If you search for White Rock Brewing, you’ll end up finding two different locations. That’s a testament to how popular and well crafted their beer is. The original brewery was located near White Rock Lake and is now known as White Rock Alehouse and Brewery. They outgrew that location as they needed a bigger space to produce the larger volume they were seeking. The Alehouse is more of a restaurant and bar, but they do serve the craft beer now produced at the much larger location off Beckley Avenue in Downtown Dallas.
The new brewery is very modern, clean, and sits in a nice location just off of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. There is not much parking at all, but the apartment complex nextdoor allows brewery parking on the first floor, just be prepared to walk. You’ll pass by the very clean bathrooms and a fairly small to go beer fridge as you enter and approach the bar. I prefer a menu hung over the bar with their current roster of craft, but that is absent from White Rock. As you walk past the seating you’ll see the brewing equipment sitting behind some glass and there is a large patio that is about half covered. There’s also an area covered in turf with some seating and a few kids’ activities. They have an in-house kitchen that serves very good food. We had a pizza and it is definitely a step up from your average pizza place. They also have their liquor license, so if you’re looking for mixed drinks, you can get them. But why would you order a mixed drink at a brewery with award winning craft beer?
The beer I’ll start with is the award winning Big Thicket Blonde Ale. It won a silver medal at the 2023 World Beer Cup, and it’s not hard to see why. At 5.2% ABV it’s not too strong, it’s very crisp, light, and very crushable. If you prefer drinking a generic big brand light beer, try switching to this. It’s much cleaner, smoother, and better tasting. Definitely a positive start to the day.
Next up is Best New Friend, their 6.6% ABV amber ale. Amber’s are medium body with a little bit of sweetness derived from the malts. This one is no exception as they used caramel malts to get what they describe as a honey biscuit sweetness. It’s fairly smooth, but I caught a bit of bitterness in this amber, which is unusual. While this is a very good tasting amber, it’s definitely not one of the best I’ve tasted.
Up last is the IPO IPA, a hazy New England style IPA with a 7.0% ABV. They didn’t have the IBU’s listed, which is generally important with IPA’s, but it’s not one that has a very bitter taste. I will say I am not an IPA guy, I don’t enjoy super bitter beer and I won’t review a ton of them. But I had to try this since it won a silver medal at two different US beer championships. I rather enjoyed the IPO, it’s very juicy and citrusy with a nice balance between sweet and bitter. This was probably my favorite beer I tried here, which is saying something since I generally don’t enjoy IPA’s.
Overall, we really enjoyed our experience at White Rock Brewing. The atmosphere was relaxed, the food was good, and the craft beer was great. I would recommend a visit, and I know we’ll be planning another trip later in the year to sample their dark beers once they come into season. The aesthetic leaned slightly towards a restaurant which I am not a fan of, and the parking really is not great. Because of that, we’ll be giving White Rock Brewing 7 🍺. And don’t forget to drink local!
