Braindead Brewery Opens Today in Deep Ellum, Dallas.

Jovial_Libations · Mar 3, 2015

Just saw this on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/braindeadbrew

Techichi · Mar 4, 2015

What beers do they brew, I can't find a list?

aschwab · Mar 4, 2015

They have yet to release their beers - that will come next month.

SmellyPete · Mar 4, 2015

so they open yet have no beers?

ok?

Techichi · Mar 4, 2015

SmellyPete said: ↑

so they open yet have no beers?

ok?
Click to expand...

They're obviously a pub and restaurant as well.

aschwab · Mar 4, 2015

SmellyPete said: ↑

so they open yet have no beers?

ok?
Click to expand...

They are a brewpub with a full menu and other taps.

Sort of like On Rotation has been open in DFW for some time without any of their beers on tap. Better to work out some kinks and make money while you can.

elbrooksie · Mar 4, 2015

Heard the food was good, so they seem to be doing that correctly at least...Interested to try the beers when they are released.

hankbenzenberg · Mar 4, 2015

It's a cool spot. Went there last night. The food is great. The "guest" tap list was respectable, but I'm betting Drew's beer is going to be amazing. I have high hopes for this place.

BullDoza · Mar 4, 2015

hankbenzenberg said: ↑

It's a cool spot. Went there last night. The food is great. The "guest" tap list was respectable, but I'm betting Drew's beer is going to be amazing. I have high hopes for this place.
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Burgers and sandwich type menu? Also, what is Drew's background - from another brewery?

aschwab · Mar 4, 2015

BullDoza said: ↑

Burgers and sandwich type menu? Also, what is Drew's background - from another brewery?
Click to expand...

This is a quote from Sam on another site:

As we get closer to opening Braindead Brewing and while we discus our Charter Membership, we are getting questioned more and more frequently about who we are, how we came together, and what we are planning to do. Here is my Sam Wynne's) take on it. Born and raised in Dallas, TX, I started in the beer business as a wee 18 year old barback at The Official San Antonio Flying Saucer. I dabbled in some catering, but have now been in the beer business exclusively since I turned 21. I was the 2nd person to be certified as a Cicerone Certification Program in the State of Texas, and at that time was the youngest person to have passed the test anywhere in the country. That didn't last long at all, as the program grew very quickly. I moved on to be a bartender, manager, corporate trainer, and eventually Beer Director for Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. I have had the pleasure of being a founding Board Member of NTX Beer Week where I watch some of the most passionate people in the business work harder than me at putting together one hell of a Beer Week. I drink beer, I teach beer, I love beer, and I get tattoos of beer related things. I love popping rare bottles for people that don't even know what an Imperial Stout is.

My right hand man an co-owner Jeff Fryman and I got to know each other studying for the Master Cicerone Exam, which we took with jack of all bartending trades Máté Hartai. We all proudly failed that test together with scores in the high 70's, as you need an 85 or better to pass. Jeff is one of the coolest dudes that I have ever met, and he balances out my asshole traits quite well. Jeff's beer knowledge is up there with the very best minds in the business, but his lack of arrogance and willingness to help anyone and everyone with anything sets him apart and makes him a truly unique individual. I knew of Jeff and his efforts atThe Common Table long before I was fortunate enough to meet him and work with him. If you haven't had the pleasure of sharing a beer with him at a festival or on a patio, make it a point. He proves you can be a beer geek without being a beer snob and the craft world woudl be a better place if there was 10 of him in every city. Sorry ladies, he is taken by my lovely bonus partner and sisterwifeAlecia Spence Fryman.

Our brewer Andrew Huerter has been brewing professionally for 10 years, with most of his brewing tenure in Missouri. That branch of his life culminated with him nearing the top of the totem pole at Schlafly Beer one of the largest craft breweries in the country. Thankfully, his lovely wife Julie Wunderlick Huerter is a native Texan and was instrumental in making Dallas his new home. He used to run the brewhouse at Deep Ellum Brewing Company and that's where I go to know him. I enjoyed the beers he brewed for them, and had the pleasure of shadowing his process while studying for that blasted Master Cicerone Exam and attribute his teaching to why that was my highest score of the four portions of that test. Patient, kind, and of course technically savvy, Drew has an amazing ability to create unique recipes. Juicy grapefruity IPAs to delicately balanced Stock Milds (Thats what he brewed yesterday) he also has no fear of brewing with adjuncts. He is currently regarded as one of the finest brewers in all of Texas, and I hope that before we are done with him he gets the recognition he deserves as one of the best in the USA.

Our Chef David Pena hit my radar on the patio of The Common Table on a Brewsday Tuesday. He later admitted to me that he was intentionally speaking loudly of his most delicious recipes and only pretending to be unfamiliar with BrainDead Brewing when I spoke of it. He's a clever bastard and I love him for it. A homebrewer that specializes in smoking meat and pickling whatever he can find? It was a match made in heaven. He has tons of experience in the kitchen, from line cook to Executive Chef at a high end restaurant here in town, but also has a background in front of the house management. He scores highly in categories I didn't even know I was looking for in a chef. A native Texan, his vision for food is regional and forward thinking without leaving us with a stereotypical southwestern style or Tex-Mex menu. His menu did everything Jeff and I wanted from the beginning, and also brought its own spirit. We originally wanted 11 menu items so that we could say in our best Spinal Tap voice "This menu goes to eleven." David came along and added quite a few things, but still takes it to 11 with the quality of his food.

When I asked Drew what he wanted to tell the world about his beer he said:
"The personalities and relationships of BrainDead Brewing and the environment they enable give rise to a playground for beer lovers and brewers alike.
The joys of beer should be accessible and enjoyable for all (responsible adults). Brewing is an artistic celebration of our Earthly harvest and of the technological achievements of humankind. From time to time we will explore the outer bounds of beer in composition, process and ultimately sensory experience.

Enough with the pleasantries, what will we actually brew? How and why?
BrainDead's core beers are designed to be drinkable and balanced, complex but not complicated. We may add other mainstays, but currently the staples shake out like this:
BrainDead Red - Red AIPA - 6% ABV 65 IBUs
Piney & Grapefruit with woody and spicy hop notes balanced by English and American crystal malts. This has the flavor impact of a much bigger beer.
GRITs - PreProhibition Cream Ale - 4.4% ABV 23 IBUs
A relic of early American brewing descended from Pilsners and Helles. Fruity ale yeasts and domestic ingredients make this immensely drinkable pale golden beer all our own.
Wheat APA - 4.8% 50 IBUs
American Pale Wheat Ale meets Session IPA. Yeasty esters and phenols traditionally take the spotlight in wheat ales, ours lets juicy, orange-citrus hops take the lead.
Foreign Extra Stout - 6.6% ABV 43 IBUs
A bit of a hybrid, with Oats and American hops, a hefty and firm bodied but dry stout.

What else?
Here's a sampling of some tested ideas, that will likely (but not definitely) make an appearance (Some of these may get complicated):
Traditional Kolsch & Altbier
Rye American Brown Ale
Double Pale Ale (featuring Texas malt)
Stock Mild Ale (Brettanomyces and oak in fermentation)
Biere de Mars
Palm Sugar Rye Tripel
Irish Red Ale

And just some of the ideas yet to reach the mash tun:
Ordinary Bitter
Belgian Golden Strong & Abbey Dubbel
Top Shelf Malt Liquor
Orange/Peach/Habanero Wheat
Beet & Lemongrass Wheat
Scottish Olde Ale
Maple Steam Lager
Coconut Raisin Belgian Brown Ale
Barrel Aged Imperial Wheat Porter
Barrel Fermented Belgo Barleywine
Coffee Oud Bruin
Azante Currant Flemish Red
Watermelon Mint Berliner Weisse
Green Tea Sorachi Ace DIPA aged on Cedar
Traditional Munich Dunkel

Whether y'all see this as the playground we do, or a case of the inmates running the asylum, we can't wait to take you on a memorable journey in every glass."

And then David on his food:
"Regionally inspired and loosely followed, Beer influenced, Food that is fun like we all should be. Kid at heart on a plate. Pushing the realms of what we know, and constantly seeking to make it better. Food will be scratch made, hand cut, and fresh daily.
We will always do it the RIGHT WAY! Fries come from potatoes. Bacon comes from raw pork belly, cured and smoked with mesquite. Burgers are ground fresh daily from brisket, sirloin, and bacon all trimmed in house. Chicharrones are fried in freshly rendered lard. Turkey legs are brined and smoked for hours. Queso is not made with Velveeta.( don't get me wrong it's delicious) but we will use Asadero cheese, fresh stock, and freshly made salsa. Chili will be cooked in the same Cast- Iron pot my grandfather used in here in Texas for 50 years. Warm chocolate and oatmeal cookies fresh from the oven will take us all back to being a kid.

Badass beer and badass food, made by people who care about doing it the right way for friends, family, and strangers alike."

I hope that answers your questions for now, and I look forward to you guys joining us on our Braindead journey.
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EA728 · Mar 4, 2015

aschwab said: ↑

This is a quote from Sam on another site:
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That description is awesome. Definitely does a good job of getting the reader excited about Braindead.

BlindSalimander · Mar 4, 2015

That Wynne lineage is not hurting him.

UtisTheLaw · Mar 4, 2015

BullDoza said: ↑

Burgers and sandwich type menu? Also, what is Drew's background - from another brewery?
Click to expand...

Jovial_Libations · Mar 4, 2015

There's a pretty good write-up in Central Trak if you want to take a look: http://centraltrack.com/Food/6675/B...Deep-Ellums-New-Brewpub-Which-Opens-This-Week

saucersam · Mar 8, 2015

If y'all ever have any questions, feel free to email me [email protected]

Braindead Brewery Opens Today in Deep Ellum, Dallas.

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