Rahr and Lakewood strike contract brewing deal to boost Texas capacity

Rahr Brewing and Lakewood Brewing struck a contract brewing partnership that gave Rahr more room to grow without forcing a move or a major buildout. Under the deal, Lakewood will produce select Rahr brands at its Garland facility while Rahr keeps brewing in Fort Worth, a practical fix for a company that has been chasing more capacity as Dallas sales have climbed.

The timing matters. Rahr had already closed its longtime Fort Worth home at 701 Galveston Avenue, where the original taproom stayed open until May 17, 2025, and the brewery has been looking for extra production help ever since. The new arrangement lets Rahr keep its identity rooted in Fort Worth while adding the kind of brewing flexibility that independent brands increasingly need when demand outpaces tank space.

The partnership also keeps the beer visible where drinkers can feel the connection. Rahr beers will be served on tap at the Lakewood taproom, giving the deal a retail face instead of making it look like a back-of-house production swap. That matters in North Texas, where taproom traffic, draft placement and local familiarity can do as much for a brand as packaged distribution.

Fritz Rahr framed the move as more than a capacity play, and that tone fits the breweries involved. Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. was founded by Fritz and Erin Rahr in fall 2004, and earlier reporting put the company’s growth at roughly 2,000 barrels a year before it climbed to about 20,000. Lakewood, founded in 2012 by Belgian-born Wim Bens and based in Garland, has its own strong local following built around Temptress imperial milk stout. Both names carry weight in North Texas beer, which is exactly why this kind of partnership works.

For the market, the deal points to where the economics of craft beer are heading. Instead of sinking money into new stainless, new floors and a bigger footprint, breweries with strong brands can buy time and capacity through cooperation. For Rahr, that means more beer in the Dallas-Fort Worth market without losing its Fort Worth base. For Lakewood, it means more production leverage and a deeper role in the regional beer scene, with both breweries betting that collaboration can do what expansion alone no longer can.