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Local breweries prepare for Dallas Beer Week
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@starlocalnews.com, @Bill_PlanoStar on Twitter
Last November, organizers held the first Dallas Beer Week celebration. Pubs and breweries teamed up to hold special events and beer-themed dinners, all with the goal of promoting Texas-brewed craft beer.
At that time, DFW had only two production breweries -- Franconia Brewing in McKinney and Rahr & Sons in Fort Worth. Twelve months later, that number has quadrupled with several additional breweries set to open in early 2013.
With the influx of new breweries, this year's Dallas Beer Week, which begins Saturday and concludes on Nov. 17, should allow local brewers to showcase their products to the masses.
Perkinson began homebrewing in early 2010 and decided to give professional brewing a try when he was laid off from his finance job in 2011. After a year of planning and building his brewery, Perkinson sold his first pint of Texas Style Pale Ale in August.
In the short time he has been in the beer industry, Perkinson said he has learned that Dallas breweries are working toward the same goal.
"We are not really competing against each other, we are competing as a collective group against the mindset in Dallas that the three big breweries [Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors] are all that is out there," he said. "We may be competitors when the market is saturated, but for right now there is a great opportunity for restaurants to carry more beers from all the Dallas breweries."
Firewheel is hosting a brewery tour on Nov. 14 where Perkinson will showcase the new mini-biergarten. Perkinson said he hopes to have some one-off beers for the event, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at the brewery, located at 2806 Lawing Lane in Rowlett.
Prior to the Firewheel tour, the week will officially begin with a kickoff party at Franconia Brewing on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. The brewery is located just north of U.S. 380 at 495 McKinney Parkway.
Owner Dennis Wehrmann moved to America in 2003 after studying brewing in his home country of Germany. When he opened Franconia in 2008, he did so with the intention of making traditional German beers like his great, great grandfather did in the early 1800s.
"We are really excited about hosting the party for the second time," Wehrmann said. "All of the money is going to the Dallas Burrito Project, which helps homeless people get back on track. We are going to have two bands and food vendors, as well as some special Franconia beers on tap."
A number of local bars are also getting in on the beer week action, including Jack Mac's Swill and Grill, located two blocks south of Baylor Plano at 19009 Preston Road. The restaurant and pub opened at the end of July and focuses on beer, wine and spirits from the Lone Star State.
Owner Jack MacDonald said he is planning on dedicating his entire tap wall to local beers during Dallas Beer Week, including some special offerings from Franconia and Garland's Lakewood Brewing. He is also hosting a beer dinner on Nov. 13, where diners will be served a four-course dinner with specially paired beers for each course.
There are more than 90 separate events planned during Dallas Beer Week. For a complete schedule, visit dallasbeerweek.com.
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