BrainDead Brewing
2625 Main St
Dallas, TX 75226
(214) 749-0600

Hallelujah, downtown Dallas has been saved from beer ignominy by Braindead Brewing. There is no straight line from anywhere to BrainDead due to closed streets, but once you arrive you are greeted by a re-purposed industrial building with spacious outdoor seating that was of no use on our rain soaked 37 degree visit.

Let us set the stage. After you negotiate the outdoor seating you step into a spacious high ceilinged industrial building that is best described as having an eclectic lack of décor.
The high ceiling is transversed by utility lines and palletized lights—really. Each light extends down from a pallet. Okay , no one knows why, it just does . There is a stippled steel face plate on the bar that is topped by tiles. The back of the bar comprises a series of refrigerator doors punctuated by beer taps.
Okay. On to the seating.

The bar has maybe 15 or so seats. There are high tables across from the bar, beerhall-style long picnic tables
next, and the far wall from the bar is lined by very high back booths.
Across from the bar is a more traditional style low table and chair seating area.
Oh yeah, the impressive brew works are also on display in the corner of this space . In front of them is a cold box full of BrainDead bottle beers.
The bar has classic bar stools, with round, vinyl tops that don't but should rotate, and the high tables where we sit have metal stools that are a step above concrete comfort. Signs displaying the themes of every Brain Dead night but Thursday—our night to visit—adorn one wall.
A pyramid challenging us all to be excellent to each other adorns the wall across from the bar.
Beer barrels decorate the entrances to the brew hall.

The music is unrecognizable then it changes to Led Zeppelin and morphs into the Stones...I am starting to feel comfortable.
We arrive at a moment that can only be described as management genius; there is a wait staff meeting during business hours and there is no way to get anyone of BrainDead's 22 impressive beers or any of the 10 or so guest taps.
The wait staff, when they arrive, comprise the suicide girls. Suicide mom has our table. I am going Belgian, Secret Church is my first beer and it is the best of an evening of good beers.
Memory Hole , a barley wine , is my least preferred offering but I am sated by then.
A Friend of Rye, a tripel, is very good but I would not score it as high in its style as Church.
G a lactic Federation of Might was a double IPA that was good but disappointing given its 101 IBU rating.

Tarnation! Braindead, a pioneer in Dallas craftbrewing, was forced to close its doors in 2021
due to COVID impact.