6 Breweries in outlying Texas cities that you should visit!

My job carries to all parts of this great state. It allows me to see some cool places and try new brews and check out other breweries. Here’s 6 (plus honorable mentions) breweries in outer areas that are worth checking out. These are in no particular order

1. Fredonia Brewery - Nacogdoches, TX

This large brewery with plenty of outdoor space is nestled right near the brick streets in Downtown Nacogdoches. My favorite beer there was their “9 Flags Amber Ale”. The most memorable part of this brewery was the 2,500 empty cans for display. It’s truly a beer history just seeing it. 

Best restaurant to visit while in Nacogdoches-

Clear Springs Catfish or C C’s Smokehouse

Best bar to drink craft beer-

Maklemore’s Ale House and Bistro

2. Bar D Brewhouse - San Saba, TX

A small little 2 level building near downtown San Saba, this gentleman who owns this place runs on a one barrel system. He has good food and the beer is pretty good too. I would recommend eating here. Good sense of humor too! 

3. Bare Arms Brewing - Waco, TX

Waco’s first brewery opened in 2015. They have approachable beers and have had crowlers since the beginning. Waco is getting a semi pro baseball team and Bare Arms is doing their ballpark beer. Their name comes from Brewing beer with their “bare arms” and Bear being a play on words from Baylor. They have grown slowly over time and are succeeding in Waco. They now have even more space and room in their welcoming tap room. My favorite beer there was their Turbulence IPA.  Located near the roundabout east of 35 in Waco. 

Best bar to drink Craft beer in Waco- Shorty’s pizza shack, Dancing Bear Pub

Best restaurant in Waco- Friday’s seafood, La Fiesta Mexican

4. Nocona Beer and Brewing - Nocona, TX

Almost 2 hours northwest of DFW sits the old Nocona Boot factory in Nocona, TX. It now houses Nocona Beer and Brewery. This place showcases a ton of space and a very unique experience when it comes to the history of their location. They are canning their beer with the wide mouth top cans that are very popular. This brewery is a fun place to visit with good people there and good beer too. My favorite beer there was their Bronc Buster IPA

5.  True Vine Brewing - Tyler, TX

In a growing east Texas market now with 2 breweries in Tyler, True Vine has been brewing for awhile and recently moved into a huge new location a little southwest of downtown Tyler. There’s plenty of room to grow and plenty of patio space outside here. My favorite beer that I drank  when I was there was their “Daddy’s juice box” IPA. This brewery features an attached pizza kitchen with a hot stone coal fired oven. This place is surprisingly large for The Tyler area. It’s worth seeing and drinking. 

Best bar to drink craft beer in Tyler- Roast, Rotollo’s Pizza, Rose City Drafthouse

Best restaurants in Tyler, TX- Stanley’s BBQ - legendary in Texas. On Texas Monthly’s top 10 BBQ list. Beer too

6. Athens Brewing Co - Athens, TX

Located in the downtown Athens square, Athens Brewing opened in 2015 with a great location and cool venue. Featuring the brew tanks on the lower floor, this brewery makes use of all the space it can.  With a nice patio and games, this place is a great spot for a weekend night with music and food is served at the brewery too! My favorite beer I had there was “Tits on Bulls” Barleywine. 

Best place to buy craft beer in Athens -  “Come and Take It” is a great Beer and Wine shop for this neck of the woods. Great selection and a Stone’s throw from Athens Brewing

Best place to eat in Athens- Wawa’s seafood shack 

Honorable mentions worth checking out :

1. ETX Brewing - Tyler, TX

Good location in downtown. Good food too.

2. Oil Horse Brewing - Longview, TX

Check hours they are open. Usually only weekends. 

3. Wichita Falls Brewing Co. - Wichita Falls, TX

Great location in downtown. Good beers too

Thanks for reading. Check me out on Twitter at @DFWBeer and on Untappd at Cldaggie. Cheers to Texas!!  

Something’s brewing at Nocona Beer and Brewery

          I recently visited with Ryan, Adam and Dave at Nocona Beer and Brewery in Nocona, TX. Everyone is familiar with Nocona boots but they have turned the old boot factory into a brewery.  There’s so much history in their building that houses the brewery now. They have been open since October of 2017. Adam showed me around the brewery while Dave was busy cleaning the brewing area. This place is huge with plenty of space for events and music. 

       Their flight holders are from old wood as well as the huge bar top that came from a tree from the brewery’s owner’s ranch. They have food trucks and live music on weekends.  Their beers are really good too. My favorite was their Bronc Buster IPA.  They like to call themselves “Country Craft”. I was really impressed with this hidden gem in North Central Texas. If you ever in the Nocona area, this is a place that you HAVE to visit. Go say Hi to Adam and and everyone there at Nocona!! Follow me on Twitter at @DFWBeer and on Untappd at Cldaggie 

Shannon Brewing- Brewing good beers at a fun location.

        I got to meet with Nick who’s the head brewer at Shannon Brewing in Keller last week. Obviously they’ve been around for awhile but now they are brewing a larger variety of beers. One of my favorites was the “Mor IPA”. They also have a very good crisp PussyWillow Pilsner and I was impressed with their “Blackberry crystal Wheat”. They have some of their Chocolate Stout that was aging in Witherspoon barrels when I was there.  

         You’ve had Shannon’s regular run of beers before probably, but they are brewing a lot more different beers now. Their taproom is a fun place to hang out with Golden Tee and other games to play in the taproom. Their taproom opens up to a relaxing outdoor covered patio with Hop vines planted around the patio. One of the cool things that I saw from this place is the camaraderie of the people that work there. You can tell they enjoy working there and enjoy being part of a good brewery. Plenty of space for parking and food trucks arrived when I was there. This place is definitely worth the drive and the beer and atmosphere is fun too. Big Thanks to Breanna and Nick at Shannon. It’s a fun place. Follow me on Untappd at Cldaggie and on Twitter at @dfwbeer. Cheers!

Railport Brewing arrives at the station in Waxahachie

        I’m admittedly a native Texan and proud of it. I’m also a native of  Ellis County and my family’s roots run deep here with family all over Ellis County. Needless to say, there were few happier about a new brewery opening in Ellis County than me. I’ve been blogging about beer in the DFW Metroplex for about 10 years now and this was the most excited I’ve ever been to see a new local brewery opening. I had been in contact with owner Richard Womack about their opening for awhile, and was getting updates via Facebook about their happenings. On May 25th, they had their Friends and Family Private event before their Grand Opening the next day. By a swift of luck, we were invited. Needless to say I was ecstatic and we went Friday afternoon/evening.  The taproom is really inviting with space and Texas rustic decor everywhere. My favorite touch were the growlers filled with small white battery operated strings of lights. The restroom in the taproom is worth mentioning. You will find yourself looking at the old movie posters and signs  long after you finish your business. All the staff is very friendly and eager to help and eager to talk beer. Their namesake Railport has a train type theme which is creative. I was drinking their “Caboose Hop” IPA when someone who works behind the bar came out and says “when you hear the train, you have to toast and drink”. We couldn’t hear the train at first but we did finally hear it faintly. Really cool experience. The taproom opens up to their brewing operations and then to two doors to patios and outside seating and umbrella covered benches.  While we were there, there was a food truck getting ready to open for business just outside of Railport’s patio. At the grand opening on Saturday they had live music. This type of place is a place that people of this area have craved to be here.  A place to share a locally-made pint (which is a good Pint, they have great beer) with friends while eating and listening to live music. Their Honey Hush blonde is made with Burleson’s local honey in Waxahachie. My favorite beer that they brewed was their Orange Blossom Saison. A big Congratulations to Richard and family at Railport for opening Ellis County’s newest gem. And Thanks for having us Friday night. Follow me on Twitter @DFWBeer and on Untappd at Cldaggie. Cheers!!

Barrow Brewing Company - Salado’s newest gem

        I got to visit with Gradon  and KD Hill at Barrow Brewing Company this week. They have a great location in downtown Salado next to Salado Creek. They have been open for 2 years this coming April. The brewery is in an old grain storage building. They are soon expanding their outdoor area. All of their beers are drinkable and approachable. Each of their beers are named after events and things associated with the Hill’s history and experiences. For example, their 784 Belgian Wit was names because of the 784 people who voted for the election to have a new brewery in Salado. You will have to visit the brewery to find out the rest of their beer names and experiences!  

       My favorite beer that I tried was the Evil Catfish IPA. I also really liked their Sabattical Coconut Stout which tasted like a liquid Almond Joy. Because they are a Brewpub, they do sell their own canned beer on site and they also sell cider and wine for consumption on site.  Their cans and beers are currently available in Austin, San Antonio, and Waco. They have a great relationship with the community with artists and local food trucks coming to the breweries when they’re open. They have plenty of different beers on tap at the brewery so you will be sure to find the one you’ll like when you’re there.  I would like to thank the Hill’s for their hospitality amd would highly recommend stopping at this brewery as a destination location or if you’re looking to break the trip up on the way to Austin/San Antonio. Thanks to everyone at Barrow Brewing. Cheers!  Follow me on Untappd at Cldaggie amd on Twitter at @DFWBeer. 

Good Neighbor Brews in Wylie, TX

I enjoyed my recent visit to Good Neighbor Brews in Wylie. They have a fun tap room and nice patio with games to play outside. They're currently running on a 10 barrel system. My favorite beer I had when I was there was their watermelon cucumber ale - "3 day weekend". They have sodas there for the kids and the staff and owners were really friendly and easy to talk to. I definitely recommend visiting if you haven't been.  Cheers

Fredonia brewery - great beer in Texas' oldest town

I recently got to visit with Paul and Vince at Fredonia Brewing in Nacogdoches, TX. They have a great location right in the heart of downtown Nacogdoches. These guys have been home brewers for a long time and finally decided to open their own brewery. What was so interesting about this brewery, is that when you walk in, there are close to 2,500 empty old beer cans that are on display from breweries from across the USA. It is really like a museum right when you walk in. They have a great open outdoor patio for everyone to enjoy the great outdoor weather and a cold beer. I was really impressed with their beer as well. The six beers I was able to try were The 9 Flags Amber ale, the Banita Blonde Ale, the D'oches Kolsch, the Angry Axe IPA, the Pine Cove Porter, and the Bull Pine Pale Ale. All of these beers were great. My favorite was the Bull Pine Pale Ale. The day I was there, there were just getting there canning line going. They hope to be canning soon and be in stores across Texas eventually. I really appreciate the hospitality shown by Vance and Paul. If you're ever down in Nacogdoches, this is definitely a great place to check out. Cheers!!