Looks like 2018 is off to a brew-tiful start in Dallas-Fort Worth. Two new microbreweries give drinkers as many reasons to forego their New Year resolutions. (We'll still give you credit for attempting not to imbibe in January.)
Here's the skinny on TKO Libations and Union Bear Brewing Co., now open in the North Texas suburbs.
TKO Libations
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This brewery, located in the Castle Hills community of Lewisville, opened softly at the end of 2017, but with the beginning of a new year, the owners are ready to celebrate big.
The brewery is a project between partners Ty Sefton, Kamel Maude and Cory Kuchinsky, who teamed up for local homebrewing competitions before going pro. Some of their award-winning beers can now be found on tap in Castle Hills, including Gingerbread Monster, a porter brewed with toasted ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Talk about a compliment to the cold weather.
The almost 3,000-square-foot brewery is outfitted with a taproom where patrons can belly up and sample beers from one of the 20 draft taps, four of which are on nitro. The brewery also has three cask engines for serving beer with lower carbonation. Find one you like? Take it home in a growler or crowler. Additionally, the bar serves wine and house-made soda. Patrons will find TVs and games such as darts, shuffleboard and cornhole, and an outdoor patio there.
TKO Libations is located at 2520 King Arthur Blvd., Suite 109 in Lewisville. Hours of operations are Wednesday 4:30 to 9 p.m., Thursday 4:30 to 10 p.m., Friday 4:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturday 1 p.m. ot midnight, and Sunday noon to 9 p.m. It is currently closed Monday and Tuesday.
Union Bear Brewing Co.
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From 2012 to 2014, Union Bear was a Dallas gastropub with ambitions of brewing its own beer. It closed before reaching that goal, but the restaurant has new owners and now a new life in Plano.
33 Restaurant Group (Cadillac Pizza Pub, Taverna Rossa) recently reopened the concept in a 7,200-plus-square-foot space in the new Boardwalk at Granite Park development. Brewers are already churning out house recipes on the 10-barrel brewing system there, including a white IPA, blonde ale, amber ale and stout. Additionally, the bar boasts 33 taps for guest beers, plus a selection of whiskies and wines.
Grab a drink and pair it with one of the plates from the menu, described by co-owner Preston Lancaster as offering "elevated comfort food." Think appetizers like the goat cheese-stuffed peppers and duck leg sliders, handhelds like the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, and cheffy pizzas topped with caramelized onions, prosciutto and blue cheese.
Union Bear also has a 3,000-square-foot patio, where patrons can try their turn on the golf putting hole, bocce ball and shuffleboard with a drink in hand. And if there's a beer that makes you fall in love at first sip, you can take it home in a growler or crowler.
Union Bear Brewing Co. is located at 5880 State Highway 121 in Plano. Hours of operation are Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
