Cidercade
About 10 years ago, husband and wife Joel and Laura Malone opened Bishop Cider, a quaint 700-square-foot cider bar on Bishop in the Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff.
That operation began expanding right away, and today the Malones own and operate three brands: TexBev, Cidercade and Bishop Cider. And they have news about all of them.
The Bishop Cider team announced today that they have acquired Wild Acre Brewing in Fort Worth, Legal Draft Beer Co. in Arlington and have secured properties for new entertainment concepts in Dallas, Arlington, and two in Fort Worth. The expansion plans also include relocating Bishop Cidercade in the Design District.
TexBev, a beverage co-packing company owned by Bishop Cider, will relocate operations from Dallas to Wild Acre’s Fort Worth facility and “expand its capacity and capabilities with the addition of the equipment from Bishop’s Dallas cidery and Legal Draft’s Arlington brewery,” according to the announcement.
At the Fort Worth site, they explain, there is ample room for continued expansion, as the property includes some 200,000 square feet of warehouse space and sits on 21 acres. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of May. Bishop will also be opening a live-entertainment concept at the site.
Wild Acre beer will continue to be produced at the facility, but the brand will be getting a refresh, “and recipes will be fine-tuned,” the announcement reads.
“Rightfully so, Wild Acre has gained a lot of respect in Fort Worth. They have built a very impressive facility and the beer can hold its own against other local breweries, but I believe there is potential to compete on a larger stage,” says Joel Malone.
Grant Wood — most recently the co-founder and brewmaster of Revolver Brewing, prior to the acquisition by Molson Coors in 2016 — will join the management team “to ensure the liquid is first class.” Previously, Grant spent 16 years at Boston Beer Company where he was senior brewing manager.
Bishop today operates three locations of its Cidercade concept (Dallas, Austin, and Houston), which serves food and offers an “entertainment buffet” featuring games and activities.
Construction is underway on Cidercade Fort Worth, located just south of downtown. It will be the largest Cidercade to date at 25,000 square feet and is expected to open by the end of summer.
Cidercade Dallas will remain open at its current location until construction has been completed at the new site. At 79,000 square feet, the new location is nearly 10 times larger, the company reports. It will feature concepts, games, and activities that aren’t offered anywhere else in Texas. The opening date has not been announced.
The Malones say that once the new locations come online, Bishop Cider will operate more than 300,000 square feet of real estate, have seven on-premise locations, and employ approximately 265 employees.
