Zero to Nine: Craft Breweries in your Backyard

In 2011 the closest craft brewery to my home in Longview, Texas was Deep Ellum Brewing Company 133 miles away in Dallas. If I wanted to visit the next closest brewery I had to drive another 36 miles to Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. in Fort Worth. Today I just have to drive a little over 3 miles to Oil Horse Brewing in downtown Longview. I can drive 59 miles to Shreveport and hit 3 breweries in 3 miles. Within 100 miles of my home are now 9 craft breweries that did not exist 5 years ago. From zero to nine in 5 years. It is easy to take for granted the ease with which we can now drink fresh craft beer at the source. Saddling up to a bar at one of my favorite taprooms has become second nature but I still remember not very long ago the smoke filled bar at Buffalo Wild Wings was our only chance at finding more than light beers on tap in my town. The explosion of new breweries in our area has drastically changed the beers we are drinking and where we are drinking them. When you read the numbers on craft beer sales in the United States remember any beers sold at a taproom are not included so those numbers are drastically lower than the actual number of craft brews being consumed. I’m pretty sure these days I drink more craft beer straight from the brewery than I buy at a grocery or liquor store. Having 3 breweries just over the Louisiana border allows me to do something we can’t do in Texas; Bring a growler of fresh beer home from a craft brewery. I think it is important to highlight our local breweries that bring fresh craft beer just a hop, skip and and a jump away.

Cedar Creek Brewery

In 2012 Cedar Creek Brewery began production and didn’t take long before placing East Texas beers on the map by winning Gold at the Great American Beer Festival with their Belgian-style Dubbel. In contrast to the new multi-million dollar breweries you see popping up around the nation founder Jim Elliot and brewer Damon Lewis repurposed dairy equipment for the original 10bbl brewhouse and fermentation vessels. It wasn’t until 2014 that their flagship beer, Dankosaurus, was added to their year round lineup. In 2015 they added Plowboys Cafe to the taproom serving delicious burgers, salads and sandwiches to those who visit them in Seven Points.

Great Raft Brewing

According to their website “Great Raft Brewing is a Shreveport, Louisiana based craft brewery dedicated to making creative, authentic beer and helping to build a great beer culture within communities it serves.” I’d say the description fits them perfectly. Saying I was excited about the 2012 launch of Great Raft would be an understatement. From day one they have done so many things right that many craft breweries get wrong. From the beer, to the taproom to their marketing founders Andrew and Lindsay Nations seemed to have their fingers on the pulse of local craft beer lovers. They took time to plan out the details and it shows. The hiring of chief brewer Harvey Kenney was one of the the best moves they have ever made. Great Raft sold the first locally brewed beer in Shreveport on October 15, 2013. On December 20th of that year they gave us the perfect Christmas gift by opening Shreveport’s first local brewery taproom to the public. Over the past few years Great Raft has continually impressed craft beer lovers across the country with their excellent seasonals and keep the fans coming back for their special events. Great Raft has shown no signs of slowing down as they recently launched their sour program under the leadership of Malari Coburn. They also have announced after expanding distribution across the entire state of Louisiana they are now bringing their beers to Arkansas and East Texas.

Red River Brewing Company

“With roots in the local home brewing community, our mission is to bring high quality local beer to high quality local people….or vagrants like us, too.”

In the fall of 2013 Red River Brewing Company became a commercial craft brewery under founders Robert McGuire, Jared Beville, and Beau Raines. Their first beer was Hay Ryed and it has remained their flagship beer for the past 3 years. On April 2, 2016 Red River Brewing Company marked the next step in their evolution with the grand opening of their first taproom at their brand new brewery just south of I-20 in downtown Shreveport. The beautiful facility also ushered in the era of bottled 6-packs for the brewery. Along with their flagship and seasonal brews the taproom also offers tasty eats from local caters and food trucks. You can also feed your competitive side by playing corn hole or Kubb against your friends or a complete stranger who happens to have good taste in beer. On Thursday September 29th Red River will debut a special beer, Penalty Bock made for Shreveport Mudbugs Hockey at their home opener.


True Vine Brewing Company

While founded in 2011, True Vine Brewing Company finally became Smith County’s first licensed brewery in November 2013 with the first keg sold in January 2014. The brewery describes itself as “More than just Tyler’s 1st craft brewery, True Vine strives to create true, authentic community through love and integrity in all that we do. From our artistically driven beers to our Back Yard events, our goal produce them with excellence. Each specialty handcrafted beer at True Vine represents depth of concept and flavor and is meant to be enjoyed around a table with old friends and new.” Starting out on tap at some of Tyler’s favorite restaurants and bars True Vine soon launched their monthly Open Taps event at the brewery. Now in addition to Open Taps their backyard taproom is open every Thursday and Friday allowing the community more chances to gather together and enjoy a fellowship around a fresh pint of Mermaids & Unicorns. In the summer of 2016 their canning program was kicked off with distribution across East Texas. FUN FACT: Just this week the brewery gained international notoriety when a Reddit post highlighted the fact their True Culture cans have “For Harambe” stamped on the bottom.


Big Thicket Brewery

Big Thicket Brewery proudly proclaims to be Deep East Texas' first brewery. According to the brewery “It all began with a dream of creating and sharing quality, hand-crafted ales with friends and family in the Lufkin area.” They also say “Big Thicket Brewery is a small-town brewery that celebrates the local history and pride of East Texas while also keeping with the time-honored tradition of independent brewing.” Since October 2014 Big Thicket has been providing craft beer to the people of East Texas in the heart of Lufkin. The taproom opened in January 2015 and is open Tuesday - Saturday so they give you plenty of options on when to stop in for a pint of Lone Star Electric Imperial IPA or even a tasty root beer! Towards the end of 2015 they began selling their bottled brews in local stores.

Pecan Point 
Gastropub & Brewery

Pecan Point Brewing opened in October 2014 in a historic building located in downtown Texarkana, Texas. What sets Pecan Point apart from other local breweries is the fact that they have a full restaurant and bar. Chef Rebecca Williams serves up some of the best food in town while Jason K. Williams creates custom cocktails made with house-infused spirits. Designed by Brooklyn-based architect Justin Scurlock, Pecan Point's interior “peels back the layers of the building's history to reveal the beauty of the original structure.” Guests are allowed to choose between the “intimate atmosphere of the Dining Room or the communal experience of the Beerhall.” All in all everyone should be able to find a dish and a drink they will enjoy at Pecan Point.

Flying Heart Brewing

When Flying Heart Brewing opened it’s doors to the public on May 1, 2015 it was obvious the owners had put a lot of work into the former Bossier City Fire Station #6. Only a short walk from Horseshoe Casino, Flying Heart finds itself in the middle of the action. While not as large or ambitious as the breweries in Shreveport, Flying Heart has carved out a spot for itself with craft beer lovers in the Ark-la-tex. The taproom is open on Friday and Saturday and you can usually find a food truck pulled up to the patio serving food to those enjoying a cold pint and live music. They even have their own Pokestop and a nearby Pokemon Gym so you can enjoy a beer while catching a Charmander!

Athens Brewing Company

On April 30, 2016 brewers Brittany Pierce & A.J. Campbell brought their dream to life as they opened the doors of Athens Brewing Co.'s taproom to the public. Housed in a historic 1925 three story building on the downtown Athens square which was formerly the Henderson County Courthouse Annex. On June 19th Father Frick of the St Matthias Episcopal Church performed a blessing of the brewery which was attended by people from all over East Texas. The blessing must have worked because since then the brewery has seen tremendous success! On Sept. 24th the brewery opened it’s restaurant during the breweries grand re-0pening. The taproom is open Thursday - Sunday and plays host to live music, kids finger painting and other events regularly. The brewery features a dog friendly patio called The Alleyway full of beer garden games as well. These brewers are not afraid to experiment and the results are plenty of unique beers that you will not find in your average East Texas taproom.


Oil Horse Brewing Company

In 2016 co-founders Jack Buttram and John Oglesbee brought Longview’s first craft brewery to life. On May 7th Oil Horse Brewing Company opened the newest East Texas brewery and taproom to the public and quickly won over many craft beer lovers. Originally open every other Saturday they have now expanded to be open every Friday as well. As demand for their beers grew several Oil Horse beers found their way onto taps across the city. You can frequently find live music and food trucks at the brewery and people of all ages enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the downtown location. These brewers are not afraid to tinker with their recipes as is seen with their popular Moon Pool Belgian Tripel which keeps getting better with each batch brewed.


Zero to 11?

If you are willing to drive just a tiny bit further here are two more local craft breweries worth a visit. They are only 1.5 miles apart in the booming tourist community Hochatown, Oklahoma. Along with the beauty of Beavers Bend State Park, Broken Bow Lake, Mountain Fork River, many restaurants serving Oklahoma’s best craft beer, and three wineries it’s easy to see why so many people take time to relax and recharge while living on Hochatime!

Beavers Bend Brewery

In April, 2016 Beavers Bend Brewery relocated from Idabel to Hochatown, Oklahoma. They have settled into their brand new brewery and taproom located right outside Beavers Bend State Park. Located next door to a winery and across the road from the famous Grateful Head Pizza Oven & TapRoom, Beavers Bend Brewery is in the heart of Hochatown. Brad Reesing does a great job providing refreshing beers for the endless stream of locals and tourists who fill up the patio regularly. Chances are no matter when you are in the area Beavers Bend will be pouring beers as they are open everyday except Tuesday. Their taproom not only serves glasses of beer but can sell you packaged beer to go or fill your growler. Swing by after kayaking the river and enjoy a pint of Bigfoot Brown while enjoying live music on the patio!


Mountain Fork Brewery

July 2016 saw Hochatown become a two brewery town! Mountain Fork Brewery's taproom began serving up pints, growlers and Crowlers. Conveniently located next to Chef Tabb Singleton's The Moon Tower Bar And Grill, Mountain Fork is sure to have a beer you'll enjoy. Their massive gift shop houses a rare find in this area. While you pick up a hat or pint glass you can also buy home brewing equipment and supplies! After only two months there are already big plans for a major expansion. A new gift shop is in the works attached to the new taproom which will seat 100 guests. The new brewery will have 10 times the capacity to keep up with the growing demand for craft beer in McCurtain County.



On The Horizon

East Texans will soon have a few more options when they want to visit a local craft brewery. Here are a few breweries that are in the works. Check back often as we will keep you up to date on their progress.

Fredonia Brewery

138 N Mound St Nacogdoches, TX 75961

According to their website Fredonia Brewery plans on "setting up in a 20,430 square foot space with high ceilings to allow for tall fermenters and equipment. This will allow for room to brew, grow, and have a tap room. A 15 barrel brew house will fill four 30 barrel fermenters. A canning line will allow for packaging to sell our beer through local retailers, and expand our market continually." They mention plans for the taproom to be open Thursday-Saturday as well as contract brewing for a very popular food truck beer garden in Dallas. Planned beer styles include cream ale, amber ale, pale ale, IPA and porter. Fredonia hopes to open by December 16, 2016 which will be exactly 190 years since the Fredonia Rebellion began.

ETX Brewing Company

221 S Broadway Ave Tyler, TX 75702

Downtown Tyler will soon be home to ETX Brewing Company. With a taproom that offers a view into their production area ETX Brewing Co. plans on opening this December. Ten beers will be available in the tasting room with five year round beers and five rotating brews. With the motto "Do what you Love and Love what you do!" it is easy to see why they decided to open a craft brewery. Their ultimate goal is to "share our love for quality craft beers with all of East Texas" and they are already planning many fun events to benefit locals once they are open. The taproom is a major component of the brewery and is planned to be open 4 days each week.

Tyler Brewing Company

Tyler, TX

Tyler will soon become the "Ft. Collins of East Texas" when it becomes home to 3 craft breweries. Not much has been publicly announced but as soon as a location is finalized we should hear more. Keep an eye on Tyler Brewing Company's Facebook page for info over the coming months.










Sláinte

Joel Patrick Heflin

OUR Craft Beer Boom

     Despite popular belief, craft beer isn’t new. OUR craft beer boom is new but people have been brewing for for at least 5,000 years. The dark days of prohibition and the unnecessary restrictions on home brewing put a damper on American craft beer during the 20th century. Long before 1978, when home brewing was legalized in the United States, you had Americans secretly (and not so secretly) brewing in their basements. Once Jimmy Carter signed that glorious bill into law it further opened up the joy of craft beer to millions of Americans. In 1979 there were 89 breweries (micro and macro) in the entire country. We are now close to, or have surpassed, the 1873 all time high of 4,131 breweries in the United States. The effects of craft breweries on the American beer landscape cannot be exaggerated.



     What has been noted time and time again is that the creativity and success of craft brewers are mainly limited by prohibitive laws at the state and municipal levels. We have seen in the past, and are still fighting against, archaic and restrictive beer laws in Texas. In state after state we see when lawmakers get out of the way of innovation craft breweries pop up like wildflowers. Many people ask me why Colorado has more craft breweries than Texas when it is so much smaller. The simple answer is until recently it was much more difficult to run a profitable craft brewery in Texas. Before 2013 Texas breweries could not sell beer for on-site consumption making a taproom illegal. For most craft breweries a vibrant taproom business is essential for financial success especially in the early years. Once Texas lawmakers loosened up these restrictions we began our current craft beer boom and things haven’t slowed down one bit during the past 4 years.

Only around 25 Texas craft breweries existed in 2012. We are currently closing in on 200 craft breweries and brewpubs in Texas. Now that entrepreneurs can open a brewery and make money we are seeing unique microbreweries opening up across the state. At times it seems a new one opens every couple of weeks. What a time to live in Texas!


     One important thing to remember is that as much as we may

love craft beer, and as quickly as new breweries are popping up across the state, the majority of Texans know very little about craft beer and are happy chugging their favorite macro beer. LIGHT BEER IS KING!!! Just look at the beer selection of the average bar or restaurant.

BUD LIGHT. MILLER LITE. COORS LIGHT.


Americans, and Texans, drink light beer and LOVE it. Most bar owners don’t help the situation either. I talk to bar and restaurant owners often and the majority of them do not care about craft beer. They are clueless. They simply put on tap what the distributor tells them will sell. They don’t know what beers to ask for and do not fight to get that keg of rare beer. On top of that most wouldn’t be willing to pay the extra cost to get that premium craft brew. So how do we share the gospel of craft beer with more people if they are happy with the light beer and every bar or restaurant they visit pushes light beer?

One person at a time.

     Craft beer culture has to be grown organically. It cannot be forced. Americans, especially Texans, are fiercely independent. In my experience the easiest way to get that Michelob Ultra loving friend to enjoy a craft beer is to share one of yours with them. Who doesn’t love a free beer??? Don’t berate them with how crappy their beer is and how superior your beer is. Hand them a craft beer that is similar in style to what they already enjoy. Just showing them that someone other than AB InBev/SABMiller can make a beer they enjoy is the first step in their craft beer awakening. I still get a tear in my eye when one particular friend who exclusively drank Michelob Ultra shows up to a gathering with a couple of 6 packs of great craft beer. It may take some work to win your friends over but it’ll be worth it in the end.

     

Being involved in our craft beer boom is fun! What an awesome time to be a craft beer lover in this neck of the (piney) woods! One day you will be able to tell your grandkids about being at True Vine for their first Open Taps or waiting in line to try that first pint of Moon Pool at Oil Horse. Attending beer dinners at BJ's Brewhouse was something I never imagined I'd experience in Longview, Texas. It is exciting to hear about new breweries coming to Tyler and seeing people line up to enjoy a pint at Fredonia Brewery in Nacogdoches. Remember just a few years ago when B Dubs had the best tap selection in town??? Those were dark days my friends! Don’t take for granted the privilege of being able to regularly enjoy fresh local beer around town. I damn near shed a tear when I was able to drink Landman at BJ’s. I was beyond excited to explain to the old guy next to me at On The Border that the beer he asked about was brewed right here in Longview, Texas. Going over to True Vine or hanging out at Oil Horse is always a fun time. You run into other craft beer lovers or those who are just curious about what in the heck this craft beer thing is all about. Spending hours enjoying and talking about craft beer with people from my community is something I couldn’t have dreamed of 10 years ago.


     Another fun aspect of our craft beer boom is the economic and community benefits. Especially with the downturn in oil East Texas needs all the revenue streams it can get. Craft breweries do more than bring in a few extra tax dollars. Their impact is exponential. As you have seen many craft breweries inhabit older parts of town and reside in re-purposed buildings. I love seeing these old buildings with so much history being used for something like a brewery. The old dilapidated building that was under threat of being torn down is now a community hangout and the heart of the neighborhood. Suddenly you have people visiting a part of town they normally would not visit. They realize their are neat shops and delicious restaurants in the area as well. Now the presence of a craft brewery is impacting other businesses in the area. Soon you have young people wanting to move into the area because they can walk to their neighborhood deli, brewery and coffee shop. What used to be a dying part of town becomes a vibrant and hip community. People begin to be curious about the history of the area and soon they are appreciating the contributions of those who have lived there before. A growing trend and one of the more popular aspects of some new craft breweries are the local food trucks that serve them. The symbiotic relationship between a craft brewery and a food truck can be a beautiful thing. I cannot tell you the number of times I have chosen to go to one brewery over another simply because I know there will be an awesome food truck on site. I’ve also been to breweries such as Division Brewing in Arlington that have local craft vendors set up outside.

Time and time again I’ve seen a craft brewery breathe new life into a neighborhood or community. In the case of Cedar Creek Brewery I’d argue the brewery has brought many people to their city who would’ve never had any reason to visit Seven Points, Texas. Once more Texas lawmakers realize the economic and communal benefit of craft breweries I believe we will see the restrictive laws relaxed even more. The ability for breweries to sell packaged beer and growlers for off site consumption is a must. This will help breweries to unlock new revenue streams and better serve their communities.


     Our craft beer boom is only beginning and it needs your help to continue. Support your local brewers. Visit their taproom. Drink their beers when you are out on the town. Pick up a six pack from your favorite craft beer retailer. Eat at the restaurant a few shops down from the brewery before or after you stop in for a pint. Request your favorite craft beer at your regular watering hole and grocery store. Without the support of the community a craft brewery cannot survive. With new breweries soon to open here in East Texas it will be important to help bring more and more people into the craft beer family. Buy a six pack of Dankosaurus at Brookshires and share with a friend. Offer to buy a Mermaids and Unicorns for your friend the next time you are at Rotolo’s. Most importantly enjoy being a craft beer lover during the greatest craft beer boom our state has ever seen. Other states may have beat us to the punch but this is OUR craft beer boom and everyone knows everything is bigger in Texas!!!


Sláinte


Joel Patrick Heflin