Maple Branch Craft Brewery

Tell us the story of how Maple Branch got its start.

Stuart started home brewing in 2014. After great feedback from everyone who tried his brews, he decided to enter a few competitions. By the time we opened Maple Branch, he had won over 40 homebrew awards, including making the top-three in the regionals of the National HomeBrew competitions. After all the support and encouragement, we knew this could be a full-time gig. We graduated from TCU looking for a location and the inventors to get our dream off the ground. We finally opened our doors in Oct 2020 and haven’t looked back since.

What is the meaning behind the name ‘Maple Branch’?

We wanted a name that is true to who we are and what the brewery would stand for. The ‘Maple’ part comes from our last name, and the branch comes from our desire for people to branch out. We want people to go to our brewery to try new beers and build a sense of community with newcomers and strangers. We also wanted to play into our nature-inspired taproom, so the name fit all those aspects.

Where did your love for craft beer originate?

During college, which sounds so cliché, but accurate. Stuart had his first craft beer from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, a Pale Ale, to be exact. After that first sip, he got certified as a beer judge and brewed every beer in the Beer Judge Certification Program. I got to try some of Stuart’s home-brewed beers on one of our first dates, and thank goodness I liked it, or our story might have ended differently. We both have a deep love for craft beer and love to share it with all our customers.

Where did you find design inspiration for your space?

We knew we wanted plenty of room for our nature-inspired taproom and traditional outdoor biergarten. A traditional German beer hall has long wooden bench tables to bring everyone together, which is exactly what we wanted. Our beer hall tables were custom made by Stuart and a carpenter friend of his. There is a lot of love that went into the design of the space. Our biergarten tables and chairs were shipped from Germany, and the trees planted outside were handpicked by us. Stuart wanted to have a fountain with tap handles on it. It is a mix of the traditional and modern, which we think fits who we are perfect. And the piece de resistance is the giant gate that welcomes you into the space—another nod to the traditional German biergartens.

Boasting one of the most diverse tap lists in all North Texas, where do your flavor ideas come from?

We do a mix of research, brew what’s currently popular, and choose styles we personally love. And we ask our customers of course!

When you hear “Maple Branch does not mass produce and does not take shortcuts. Each batch is special,” illustrate what that means during the brew-making process.

Every beer is made 40 feet from the taps in small batches. We only use fresh ingredients in our beers (no extracts). That means our Raspberry Fields uses fresh raspberries. Gigi’s Juice uses jalapeños that we hand de-seeded and cut up in the taproom. Using real ingredients gives the beer a fresh flavor while not being overpowering, which tends to happen when artificial flavors are used.

What led you to put down your maple roots here in Foundry?

After three years of searching for a perfect location, we decided to put roots down in The Foundry District. The space initially was a blank canvas for us to create whatever we envisioned. We also love being part of an up-and-coming area with many small businesses and an art focus.

What is one fun fact that most people do not know about Maple Branch?

We have 3 different types of trees in our biergarten: two Live Oaks, two Burr Oaks, and two Maples (of course!).

As we start gearing up for the Fall and all the friends and family gatherings that follow, tell us about opportunities to host private events at Maple Branch.

We love to host events for our customers. Customers can book a section of our brewery for their party or buy out the whole brewery plus biergarten. We have hosted birthday parties, happy hours and even have a few weddings coming up. All we ask is for customers looking to book our space to fill out our reservation form on our website for our event coordinator to review.

What is your most popular beer on your menu that customers can’t get enough of?

Our most popular beer has to be the Raspberry Fields, for sure. We add fresh raspberries when fermenting this blonde ale. This beer is perfectly refreshing with just the right balance of tartness and sweetness. We also serve this beer in a unique glass called a Teku. The shape of the glass is perfect for picking up on aroma, and the stem stops your hand from warming your beer. It appeals to craft beer enthusiasts and people who generally say they don’t like beer, which is a win in our book!

And finally, let’s set the record straight…. what’s your preference: beer cheese or mustard to pair with the legendary Bavarian pretzels?

While both are amazing dips, we have to say beer cheese for sure. It’s the perfect combination for the salty pretzel. Honestly, we dip our hot dogs in the beer cheese, too, and it is delicious!