The Best Breweries in Dallas
December 1, 2020
Note to readers: our most recent visit to Dallas was February 2020, so this article was written in March 2020… only for the pandemic to send the country (and the craft beer industry) reeling. We felt at the time it wouldn’t be appropriate to publish an article about beer travel during a time when no one should be traveling. While travelers should still exercise extreme caution as the pandemic continues to rage in America— please see our guide on how to conduct beer travel as safely as possible during the pandemic— we realize that much of the country is open, and craft breweries all over need your support now more than ever. Some of the information in the article may no longer be accurate, as some time has passed since its writing, so before visiting any of these locations, please check their social media for their latest information. Thank you for continuing to support craft beer during these strange times, and thank you for continung to supoprt the Beer Travel Guide.
Dallas, Texas is a great representative of the diverse melting pot that makes up America. It’s home to both tacos and barbecue. It’s home to both Luka Doncic and Tony Romo. It’s home to both America’s finest margaritas… and a terrific craft beer scene. We at the Beer Travel Guide are very fond of Dallas: we’ve driven through several times during cross-country exploits, we have good friends who live in the city, and we love indulging in Dallas dining and drinking. The entire Dallas-Fort Worth area has several fantastic breweries, but for the purposes of this article, we will stick exclusively to those within the city limits (apologies to Tupps and Turning Point, both of whom will inevitably be included in future articles about the greater area). So whether you’re new to Dallas, taking a vacation, or just passing through, let us direct you toward our favorite breweries in the city.
BrainDead Brewing
Deep Ellum has several worthy breweries within walking distance, but my favorite was BrainDead Brewing. Its eclectic interior created an artsy vibe suitable for the area, plus they have considerable outdoor seating for those days where the heat is tolerable. They also have very good food on hand— my friend and I stuck to the starter menu, but I saw more than one burger pass me by, and they looked drool-inducingly tasty. Our recommendations: their core hazy, Happiness Comes From Within, was one of the better hazies in the city, but I was knocked out by their old school double IPA, Galactic Federation of Might, a big boy west coaster that smacks you in the head with tropical hop flavor. I also dug the We Own The Night (2019), a 12% coffee stout that delivers the goods.
Celestial Beerworks
It’s hard to pick a favorite brewery in a city like Dallas that boasts so many good ones, but Celestial Beerworks is usually the first name out of my mouth when making recommendations. Located downtown off Maple, Celestial has a stylish, astrology-themed taproom— plenty to look at as you play some board games and down your brews. There’s no kitchen, but Celestial has more than enough to consume when it comes to their beer variety. Anyone who digs hazies, stouts, or sours owes it to themselves to hit up Celestial and try everything on the menu. Our recommendations: where to begin? Technical Skillset was an unreal banger of a triple IPA: intensely fruity and incredibly soft with a well-disguised 10% ABV. It may well have been the best IPA in the city. Algorhythm was a 15% whiskey barrel aged stout, boozy, rich, and velvet in texture. Finally, the Berry Rocket: a fruited berliner weisse stuffed with blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry. This sweet liquid jam takes the Dallas sour crown.
Community Beer
Community Beer is one of several breweries in the Design District worth your time. They have a massive taproom with rows of tables and benches— this arrangement really fosters the titular community atmosphere, as you’re sitting and drinking with strangers, conversations inevitably start, and new friends are made. I had friendly chats with multiple people at my table, which led to some righteous games of indoor cornhole. Our recommendations: I’m a big fan of their barrel-aged Legion stouts— on this particular visit, they had a Mocha variant, which made for a roasty and boozy glass of decadence. On the opposite end of the spectrum, their Texas Lager is one of the better craft light lagers in recent memory: it’s a crisp easy sipper, ultra light yet never watery. One could crush these all night over some cornhole.
Manhattan Project Beer Company
Manhattan Project has several praiseworthy elements, but I’d like to start with its most distinctive: it’s also a coffee shop. They’re open first thing in the morning, and while maybe most folks don’t like starting a day with some 9 AM beers, if you’re visiting Dallas and have a busy day of brewery hopping ahead, the early start (and coffee buzz) is very much appreciated. While I enjoyed their sleek, modern taproom— definitely reminiscent of a coffee shop— they also have a large shaded patio that easily ranks as one of the best in Dallas. Our recommendations: the Particles Collide Alpha was easily one of the best hazies in Dallas, and the Raspberry Bikini Atoll was a terrific raspberry gose, but special mention must be made of Wise Monkeys, their Belgian Golden Strong that balances sweet, dry, and smooth all tremendously well.
Peticolas Brewing
I’ve been to Peticolas more than any other Dallas brewery, and not just because it was one of Dallas’s first craft breweries, opening in 2011. It’s also because the beer is consistently hearty and strong, and their multi-story taproom is one of the most inviting in the area. We’ve come during busy afternoons, and we’ve come late at night and closed the bar down— regardless of the visit, the staff has always been warm and gracious with their time. They’ve also often had local vendors serving food during our visits— this time around, they had Sweetie’s Cheesecakes from Fort Worth, and oh my, were those cheesecakes-in-a-jar fantastic. Our recommendations: the Velvet Hammer is a Texas craft classic, a big rich malty imperial red ale that I’ve ordered every visit. However, on this most recent visit, my heart belonged to another: Great Scot!, their Scottish ale that’s malty, chocolatey, a little smoky, and perfectly executed. I’ll be back again, Peticolas.
Texas Ale Project
Texas Ale Project may have the best taproom in all of Dallas. Their indoor space is terrific, bright and welcoming, with a centralized bar and windows to the brewing floor to watch the brewers do their magic— and their outdoor space is gorgeous, with loads of space, several small trees, and strung-up lights. I was there at night, and it felt like a scene out of a movie. There are several games to play on hand, the staff was all very nice, and the atmosphere is very laid-back and fun. Our recommendations: the Thai Dye was a strong, solid IPA, and the Caucasian Nitro was a smooth, creamy white Russian style stout (and a fun Big Lebowski reference). However, it’s worth noting— and I’m surprised to be saying this— that I thoroughly enjoyed their mojito lime hard seltzer, one of the better hard seltzers I’ve ever had.
Trinity Cider
While it’s not technically a brewery, no list of the best taprooms in Dallas would be complete without Trinity Cider. Trinity Cider isn’t just serving up the best cider in Dallas— it’s also one of the most fun taproom experiences I’ve had in 2020. The bartender was serving up cider sake bombs. The regulars were all kind and had great stories to tell. The bar serves a ghost pepper cider, The Unholy Ghost, that is so spicy, they make you sign a waiver before serving it to you. (Yes, I had The Unholy Ghost, and yes, it was insanely spicy, easily one of the spiciest beers or ciders I’ve ever had.) Above all else though, the cider is just top-to-bottom terrific. Our recommendations: the Naughty Grandma is a superb spiced apple pie cider, and the Cideboob is one of the better watermelon ciders I can recall ever having. We were also fortunate to visit near Valentine’s Day, so they had some of their Valentine’s Day cider, Afternoon Delight, a chocolate strawberry cider. How do these ciders work as well as they do? Ask the wizards at Trinity.
BEST PLACE FOR IPAS:
Celestial Beerworks (Runners-up: Manhattan Project, BrainDead)
BEST PLACE FOR SOURS:
Celestial Beerworks (Runner-up: Manhattan Project)
BEST PLACE FOR STOUTS:
Community Beer Company (Runners-up: Celestial Beerworks, Peticolas)
BEST PLACE FOR LAGERS:
Community Beer Company (Runner-up: Manhattan Project, Celestial Beerworks)
BEST TAPROOM:
Texas Ale Project (Runners-up: Manhattan Project, Peticolas, Community)
BEST PLACE TO EAT:
BrainDead Brewing (Runner-up: Manhattan Project)
SPECIAL AWARDS:
Best Cider: Trinity Cider (duh)
Best Scottish Ale: Peticolas
Best Belgian Ale: Manhattan Project
Spiciest Beverage: Trinity Cider (also duh)
Which is your favorite of these breweries? Are there any breweries in Dallas that you love that we neglected to mention? Please shout them out in the comments below! Also check out our list of all the Dallas/Fort Worth breweries here. Cheers!
I think you really dropped the ball by not mentioning Pegasus City. But I think I know why, they don’t do any IPAs. Which is all the more reason that I LOVE them. Not a single one of their 12-16 beers will i NOT drink. Cheers!