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| All logos and graphics the property of their respective owners. Image: Brian Brown/Beer in Big D. |
The intro to this year's annual review piece is probably going to sound a little bit like a broken record - times are tough and growth is stagnant, with brewery owners doing any and everything they can to stay afloat.
Ask a local owner how things are going, and you get responses like "we're just barely breaking even," or "we've literally never made a profit." That, or there's a note of exasperation with a shake of the head and a shrug, followed by "I'm running a craft brewery." Even worse, "Man, every week, we're just trying to make it to the next Monday."
These are actual conversations had in the last 12 months. Yet, the industry continues to persevere in the face of ongoing difficulties. The bottom still hasn't fallen out despite accelerated closures, but that's only because new openings have been just enough to keep things in balance since 2021.
Whether or not that continues will be something to watch. For 2024, closings outnumbered openings for the second time in three years. That, and there were only four openings - the fewest since 2011, the origin point of the modern craft beer boom locally. And while there are more than a dozen new projects in the works, the development cycle has been a lengthy one for more than a few, leading to uncertainty as to when they'll actually open.
Of course, breweries aren't the only entities struggling, as evidenced by double-digit closures of craft beer-centric bars and growler shops across D-FW in 2024 (see a list provided later in the article). Those calling it quits are citing many of the same reasons behind brewery closures - rising costs, rising rents, and other factors being at the forefront of decisions to fold.
So, how best to navigate the market going forward? In its own 2024 Year in Beer post, the Brewers Association points to things like brand differentiation, a renewed focus on successful product lines (after years of pushing diversification), and being mindful of the overall customer experience.
Even then, uncertainties abound, which leads to the "adapt or die" refrain all over again, but brewery owners would probably be the first to tell you they've been pivoting almost daily since before the pandemic.
As for consumers, the message should be clear - support your local bars and breweries today, so you're not lamenting their loss tomorrow.
Now, more on the 2024 year in beer...
The Business of Beer - Local Dealings
Something else the Brewers Association mentions is the increasing likelihood of consolidations and strategic alliances. Locally, we've had breweries make deals to tap into excess capacity at other locales, but a full-on merger like that of three Houston breweries over the summer hasn't come to pass here.
What we have seen, though, is how breweries can get passed around like trading cards when it comes to large-scale buyouts. Last year, the owners of Four Corners Brewing Co. regained control of their Dallas-based brewery after being acquired by Constellation Brands in 2018. Unfortunately, a different fate has befallen the area's two other acquisition targets.
Deep Ellum Brewing Co. of Dallas, which joined CANarchy in 2018, was part of a package sold to Monster Energy in early 2022. Then, in May of this year, Monster ceased local operations in favor of moving production to a facility out of state.
Then, there's the case of Revolver Brewing of Granbury. After a majority interest in the brewery was sold to MillerCoors in 2016, the big beer boys passed the brewery on to Tilray Brands in September. Tilray, however, seems to have its sights set on the THC-infused beverage space, which leaves Revolver's future in doubt.
Moving on to other dealings, even in a tough market there were a number of expansions in 2024.
From the roster of North Texas brewing operations, Tupps Brewery completed its move to a larger facility in Downtown McKinney in February, while Union Bear Brewing Co. of Plano finalized an expansion with a July opening of its new Denton taproom, where production had begun late in 2023.
Among local retailers expanding their reach, Civil Pour Coffee & Beer raised a new "Ruckus" in Richardson and The Old Monk established a new presence in Oak Cliff.
Out-of-state retail companies made moves as well, with The Brass Tap of Florida upping its area franchise count to 13 with openings in Euless and McKinney, Hoppin' of North Carolina introducing its self-pour taproom concept to Fort Worth and Grapevine, and Voodoo Brewing Co. of Pennsylvania adding spots in Plano and Fort Worth (the latter closed after only a few months).
The area's one notable contraction came to light just recently, as Fort Brewery & Pizza is closing its restaurant and taproom in Fort Worth to focus on production and distribution only.
What's in store for 2025 (or later)? Union Bear is opening a restaurant (sans brewing operations) in McKinney, Rollertown Beerworks of Celina has begun work on their new headquarters in Frisco, 903 Brewers of Sherman has taken out a lease on a satellite spot in Denison, Parker County Brewing Co. is moving across I-30 to a larger locale in Willow Park, Edgewise Eight Brewing has a new spot coming soon in Weatherford, and Bosque River Taphouse has a permanent location in the works for Stephenville.
There are also rumblings of an expansion or a second location being considered by Manhattan Project Beer Co. of Dallas. This, after consecutive years of having the largest reported year-to-year gain in raw barrels produced in North Texas.
Finally, Voodoo Brewing Co. looks to continue its occupation of North Texas with taprooms in Prosper and Lewisville.
The Business of Beer - Statewide Statistics
According to 2023 economic updates provided by the Brewers Association, Texas produced nearly 1.52 million barrels of beer last year (up from 1.3 million), the state continuing to rank fourth in production nationally. On total brewery count compared to 2022, Texas had 445 breweries (up from 407), with 2.1 breweries per capita (up from 1.9) - ranking 48th nationally (down a notch from 47th).
For 2024, preliminary numbers based on personal tracking show there were only around 30 new brewery openings across Texas (down from 60+ in 2023), with 35 or more closures (down slightly from 39 in 2023).
Numbers for total economic impact in 2023 were up as well, Texas ranking third nationally (steady) while contributing over $5.25 billon to the economy (up from 4.55 billion). Then, with regards to employment, statistics show 28,543 full-time equivalent workers were employed by the state's brewing industry during 2023 (up from 27,000), with the average wage being $49,312 (up from $47,237).
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| Image/Data: Brewers Association. |
The overall brewery count in North Texas didn't see significant movement up or down for the third year in a row, with four openings and seven closings and/or consolidations taking place in 2024.
A couple of notes...
For now, Franconia Brewing Co. of McKinney is included in the list of permanent closures for 2024. Social media posts suggest there were plans to move the business after shuttering the McKinney site in February, but there is nothing new to report on that front. Should things change, appropriate edits will be made.
Also, one retroactive change involves adding Brew Aleworks of Granbury to the closure count for 2023. The company closed its taproom and restaurant in November 2023 to focus solely on production and distribution. This involved entering into a joint proprietorship with Revolver Brewing of Granbury, but as of now a related TABC application has not been approved.
With that, there are now 88 active brewing operations in North Texas after taking into account the already announced 2025 closure of Barley & Board in Denton. Adding side projects and subtracting licenses for breweries with multiple locations, 85 different brands of local beer are available in the market.
On the horizon: Acre Distilling of Fort Worth (adding brewing operations), Balanced Rock Brewing of The Colony, Bearded Ax Brewery of Midlothian, East Dallas Brewing Co. of Dallas, La Hermana Cerveceria at Far-Out Dallas (formerly Wriggly Tin), Forney Brewing Co. of Forney, Landon Winery of Gainesville (by way of Greenville production space), Palo Pinto Brewing Co. of Strawn, Smittox Brewing Co. of Dallas, Toasty Bros. of Denton (permanent location), Village Creek Brewing Co. of Rendon...and others.
- Black Hawk Brewery, Prosper.
- Glen Echo Brewing, Wylie.
- Three Wide Brewing Co., Fort Worth.
- Uptown Rail Brewery, Sanger.
- Tupps Brewery, McKinney.
- Union Bear Brewing Co., Denton (included in 2023 count, production began last year).
- Voodoo Brewing Co., Fort Worth.
- Voodoo Brewing Co., Plano.
- Edgewise Eight Brewing, Weatherford - moving to new location.
- Barley & Board, Denton (will be included in 2025 count).
- By the Horns Brewing, Mansfield.
- Franconia Brewing Co., McKinney.
- Funky Picnic Brewery & Café, Fort Worth.
- Happy Hippie Brewing Co., Richardson.
- Neutral Ground Brewing Co., Fort Worth.
- Wriggly Tin, Dallas.
- Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Dallas (parent Monster Energy moving production out of state).
- A timeline of heady local headlines
January - Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. of Fort Worth enlists 6th Ave. Storytelling to help with brand refresh ahead of 20th anniversary. The goal being to "share their journey from the past to the present while casting a vision for their future growth and evolution."
January - Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland expands its education efforts by partnering with the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) on a curriculum designed to educate the next generation of brewing talent.
February - Maple Branch Craft Brewery of Fort Worth brings home prize for Brewery of the Year in the Under 600-bbl Group at the 2024 Texas Craft Brewers Cup, the professional beer competition put on annually by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild.
February - Guitars & Growlers, a music-centric craft beer bar and restaurant, taps Outfit Brewing of Dallas to create a line of house beers to be served at the company's three DFW-area locations.
April - North Texans gather to take in a rare total solar eclipse, with over a dozen area breweries crafting special dark beers for the occasion.
April - Fort Brewery & Pizza of Fort Worth begins producing Heim Lite for Heim BBQ (both companies fall under the same ownership umbrella). The new beer is available at all area Heim locations.
May - Fritz Rahr, founder of Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. of Fort Worth, reveals cancer battle. He returned to work at the brewery bearing his name after two years fighting the disease.
May - 3 Nations Brewing Co. of Carrollton/Anna unveils new logo. The updated design is meant to symbolize the changes happening at 3 Nations, and to reflect the company's "commitment to ensuring our beers are of the highest quality."
May - Community Beer Co. of Dallas reveals its head brewer is now sober, something which happens to align perfectly with the uptick in demand for non-alcoholic beers.
June - Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland teams with Andy's Frozen Custard of Missouri to create the world's largest beer float. The record-breaking result was realized using 50 scoops of Andy's frozen custard and 75 pints of The Temptress, Lakewood's popular imperial milk stout.
June - With the announcement of a new signature event in October, Cloud 9 Charities ends the 11-year run of Best Little Brewfest in Texas.
August - Ivanhoe Ale Works of Denison debuts new logo and outlook for upcoming 10th anniversary. The brewery worked with Climer Design to develop visuals with a retro and nostalgic vibe "that would honor the original logo and continue to fit the setting of this brewery housed in a vintage movie theater."
August- Vector Brewing of Dallas expands hours and offerings, now providing breakfast and lunch service.
August - Unlawful Assembly Brewing Co. of Plano becomes the exclusive draft beer provider for Legacy Hall.
September - Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland creates sweet and savory special release for State Fair of Texas. The brewery's Cotton Candy Bacon Blonde Ale was made to pair with a cotton candy syrup-glazed bacon-on-a-stick offering from Rousso Concessions.
September - Rollertown Beerworks of Celina collaborates with Dallas-based metal band Drowning Pool on a Czech dark lager named Revolution. The beer gets its name from the band's newest single.
October - Local supplier of raw ingredients and supplies to professional brewers nationwide, Pro Brew Supply, expands to larger facility in Fort Worth.
October - Celestial Beerworks of Dallas one of over 240 national breweries to participate in the Pouring for Neighbors initiative supporting relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene. The brewery released Fresh Start, a wet hop hazy IPA, in late October, with a dollar from every pint sold going directly to the cause.
November - Three beers from Vector Brewing of Dallas among those featured in the Best in Beer 2024 issue of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine. Their creations were reviewed alongside other funky, wild and sour beers.
November - Hop & Sting Brewing Co. collaborating with Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q on a new beer to be sold at the restaurant's new, permanent location opening in Allen in 2025. Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q Light Lager is said to pair well with "Good Friends and Great Food."
December - Hop Culture names Vector Brewing of Dallas one of The 11 Best Breweries of 2024.
December - Locust Cider of Washington closes Fort Worth taproom, a location it opened in October 2018.
December - Texas Longhouse Meadery opens for business in Wylie. - In Memoriam
The year in beer began on a very sad note, as two local industry figures passed away within days of each other in March.
Charlie Pelletier was a staunch supporter of craft beer in North Texas, especially for those who followed the industry in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. He was the ever-present admin of the Facebook group, Fort Worth Craft Beer. Two local breweries created beers in his honor: Celestial Beerworks of Dallas released Charlie, a hazy IPA in April, followed by Panther Island Brewing of Fort Worth with Cheers Charlie, a fruited gose, in May.
Dave Kirk was the co-founder of White Rock Alehouse & Brewery and White Rock Brewing Co. of Dallas. White Rock brewed and released Dave's Heavenly Pils in rememberance of him in May.
Their deaths remind us that craft beer is more than just a beverage or brand, indeed... "Craft Beer is People." - List of bar and growler shop closings in 2024
Pour one out for these craft beer-centric venues.
Beer Geeks, Fate.
Bluffview Growler, Dallas.
Bubble & Squeak Craft Beer & Wine, Forney.
City Works, Frisco.
Cork & Growler, Frisco (opening new spot in Prosper).
Craft Beer Cellar, Dallas.
Guitars & Growlers, McKinney.
Kegs & Mugs, Lewisville.
Rugby House, Plano.
T&P Tavern, Fort Worth. - Ten- and Twenty-year toasts
Those reaching the 10-year anniversary milestone in 2024 included Malai Kitchen of Dallas (brewing operations added in 2014 after originally opening the restaurant in 2011), and Panther Island Brewing of Fort Worth. And 20 years? That would be Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. of Fort Worth. A look at what each was serving in their very early days:
Malai Kitchen: Bia Hoi Vietnamese Lager, Thai-PA.
Panther Island Brewing: Allergeez American Pale Wheat Ale, Boom Summer Blonde, Real Good Cream Ale.
Rahr & Sons: Rahr's Blonde, Texas Red.
Celebrating 10 years in 2025: 3 Nations Brewing Co. of Carrollton, Bitter Sisters Brewing Co. of Addison, Division Brewing of Arlington, Four Bullets Brewery of Richardson, Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery of Garland, Ivanhoe Ale Works of Denison, Oak Highlands Brewery of Dallas, On Rotation of Dallas, Texas Ale Project of Dallas, Tupps Brewery of McKinney. - North Texas award winners: Click here for listings of award-winning beers from 2024, with competition results from the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, Texas Craft Brewers Cup, United States Beer Tasting Championship, U.S. Open Beer Championship, Best of Craft Beer Awards, Craft Beer Marketing Awards, and Indiana Brewers' Cup.
- Preferred pours of 2024 (new-to-market, or newly-discovered beers some blogger particularly enjoyed):
Armor Wheat Wine
Celestial Stare at the Sun Japanese Black Rice Lager
False Idol Knifehead Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Ivanhoe Dammit Janet English Brown Ale
Jaquval Rabble Rabble Coffee Stout
Maple Branch Prince's Gate Smoked Amber Kellerbier
Martin House Day Ruiner Whiskey Barrel-Aged Blonde Barleywine
Oak Cliff Ravenator Doppelbock
Odd Muse The Hermit Barrel-Aged American Barleywine
On Rotation Orchard Belgian Dark Strong Ale with Plum & Apple
Rollertown Revolution Czech Dark Lager
Soul Fire Cleburne's Goatman Oatmeal Stout
Tupps Red Riot Rye IPA
Turning Point Under the Big Top Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged Salted Caramel Imperial Stout
Union Bear New Zealand Pilsner
Vector/Smittox Collective Rhythms Coffee Cream Ale
