Tag: Craft Brewery

TKO Libations Brewery Review

A brewery review by Jenni B.

TKO Libations is one of the newest craft breweries in North Texas, having just opened in January 2018. Located in the Castle Hills Village shopping center in Lewisville, TX (albeit the Carrollton/Colony side of Lewisville), it offers every bit the variety and innovation of any microbrewery located in an old, refurbished warehouse.

The tap room is spacious, offering a good sized bar and plenty of table seating, with a cozy outdoor patio. It has a modern industrial feel without trying too hard, and high ceilings with ample natural light to keep the space feeling open and roomy. There are a few mounted TVs for the sports fans, board games and cards for the low-key type and full-size shuffleboard and mini-basketball hoop all located in the tap room.

Grand Opening Celebration

The owners and staff at TKO are friendly and laid back. They’re happy to geek out with you over brewing practices and will likely remember your face the next time you visit. This brewery has a relaxed, vacation-like atmosphere and you get the feeling immediately that you’re among friends.

TKO Libations has over 15 house beers on tap, but be sure to ask if they’ve got anything not on the menu as the owners are constantly experimenting and trying new things on their patrons. My favorites include the Bayern Weizen, the Orange-Choco Stout, and the Gingerbread Monster.

The Bayern Weizen (4.5% ABV, 13 IBU) is a delicious hefeweizen brewed with banana and cloves which gives it a sweet but spiced flavor. If you’re looking for a tasty wheat beer, this the way to go. Hands down one of my top favorite wheats.

Bayern Weizen

Gingerbread Monster is a dark imperial porter spiced with cocoa, toasted ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla. It’s a heavy 11.5% ABV (22 IBU), but is such a delight to drink. It’s got a bold gingerbread flavor and I can’t get enough.

Gingerbread Monster (also available on nitro)

The Orange-Choco Stout is my favorite TKO beer so far. It’s smooth, creamy, and tastes just like one of those chocolate orange balls on the shelves around Christmas. I tried it on nitro and couldn’t be more pleased, even took it home in a crowler to enjoy later. Made with orange juice, zest, and cocoa, this balanced stout comes in at a 7.4% ABV, 28 IBU.

Know Before You Go:

TKO Libations is family friendly – they usually have sodas available and are well-stocked on kid games like Hungry Hungry Hippos. It’s also located right across from a splash pad and outdoor pavilion area with plenty of room to run and climb.

They are a BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) establishment, however, they do offer a few snack items from The Salty Cow, which is also located in the Castle Hills Village.

Dogs are not allowed inside the taproom, per Texas code, but they are welcome in the patio area. If you’re lucky, they’ll even have some spent-grain dog biscuits left for your pal.

TKO Libations is opened Wednesday through Sunday and their hours can be found here.

Their address is 2520 King Arthur Blvd #109, Lewisville, TX 75056

Heaven and Ale Brewing Company – Brewery Review

A brewery review by Jennifer B.

Heaven and Ale Brewing Co – photo credit Jennifer Berry

Heaven and Ale Brewing Company are new to Chattanooga, TN. Heaven and Ale began as a tasting room that offered a wide selection of craft beers and has expanded to three locations in the Chattanooga area.  The original is in the Northshore district of Chattanooga, the second is just a little north in Ooltewah, TN, and the third tasting room is in the Southslope district of Chattanooga.  The brewing company and tasting room recently opened in 2017.

I’ve wanted to visit for a while, so a few days after Christmas on a Wednesday afternoon the Hubster and I went to sample their brews.  The brewery is located in a renovated space behind the original Heaven and Ale tasting room.  The first thing you see when you walk in is the brew tanks; all shiny and mesmerizing.  A roped-off walkway leads you to the tasting room.  There are colorful murals on the opposite side, and right before you enter the bar area, there’s a sign that reads, “The path to Paradise Begins in Ale.” There’s an L shape bar with tables and chairs as well as a couple of couches.  It’s a cozy place.  

Shiny tanks… Photo Credit Jennifer Berry

I started with a five-ounce pour of Love Nog.  It’s a variation of their milk stout, Just Love.  Love Nog – an imperial milk stout with added cold pressed coffee and vanilla beans – has an ABV of 7.5%. It pours a dark, almost black color.  It smells amazing. Eggnog spices and sweet vanilla invade the nose. The smell, however, did not carry over completely in the taste.  It’s a solid milk stout that is a scary easy drinker with the high ABV.  

Love Nog Milk Stout – Heaven and Ale Brewing Co. photo credit Jennifer Berry

Next, I ordered three five-ounce pours. One of Saltshine, a gose with citrus and salt.  It was nice.  It poured a soft, hazy yellow.  It reminded me of a gimlet cocktail or margarita, but sweeter.  The second was Victor, as in Frankenstein, and was Heaven and Ale’s take on the West Coast origins of the IPA. It poured a medium hazy gold.   The fruity flavors come through with slight hoppy bitterness.  And like my third selection, Juice Buckets it has an ABV of 7.0%. I thought Juice Buckets had similar tastes as Victor, but Hubster disagreed. Juice Buckets is a New England style IPA. For me, drinking them side by side may have been a mistake because at times I couldn’t differentiate between the two; I tasted the same tropical fruit notes.   I’m still fine-tuning my beer tasting abilities.

Saltshine, Juice Buckets, and Victor – Heaven and Ale Brewing Co
Photo Credit Jennifer Berry

 

My last beer was a ten-ounce pour of Gondorff’s Pie.  It is a Berliner Weisse with strawberries and vanilla with a 4.9% ABV. It pours a pretty peachy pink and smells of vanilla.  There’s a dominant vanilla flavor mixed with sweet fruit.  

Gondorff’s Pie – Heaven and Ale Brewing Co
photo credit Jennifer Berry

I enjoyed this trip and look forward to visiting again.  Heaven and Ale have a wide array of beer selections.  There’s something for everyone’s taste, and all are solid choices.  I’m excited to see what Heaven and Ale Brewing Company can bring to the evolving Chattanooga beer scene.  

photo credit – Jennifer Berry
Know before you go

Okay so here are some things to know before you go. Heaven and Ale Brewing are closed on Mondays. They are open from 4 pm-11 pm Tuesday-Thursday and 11 am-11 pm Friday-Sunday.

They have a good bit of parking out front, but the whole Northshore district has good parking, so walking around is no problem.  

They do not have flights, but you can order multiple 5-ounce pours at a time, as well as 9-ounce and 16 ounce pours. They have food, mostly bar snacks like cheese and charcuterie; and they have a sweet option that may incorporate one of their beers like a chocolate cake made with their milk stout.

As for kids or dogs, the website doesn’t address the subject, but I would not bring either. It’s a small space and considering they do serve food the pups would not be welcome inside. It was cold outside while we were there, so I did not notice a patio/outdoor space. Their address is 300 Cherokee BLVD, Chattanooga, TN 37405. Phone number-423 521 4222.

Go visit! It’s a great date night starting point or a cozy place to chill with friends after work.