Local Sips

Dallas brewery expands into white-hot hard seltzer market

Dallas' Deep Ellum Brewing Company has been turning out innovative brews since 2011, when it became the city's first craft brewery. It has since expanded with an off-site small-batch brewery and taproom in Fort Worth called the Funkytown Fermatorium.

When it comes to what Dallas (and beyond) is drinking, DEBC has been bold, fearless, and unapologetic from the start.

Now it's made the leap into hard seltzer, the most popular drink of the moment, with the release of Blind Lemon. Like everything Deep Ellum Brewing does, it's made to stand out — and here's how:

The story behind the name
The moniker is in tribute to blues legend "Blind Lemon" Jefferson, who began his career in the 1920s playing guitar and singing on the streets of Deep Ellum neighborhood. He went on to become one of the biggest-selling down-home blues artists in American history. He was known for his unusual vocal range and loud volume, and in homage to the original Blind Lemon, this hard seltzer bubbles over loudly with lemony flavor.

Natural ingredients
It starts with natural lemon flavors, then continues with only one gram of carbs and zero grams of sugar per 12 ounce serving. Oh, and it's only 100 calories, with 5 percent alcohol by volume.

How it's made
Crafted with a process similar to DEBC's other brands, Blind Lemon makes use of cane sugar instead of the usual malted barley that is in a typical beer. When yeast is added, the result is an unusually spritzy and light brew, great on its own or even better as a cocktail base.

Drink up, do good
DEBC has partnered with many amazing local organizations including Foundation45, Deep Ellum Community Association, Deep Ellum Foundation, and Paws in the City, to name a few. Now you can feel even better about supporting this Texas brand.

How to get it
Blind Lemon is available both on draft and in 12-pack cans. While you're at it, be sure to load up on Dallas Blonde, Deep Ellum IPA, the Mexican-style lager Neato Bandito, and Easy Peasy, a session IPA brewed with lemon and tangerine peel.

Deep Ellum Brewing Company now has hard seltzer: Blind Lemon.

Deep Ellum Brewing Blind Lemon hard seltzer

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Deep Ellum Brewing Company now has hard seltzer: Blind Lemon.

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news you can eat

Growing national pizza chain will bring halal pies and pastas to Katy

Vocelli Pizza/Facebook

Vocelli Pizza will open its first Houston-area location in March.

A Pittsburgh pizzeria has set its sights on Houston. Vocelli Pizza will makes it Bayou City debut next year with a location in Katy.

Scheduled to open in March 2026, the restaurant will be located at 2941 W. Grand Parkway. Although pizza is part of the restaurant’s name, the menu also includes wings, pizza rolls, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and more. Specialty items include mac and cheese pizza, spinach mushroom rolls, and a chicken parmesan sub.

"We are thrilled to continue our growth into new communities that share our passion for quality, service, and authentic Italian-inspired food," Vocelli Pizza CEO Toni Bianco said in a statement. "Our expansion into Dalton and Houston reflects the strong demand for our brand, and we look forward to delivering an exceptional experience to guests in both markets."

For its expansion into Houston, Vocelli’s will debut an all-halal menu that’s designed to appeal to Houston’s diverse community.

"The team is excited to introduce Vocelli Pizza to Houston with a full halal menu," Bianco added. "There is a clear demand for high-quality Halal pizza and delivery options, and we are proud to meet that need while bringing our brand to a new and dynamic market."

Founded by Turkish immigrant Varol Ablak in 1988, Vocelli began franchising in 1993. The restaurant currently has more than 80 locations.

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