Last time, I left you hanging with breathless anticipation after describing two Dallas area brewpubs to you, the Hubcap and Two Rows Breweries. In this half of the review, I will cover the remaining three brewpubs I made it my duty to check out. These were the Copper Tank Brewing Company, the Routh Street Brewery and Grill, and the Rock Bottom Brewery.
Copper Tank Brewing Co. (2600 Main St) is located in the Deep Eddy district of Dallas. This is a part of downtown Dallas that is probably home for the "hipper" nightspots in Dallas. Or, at least it used to be. Like the West End, it is packed full of clubs and restaurants and clubs. They are just a little less yuppy than those in the West End. They are also defintely more earthy. The Copper Tank had six beers listed on their menu: Big Dog brown ale, River City raspberry ale, White Tail pale ale, Copper Light, Scottish ale, and Fire House stout.
As this represented one of several stops that night, the only beer I tried here was their Fire House stout. Personally, I found the beer to be very similar to the vibes I got from the building, big and empty. I did not find the beer to have any character whatsoever. Other than the heavy roasty character of the beer, I found it to be rather bland.I gave it 2 stars. This was my least favorite of the brewpubs I went to. No recommendations from me.
Next came the Routh Street Brewery and Grill. Because I lost the piece of paper I wrote the address on, you will have to look it up in the phonebook. And, you WILL want to look it up in the phonebook whenever you go to Dallas. From the perspective of the beer, this was one of the three finest brewpubs I have ever been in. The beer was superb. Unfortunately, I didn't try the food. This is a cozy little place I am going back to.
At Routh Street, they have six regular beers on tap and one seasonal beer. Their regular beers were listed as a light ale, a Bavarian wheat, an English-style pale ale, a Northern English brown ale, a dry stout, and a big Scotch ale. Their seasonal beer was a spiced Scotch ale. I tried a sampler tray. Here we go.
1. Light ale - Golden in color and light in every way, this was their ale version of the American lager. Sort of their Miller beer. The beer had no noticeable hop or malt flavor or aroma. It did have the same unpleasant sulfer taste underneath that I detected in the Hubcap beers. I understand why brewpubs make these beers. I just don't understand why people drink them. I give it - 1.5 Stars
2. Brown ale - Here we go, the first of a stretch of really good beers. This really did strike me as a typical Northern English brown ale. It was malty sweet with just a light layer of hop flavor and bitterness. The hint of coffee roastiness gave it a very pleasant character. The hops seem to give the beer a dry finish. Definitely a good session beer, I give this one - 3 Stars
3. Bavarian wheat beer - This beer had rich clove flavor with a spicy character and an estery aroma. Lightly bittered, I immediately thought of a Paulener HefeWeissen when I drank this beer. I loved it. I give it - 3.5 Stars
4. Pale ale - Listed as an English-style pale ale, I thought it was more American in character. Perhaps, it was the way the beer seemed to go right to the hops. I tend to expect more malt flavor up front with English-style pale ales. Clean and smooth, this was a REAL good session beer. I give it - 3 Stars
5. Dry stout - Strong roast, good body, rich flavor, malty aroma, smooth and yet bitter. What more need be said here? I give it - 3.5 Stars
6. 90 Shilling Scotch ale - Ron would love this classic beer. Very light bitterness and EXTREMELY malty. I detected no smoked character at all. What I did get were very rich toffee flavors. Without question, the finest beer I tasted while in Dallas. Do not miss the opportunity to taste this beer if you ever find yourself in Dallas. I give it - 4 Stars (yes, you read that right)
7. Spiced Scotch ale - This was an unusual beer for a brewpub, a spiced beer that was not over the top. With spiced beers, the spice flavors either need time to blend or a very delicate brewer's hand. Whichever it was here, the brewer achieved a beautiful spiced beer. It had an apple aroma to me and cinnamon flavor up front. There may have been some nutmeg here. But, if so, it was very light. This was a very well-balanced beer. A gorgeous beer, I give it - 3.5 Stars
The Rock Bottom Brewery (4050 Beltline Road) is located in Addison just outside of the loop. This was a formula-type pub, sort of like T.J. Friday's with good beer. The beer was surprisingly good. They had a light ale, a pale ale, a mild ale, a brown ale, a red ale, and a dry stout. They have at least one cask conditioned beer on tap at all times. I tried the red ale and the stout.
1. Falcon red ale - As the name would clue you in, this was a ruby-red beer in color. It had good malt flavor and body accompanied by light hop flavor and aroma. Not a particularly heavily bittered beer, this one had good balance. I give it - 2.5 Stars
2. Roadrunner stout - This was their cask conditioned beer that night. The serving temperature was perfect. It had a slightly sweet and fruity maltiness. It had a rich oatmeal and roast flavor. More of a coffee character as opposed to chocolate. the bitterness was very smooth. This is another session beer I could sit and drink all evening. I give it - 3 Stars
Well, there you have it, folks. My quick tour through Dallas. Now, if I could only get someone to send me on
a business trip to Europe...
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