The art form of a good craft beer pub crawl has been covered from many different views, but one of the most popular subsets is that of the microbrewery crawl pair.
Proper pub crawls have almost infinite variation in their execution and specialty themes. The art form of a good craft beer pub crawl has been covered from many different views, but one of the most popular subsets is that of the microbrewery crawl pair. But given the sprawling nature of our urban environment in North Texas (which sprawls even farther apart by the day), identifying two brewers within a stone’s throw of each other presents its own difficulties.
A string of stops along any planned pub crawl usually consists of breweries, bars and local pubs with at least a passing focus on craft brewing. However, this crawl specialty focuses solely on a duo of craft breweries (actual manufacturers of the product rather than licensed retailers) located close enough as to be easily walkable between them. For purposes of walkability and practicality, only distances well under a mile are considered here (your personal fitness, tolerance and preference may vary).
Several advantages are found in restricting a pub crawl in this manner. It allows craft beer fans to compare and contrast two brewers on a very immediate basis, as similar or equivalent products can be evaluated directly from the source almost back-to-back. It provides a shift in scenery for a longer event, which can often be a welcome refresher for a long afternoon, or from accumulated crowds. And it builds in a natural break in the middle of consumption that is accompanied by at least minimal physical activity.
The idealized pair in the Dallas area for many years was Hemisphere Brewing + Woodcreek Brewing, which were located literally on the same street in an industrial area in Rockwall, clearly visible to each other with only a few hundred feet door to door. Regrettably, Hemisphere Brewing was forced to close its doors this past January and Woodcreek Brewing was a victim of the pandemic, never reopening after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
Always bear in mind the return trip: If you parked at one brewery, distances may be doubled as you still have to walk back to the same brewery afterward.
Manhattan Project Beer Company + White Rock Brewing (Dallas)
With White Rock Alehouse recently opening a second production facility and taproom just south of the Trinity Groves development, it places them less than half a mile from established Manhattan Project Beer Company with only a few blocks of mixed residential/industrial neighborhood between them.
Four Corners Brewing + Autonomous Society Brewpub (Dallas)
Both Four Corners Brewing and Autonomous Society Brewpub call Dallas’ Cedars neighborhood home, and are easily less than half a mile apart. In addition, the DART Cedars Station stop almost splits the distance between them, making them both easily accessible by commuter rail.
Deep Ellum Brewing + Westlake Brewing (Dallas)
The Deep Ellum neighborhood is gentrifying astonishingly fast, and has lost several local breweries over the decades. But both Deep Ellum Brewing and Westlake Brewing remain only a couple of walkable blocks apart (with newly rechristened C&G Brewing open across from the Fair Park entrance, making it slightly too far by foot but easily a single DART stop away).
Peticolas Brewing + Pegasus City Brewery (Dallas, tentative)
A straight-line measure places these two established Design District brewers just a little over a quarter-mile apart. However, Peticolas Brewing and Pegasus City Brewery (original location) are separated by Turtle Creek—the actual waterway, not the street or neighborhood—which places their walkable separation at a more daunting three-quarters of a mile detour.
HopFusion Ale House + Funky Picnic Brewery & Café + Rahr & Sons Brewing (Fort Worth)
Located at opposite ends of the same city block in Fort Worth’s Near Southside, HopFusion Ale House and Funky Picnic Brewery & Café are the new local archetype for brewery crawl pairs. Add to these Rahr & Sons Brewing at only another half mile away and you have a rare craft beer crawl triad separated by a very pedestrian-friendly neighborhood filled with other potential stops.
Fort Brewery & Pizza + Maple Branch Craft Brewery + Bankhead Brewing (Fort Worth)
Fort Worth’s Foundry District is developing into a very nice, walkable area, with Fort Brewery & Pizza and Maple Branch Craft Brewery less than a half mile apart. If you consider the nearby Bankhead Brewing (their second location outside of Rowlett) at almost a mile away, you would have the second local crawl triad in the same town.
Panther Island Brewing + Cowtown Brewing (Fort Worth)
Martin House Brewing + Neutral Ground Brewing (Fort Worth)
Although relatively close, neither of these pairings are good candidates for this sort of crawl. Panther Island Brewing and Cowtown Brewing are only a mile-and-a-half distant but separated not only by the Trinity River but also the heavily trafficked downtown. Likewise, Martin House Brewing and Neutral Ground Brewing are a little over a mile apart but require crossing two busy regional freeways on foot. However, both may be great candidates for using a commercial rideshare service.
Denton County Brewing + Barley & Board (Denton)
Denton’s downtown square has long been home to a small cluster of very walkable breweries and brewpubs, and closures have reduced that number to currently only two: Denton County Brewing and Barley & Board (which recently restarted its limited in-house brewing program). But with new breweries currently under active development (Toasty Bros, Black Fox Brewing) and another taking over the old Armadillo Ale Works space, the Denton square will soon once again be pub crawl central.
False Idol Brewing + Brutal Beerworks (North Richland Hills, tentative)
Mid-cities brewers False Idol Brewing and Brutal Beerworks technically qualify as a valid pair as they are located less than a mile apart, both along Grapevine Highway (Hwy 26). However, that walk includes busy suburban thoroughfares such as North Harwood Road, making this crawl doable but somewhat unfavorable for many.
Windmills + Beard Science Sour House (The Colony, tentative)
Also separated by only a mile, Windmills and Beard Science Sour House at The Colony’s Truck Yard are also possible but possibly unfavorable, given their surroundings. Reaching both requires crossing the entirety of the busy Grandscape commercial development on winding sidewalks and parking lots while dodging suburban shoppers, restaurant patrons and moviegoers.
Say When Brewing + Ivanhoe Ale Works (Denison)
Distant to most residents of the DFW Metroplex, the pair of Say When Brewing and Ivanhoe Ale Works is a hidden gem for a weekend pub crawl along Denison’s historic downtown. Both are located on or just off a recently revitalized Main Street (which is low traffic even at peak times), and an easy third of a mile apart. PH
