Arlington hops aboard the craft-brew train

Arlington is an often misunderstood city. Many Texans identify it as a stop-over between Dallas and Fort Worth. They see a place to ride roller coasters and cheer sports teams and then be on your merry way to somewhere else.

Arlington residents would tell you that’s far from the truth. Yes, much of the city is residential and its entertainment district is its most definable feature. But, with a continually developing downtown area and growth of other areas of town, those who are paying attention can find plenty to do in Arlington that isn’t on E. Randol Mill Rd or Road to Six Flags.

Arlington’s brewing culture is even starting to pick up. While Dallas, Fort Worth and other surrounding mid-cities have seen a brewery boom, the only real craft beer-centric presence of note in Arlington was with homebrew shops like Dr. Jeckyll’s Beer Lab or craft-beer friendly bars like Hooligan’s and Old School Pizza & Suds.

However, in the last six months, two breweries have brought Arlington into the fray in a DFW market that seems like it’s always thirsty for more.

Division Brewing launched earlier this year and has produced quality beers albeit on a small scale. The brewery is a fun place to visit and they have many beers to try, but you won’t find them on too many tap walls around the area yet. It’s clear from visiting the brewery that Division is taking things incrementally.

On the other hand, last Saturday saw the first tour and open house at Legal Draft Beer Company. Packed to the gills with excited patrons, it was clear that Arlington is ready for what Legal Draft is ready to deliver. With a spacious, air-conditioned taproom (although not spacious or particularly air conditioned last Saturday) and a large, capacity-ready facility, Legal Draft is clearly not tip-toeing into the market. With stack of cans of two of its beers and a canning line in place, Legal Draft will crack the area’s consciousness quickly.

Legal Blonde and Accused Amber Lager are the two initial canned offerings (soon in market) among several other draft-only beers. Accused was a standout at the launch and will sit well beside other hit Vienna-style lagers in the area like Lakewood Lager and Community Vienna Lager. It’s not quite as malty as some others of this style and finishes clean. Like all five of Legal Draft’s beers available at the launch, Accused is easy to drink and well made.

Legal Draft isn’t pushing any boundaries yet, but to crack Arlington, they might not need to. Either way, for those who don’t reside there, there’s certainly a reason to stop over.

Quick Sips

New Main at J.R. Bentley’s: Speaking of up-and-coming Arlington, New Main Brewing Co. is a brewery in the planning stages that will be pouring free samples of its prospective beers Friday at 7 p.m. at J.R. Bentley’s at 406 W. Abram.

Local Brews, Local Grooves: House of Blues hosts another entry into the Local Brews Local Grooves event August 6 at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. for VIP) that spotlights (you guessed it) local beers and local music. Featuring an expected 18 breweries and 13 bands, the event features various levels of tickets, depending on interest. A music-only ticket runs $14, standard sampling and music ticket is $30 and VIP tickets are $60. houseofblues.com/dallas/localbrewslocalgrooves

Lakewood turns four: Lakewood Brewing in Garland is celebrating its fourth year in the business with a blowout at the brewery on Saturday that will feature an epic assortment of rare Lakewood beers from their cellars . There will be staggered entry times starting at 1 p.m. for those purchasing tickets ahead of time and no-ticket-needed entry at 6 p.m. VIP -- which is already sold out -- lets in at noon. 2302 Executive Dr., Garland. lakewoodbrewing.com

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Arlington hops aboard the craft-brew train."