BrainDead Brewing
Whether you’re a born and raised Dallas, visiting or recently moved to the area you know about Deep Ellum: one of Dallas’ most vibrant neighborhoods that was discovered in 1873 and the home to many independent shops, eateries and bars. Without a doubt in my mind, if you know about Deep Ellum, then you have definitely heard about Braindead Brewing; Deep Ellum’s most popular brewpub known for it’s wide variety of craft beers, awesome food and fantastic service
Located on the corner of Main St and Good Latimer Expy, it’s impossible to miss the establishment. Surrounding the entrance, on the edge of the patio are eccentric sculptures including the huge alien robot patrolling the corner. The building is also covered in very colorful and impressive street art, similar to the rest of the Deep Ellum neighborhood. Braindead is literally the designated Uber pickup/dropoff spot, there has been plenty of times I used the establishment as the pickup spot when I’m on the go. No matter where you are in Deep Ellum, Braindead is proven to the neighborhood hotspot.
I had the pleasure of meeting with Keven White, the OG manager of Braindead Brewing, to talk about its humble beginnings. In March 2015, BrainDead was born. The origin of its name has a few different theories, according to Keven, “Some say it represents a casual approach to craft beer, i.e. not overthinking it. Others say it’s just funny to say out loud. I really can’t tell you which one is right, its a bit of an intentional mystery." The establishment was the birth child of a few different people. It all started with Sam Wynne, the son of Shannon Wynne; the restaurateur who created Flying Saucer, Meddlesome Moth and other restaurants in DFW. Sam got together with Jeff Fryman, who at the time was the cicerone at the Common Table in downtown Dallas. They figured since they contributed a lot to DFW, as far as craft beer wise, that it would make perfect to build their own local brewpub. After coming up with a rough concept of what Braindead could be, Sam and Jeff linked up with Andrew Hurder, the brewmaster of Deep Ellum Brewing company. Andrew became interested in having his own space to experiment, in terms of craft beer. Shortly after, the three met up with chef David Pena and formulated a plan to have a true organic Texas brewpub that would introduce something different to the area with a similar approach to food as well. After raising money and conducting business with investors, Braindead Brewing was created. Keven came into the picture 3 months after Braindead’s birth
“Every since it’s opening, its been one hell of a ride”, Keven says. In the beginning, Braindead has started out with 4 of their own craft beers. Currently, the pub has created over 80 of their own beer with 30 beers on tap as we speak. It’s extremely difficult to take a trip to Braindead and not find a beer you will enjoy. The pub runs a 15 barrel brew system, which is actually small compared to other larger companies. They preferred to keep everything small batched, its allows freedom to experiment with different flavors, hence as to why they have made so many of their own flavors of craft beer
What sets Braindead apart from other bars and pubs in the Deep Ellum neighborhood, other than their consistency and uniqueness in the quality of the craft beers, is how they foster the community around them. They host many events throughout the week that event locals to come out and enjoy the festivities including Monday Night Trivia, Tuesday night game night: consisting of 2 big projector screens inside the pub, loaded with N64 games such as Mario Cart and Super Smash Bros, Thursday night Metal shows with the help from booking agency The Harbinger Group and monthly DFW Creatives and Art Show. November 3rd, they hosting FESTICLE, an annual celebration of craft beers from other breweries and food, with this year being fried chicken as the food of choice. For more info on Braindead, including their delicious food menu, visit www.braindeadbrewing.com
