Beer Gardens: Where Nature Meets Malt
This September, StayRooted is celebrating gardens. We wanted to kick things off with a visit to our favorite beer garden, Martin House Brewing Company. Founded by Cody Martin, Martin House Brewery has become a Fort Worth staple, having provided specialty craft brews to the local community since 2013. They are known for creating unique, savory, and sweet beers that are wrapped up in custom art created by Donny Stevens.
Martin House Brewing Company knows how to bring people together over mustard beer and food trucks. Rooted Literary Magazine got to attend their Star Wars Day event on August 23rd to celebrate the launch of two out-of-this-world craft beers: Space Buns and Space Pizza. Aside from creating what might be their weirdest beer—complimentary, of course—what better reason to host an event than a Star Wars marathon? The community must have agreed, as it was packed both inside and outside with regulars, visiting families, and a few dedicated cosplayers.
Spaceships, Star Wars, and Sours
When you first walked in, whether through the outdoor patio or the front door, there was a palpable buzz in the air. I’m sure it partially had to be because of the deal they had going on—four beers and a Martin House glass for $21! But mostly, it was the excitement of enjoying the sunny weather and light sabers that pulled us in. Glasses in hand and wristbands on wrists, we immediately tried their latest beer drops. Space Buns, my personal pick, was the right amount of tangy and sour that only barely puckered my lips. Space Pizza was somehow pizza in a can, but we shouldn’t be surprised, as savory and groundbreaking beer flavors are what Martin House is known for.
The TVs each had Star Wars playing; they were on Episode II: Attack of the Clones when we arrived. As I waited in line, I spotted a surprisingly realistic Chewbacca making his way over to grab another glass. Kids and adults alike were eagerly waiting to catch his attention for a photo. I’m unsure if he ever got his beer, but we did get our picture.
The Main Events
The sound of strings vibrated over the crowd as we made our way towards the back exit where the Panther Cello Cantina Quartet, a Fort Worth-based classical-meets-contemporary string quartet, coaxed the crowd closer with soft melodies and rich tones. If you were able to pull yourself away from the four-person symphony and visit the back patio, the smell of homemade meatballs would have greeted you.
Martin House Brewing Company is recognized for collaborating with exceptional local food trucks for its events. Star Wars Day was no exception, and Texas’ First Meatball Food Truck, “OH BALLS!” was serving small plates. We had to try at least three different kinds, but our favorite was the “WAX ON, WAX OFF,” a sweet, Thai-inspired meatball. OH BALLS! is at Martin House serving full-time.
Alongside the food, vendors and booths offered glitter tattoos, custom clothing, jerky, and artwork. We popped in to say hi to Becca Waugh, another Fort Worth legend, AKA the Corn Dog Lady; we also had to admire her corndog art and highly recommend reaching out to her for a custom piece and the good vibes. I mean, who doesn’t need a portrait of themselves and their partner as corn dogs?
Behind the Beer: Journey to the Brewhouse
After the event, the StayRooted team was invited to tour the brewhouse. Martin House Brewing Company does everything onsite—from brewing to canning. Behind the garden is a well-oiled machine crafting, packing, and distributing some of the freshest brews in Fort Worth, TX.
The equipment isn’t the only MVP at Martin House, as the minds behind it are how the magic really happens. I got to speak with Shugg Cole, the branding director at Martin House, about the process.
[RLM] When it comes to picking flavors, where do you start? How does that process go down? Is it a group meeting, or do y’all have a group chat where you throw around ideas when inspiration hits?
[SC] Uhm, it just depends on what calendar we’re looking at. There are microseasonal releases and then there are taproom-only launches.
For the microseasonals ones, I create a spreadsheet with a bunch of ideas and move them all around like a game of chess. Balancing format, beer style, seasonality…it’s just a giant puzzle where we have to, first, make the pieces and then put them all together. So, I make that once a quarter and send it to our team for review, and we make tweaks from there. Our brewers and our artists are absolutely awesome, so I know any idea is going to end up being delicious and badass-looking.
From there, we have our weekly meetings. That’s where we really hone in on the microseasonal flavors and the plan for what we want the beer to taste/look/even smell like. So, that calendar, the microseasonal one, has around 60+ releases a year that go into distribution.
During those weekly meetings I mentioned, we work on upcoming taproom-only releases together. Those have a lot more group involvement in the idea creation. Our small-batch stuff is where we can get pretty wild. There’s not as much on the line as there is when releasing a seasonal since the taproom batches are so small. We have a lot of fun coming up with ideas together. Nothing is ever off limits.
[RLM] Martin House is known for its unconventional flavors and for pushing the boundaries of what one expects to taste when drinking a beer (I remember being shocked, mildly confused, and amazed at how much I loved the BBQ Sauce Beer)
[RLM] But I’m curious, has there ever been a potential flavor or beer that went too far and y’all had to scrap it?
[SC] We have never scrapped a beer that I can remember. There have been a few quality control issues over the years, but that had nothing to do with strange beer ingredients or our aspirations being too over the top.
What I think is important to note here is what we’ve dubbed the “Martin House promise.” So whatever we say it tastes like (whatever you read on the can) is what it’s going to taste like. So if you’re not a fan of pickles or mustard or BBQ sauce, you aren’t going to like that beer. Beer is supposed to be fun, so we try to always remember that, whether we are coming up with beer-flavored beer or something “whacky.” Our brew team is amazing.
[RLM] Donny Stevens does the art, and he’s a legend in our eyes. To our understanding, you and Donny work closely on the designs, and I would love to hear more about that process. Every piece has such a unique style.
[SC] I agree 100%. Donny is a legend. We are so fortunate to have him on the team from the beginning.
The art is all Donny. He has a weekly art schedule and we same page once a week to get that piece of art done, and then it’s onto the next. There are basically no restrictions and very little guidance on what he should create. That’s what makes the art so awesome. Donny has unlimited freedom, and that allows him to have fun with and create these ideas that no one else would ever think of. He produces one new piece of art every week. He is the goat!
[RLM] Finally, do you have a favorite flavor? If so, why?
[SC] Historically, I really enjoy IPAs. I’m very pumped because we just launched a new mixed IPA variety 12-pack. It has all bangers in it.
And while I used to pound very high ABV beers, I now find myself trending towards more approachable beers. We have a new Mexican-style lager called Rancho Grande coming out in a couple of weeks. It’s 4.2% and super easy to crush. I’m very excited for that one.
Whether you came for the Stormtroopers or the pizza-flavored beer, Star Wars day was yet another successful and lively Martin House event. While not the most conventional garden, beer gardens are another example of how gardens bring us together to enjoy things created with love, sweat, and damn good taste!
Details:
Martin House Brewing Company | 12:00 PM-10:00 PM
220 S. Sylvania Ave, Suite 209, Ft Worth, TX 76111
Pumpkin Fest
Taylor is the Editor-in-Chief of the Rooted Literary Magazine and works as a freelance editor and writer for Game Rant. Her fiction work has appeared in Neon Origami Literary Magazine, Wingless Dreamer, and more. Her background blends creative writing, digital content creation, and editorial work.
Rooted Literary Magazine is a literary platform dedicated to showcasing art, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, spoken word, music, and film that captures the full spectrum of human experience—from the beautiful to the devastating, and everything in between.
