Ben Smithson
(We Don’t Recommend Drinking Them All In One Sitting.)
Welcome to Ranked, our recurring column in which we take a long, hard look at sometimes oddly specific things pertaining to Dallas and tell you the order in which you should care about them.
Well, here it is. Since our On Tap column that’s dedicated to reviewing the beers of North Texas officially broke the hundo barrier some time back in 2015 — and since you all love listicles — it was only a matter of time, I suppose.
What was? What am I even talking about here? Good question!
Basically, we decided to look back at all of our review grades, factor in the perspective that time provides us and compile an official ranking of the 100 best beers from North Texas at the moment.
See Also:
• The 50 Best Burgers in Dallas. // The Meatiest List In Town.
• The 50 Best Barbecue Spots In Dallas. // Yeah. We Got Beef.
• The 64 Best Taco Spots In Dallas. // Let’s Taco Bout It.
Still, I request that you proceed with caution, my fellow imbibers! The fact is that we haven’t had a chance to try every single beer that’s brewed locally — and due to the sheer volume that abounds now that the craft beer revolution has long been underway around there parts, that might be an impossible task, actually.
Basically, breweries are pretty much constantly coming out with new beers at this point. It’s a lot to keep up with!
See Also:
• Beer & Now. // A Definitive Guide To Every Dallas-Fort Worth Area Brewery Currently In Operation.
• Like A Pro. // Everything You Need To Know About How To Not Get Stupid Wasted At A Beer Festival.
• Morning Bender. // You Can 8 a.m. Bar Crawl If You Want To.
So, y’know, don’t hate on us because we haven’t ruined our livers on every last drop of suds in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Better yet, just cut us a little slack, maybe? As you can see from the below links, which lead to full reviews we’ve run on these beers where applicable, we’re doing all we can to stay up on this stuff. And that’s sometimes a tough thing to do when you’ve been drinking.
My point is, this list probably isn’t perfect. But it’s not really meant to be. Consider it a conversation starter, or perhaps a means to discover some great local beers you’ve yet to try. OK? OK.
Now, enough preamble. Onto the rankings. Oh, and cheers!
99. Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Nightwatch.
98. 903 Brewers’ Trot Line.
97. Revolver Brewing’s Ironhead.
96. Four Corners Brewing Co.’s La Lechuza.
95. Peticolas Brewing Company’s Operation Collaboration.
94. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Double Brown Stout.
93. Peticolas Brewing Company’s The Duke.
92. The Collective Brewing Project’s Mom Azacca.
91. Audacity Brew House’s Boss Raptor.
90. Community Beer Company’s Funnel Cake Ale. While I am not totally in love with Funnel Cake Ale, I’ll concede that it is a good nod to the classic fairground food favorite. And, to its credit, this beer does have a nostalgic taste to it. Is it high in sugary sweetness? Probably too much so. But it’s still a fun beer to try every now and again.
88. Shannon Brewing Company’s Chocolate Stout. Shannon Brewing Company, unlike most other DFW breweries, uses flame to heat its kettles. That’s pretty neat, huh?
87. Martin House Brewing Company’s River House.
86. Oak Highlands Brewery’s Chump Change.
85. Martin House Brewing Company’s Gateway XPA.
84. 903 Brewers Sugar On Top.
83. 903 Brewers’ The Chosen One.
82. Martin House Brewing Company’s Cellarman’s Reserve.
81. Shannon Brewing Company’s Irish Red.
80. Martin House Brewing Company’s Gateway Blonde.
78. Braindead Brewing’s Red.
77. Revolver Brewing’s High Brass.
76. Texas Ale Project’s Somethin’ Shady.
75. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Deep Ellum IPA.
74. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Till and Toil.
73. Armadillo Ale Works’ Quakertown Stout.
72. Grapevine Craft Brewery’s Sir Williams Brown.
71. The Collective Brewing Project’s Petite Golden Sour.
70. Martin House Brewing Company’s Turtle Power. Altbier is not a super popular style, but Martin House doesn’t care about that with this excellent beer that uses blackberries to up its flavor. And this beer is a real hero in a half shell, too: Part of the proceeds from this beer go to a charity that helps turtles.
68. True Vine Brewing Co.’s Unicorn’s Revenge.
67. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Hopochondria.
66. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Zomer Pils. There’s a chance that a solid beer like Zomer Pils might get lost in the shuffle with all that Lakewood has going on. But don’t forget about this solid summer seasonal. It’ll make your barbecue that much better, I promise.
65. Martin House Brewing Company’s Rubberneck Red.
64. Community Beer Company’s Texas Pils.
63. Four Corners Brewing Co.’s El Superbee.
62. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Hop Seeker.
61. Cedar Creek Brewery’s Danosaurus. This super gnarly IPA smells like marijuana, which is interesting if nothing else. If you’re in the mood for loads of hops — and you’re up for some super dankness — this is the brew for you.
60. 3 Nations Brewing Co.’s GPA.
58. Noble Rey Brewing Company’s Golden Rey with Raspberries and Ginger.
57. Martin House Brewing Company’s Salsa Verde.
56. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Neato Bandito.
55. Cedar Creek Brewery’s Fisticuffs.
54. 903 Brewers’ Crackin’ Up.
53. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Holiday Bonus.
52. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Hop Trapp.
51. Cedar Creek Brewery’s Spinning Mule.
50. Braindead Brewing’s Gritz.
48. Armadillo Ale Works’ Brunch Money. If Brunch Money were a baseball pitch, it would be a change-up. This beer looks light(ish) in color, but then it hits you with flavors traditionally used in big stouts. Well played, Armadillo.
47. Peticolas Brewing Company’s Wintervention.
46. 903 Brewers’ Sasquatch.
45. Revolver Brewing’s Bock.
44. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Gourdzilla.
43. Backcountry Brewery’s Imperial Saison. Backcountry took over the space used by FireWheel Brewing Co. after that Rowlett beer producer folded. Its original location is in Colorado, which makes its inclusion on this list a little iffy. But, hey, we’re happy to see some Colorado suds heading our way.
42. Martin House Brewing Company’s Day Break.
41. Four Corners Brewing Co.’s El Chingon.
40. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Punkel.
38. Community Beer Company’s Barrel Aged Inspiration.
37. On Rotation’s Jalepeño Saison. On Rotation should (and mostly does) brew this beer all the time. In fact, before it switched over to its larger, stainless steel system, most of the other beers this spot produced were haunted by the ghosts of peppers past. Good times.
36. Bitter Sisters Brewery’s Hissy Fit.
35. Braindead Brewing’s Foreign Export Stout.
34. Noble Rey Brewing Company’s Steampunk Lager.
33. Bitter Sisters Brewery’s Belgian Tripel.
32. Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s 11th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout.
31. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Lakewood Lager.
30. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Play Date. DEBC is making moves with its first sour — and we dig it! This weird beer is unlike most standard ales, and it’s a feast for the senses.
28. Oak Highlands Brewery’s Golden Mustache.
27. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Raspberry Temptress.
26. Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer.
25. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Rock Ryder.
24. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Oak Cliff Coffee Ale.
23. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Easy Peasy IPA.
22. Small Brewpub’s Black Pepper Pils. While we haven’t reviewed this beer in full yet, it’s most certainly on our radar — and it should be on yours too. It’s a great beer just by its base alone. But then the brewers add a small pepper addition to give this beer a tiny extra kick of spice.
21. Peticolas Brewing Company’s Ghost of Alfred Brown.
20. Cedar Creek Brewery’s Belgian Dubbel.
18. Community Beer Company’s Trinity Tripel.
17. Martin House Brewing Company’s Imperial Texan.
16. Four Corners Brewing Co.’s Block Party Porter. Four Corners makes it hard to top any of its other offerings with Block Party. This is always a top contender for most underappreciated beer around town, as its huge flavor and moderate alcohol level make for an excellent daily drinker.
15. Revolver Brewing’s Blood & Honey.
14. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Wild Manimal.
13. Peticolas Brewing Company’s Thrilla in Brazilla.
12. Community Beer Company’s Public Ale.
11. Community Beer Company’s Ascension Coffee Porter.
10. Woodcreek Brewing Company’s Bourbon Barrel Bock.
8. Peticolas Brewing Company’s A Lost Epic.
7. Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Saint Dymphna.
6. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Barrel-Aged Four Swords.
5. Peticolas Brewing Company’s Black Curtains. The Brooklyn Brewery Black Ops of Dallas. It’s ever-elusive — you’ll only find it at the brewery — and Peticolas brews the damn thing without telling anybody. Then it’s gone in a flash.
4. Community Beer Company’s Barrel-Aged Legion.
3. Peticolas Brewing Company’s Velvet Hammer. “Dance with the one who brung you.” That’s what Michael Peticolas would say about the wildly successful Velvet Hammer ale. If you see a Peticolas tap at your local bar, chances are it’s Hammer. Order it.
2. Community Beer Company’s Mosaic IPA.
1. Peticolas Brewing Company’s Royal Scandal. There’s no getting around this top-rated English-style pale ale. It’s drinkable. It’s clean. It’s everything. It is the best beer in the region.
