak Highlands is less than a year old,” Brown said. “They’re turning out good solid beers like the DFDub, a dunkelweizen. We don’t see that style around here. Sometimes I just like a good stylistic brown ale or red. Dunkelweizen is a darker version of hefeweizen. They also have a beer called Chump Change, an imperial saison, that’s really good. And they have a huge space with a lot of room to expand.”
You can’t go wrong with the bigger breweries like Community Beer Company, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Lakewood Brewing Company, Peticolas Brewing Company, and others, Brown said. Those brewers have enough different beers for anyone’s taste.
No matter what your craft beer tastes are, there’s a great brewery or brewpub waiting for you in and around Dallas.
On Tap this Week:
Community Beer Company Third Anniversary January 23.
From the website: “Hey Dallas, we’re just about ready for Saturday’s Anniversary Party. The question is, are you? We’ll have 40 craft brews both indoor and out and live tunes all day from Charley Crockett & Shotgun Friday plus amazing local food trucks, and a “Photo-Wagon” on site to document it all! Tickets are available here.
On tap for next week is a sneak peek at a new Fort Worth brewery that’ll be opening soon. No, it’s not HopFusion Ale Works. Visit next week to find out.
