The Beer Champs: Dallas’ Best Brewery is…

Is there ever really a bad time to drink beer? With each new season comes a new excuse. In the summer, we complain with sweat on our brows, “It’s hot, and I need something cold.” And in the winter, we claim through chattering teeth, “It’s cold, and I need something to warm me from the inside out.”

So to answer the question, no – there is never a bad time for beer. Beer is always a welcome guest.

There’s truly never a better time to jump on the beer bandwagon than now, as United States breweries have started producing better and more flavorful brews. Forget the generic brands – you can now delight in cool and hip brews whose descriptions parallel those of wine (fruity, earthy, floral).

And Dallas has latched onto this beer-mania, too, now laying claim to more worthy breweries than ever. But which local brewery produces the best beer of all? You get to decide by voting for the rightful champ in PaperCity’s Best Brewery Challenge.

You can vote once per day. It’s up to you to determine which Dallas brewery hops to the very top. Here are the 10 contenders:

Deep Ellum Brewing Company

Since opening its doors on 11/11/11, Deep Ellum Brewing Company has built buzz. Deep Ellum produces a keg-load of popular beers,  including Neato Bandito, Dallas Blonde, Dream Crusher, and Easy Peasy IPA. And it’s become so popular that it recently opened up a second location, the Deep Ellum Funkytown Fermatorium in Fort Worth.

Four Corners Brewing Company

Four Corners is all about having fun, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of the traditional flavors of beer. This Dallas brewery brings sweet year-round brews, like Local Buzz, a honey-rye golden ale, and Heart O’ Texas, a red ale – but it also produces cool seasonals, such as Queen Bee, a grapefruit saison, and La Lechuza, a s’mores stout.

Community Beer Company

Community isn’t just committed to crafting high-quality beer (which they do), but it’s also dedicated to serving the community. This beer company works hard to bring the best to Dallas, knowing that good beer can bring people together and create memorable experiences. Community’s Core Beers are fresh, but how about its Limited Releases, like the Funnel Cake Ale, an English summer ale with vanilla?

Braindead Brewing

This brew spot is a sanctuary for those who need options. And when we say options, we mean there are 35 different beers available on the Braindead menu. So you can start small with the 4.4 percent ABV Gritz, and work your way up to the hefty Golden Ladder, an Apple Brandy-barrel aged Mega Helles Lager that scores a 14.4 percent on the ABV scale.

Trinity Cider

Trinity wants you to reevaluate everything you think you know about ciders (over-sweet and cavity-inducing), and experience the joy of true cider-y goodness. This cider-loving crew in Deep Ellum is bringing back the crisp, dry, and refreshing notes that only unsweetened cider can provide.

Get a pour of Trinity’s Cardi Blue, flavored with blueberry and cardamom, or the Honey Pecan, a “smooth and sweet-ish” option – emphasis on the “-ish.”

Lakewood Brewing Company

Since its start in 2011, Lakewood Brewing Company has brought the craft of Belgian-style beer to Dallas, thanks to the brewery’s Belgium-born founder Wim Bens. The flavors from Lakewood shows Bens’ knack for making stellar beer, which may have something do to with his schooling at American Brewer’s Guild. Order up the French Quarter Temptress from the Seduction Series for something strong and sweet.

Peticolas Brewing Company

Peticolas has an incredible tri-level taproom that just screams “cool” – it’s almost impossible not to have a good time at this place. But it’s not all about the location and ambience. The beers deserve high praise, too. To experience one of the tops brews, order up Sit Down Or I’ll Sit You Down (“Sit Down” for short), or their award-winning Irish Goodbye.

Bishop Cider Company

After struggling with the dissatisfaction of commercially produced cider, Joel and Laura Malone decided to start making their own, opening up Bishop Cider in 2014. The center for cider was originally located in Bishop Arts District, but now all the production and distribution takes place in a 17,000 square foot warehouse in the Design District (but the Tasting Room is still at Bishop Arts). That rings of success. Grab The Dark Cide for tart black currant flavors.

Texas Ale Project

Texas Ale Project is a salute to veterans. The brewery, which opened up in 2014, was started by a group of military families looking to share their love for good brews with Dallas. The beer masters at Texas Ale Project are so dedicated to making good beer that they use the multi-step mash brewing process (as opposed to the single-step mash process). Texas Ale’s mixed berry seltzer, TAP WTR, is extra fresh and crisp.

White Rock Alehouse & Brewery

White Rock Alehouse & Brewery knows how to cater to the people. Located near White Rock Lake, this brewery is the perfect spot to hang, relax, and cool down after a long day on the lake. Feel at home as you hang out on the the patio and beer garden with one of White Rock’s expertly-crafted brews in hand, like its award-winning IPO IPA, New England-Style IPA.

Now that you know the contenders, it’s time to vote: