(Not far from Weatherford, TX)
Parker County Brewing Company
225 Shops Blvd.
Willow park, TX 76087
Phone 817 757-7777
www.parkercountybrewing.com
Our Brews Sampled and Favorites
Looking for something to do in Willow Park, TX? We recently visited and taste tested craft beers at one of the Breweries in Willow Park, TX. The brewery is named Parker County Brewing Company. Some people may think the brewery is located in Weatherford, TX. It is not, but it is not far from Weatherford.
As you may know I prefer the darker style, and my wife leans toward the hazy IPA. This trip however was specifically in search of a peach beer. We arrived late Saturday morning and we both selected a flight.
They offered 10 in-house brews, and two varieties of Sangria.
Her Flight included:
· Peach Blonde
· Raspberry Hefeweizen
· Imposter Lager
· Mango Galactic Cowboy
His flight included:
· Raspberry Hefeweizen
· Imposter Lager
· 1879 Ale
· 2021 Trophy
My wife’s favorite was the Mango Galactic Cowboy, and mine was the 1879 Ale. Remember that our quest for a peach beer. Both of us thought the peach flavor was a little light. However, we both were happy with finding the Mango Galactic Cowboy and the Raspberry Hefeweizen.
We found out that the 2021 Trophy was a DOUBLE GOLD Winning brew from the New York International Beer Competition. It was one of only 5 double gold out of 700 entries!
We sampled the Peach Sangria and will be returning to have a full glass with a Neopolitan pizza soon
Brewery Ambiance
Parker County Brewing Co is equal parts restaurant and brewery. The tables were arranged for family meals. The long bar had comfortable tall stools. The patio is covered for all day shade.
They are absolutely dog friendly on the patio.
Happy Hour is Monday to Thursday 3-6:30 PM. $2 Off Beer, $4 Pretzels or Breadsticks.
Food
The place was crowded for early Saturday just before noon. Many families were ordering pizzas. We had a pool party to attend later that afternoon and begrudgingly skipped any food choices. We are planning a return trip for pizza and Peach Sangria soon.
In addition to Pizza, they also serve Sliders, Wraps, Salads, Appetizers and Desserts.
Merchandise
Parker County Brewing was highlighting the peach lager on the current t-shirts. The design caught the eye of my wife and she purchased a pink shirt. The P brand logo stood out on the hoodie and the pint glasses.
Brewery Owner Interview
Parker County Brewing Co. Owner Interview
Selected discussion from our interview.
AMAH: Please Introduce yourself.
PCB: My name is Ryan Stewart and I’m the owner Parker County Brewing Company here in the Willow Park, Texas and I'm really excited to have you guys here and tasting our beer.
AMAH: So far they are very good. How long have you been open?
PCB: We’ve been open since February of 2018. So over 4 ½ years.
AMAH: One of the questions I asked other breweries is the impact of the pandemic shut down.
PCB: So yeah. The impact of pandemic was devastating for sure. We had to close for 8 weeks. We were deemed as an essential business since we sold food. We got to reopen in June of 2020. Breweries who did not serve food had to remain closed for 8-9 months after we got to reopen. So, because we serve food, we were one of the first that got to reopen and we were so fortunate to have this support of our community here. As soon as we got to open up in June and then July business came back. So, there was still some hesitancy of course for at least a year, after that but we got to reopen. Our business started to recover, and we were so fortunate that we were able to do that.
AMAH: How many employees do you have?
PCB: I know that exact number because I worked this last Wednesday. We hired a lot of people the last few weeks and now stand at 47.
AMAH: What did you do before this?
PCB: Before I owned the brewery, I was an instructor at TCC college. I worked there for 10 years in the kinesiology department.
AMAH: Is this the original location?
PCB: This is the original location.
AMAH: Do you distribute your beer?
PCB: Definitely not! We only package beer and sell it out from here to go. We do have a few accounts for draft, but it's only 15 locations and it's really, mostly this area. Maybe a few in Fort Worth. You might be able to find our beer on draft but it’s not really our focus. Our business model to go is a very small amount of distribution. In Texas, once you sell your distribution rights, you cannot get them back. Even if they decide to stop distributing your product. And some companies only make 30 cents a case. We cannot make any money doing that.
AMAH: Do you have any particular not-for-profits that you support?
PCB: We support a lot of the educational foundations around town with golf tournaments as well as the animal shelter here locally. We also work with breast cancer awareness in October.
AMAH: Is your patio dog friendly?
PCB: Absolutely. No pets inside, but outside is welcomed.
AMAH: What's your favorite thing about owning a brewery?
PCB: I think it's just everybody having a good time. Part of the reason I started the business in Parker County is, so people didn’t have to drive to Fort Worth to go to something. That we have an option here and you know the response from everybody out here is great. They love coming here. Paragraphs here
About the Authors
When I first started dating my wife, we enjoyed popular domestic beers. I am sure visiting a craft brewery was her idea. Our taste buds rejoiced as we sampled the various brews. It did not take long before our tastes diverted – the darker ambers, reds, porters, and stouts for me, IPA, Hazy IPA, and pilsners for her.
When we retired, we decided to visit as many of our National Parks across this country. It seemed a natural fit to visit breweries in the many cities we travel through as we drive to the parks.
We currently reside in Fort Worth, Texas. Texas has about 300 micro-breweries, and the Metroplex has over 80. Which means we have a whole lot of day trips ahead of us to visit our local breweries.
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