BELLY UP, BABY

The dream of brewery ownership became a reality, following years of work and planning, for Joel Denton and Oak Cli Brewing Co. in 2018.

An accomplished home brewer, Denton started working on opening his own brewery in 2015.

By late 2017, the brewery had taken up space at Tyler Station, and Denton expected to open the brewery and taproom in early spring.

Between converting a second-story space in a 100-year-old industrial building to hold massive brewing equipment and receiving approval from state and federal licensing agencies, it took a little longer than expected.

But Oak Cli Brewing Co. opened Sept. 1. It’s a 900-gallon capacity brewery with a bespoke taproom, conveniently located on a DART rail line.

Manhattan Brewing Co., another home-brewer-turned pro the Advocate profiled in 2018, is still producing great craft beer out of another brewery in Addison. Plans for a West Dallas brewery and taproom haven’t materialized, and coowner Karl Sanford didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry about it.