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.
