A sip of something different with Fox & Raven Mead

Photo © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

It's been mentioned here before, but the field of fermented beverages in North Texas goes beyond just beer. There are cider and mead-makers around town as well, though their numbers are far fewer compared to the landscape of local breweries.

One of those dropping honey-based alcoholic drinks goes by the moniker of Fox & Raven Mead. Founded by Bryce DeShazo and Savannah Castillo, the company has been in business since 2021. It operates out of a small production and pickup-only storefront at 1510 Randolph St. in Carrollton, but the owners are out nearly every weekend sampling and selling their meads at area festivals, vendor markets and other special events.

Products from Fox & Raven range from The Hunt - The Hare (14% ABV), a traditional mead that dries out quite nicely in the finish, to Fellow Traveler (12% ABV), a tasty acer (or maple mead) with fresh green apples. Their portfolio also features a few lower strength fruited hydromels and sparkling meads (6% ABV), with prickly pear and mango/habanero among the flavor options.

Sampling some of Fox & Raven's creations this weekend while shopping the Farmers Market at The Lawn in Little Elm, what stood out the most was how well-balanced their meads are across the board, not being overly sweet or dominated by added ingredients. Similar thoughts applied to a bourbon barrel-aged version of their base mead called The Hunt - The Hart, which was entirely too easy to drink considering its boozy backbone.

Given those impressions, the most highly-anticipated taste might be Whidbey, a barrel-aged bochet (or black mead) made with caramelized honey and marionberries. This one was only available to take home, as samples were understandably cost-prohibitive.

As for how to get a taste for yourself, Fox & Raven meads can occasionally be found on guest taps at local breweries. Then on the packaging side, corked bottles can be purchased online for shipment or pick-up, but they are also available at Lone Star Beverages of Carrollton or at the aforementioned pop-ups. For details, visit the "Find Mead" link on Fox & Raven's website.

Balanced Rock ready to roll in The Colony

Logo: Balanced Rock Brewing, Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

The newest brewery in North Texas has one thing in mind as it approaches its opening in The Colony, and that quite simply is to "Keep Texas Beer'd."

Balanced Rock Brewing, founded by Jim Dooley and James Wirz, will do business at 5265 State Highway 121. The partners are working with a unique 8600 square foot spot formerly occupied by Urban8 Food Court. In fact, the food hall's debut in 2018 provided Wirz with the first vision of what Balanced Rock could be.

I visited Urban8 the week it opened and thought it would make a great brewpub," says Wirz. "When it closed and hit the market, we snagged it."

On the outside, the building looks like a two-story structure, but the brewery and taproom is laid out on a single level, with high ceilings, large forward windows and rows of skylights combining to create a bright and open atmosphere.

Within, the setup is somewhat evenly split between public and production space. A bar top inlaid with reclaimed wood and river rocks centers the room while surrounding a 40 tap draft tower. Then, towards the back and enclosed by plexiglass, the layout of the brewing equipment takes full advantage of the available height, with both horizontal and vertical tank arrays reaching to the rafters

"This space had some challenges for a retrofit, so we went vertical to get some nice production capacity in a relatively small footprint," explains Wirz.

Anchoring the installation is what Wirz calls Balanced Rock's pièce de résistance, a copper-clad 10 hectoliter brewhouse (or about 8.5 barrels for those needing a conversion) built by Caspary GMBH Co. KG of Germany. It's unlike any system head brewer Michael Harper (formerly of Funky Picnic Brewery & Café, Oak Highlands Brewery and others) has used before, with a different sort of process flow that took some getting used to.

And speaking of being different compared to others when it comes to brewing techniques, Balanced Rock also has a single open-top fermenter in its arsenal. Think more oxygen, happier yeast, more complex flavors in your beer.

"We wanted to do some things not too common in North Texas," says Wirz. "On the copper, it's a cool look and the system fits our interior space well."

As for Balanced Rock's offerings, Harper is in the process of building up a portfolio of beers promising to be...well, balanced. In other words, the brewery won't lean too heavily into any one type of beer.

Once production ramps up, roughly 12-15 house beers will be pouring on the regular. For now, style options to start include a pale ale, hazy IPA, dry-hopped Kölsch, Belgian blonde, pub ale and a grodziskie (note, the latter four beers were created in collaboration with other area breweries to ensure liquid was ready for opening day). Among others in the works are a Belgian tripel, Mexican lager, and a West Coast IPA.

Then on the food, while the menu is still being finalized, the idea is for the eats to be elevated, but approachable with wood-fired pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more currently in the plans.

Balanced Rock Brewing expects to begin operating on a soft basis as soon as this week, pending final inspections, with a grand opening to follow. For updates, follow the brewery's social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

Operational changes in store for Revolver

Image © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

Industry chatter circulating on Monday morning suggested changes were in the works at Revolver Brewing of Granbury. Recall that Tilray Brands, a global lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company based out of New York, purchased the brewery (and others) from Molson Coors in September. This led some to speculate that operations at Revolver might be subject to consolidation down the road.

And yes, that is indeed the case, at least to some degree. While large-scale brewing will no longer take place in Granbury, the site will still function in other capacities. What remains to be learned is what this all means for the Revolver Brewhouse in Arlington.

From Tilray Brands:

"As the Tilray Beverages business continues to evolve and transform, we have undertaken a reallocation of resources to enhance efficiency and leverage synergies. As such, large-scale production will transition from the Revolver Brewing facility to other brewing locations. The Revolver Brewing facility will continue to operate, focusing on unique and innovative brews, and the taproom will remain open.

We are grateful for our employees’ commitment and are confident these adjustments will enhance customer experience and ensure our long-term success."

Oak Highlands extends streaks at 2025 USBTC Winter Competition

Image credit: Oak Highlands Brewery.

Results have been announced at the United States Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC), which completed its 31st Annual Winter Competition this weekend.

A total of 550 beers were submitted for evaluation across 20 different categories at this year's event, with entries arriving from 176 breweries located across the country. Regional Champions were determined in 7 separate U.S. regions, then those beers were judged side-by-side to determine a Grand Champion in each style category.

North Texas breweries compete in the Rockies/Southwest Region, and it's notable the only area honoree, Oak Highlands Brewery, has continued to place at USBTC gatherings since 2016 - the year after the Dallas-based brewery opened. As for the company's winning recipes for 2025, Devil's Snare and Vanilla Porter have both been Regional Champions at the USBTC for three years in a row.

For more on the 2025 USBTC Winter Competition, click here to visit the official competition website.

Oak Highlands Brewery, Dallas

• Bourbon Barrel Chump Change, Regional Champion in the Whiskey-Aged Beer category.
• Devil's Snare, Regional Champion in the Porter category.
• Bois D'arc, Regional Champion in the Dark Czech Lager category.
• Vanilla Porter, Regional Champion in the Bean Beer category.

Cheers and congratulations to Oak Highlands!