Thirsty Dentonites will welcome the city's very first brewpub this Wednesday with the opening of Barley & Board. Located in the historic downtown square, the building dates back to the 1800s and is the former site of the Lacy Hotel. (Texas history factoid: Famous outlaw Sam Bass worked there as a stable boy before taking up train robbing.)
Barley & Board is a joint project from John "Sparky" Pearson (who also owns Denton's LSA Burger), Eric Pulido of the local band Midlake, and actor Jason Lee (My Name is Earl, Mallrats, The Church of Scientology, et al), who has a noted affinity for the city of Denton; the team also includes entrepreneur Steve Watkins, financier Earl Herrington, brewmaster Derrick Rima, and Eric "Emo" Hartman, founder of the iconic punk music venue Emo's. In the kitchen is executive chef Chad Kelley, whom many will remember from his stints at Meddlesome Moth and Cafe Pacific.
Expect 36 beers on tap, including house brews — the first of which, a hefeweizen, should be ready for tapping within a couple of weeks. Craft cocktails are priced right at $7 to $9, with unique ingredients like bacon-infused rye, watermelon-jalapeno syrup, and housemade bitters.
The menu is heavy on snacky fare designed to pair with beer, such as a "chef's spreads" plate with sweet potato hummus and pimento cheese, Maytag blue cheese-topped potato chips, and soft rye pretzels with stout mustard. Lots of vegetarian-friendly options, too, like a curried cauliflower salad and farro risotto.
Barley & Board will be open daily for lunch and dinner, with hours till midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11 p.m. otherwise. Scope out the food and drink menus, below:
