Saddle Up, Partner

Dallas-Ft. Worth hosts a stable-full of award-winning, unique and out-of-the-box craft beers.

- Amity Moore Joyce & Jane Ehrhardt

Fort Worth, Texas, may bring up visions of cowboy hats, stock shows and gun racks in pickups. And you’d be right. But what you’re missing is a fine assortment of craft beers and some trendy places from which to enjoy a slew of them at once. One of those places is the pedestrian-friendly downtown district of Sundance Square.

First off, if you’re a fan of—or need to buy gifts for— Texas Rangers or Dallas Cowboys fans, then before you start imbibing the delectable brews of the Lone Star state, you’ll want to stop at these team-sanctioned shops. Located side-by-side, the Texas Rangers Team Shop and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop attract legions of fans with all the usual array of fan gear. Besides being able to deck out your man cave and closet, the gold to be found here is scoring Rangers baseball tickets right in the shop. The only location you can buy them in person, besides the stadium.

Next, walk past the Sundance Square Plaza—unless they’re hosting a local brew event at an open-air bar—and keep walking until you hit the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, named as the city’s best beer selection in 2018 by readers of Fort Worth magazine. Plan to stay a while, because the aptly named emporium features nearly 80 beers on tap and more than 100 in bottles and cans.

According to Keith Schlabs, one of the founders, about 20 percent of those are local. “We do our best to seek out those that brew excellent beer. We have plenty of breweries to choose from in Texas.” That’s the advantage of sitting down in a taproom like this—you gain expansive access to the local craft beers without moving off your stool.