The last time I wrote about Panther Island Brewing was for a Fort Worth Weekly cover story in late 2014. The Northside taproom and brewery had opened only weeks before, and Panther Island Brewing founder Ryan McWhorter and his small staff were beginning to distribute to local bars.
A lot has changed in the intervening year. Many of Panther Island Brewing’s staff members (Mike Casey, Joe Chapa, Joe Marone, Saxon Skidmore, Tammi Parada, David Pico, and Aaron Leonard) are new or recently promoted. Luna, a one-year-old female German Shepard who entertains guests, has the honorary title of Panther Island Brewing “puppy liaison.”
The four brews McWhorter started his business with (Alergeez, Cannonball, Real Good, and IPf’nA) have stood the test of time, and the dozen or so accounts he had in late 2014 now tops 160. From the outside, the craft brewery’s growth seems boundless. But managing growth has its own challenges.
“There were some rough times,” McWhorter said. “But we got through them. Going from being a homebrewer to working on an industrial level brings its own growing pains.”
Growth has created new opportunities too, he added. “With the larger staff, I don’t have to wear so many hats and can focus a little more on what new brews I want to bring to the table this year.”
McWhorter is using his newfound free time to cook up a literary-themed series of beers. WRATH (We Reign At The Helm) will consist of a quarterly release of high ABV brews. He hasn’t worked out all the details, but each production run will have a short fiction story tied to it. The first release will be a nine percent ABV Imperial Cream Ale sometime in March or early April. McWhorter describes the first WRATH release as Panther Island Brewing’s Real Good ale “on steroids.”
So why the focus on boozy beer? It’s partly a personal challenge McWhorter wants to master.
“Once you get up into the 10 to 12 percent alcohol percentage range the yeast is real fickle,” he said. “You really have to know how to take care of them and monitor the oxygen, sugar levels, and other factors properly. It’ll be a challenge for me, but I want to keep pushing myself to become a better brewer.”
That’s a pretty humble statement coming from a guy who took home a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival last October.
“I was shocked,” McWhorter recalled. “I’m a beer geek at heart. I was going to learn more about the industry and try some beers I can’t get down here.”
While taking a cab to the awards ceremony, McWhorter learned about the win by reading a live Twitter feed. Stunned, he turned to his wife and the driver.
“I think we just won a medal,” he said.
Rounding out McWhorter’s plans for Panther Island Brewing this year and early 2017 is an expansion into a currently unused 5,000-square-foot space that cohabits the building he rents from.
The taproom tour lines are getting long enough that the new space is warranted, he said. Plus, he could use the extra room for a canning line, something the Northside brewery doesn’t have at the moment. Eventually, a beer garden on the building’s west side will give visitors another choice on where to perch. Over the next few years, construction for the city’s Trinity River Vision will add a lakefront view nearby.
“I’m definitely happy with where we’re going,” he said. “I often think back on my homebrewing days and how exciting it was. I don’t think I’ll ever be totally satisfied. There’s a lot to learn in brewing.”
On Tap this Week:
Panther Island Brewing Tours.
Admission is $10 and gives guests 21-and-up three pints of Panther Island Brewry suds plus a commemorative pint glass. And there’s always live music and food trucks.
Every Friday 5pm to 9pm and Sunday 2pm to 6pm.
501 N. Main St.
