Category Archives: Tait Lifto

by Steven Doyle | December 23, 2011 · 10:36 am

6 Holiday Beers for Dallas

by Tait Lifto

Seasonal Greetings to you, Dallas! I say “seasonal” because Christmas brings more than presents under the tree, it also means seasonal offerings from craft brewers around the world. I’m going to highlight a few holiday and winter beers for you in different formats: one is a very large bottle good for parties, two are great beers you can only get in a restaurant, and the other three are bottles small enough to enjoy yourself or give away as gifts.

The beers I’m choosing have different taste profiles but all help make you feel a bit nicer on a cold winter day. I’ve personally tried all of the beers listed here and had them right here in Dallas – if you need help finding one, place a comment and I’ll do my best to respond. Continue reading →

More on Deep Ellum Brew

by Tait Lifto

On a simply wonderful December 17th with suprisingly warm weather and sunshine, DEBC opened it’s doors to the public. Yelp’s community manager was on-hand to allow visitors that checked into Yelp go in 30 minutes early. And it’s a good thing for those Yelpers out there as there were a few surprises in the beer offering department that were small batches and disappeared quickly.

Continue reading →

A Night at Common Table: Beer vs. Wine

by Tait Lifto

The Common Table dinners are legendary and not to be missed, and since I was in attendance for Beer vs Wine I (wine won, btw), I couldn’t wait to see what Tim and Jeff had in store for the rematch.

Tim Campbell – Wine & Spirits Education Trust Advanced Certificate holder and not-so-secret beer lover, Tim works for Republic National Beverage

Jeff Fryman – Master Certified Cicerone (The Common Table) with a wild brillo-pad beard knows his beer and has a well-known love affair for funkiness. I’m pretty sure his first son will be named “Bret”

First of all, let’s “set the table”… or “set the common table” as it were. TCT dinners involve special food menus created by Chef Mike Smith. These food menus are thought through well in advance of any dinner and paired with the beverages on purpose. Genius. And the food menus are incredible – my favorite in recent history was for the Mikkeller/Jester King Dinner: cheddar, bacon grits with quail – and are one-of-a-kind masterpieces in of themselves as they are not on the daily menus, so you miss a dinner and you miss those dishes (presumably forever, but I hate to follow Disney’s promotional lines for their cartoons recently rescued from some mysterious vault and digitally remastered, so I’ll just move on). Continue reading →

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Filed under beer, chefs, Competition, fun with food, Tait Lifto, Wine

by Steven Doyle | November 23, 2011 · 2:22 pm

World of Beer – Arlington Grand Opening

by Tait Lifto

Entering World of Beer in Arlington for the Facebook Soft Opening last night (tonight is the official Grand Opening) at 3:00pm, I was enthusiastically greeted by Bri Arroyo and handed two menus: a double-sided, laminated Draft Beer list and a 28 page book of beer that contains all the bottles and more. Bri asked me a few questions about my beer tastes and then suggested a few of her personal favorites. I selected a Gulden Draak, a Dark Belgian Triple weighing in at 10.5% abv. After receiving my beer, I relaxed and really looked around.

World of Beer is an interesting concept, started about 5 years ago in Tampa, FL. They have 16 locations in Florida and have recently begun branching out to other states hitting Columbus, OH and NC, and now Texas. I sat down with one of the owners, Ryan Macina, to find out what the plans are for Dallas. Continue reading →

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Filed under beer, Crave, Dallas, Fort Worth, restaurant news, Restaurant Opening, Tait Lifto

by Steven Doyle | September 14, 2011 · 9:25 am

The First “Dallas Brew at the Zoo” Was Wild!

by Tait Lifto photos by Tait Lifto

There is something wonderful about picking up a rare IPA while talking to owners of local brew pubs as a jaguar hungrily paces just inches away and the sounds of the 80’s punctuate the air. Craft beer is alive in Dallas, people! Hear ye, hear ye!

This iteration of beer growth appeals to the masses and propels the craft beer movement into the mainstream. While many still believe that beer is beer and all pretty much tastes the same (“yuck! I hate beer!”), tasting events break down stereotypes and allow true comparison that assist in defining a beer palate while discovering how many variations in style there really are. Continue reading →

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Filed under BBQ, beer, Dallas Zoo, Events, Tait Lifto