One of the original and longest running breweries in DFW is Peticolas Brewing Company, and we knew eventually we had to get back there. They sit in the Design District of Dallas, and they always have something going on, so be prepared for a crowd on the weekend.
The brewery sits in a block with a number of warehouse type buildings, and there is parking, but not nearly enough for the crowds they draw. As you walk in, you’re kind of shocked by the visual of everything happening. To the left is a seating area with TV’s, to the right is the merch area with a medium sized to-go fridge that doesn’t carry enough of a variety of their brews. But straight ahead is a short set of stairs leading up to the bar, and the entire downstairs is open to the upper level since it’s such a small step up. Once on the second floor you’ll come right to the bar with their menu behind. Look to the right and you’ll see another set of stairs leading to a 3rd floor loft. Farther to the right is some more seating, and there’s an extra, smaller grain room with a few more tables for seating too. This room is the only place where any brewing equipment is visible, which is a bummer. And if the space is rented out, you have no visual of the equipment, and you know we hate that. Also to the right sits 2, single use bathrooms, which is not nearly enough for the number of people who come to the brewery. Up on the 3rd floor loft is a game room that is often rented out. They have everything from ping pong, shuffleboard, foosball, and board games. There’s TV’s everywhere throughout the brewery which is great, but not nearly enough seating for the amount of people who often frequent here. They don’t offer food, but most of the time there’s food trucks hanging around. I would say the decor is kind of a modern rustic, it’s a very clean look. The vibe would be great, but the place gets super busy. They could really benefit from more seating and some sound dampening devices. The bartenders can hardly hear people ordering at the bar. But it’s still one of the coolest taprooms we’ve ever seen. We love having extra activities for patrons to use, which usually leads to them spending more time and money on great beer.
One of their many award winning beers is the Irish Goodbye, a 6.5% ABV Irish Red Ale. Irish red ale’s are amber ale’s known for their caramel sweetness with low bitterness and a dry finish. They hit this one perfectly, it’s got a really nice sweetness, and the dry finish isn’t overwhelming. It’s not hard to see why it’s won a few awards.
A beer that we haven’t talked about yet is a barleywine. Barleywine’s are strong ale’s, normally with a high alcohol content, and it’s usually aged giving it more complex wine like characteristics, hence the name. They’re known for their caramel and dried fruit sweetness, and The Duke is a great example of that. At 12% ABV, it definitely hits hard, but it’s got those complex flavors along with dried fruit notes. This is a really good example of a barleywine. They had a few variants, but we tried the peach, and it was very good.
My favorite of the day was the original Wintervention, a 10% strong spiced winter ale. Spiced winter ale’s are usually deep brown in color, with sweet notes, and some type of spices added. They based this one on an English ale and added locally sourced nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger. This has a killer flavor profile, it’s got a full body, and you get most of the spices in every sip, but it doesn’t overtake the taste of the beer. They had a few variants of this as well, but the original was great. It’s a really well made brew, and it definitely gets you in the holiday mood.
Peticolas Brewing Company is a very popular local brewery, and it’s not hard to see why. We’ve been here before and while I don’t care for all of their brews, they definitely know what they’re doing, especially with the 3 we highlighted here today. All the games they have are awesome, and there’s plenty of TV’s to catch a game. There always seems to be food trucks here, so that’s a big plus. The taproom is probably a top 3 taproom we’ve ever been to, but it could still be better. There’s not enough seating for the crowds they attract, and a sound dampening device would make such a huge difference in the noise level. Having 2 single use bathrooms is another huge drawback too. Having said all this, we are giving Peticolas Brewing 8 🍺. It’s absolutely a place worth checking out, and Always Drink Local!
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