Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Author: David (Page 9 of 11)

Woodshed Smokehouse

When friends and family visit Rebekah and I in Fort Worth, one of our favorite places to take them is the Woodshed Smokehouse.  However, it always comes with a disclaimer:  This is not your typical Texas Barbeque hole-in-the-wall.

On one occasion, my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bob traveled from Pennsylvania just to come to the Woodshed!  Well, maybe their trip also had something to do with my cousin (their daughter) Lynn, her husband Nick and their boys that live on the other side of the Metroplex.  Anyway, our whole group loved the meal, including my two young nephews, who nibbled the very last specks of corn off the leftover cobs.

Recently, Rebekah and I hoped to share a delicious dinner with Rebekah’s close friend, Mary Beth during her Fort Worth visit.  Again, the atmosphere, food and service (by our server Taylor) did not disappoint!

The Woodshed's Woodshed

The Woodshed’s Woodshed

Actually, the Woodshed may not even be a Barbeque restaurant, with offerings as varied as bulgogi (Korean) beef tacos, red fish, 3 kale salad, and even paella, a Texan take on the traditional Spanish recipe, including mussels, clams, shrimp, rabbit-rattlesnake sausage, and game bird.  Nationally-known chef Tim Love takes a new perspective on Barbeque.  This is the only pit experience that comes complete with linen napkins!  But different can be equally delicious!  The Woodshed serves the barbeque staples:  brisket, sausage and ribs, each smoked with different woods (pecan, mesquite, oak and hickory), pairing the meat and wood perfectly.  As you can see, the Woodshed does not mess around with their food.

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Chasing Caravaggio – The Cardsharps

Every Friday we take a break from our regular blogging schedule to allow the authors an opportunity to feature a certain topic they are passionate about. Through this and other future posts we hope you’ll enjoy reading, we hope to share with you our personalities, passions, and interests on a more personal level.

As part of our continuing desire to bring beauty into focus, From Texas to Beyond will periodically feature brilliant pieces of art that have influenced our lives.  We are excited to showcase these universal works of beauty with you.

As a follow-up to my earlier review of the Kimbell Art Museum, there is one artwork by one artist in particular that I absolutely love:  The Cardsharps by Caravaggio.

Discovering Caravaggio

Caravaggio’s creations reignited my love of art.  As a child, I always loved art.  However, in 8th grade, I quickly learned that others were much more talented than myself.  Gradually I lost interest as I realized I would never be a great artist.  Or a good artist.  Or even a mediocre artist.

What I learned recently is a simple truth: you do not have to be an accomplished artist to appreciate the artwork of others.

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Texas Craft Brewery List – What to Drink in Texas

Texas Craft Beer is blowing up!  The options are almost endless, with new brews and breweries popping up every month.  Each brewery is different, with unique beers and distinct experiences. And we want to try them all, right?  Right.  And with our Texas Craft Brewery List, that goal just got easier!

I tried to find a current comprehensive list of all craft breweries in Texas, and failed.  Thinking I might not be alone in this search, I had the great idea to come up with my own list. The only problem, I greatly underestimated the number of craft breweries in Texas.  By my count, there are 128 breweries currently operating in Texas, with more breweries trying to open their doors.  128 breweries!  That is huge.  And I am not including gastropubs, places that brew small quantities of beer to sell along with their food options.  I will have to make a second list of these in the future. We hope you find this resource a helpful tool for your quest to find your favorite Texas brew.

A few notes about our Texas Craft Brewery List:
  1. The list of breweries is broken down by geographic region.
  2. Tried and True: Breweries in italics indicates that at least one of From Texas to Beyond’s authors have sampled this brewery’s beer.
  3. Been There. Done That.: Breweries in bold and italics indicates that at least one of From Texas to Beyond’s authors have visited this brewery.
  4. We will update this list as new breweries open.
  5. If you have any modifications to this list, please email me directly at david@fromtexastobeyond.com. We appreciate any help in making this list a great tool for all to use!
  6. I have compiled our Texas Craft Brewery List from multiple different sources and personal research.  Feel free to use this list, but please be kind and cite our page as your source.
Fort Worth and Surrounding Area:
Dallas and Surrounding Area:
North Texas Area:
Austin and Surrounding Area:
San Antonio and Surrounding Area:
Central Texas Area:
Houston and Surrounding Area:
East Texas Area:
Gulf Coast Area:
West Texas Area:

 

The Texas Craft Brewery List was last updated on August 2, 2018.

Rahr & Sons Brewing Company

When it comes to Texas Craft Beer in Fort Worth, Rahr & Sons Brewing Company is setting the pace.  Brewing quality beer since 2004, Rahr has attracted a devoted following in Fort Worth, the Metroplex area and beyond.

Exterior of Rahr & Sons Brewery

I have been to the brewery at least 10 times.  On Wednesdays, Rahr is a great place to meet coworkers and friends after work.  Lazy Saturdays, friends in town, or a bachelor party have provided great reasons to visit on the weekend.  Actually, Rebekah and I had a final celebratory drink with Matt and Rachel at the Rahr Brewery before they moved to Chicago for 2.5 years!  Good times…

Let’s take a look at this Fort Worth standard based on our Brewery Grading Scale.

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Texas Beer

What exactly is Texas beer?

If you believe the giant billboards you see while driving across our fine state, you may think Texas beer means Budweiser, Miller or Coors.  Not even close.

What about Lone Star Beer, the self-proclaimed “National Beer of Texas?”  Surely that must be Texas beer?  Nope.  Lone Star (as well as Pearl) is now owned by Pabst Brewing Co. of Los Angeles, California.  It is actually brewed in Fort Worth, but at the Miller plant.  Lone Star’s not exactly a Texas beer, and thank goodness.  It is horrible.  It kinda tastes like PBR for some reason…

Rahr’s Ugly Pug

Other popular beers in Texas are Mexican beers like Corona and Dos Equis.  I would not define these as Texan beers because even though they are popular, they are made in Mexico and distributed by Heineken of the Netherlands and Constellation Brands of New York, respectively.  Not Texan.

I would say the quintessential Texas beer is Shiner Bock, brewed in the small town of Shiner, Texas and owned by a San Antonio-based company.  There is no better companion for your Texas Pit Barbeque than a Shiner Bock!  Shiner Ruby Redbird features ginger and ruby red grapefruit from the Texas Valley and Shiner Cheer features Texas famous pecans and peaches.  And if you need a drink of Texas while abroad, you can now purchase Shiner across the United States.  However, do not be fooled.  Shiner Bock and Ziegenbock are totally different!  Ziegenbock is owned and distributed by Anheuser-Busch, commonly sold slightly cheaper than Shiner in an attempt to hurt the real Texas-based company.  Read more about this, and other Texas craft beer myths in this article.

However, there is so much more to Texas beer than Shiner.

Deep Ellum’s Dallas Blond

All across Texas, craft breweries are producing truly Texan beers.  When in Fort Worth, order Rahr’s Ugly Pug.  In Dallas, try a Deep Ellum IPA.  In Austin, give (512) Brewing’s Pecan Porter a go.  Passing through Houston?  Drink a Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower.

In the coming months, we will explore some of our favorite Texas craft breweries, as well as try some new ones.  By our count, there are more than 85 craft breweries in the Lone Star state.   The options are almost endless, with new brews and breweries popping up every month.  Each brewery is different, with unique beers and distinct experiences.  That is why we like to try them all!

We hope you find that Texas beer that was made just for your taste buds!

To assist your search for your favorite Texas brew, we compiled a list of craft breweries by region.

What is your favorite Texas beer?  Share with us in the comments section!

(512)'s Pecan Porter

(512)’s Pecan Porter

Saint Arnold’s Fancy Lawnmower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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