Dallas may not comprise miles of Irish or English-styled pubs like Boston or Chicago, but we do have pleasant handful where we can sit back and chug a pint while chewing fish and chips. Among the handful are three very successful pubs: The Old Monk, Idle Rich and Blackfriar, all…
I haven’t gotten to write about funky beer too much. Sours are widely popular in other beer-soaked cities, but here in Dallas not many breweries have been willing to dabble in the stuff. Michael Peticolas told me he was interested, once, but the wild yeasts used to make these kinds…
Beer people = my people. The beer crowd is fairly predictable: more bearded guys than you can count; a friendly, fun-having attitude that makes standing in lines and crowds easy; hippies and hipsters as far as the eye can see. Nothing against non-beer-drinkers, but I’m pretty sure that kind of…
For the most part, the Design District is not where you go to spend the evening drinking, but with the growth of craft beer in Dallas, four breweries are now open in the neighborhood alone, with a fifth, Four Corners, nearby in Trinity Groves. Noble Rey Brewing Co., which opened…
It’s rarely a problem. In the past, if a customer had forgotten to bring vino with them for dinner at Urbano Cafe, they could just run around the corner to Jimmy’s and pick up a bottle of Sangiovese. The thing is, Jimmy’s closes every day at 7:30 p.m., which can…
Thanks to the switch to standard time, this year Halloween is an hour longer, which means you’ll have a full 60 minutes to pound in extra booze while you’re dressed like a sexy cat or sexy Walter White or whatever sexy costume you’ve chosen. That mean you’re going to need…
Back in July, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission banned crowlers — crosses between growlers and aluminum cans — from retailers such as Lewisville’s Taps and Caps. The TABC said putting draft beer in an aluminum can and sealing it up, as opposed to putting beer in a glass bottle and screwing a top…
You can get local craft beer at just about any bar in Dallas these days, and it will only get easier as more breweries continue to spring up. Bars that specialize in craft beer, local or otherwise, are a little harder to come by. When you really want to embrace…
Right now, there’s really no better place to sit on a patio and drink than Spork, the Sonic Drive-In turned chef-driven casual restaurant. The weather right now is excellent at night, the strings of white lights and Sonic-chic neons add kitsch, and if you go late enough, you can avoid…
Each year, Saint Arnold Brewing Co. in Houston releases their Divine Reserve beers: single-batch beers brewed differently each time. Most of the Divine Reserve beers have been heavier, stronger recipes. From double IPAs to barleywines to Belgian strong ales, the variance has been successful, with beer snobs seeking it out…
These days, our likes are used to determine our dating partners, direct millions of advertising dollars into our Facebook feeds, and perhaps most important, show off just how cool we are. When it comes to cocktails, what you order when you belly up to the bar says a lot about…
At this year’s Brewfest, the number of local breweries was impressive. The big guys always dominate the Observer’s annual beer event, but this year the tide appeared to be turning. Local breweries accounted for just over 25 percent of the participants, taking over an entire row of tents and pouring…
Going to the State Fair of Texas is a tradition for many people. Many, many, many people. Hordes, in fact. Sometimes the best way to deal with the stress brought on by the crush of corny dog munching humanity is to down a few beers (which is true even without…
The bar at On Premise seems like a study in contradictions. The “steampunk” aesthetic, created by minimalist decor, the presence of metal gears and exposed filament lighting, is broken up by shiny, faux-gator banquettes. The crowd is equally disparate, ranging from dining families to drunk people who’ve just caught their…
There’s a sweet, new trend brewing, and it’s threatening fans with potential dental work and serious buzz on the side. Audacity Brewing has been kegging up a new beer called Evil Cream Soda. To be clear, the brew is actually a beer, but just one sip will confirm why it…
As much as we’re happy for summer to be on its way to a close — finally and thank God — the flavors of summer are something we seek year-round. We purchase mealy, mushy imposters that pretend to be tomatoes in December, sit on patios when it’s too damn cold,…
Where Michael Martensen goes, good drinks follow. We first enjoyed his libations at The Cedars Social and have since been sipping way too many fancy drinks at Proof + Pantry. Last week, Martensen and his collaborators at Misery Loves Company opened the doors to Madrina, their “French-Mex” concept in Highland…
I’d like to believe that Dallas Observer readers are the type who order local beers at their favorite watering holes, rather than some sort of yellow swill, like Bud Light or Coors Light. Unfortunately, whenever someone orders craft beer, there is always some d-bag who attempts to be snarky and…
Several months ago, when the owners of Lonestar Beverages opened their Lewisville location, Taps and Caps, they made it worth the trek by being the first retail store in the U.S. to offer their customers crowlers. Additionally, Noble Rey Brewing has their own crowler machine, which retails for several thousand…
Much to the delight/dismay of many craft beer fans, pumpkin beers are coming back. If you have noticed more Oktoberfest beers on tap in your preferred bar and fewer summer releases, rest assured that soon several will be replaced with pumpkin beer. While pumpkin beers haven’t exactly taken off with…
Remember when BrewFest was something called Brew at the Zoo? I know, the memories are somewhat hazy for me too, but if I search the recesses of my brain for recollections I find pink flamingos, dancing women dressed up like zebras and a lot of big box beer. What I…
Schlitz is the beer that made Milwaukee famous — we don’t know what for exactly, or anyone who drinks Schlitz, for that matter, but never mind that. Anheuser-Busch was once the heart of St. Louis. Now it’s the appendix of Belgian-Brazilian consortium InBev. Anchor Steam is San Francisco’s iconic brew,…
