On a recent Saturday afternoon at Cedar Creek Brewhouse and Eatery in Mustang Station in Farmers Branch, the dining room and outdoor patio were pleasantly full. Temperate weekends call for a proper brunch and a local brasserie. The brasserie, which opened this summer, is therefore a great place for those who want to balance two of their favorite weekend activities at once.

The restaurant has a full bar to go with a few dozen taps of draft beer, but interspersed with groups sipping flights of beer, mimosas, and Bloody Marys were more than a few iced tea drinkers just having lunch after a nearby religious event. .

To the uninitiated, such a mix may not seem very deep, but it symbolizes how well Cedar Creek has pulled off a trick that few spots can. Despite the look and feel of its traditional, family-run restaurant, I still felt like I was in a serious beer destination. There is a rainbow of really well-made beers, offering something for just about every type of drinker.

The Smoked Cherry Quad was a great twist on the traditional Belgian quad style. Russian Imperial Stout F * CK 2020, with its hefty volume of 12.4% alcohol in alcohol, was nothing less than a velvety dream come true, producing a sweet aroma and roasted notes of bold coffee and vanilla. gentle. The Star Man double IPA offered a pineapple scent and hazy golden appearance before allowing for a dry fruitiness that aligned more with the skin or rind of a fruit than its sweet, juicy core.

In keeping with the Everyone’s Everything philosophy, you don’t have to be an adventurous master brewer to find something worth sipping. The malty Irish red was full-bodied and crisp, while the misty yellow Weize Ass hefeweizen was a clean, effervescent finishing brew, perfect for those late summer days or fall afternoons that still feel very summery.

There are plenty of gourmet pubs in D-FW offering a nice list of local and regional draft beers, just as there are plenty of craft breweries and quality craft breweries that launch the local foam. What you can’t get enough of, however, are places that also merge the two experiences.

For years, the city’s breweries have brought food trucks to their parking lots to feed their customers, although that has changed in recent years. Instead of being offered as an afterthought, local craft beer brewers such as Braindead Brewing, Vector Brewing, Steam Theory Brewing, and Manhattan Project Beer Company have led the way as examples of breweries offering delicious food to match their menu. of beers.

Cedar Creek co-owner Jeff Dietzman, former founding partner of LUCK Dallas, the beloved local beer-intensive Trinity Groves restaurant that closed in 2020, knows a thing or two about what beer lovers do. from North Texas want in a combined place of brews and food. . Another co-owner, Jim Elliott, is the man behind the Cedar Creek flagship brewery in Seven Points. Cedar Creek’s Farmers Branch location opened in June 2021, but discussions with the city date back to late 2016, with the inauguration in 2018.

As is often the case with any business opening in 2021, things have been held up a bit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Dietzman saying his group’s initial plan was to open as early as May 2020.

Combining his experience on the restaurant side with Elliott’s history as the head of a brewery, it makes sense that the owners, including co-owner Lance Bodwell, are poised to strike a balance to accommodate so many people as possible.

“We would like to be known as a full service restaurant,” says Dietzman. “One that makes really good food, includes a full bar, house beers and additional beers from Cedar Creek Brewery, as well as some of our local brewer friends in town.”

Perhaps the most appealing reason for Dallas drinkers to head north of I-635 is the exclusive nature of what you can have. The four-barrel brewing system, easily spotted from the dining room, will be used to make beers that will only be sold at that particular outlet. Some Cedar Creek specialties, such as the popular Dankasaurus IPA, will also be on offer, of course, but if it’s brewed at the Mustang Station location, that’s the only place you’ll be able to get it.

Good food to go with quality beers is a great recipe for a winning weekend afternoon, but Dietzman makes sure to speak the language serious local beer lovers need to hear during the event. developing their future plans to hit some local breweries as well.

“We want to focus on consistent beers all year round,” said Dietzman, “with a strong seasonal lineup and release of small batches that are constantly rotating to keep things interesting.”

Cedar Creek Brewhouse and Eatery is located at 13090 Bee Street, Farmers Branch. cedarcreekbrewhouse.com.