Whenever a brewery has multiple locations, I put it on my list of ones I need to check out. And that’s exactly what we did today when we visited Bankhead Brewpub in Rowlett. I’m fairly certain the Rowlett location is the original since their origin story talks about the old Bankhead highway running through there, but they don’t specify and none of the employees seemed to know.
Sitting just south of Hwy 66 in old downtown Rowlett sits a beautiful building with a fairly large patio. As you walk in, you come to a hostess stand, and we wondered if we were at a brewery or a restaurant. Bankhead is very nice and modern inside, but the first thing you see when you walk in is tables and booths. It’s not what I’d expect from a brewery. On the far wall is a large bar with wood pizza ovens behind. On the far left wall is a panel of windows showing the brewing equipment. The restrooms are to the right of the bar and are just as nice as everything else, but far smaller than you’d expect. One thing we noticed was most of the tap handles were missing and they were pouring from a different set of taps, which probably explains why it took so long to get our flights. The service definitely left something to be desired. Another thing that was puzzling was the building was clearly two story, but there was not a second story on the inside. The brewing side obviously was 2 story, but the restaurant side was not and definitely could have been. The entire taproom/restaurant felt smaller than it should have considering the size of the building. We had to try the pizza since that is clearly a specialty of theirs, and that did not disappoint. It had fresh ingredients and was well made, definitely a positive. The aesthetic of Bankhead was nice, but it felt like it could be set up better.
Bankhead had many craft brews with awards, so we was excited to try a few. We started with Sherpa’s Secret, a 4.5% ABV Nepalese inspired rice lager. Rice lagers, which use rice in the brewing process, are known to be light, crisp, and dry. This was light and dry but not crispy at all. This was just a better version of the generic light beers the big guys make. If you like light beers, I’m sure you’ll like this, but it didn’t have the characteristics of a rice lager like I was expecting.
Another slightly disappointing brew was the Longhorn Devil Went Down to Texas. It’s a 6.7% red ale that’s described to be rich with huge hop flavor. Red ales are known to be mild in hoppiness, so they were definitely trying new things while brewing. But this just didn’t work for us. It had a very nice flavor profile as it first hits your taste buds, but the hoppy aftertaste didn’t fit with the amber taste. We were not a fan unfortunately.
It wasn’t all bad as we were very happy tasting the Hootenanny. It’s a 6.8% ABV bock, and it’s one of the best bocks we’ve ever tried. Malty, medium bodied, a hint of caramel and toastiness just like a bock is supposed to be. Very easy to see why this is an award winner. I was ready to get a to-go 6 pack but they didn’t have any canned.
My favorite brew of the day was the Classy Chassis, a 6.8% ABV Belgian Blonde. Belgian blonde’s are made with a Belgian yeast known to give a sweet malty flavor with hints of citrus or pear. This is another award winner and it’s not hard to see why. I loved the balance of sweetness and light fruitiness, and the perfect amount of body for this type of brew. Really good way to finish the day here, my only complaint was they didn’t have this available in to-go cans, again.
I don’t know how other craft brewery frequenters feel about this, but we hate when a brewery tries harder to be a restaurant than a brewery. You started this business presumably because you love craft beer and you want to share your love with others. It’s great when you can also incorporate good food. But don’t turn that into a restaurant that has great beer, make it a brewery that has great food. There’s a very big difference to me and it makes such a difference in the atmosphere and environment when you go the wrong way. Bankhead Brewpub clearly knows how to brew craft beer, I wish they would focus on that. Because of the restaurant feel, not having to-go cans of many beers, and a few disappointing brews, Bankhead Brewpub is getting 4 ⭐ from us. I want to reiterate because the star system is new. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit them, you’ll know when that’s our opinion. It just doesn’t compare as well to a lot of other breweries in the area, in our opinion. And Always Drink Local!
