European football gives us a reason to drink beer early and we are unapologetic Chelsea FC supporters. Our supporters group in Houston, the Bayou City Blues, is always looking to meet up with the other supporters in the U.S. and has made trips across the country to show that we are the rowdiest and loudest supporter group in the country. Once we found out that Chimera Brewing Company in Fort Worth was the home pub for the Fort Worth Blues, we decided it would be a win-win situation to try to some new craft brews and party with the Fort Worth Blues, North Texas Blues, and Waco Blues.
The owner, Adam Gonzales, is a huge Chelsea supporter we met in Charlotte on the Chelsea summer tour. The “Jesus of Beer” has probably the most epic beard of any brewery owner we’ve ever seen and has made Chimera Brewing Company into one of the most sought-after craft beer locations in all of North Texas. His focus on both wonderful comfort food and local craft beer is what separates his bar from others in the area. Plus, the decor is pro-Chelsea and has a hip layout that makes it a friendly hangout for anybody in the local area.
The brewpub serves national craft beer favorites, local Dallas/Fort Worth favorites, as well as in-house brews. Being that Chimera’s in-house brews are not available outside of the brewpub, we wanted to make sure to try all of the ones available.
Full disclaimer: we were at the pub for a full 15 hours, drank 12 full beers (according to my Untappd account), and took an Uber back to the hotel. My memory of the beers after number 8 are little hazy, but I can say that there were a few gems I can remember very well.
First and best of all, Chimera brews an in-house Belgian pale ale called Garden of Eden that is one of the most sessionable pale ales I’ve ever had. At approximately 5% ABV, this beer has a wonderful citrus flavor that finishes with just a little bit of hoppy aftertaste. Of all of the beers we had, this was the one we all kept going back to. Ultimately, I believe I drank 6 of my 12 beers as Garden of Edens. Plus, this beer is named after Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard, which makes us love this beer that much more.
Being that we were in North Texas, we wanted to make sure to try a local area favorite. With Lakewood Brewing’s French Quarter Temptress on tap, it’s too good to pass up. A 9.1% double stout that has a rich coffee flavor was the perfect early morning beer to pair with the biscuits and gravy that we enjoyed at 10:00 AM. It felt like a nice breakfast and beautiful way to enjoy a beer with some wonderful friends before the match started.
Finally, we decided to give Martin House Brewing’s Salty Lady gose a second chance. Let’s just say this beer was exponentially better on tap than the first time we tried it in the can. A beer loaded with coriander and soured with a lactic culture in the kettle, it tastes a lot like lemon-lime Gatorade that has a nice salty finish. The first time we gave this a shot was at the beginning of the month and the can given to us was overpowering. However, this version on draft was very refreshing on a warm day on the patio.
If you ever make your way out to Fort Worth, check out Chimera. Even if you aren’t a European football (soccer, for you ‘Muricans) supporter, you will still have a great time if you enjoy craft beer and love great food.