A pour of Funny Accent, a spot-on ESB offered by Funky Picnic ( © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D). Fort Worth will be a little less funky come the end of the month, as Funky Picnic Brewery & Café has announced it will close after nearly 5 years in business. Founded by Samantha Glenn, Collin Zreet, Jenni Hanley and John Koch, Funky Picnic opened in June 2019. This, after the team spent a number of years building its brand by way of local homebrew competitions. In terms of approach, Funky Picnic took the idea of being a true brewpub to heart, with its beer and food offerings ge ..read more

Logo courtesy of Rollertown Beerworks. Insets © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D (click to enlarge). Officially kicking off a project first announced in November 2022, Rollertown Beerworks of Celina broke ground today on what will become the company's new headquarters in Downtown Frisco. The principals at Rollertown include Jonathan Rogers, co-founder and CEO, along with Ben Rogers and Jeff "Skin" Wade, co-founders and hosts of The Ben & Skin Show on 97.1 The Freak. They were joined at the event by Frisco city leaders and a list of sports and entertainment celebrities who also happen to ..read more

Image by kjpargeter on Freepik. Unless you've been living under a rock of galactic proportions, you know a cosmic event of some significance is coming up on the calendar. A total solar eclipse is set to occur on Monday, April 8, with much of North Texas positioned in the path of totality. Naturally, watch parties will be taking place at breweries and other craft beer-centric locales across the region. Most, but not all, events will have solar glasses on hand for attendees (quantities may be limited), while some will even be serving up special beers to mark the occasion. And, judging b ..read more

Image credits: Best of Craft Beer Awards, Maple Branch Craft Brewery, Flix Brewhouse. This past weekend, the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards competition was held in Redmond, Oregon, with two Tarrant County breweries landing among the winners. Now in its tenth year, the Best of Craft Beer Awards has grown to be the third largest professional brewing competition in North America. At this year's event, more than 1850 submissions were received for evaluation against style guidelines covering 55 categories and subcategories. From the entry pool, judges awarded 169 medals to 123 b ..read more

Image courtesy of Neutral Ground Brewing Co. Neutral Ground Brewing Co. of Fort Worth has announced it will close its brewery in Fort Worth. Owners Sean Doublet and Stan Hudson got inspiration for the brewery's name from a historical reference to the disputed border between Texas and Louisiana after the Louisiana Purchase. The "neutral ground" was a hostility-free zone set aside to allow for safe trade until the matter was resolved. Their choice also made for a symbolic fit, since Doublet and Hudson came together to open the brewery after having been born on opposite sides the border ..read more

The menu at Voodoo Brewing Co. - Plano features brews like Wynona's Big Brown Ale (a "spontaneous release), and Cajun-inspired food items like the Bayou Salad with Blackened Chicken. Voodoo Brewing Co. of Pennsylvania has debuted its second franchise taproom in North Texas, this time in the heart of Historic Downtown Plano. Located at 1001 14th St., Voodoo Plano is owned and operated by Jennifer and Jeremy Dartez. The brewpub sets up in a 3,900 square foot spot on the ground floor of Morado Plano, a five-story development described as an "ultra-modern" apartment community. Given ..read more

Images courtesy of Lakewood Brewing Co. Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland is adding a number of new beers to its portfolio. The first of these is Stub's Texas Pils (4.5% ABV), a year-round offering described as a "clear, crisp and refreshing pilsner with a balanced, smooth finish." “Classic beer styles have survived a long time for a good reason. Like we say in Texas, ‘If it ain't broke, don’t fix it.’ We created an uncomplicated beer, with quality ingredients, to enjoy at the end of your complicated day,” says Wim Bens, founder and president of Lakewood. “We’re going back to beer flavo ..read more

All images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D. Three Wide Brewing Co. has opened in Fort Worth, as the business is celebrating its highly-anticipated debut with Grand Opening festivities this weekend. Located at 16230 Three Wide Dr., the brewery lies just west and within earshot of Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). For team members Matt Morriss and Tom Anderson, Three Wide represents a return from down the 'Rabbit  Hole,' if you'll recall the Alice in Wonderland-themed brewery the two helped establish just four miles down the road in Justin. With this new venture, they've joined forces w ..read more

A view from the balcony outside the rentable office space in the production building at Tupps (all images © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D). After over four years in development, Tupps Brewery is finally ready to pull back the curtain on its massive new facility near Downtown McKinney. Conversations surrounding a move and expansion for Tupps began in 2019, with an official press release announcing the brewery's plans coming in July 2020. The setting for the new showplace to be a 4.3-acre site at 402 E. Louisiana St., with the project involving the repurposing of a 1900s-era grain processin ..read more

Image: Uptown Rail Brewery. Looking to add to craft beer's presence in the northwestern part of the Metroplex, Uptown Rail Brewery has secured a spot at 204 Bolivar St. for what would be the first business of its kind in Downtown Sanger. Founded by Todd and Vanessa Benson, Uptown Rail will occupy a structure with 7500 square feet of usable space, originally built in 1903. According to Todd, plans call for amenities to be set up outside as well, with a focus on making the brewery a family-friendly destination. "We plan on having an outdoor green space and a stage for live music, with f ..read more