This time of year, there is nothing better than diving face first into a stiff cocktail. The heat makes us cranky and tired, and generally the only salve for that is something made with vodka or gin. If the cocktail is truly refreshing, it will likely include a lot of…
Meet Monarch, the classic American wheat beer by Grapevine Brewing. The brewery’s attractive packaging has drawn me in again, this time with a stylized butterfly on a patriotic background of red and white stripes. The last time I took a look at one of their beers, it was the Lakefire…
Growler use is becoming more widespread as the popularity of craft beer grows. As a result, no longer are breweries the only ones filling growlers as more and more growler-centric bars are turning on the taps in Dallas. Even Central Market and Whole Foods are getting into the game by…
Only an idiot would show up at The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek’s valet stand in a totally trashed Toyota Yaris, but there I was. Even those of us who don’t have trust funds or hedge funds or any kind of funds deserve the occasional dose of opulence, especially on…
Since open carry is all the rage these days, I picked myself up a six-pack of Revolver Brewing’s Sidewinder, the seasonal pale ale that hopes to become your new summer beer. I had the crazy idea that I’d go down to Dallas Police Headquarters and pull on a bottle out…
My father has had Coors Light in his fridge for far longer than I’ve been on this planet. He keeps it in the bins at the bottom where most people keep their vegetables. While generally I’d consider him an open-minded drinker, his defaults leaned toward what most craft beer drinkers…
The kitchen is unlike any other workplace out there. You can yell at your coworkers, you get paid to play with fire, and in some cases, it’s totally acceptable to take a nip of something boozy in the middle of your shift. This may be part of the chef archetype,…
There’s something about the heat of summer that makes the michelada more alluring. Beer is thirst quenching on its own, for the most part, and adding lime juice and salt helps get those salivary glands going. If it’s spicy enough to induce that sweaty, cooling sensation on the back of your…
Drinking at 3:30 in the afternoon is rarely a good idea. The bar’s a-team is not on duty, and you’re drinking before the culturally agreed-upon appropriate hour of 5 p.m. And yet! Sometimes that mid-afternoon cocktail is necessary, and sometimes you end up at a place like Service Industry. It…
If you’ve ever been to the Cane Rosso in Lakewood, you’ve probably seen a few parents losing their mind as children run free, and turn the front area/patio into a playground. Or just ignoring them entirely. For those of us that do not have children, the scene can be overwhelming…
If the Dallas bar and restaurant industry has one attribute that stands out, it’s a sense of community. If a chef, cook, waiter, bartender or any other service worker is met with an unforeseen challenge in this town, he or she will have a whole city’s worth of restaurant employees…
About half of a bar’s atmosphere lies in the hands of the people who choose to occupy it. At the Drunken Donkey, to give you an idea, I overheard a woman at nearby table ask for “one regular beer.” When the waitress tepidly asked for a bit more specificity, the…
What time is it? It’s time for hops if you’re listening to that bad-ass can pictured above: Big, bold, bitter hops, with those floral, fruity notions pushed to the wayside. Meet Community Brewing’s Sundial, the end all, be all summer beer for hopheads who don’t want to feel like they…
You may, genetic makeup depending, occasionally find yourself with the need to entertain large groups of friends, from the office or otherwise. You could invite everyone over to your place, but then someone might hang out longer than you want them to. You could drop in at any old bar, but…
Gin isn’t the most popular spirit in the world, least of all Dallas. But more and more people are ditching vodka in favor of this botanically-flavored spirit, which means more interesting gin cocktails for the rest of us. Across Dallas, you can find one million boring juice-and-gin drinks, and that’s…
According to the calendar it’s summer time, and soon the celestial bodies will agree. The shelves at your favorite beer-buying store have followed suit, spilling over with light-drinking citrusy things. If only the weather would play along. Lucky for you, Lakewood Brewing has figured out how to bottle up sunshine, and…
Venturing into Uptown is a risky proposition for someone approaching 30, particularly as a reminder of how far you are from 22. On the other hand, several Uptown bars have large, excellent beer selections, including The Social House, which loves to remind you that they have 100 beers on tap. And,…
Generally, we’re down with celebrating beer (or any other booze, for that matter) any day of the week. This weekend, though, is special — it’s the end of American Craft Beer Week, which means that it is totally acceptable to drink copious amounts of beer, so long as they’re made…
Sugar can present itself in different ways in different beers. Sometimes it’s overt, as is the case with several local beers that are brewed with honey — Four Corner’s Local Buzz carries a subtle, palate forward sweetness, while Revolver’s Blood and Honey could make Winnie the Pooh’s tummy grumble. Other…
For whatever reason, margaritas exist in a world of extremes. They’re either artificial neon green, made with disgusting sweet-sour mix and bad tequila and served in a massive styrofoam or plastic cup, or they’ve been fancified with slightly better tequila, fresh-squeezed juice, and random tropical fruit purees or extravagant garnishes…
The can is a filthy liar. The cowboy painted on the front of the saison from Fort Worth’s Martin House seems as relaxed as the river he’s fishing. The body of water could be a lake it’s so still, but pop open the top and you’re greeted with class II…
This weekend, the folks at Tupps Brewery in McKinney opened their doors for the first time. For those who live in the northern suburbs, Tupps provides a family-friendly place to drink craft beer while you teach your 8-year-old the bimini ring toss game. Tupps is located next to the historic…
