by Steven Doyle
The starting bell has chimed and they’re off. Dallas Beer Week officially begins today and there are plenty of options abound to quench your craft beer thirst.
Actually, the unofficial start was last night at the Anvil Pub with the very first commercial tapping of Deep Ellum Brewing Company’s brew, both their Backslider Blonde and a Double Brown Stout. The boys at Deep Ellum were on hand to celebrate and there were many revelers lined up to be the very first to sample their new product.
“This is Beer Week so we pretty much had to be ready today. There are no second chances,” said one of the owners, John Reardon, last night at Anvil Pub.
Indecisive which beer to start with, we ordered both beers and found the stout to have brave notes of chocolate, roasted pecans and a smooth creamy finish. The other beer was a dirty blonde, unfiltered with a slight sour after-taste. Both beers were hardy and refreshing.
We had previously thought that the first tapping would be at Common Table today and Reardon said, “Yea, we are doing a tapping party there, but it is only right that the first keg is actually in Deep Ellum.”
Also on hand was Jay Jerrier from Il Cane Rosso who said he had plans to tap a Deep Ellum keg as soon as one of the other kegs were cashed. Jerrier was confident that would happen within hours of speaking with him last night at 7:00pm.
Congratulations to everyone at Deep Ellum Brewery.
Here is the Beer Week schedule for today. Check out their website for additional details.
Franconia: Starting at 2PM, a $7 cover includes a live jazz band and brewery tour featuring Franconia’s outstanding ales. Additionally, the Bavarian Grill will be there serving their German bratwurst Plate with potato salad and sauerkraut. 50% of the door fee goes to The Samaritan Inn, a local homeless shelter. Franconia is located in McKinney.
Common Table: Four Deep Ellum Brewing beers will be available on tap, so you can try them for the first time here among the festivities, preceding the Dallas Beer Week kickoff party at Franconia starting at 2PM.
Frankie’s Sports Bar and Grill: $3 Stone IPA pints and$3 bottles of Brooklyn Lager all week long at all three Frankie’s locations throughout Beer Week.
The Ginger Man: Happy Birthday to the Ginger Man! For the Ginger Man’s 20th anniversary Kickoff Party, visit for live music, giveaways, special merchandise, and obviously, awesome beer. This is a free event.
