Crystal Wise
The beer brothers’ operation that now operates in North Richland Hills began for simple enough reasons.
“I was looking into ways to get beer cheaper,” says Josh Keyworth, age 39 and leaning into 40.
His wife Michelle had bought Josh a kegerator 10 or so years ago as a Christmas present. “So, I could have draft at the house,” he says.
A Google search on “where to buy cheaper kegs” was his Eureka moment.
“I discovered you could make beer,” he says. “I had no idea. So, I went to a homebrew store down the street, and they were really cool and told me what I needed and sold me all the stuff and it kind of went from there.
“Once my brother got involved a couple of months later, he went like Walter White.”
We all know Mr. Walter White and his aptitude as an innovator.
“He was just like in it, just addicted to the process and making things better and quality and all that stuff,” Josh says of his brother Kevin. “We started upgrading things and spending more money and spending more time, and we started making really good stuff and people wanted more. People we knew were asking us to make for them and do parties and weddings. So, the dream was born from there, and it took us about six years to get from the business plan to where we are now.”
Where they are now is a three-headed leadership group of Keyworth Brewing, open at 6428 Davis Blvd., Suite 400. Michelle, 40, is a partner and so is Kevin, 37, known forever after, to me at least, as Walter White of the critically acclaimed series “Breaking Bad.”
Keyworth Brewing has been open only since September. All three have other full-time jobs while they pursue this passion project, aka, The Dream.
Crystal Wise
And their customers love the place obviously. Keyworth Brewing was featured in Fort Worth Magazine's Best-Of issue in May.
“Our goal is to have plenty of beers on tap in a wide range,” Josh says. “We don't have a ton of IPAs, and we don't have a ton of stouts. We don't have a ton of light beers and all that stuff. We have a little bit of everything, all kinds of stuff. The idea is that you'll come in and you'll find something that you know you already like and then hopefully you'll find something else you want to try that you end up liking.”
The brewery is open Thursday through Sunday.
On tap is a Mexican lager, a German-style bock, and a sour ale, just to name a few. In total, there are 11 beers on tap. The team has brewed, Josh estimates, 37 times since they got the keys to the building. Of those 37 different brews, only four have been repeats.
There are three “really cool” places to hang out at the brewery. The tap room is different from a lot of other breweries, he says. “It’s just a neat place to be.”
A patio that overlooks Davis is another preferred spot of patrons when the weather is nice. The third sounds like the best.
“Our building is on stilts, so when you drive up, you can park under the building and then walk up the stairwell or the ramp to get to our suite. And so, under the building we have a beer garden with picnic tables and swinging hammock chairs and cornhole boards and things like that. So, there are different places to hang out. It's a different kind of an experience.”
The place is also family friendly. Bring your kids.
This story originally appeared in the May issue of Fort Worth Magazine.