Bankhead Brewery - Honoring Rowlett's history with great beers and food

I was fortunate enough to visit with Kevin, Chad and Ryan from Bankhead Brewery today in Rowlett. The brewery is now where the old Rowlett fire station used to be. They have a great location in downtown Rowlett with a great patio, rustic bar and a restaurant. Their name "Bankhead" is in reference to the Bankhead highway that actually runs through Rowlett.  Inside of the brewery/restaurant gives you a great view of the brew tanks from the restaurant and bar. The front of their taps is actually a custom old Ford car grill which is really cool. A lot of what they have done is taking reclaimed products and using them as decor for the brewery. The bar top is actually the wood from the floors of old train rail cars. The wall features wood from the old ceiling of the fire station. The decor is definitely inviting and is a place that looks fun to have a good beer and great meal. Ryan, their head brewer is from Oklahoma and has many years of home brewing experience. Chad has worked at many various breweries in the Bay Area of California. Obviously they have perfected their craft because I was really impressed with the amount of beers they already have brewed and the fact that their beers were so good. They are brewing on a brand new state of the art 15 barrel system. The beers they have currently on tap now are a Munich Helles,an ESB,a Hefeweizen,a raspberry wheat, a Vienna lager, and an excellent American Brown ale (Janet's Brown Ale). They received permission to brew Janet's Brown from Mike "Tasty" McDole who originally has the recipe.  They are currently brewing an IPA that will soon be ready. They have a great kitchen with a fire-brick oven for pizzas that look delicious. Other offerings from their menu consist of Triple grind meatloaf, Shrimp and Spaghetti, Roasted Salmon and Fish and Chips. Bankhead is registered as a brewpub so they are able to fill your growler so bring your growler when you come. Thanks to Kevin, Ryan, and Chad for the hospitality! Bankhead is definitely worth a visit! Follow me on untappd @Cldaggie and on Twitter at @DFWBeer. 

Pecan Point Gastropub and Brewery - Texarakana's gateway into craft beer.

I was able to visit with Head brewer Jacob and owner Bill at Pecan Point Brewing today. Pecan Point got its name from the historical geographical spot nearby on the Red River that was a trading post and settlement. It's been open 2 years and is in downtown Texarkana, Texas.  The food there is what everyone raves about but their beers are right there in line with the food. The beers I was able to try were the State Street blonde, La Harpe Pale Ale, Pecan Point Ale (English Brown ale) and my favorite, the Iron Mountain IPA. The Iron Mountain IPA had tropical, fruity notes to it with the IBUs at the end. They are currently only working on a 1 barrel system now but plan to expand their process in the near future. They are registered as a Brewpub so they are able to fill your growler on the spot too. When I was there, there was barely an empty seat there so it has become a popular spot for the local community in Texarkana. Thank you to Bill and Jacob for the hospitality.  And if you're heading out I-30 this way, Pecan Point Is definitely worth your stop! Cheers! 

Whistle Post Brewery - DFW's newest brewery

Visited with Evan and Blake from Whistle Post Brewery today in Pilot Point, Texas. They have a great spot next to their distillery near downtown Pilot Point. They are currently brewing with a 5 barrel system but their 20 barrel system is on order and will arrive from California in July. Their taproom is already fully furnished with taps, Tvs, and fun games and is very inviting. They will be having a grand opening on June 25th. I was able to try their Pale Ale and their blonde and both were quality good beers. They will soon be working on a Vienna lager. Their head Brewer Blake, used to work at Cedar Creek Brewery. They currently only have their beers available in their taproom but hope to be bottling in the fall of this year. If you're in the Denton area or just want to go check these guys out, it's definitely worth the drive. Thanks to the guys at Whistle Post for the hospitality!  Follow me on Twitter at @DFWBeer and on untappd at - Cldaggie. Cheers! 

B-52 Brewery- Brewing great beer with a fun atmosphere in Conroe

Got a chance to visit with Jessica and the crew at B-52 Brewing Company in Conroe, TX this past weekend. If you're visiting the Houston area this is a "must visit" brewery. It's tucked away in a beautiful area full of huge trees with an awesome relaxed setting. It's a great setup to bring the dog and have a beer. What makes it even better is on top of the great setting, the beer is great too. My favorite 2 beers they had were their Berliner Weisse and Wingman Wheat IPA. But their other beers are just as good. We got to try their Brett IPA which is being released in bottles soon. They are working on a lot of different barrel aged beers currently. There are lots of different games to play at the brewery including a set of disc golf chains which I liked. Ping pong, ladder ball and corn hole too. Just a great place to visit  in Conroe. If you're headed to Houston, check B-52 out and thank to everyone there for the great visit. Cheers!!

Big Thicket Brewery - Brewing great beer in Lufkin, TX

I got to visit with Jeremy at Big Thicket Brewery on Wednesday. These guys have a great setup and awesome location in downtown Lufkin. The brewery and taproom are in the same location. They opened in January of 2015. They are currently bottling only bombers right now. They have their LoneStar Electric Imperial IPA and PineyWoods IPA currently available for sell at various retailers in East Texas. I got to try both of these IPAs and they were both well balanced and really good beers. I also got to try their Sucker Punch (sour) and Radical Raspberry. Both of these hit the spot and were also really good. Bottling has worked better for the guys at Big Thicket because Angelina County, the county they're in, is a dry county and you can only drink at a place or bar if you have a membership. One of the impressive features about Big Thicket is that their taps are always rotating. They will be brewing a Banana Bread wheat and Tangerine IPA very soon. Their taproom is very inviting and a great place to hangout. They do have food trucks that come to the brewery. For a list of events check their website at www.bigthicketbrewery.com. If you're ever in Lufkin, go check out Big Thicket Brewery and you won't be disappointed! 

Reinheitsgebot

On April 23,1516 (500 years ago today), Germany passed into law "Reinheitsgebot" or German purity law. This law proclaimed that German beer may only be brewed with 3 ingredients only. Water, Barley, and Hops. This was a law that did 2 things. #1. It was mainly introduced in part to prevent price competition with bakers for wheat and rye so that bread would be affordable for everyone. Wheat and rye cannot be used in Germany to brew beer. #2. It was also considered to be one of the first "food protection" laws to protect consumers. This would ensure no other additives would be used to contaminate German beers. Believe it or not this law still stands today! I will be commemorating this event by drinking this commemorative beer brewed just for Reinheitsgebot from Weihenstephaner Brewery in Germany - The oldest Brewery in the world! Prost!!

Bare Arms Brewing- Paving the way for great beers in Central Texas

I got to visit with Justin and Keith at Bare Arms brewing in Waco today. These guys have completely mastered their recipes and have a great operation going.  They just got a 10 barrel system up and running in January so they can really ramp up production. All of their flagship beers are really good. Their Lux is their blonde lager, Nebulous Tart is a great sour, Turbulence is a well balanced IPA that is amber in color. Their stout was brewed with local coffee beans and is absolutely worth trying - Java Joule. To me, the best thing about Bare Arms is their Crowler program. Because they are registered as a brewpub, they are able to sell their beers in Crowlers. Really unique and a great idea. They're taproom has chalkboards everywhere and board games so it's great for kids to come as well. Their name "Bare Arms" is a play on words as rolling your sleeves and working bare arms, and the 2nd amendment, and the Baylor Bears tie in. They have had many restaurants and bars reach out to them wanting to put their beers on tap which proves there is a demand for great beer in Waco. Their taproom hours are 4-6 weekdays and 1-8 on Saturdays. This brewery is worth visiting and if you are in Waco, it is definitely worth the stop. They are off I-35 and easy to find. Look for great things still to come from Bare Arms and say hello to Justin and Keith when you stop by. Great guys who know their beer! 

Tyler's True Vine Brewing experiencing success

I visited with Greg at True Vine brewing in Tyler, Texas today. They were busy brewing up some "Mermaids and Unicorns" which is their very popular blonde ale.  Their taproom featured 10 different beers on tap. I was able to try a few of them and they have done a great job with their beer recipes. It is very encouraging to see what they have done in east Texas which presents more challenges than the DFW area. But the demand is there and bars and restaurants are wanting to put their beers on tap which is great. Their beers are available in the DFW area. They hope to start canning later this year. They have Open Taps this Saturday from 5-8 pm. Check their website at Truevinebrewing.com for future events. They have a stage behind the brewery where there is live music along with outdoor games. Look for more great things to come from True Vine and if you're out in Tyler visiting, stop by True Vine.