Brewing Innovation
Revolver Brewing Opens First Tap Room Outside Of Granbury.
Beer isn’t the only thing Revolver Brewing is cooking up. They’re also brewing ideas, memories, new sensations and different flavors. And more recently, they created Revolver Brewing’s BLDG 5 Tap Room, which recently opened in Texas Live! alongside the new ballpark.
Revolver Brewing was founded in Granbury in 2012 by father-son duo Ron and Rhett Keisler. It is widely known for its signature ale Blood & Honey, made with orange peel, Texas honey and a blend of spices to give it a sweet yet satisfying finish. Master brewer Grant Wood discovered the flavor the same way he crafts all of his new brews — by experimenting with different ingredients and recipes.
As soon as it's allowed, beer lovers will get a chance to be part of that creative process when they step into Revolver Brewing BLDG 5, the microbrewery’s first footprint in the Metroplex. As fans walk past the corrugated metal doors, they will start to sense the rustic, industrial aesthetic of the new brew pub. With clinker tile and stone walls adding a country feel, and fur and leather chairs adding warmth, it’s easy to feel at home while finding a seat. Even the ceiling lights, made from 400-pound metal firepits, are reminiscent of sitting in the backyard by a crackling fire.
“This is a direct extension of the brewery out of Granbury,” Grant says. “Everything looks like a big giant barn … like rural luxury.”
The brewery, visible behind the bar top, features 10 aluminum barrels busy producing 16 different taps. While it’s most known for its Blood & Honey ale, Grant says the brewery makes a diverse set of brews, including the Kolsch-style honey ale Backyard Bee and the tangerine IPA Full-Tang. It also produces a cold nitro brew with beans from Salter Bros., a local coffee roaster based in Arlington.
The Over Yonder, a dark pale lager flavored with malt, proves BLDG 5 hopes to push the brewery’s boundaries of what’s expected. And with innovative beer created with interesting ingredients — like The Yam Dankee, made from 100 pounds of dried sweet potatoes and dark Belgian candy sugar — that mission is very much underway. Grant has even mused sampling a similar recipe using carrots.
“My job is to make beer that people want to drink not just one, but a couple of,” Grant says. He tries to keep it simple — one ale yeast and one lager yeast — so the flavors of the ingredients really show.
“My eye is always on drinkability,” he says.
But drinks aren’t the only thing on tap in the BLDG 5. Its menu provides a variety of snacks and southern favorites. Its pickled eggs and sausages are great shareables for those sitting at the bar. For those who are working up an appetite, BLDG 5 will offer barbecue options from Lockhart Smokehouse, which also has a restaurant presence inside Texas Live! Its Smoked Tower, stacked house-smoked brisket, Kreuz sausage, coleslaw and barbecue sauce served in a hot brioche bun, provides heft while its Caesar salad prepared with smoked brisket burnt ends provides a lighter alternative.
But the taproom also has original entrees that pack a punch. The Revolver’s Trunk Chili, a family recipe loaded with beef, beans and a secret ingredient, harks back to the brewery’s origins; Grant says the founder’s wife always brought her famous chili for lunch while the brewers were hard at work. Paired with the sweet and spicy cornbread, this warm and filling dish delivers all you’d expect from a comfort food favorite.
So whether you put a spoonful of hot trunk chili in your mouth or sip on a crisp and carbonated ale, every flavor you taste in the BLDG 5 Tap Room tells the story of Revolver Brewing’s craft and creativity, which Grant says has been a long yet rewarding process.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Grant expresses. “Eight years ago, we were breaking ground and moving dirt on a piece of property that would become Revolver Brewing. To think we’ve come this far is amazing.”
Texas Live! and Revolver Brewing BLDG 5 have temporarily closed their doors because of the recent COVID-19 outbreak. We will keep our readers updated online as to when the brewery will reopen.