Ash & Ember Brewing, Family Friendly Brewery In Cedar Hill Celebrates 2 Years

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guy with beer mug
Photo courtesy Ash & Ember brewing

Ash & Ember Brewing Co. opened in the toughest time imaginable, in the midst of a worldwide pandemic of COVID-19. Of course, there were doubters – but they certainly didn’t include co-owners Brian Krajcirovic and Tim Martin.

Now, Cedar Hill’s first brew pub is going strong, celebrating two years in business on June 26 with a party in its taproom with a special edition souvenir glass. They also introduced their new Mug Club.

“We want to be a place where people can gather – where locals and visitors can come together. We are a small, family-friendly brewery with the feel of an old-time English pub,” Krajcirovoc said.

“Like so many breweries, bars and restaurants the last two years have been tough and challenging. Unfortunately, we opened our doors the same day all bar-like establishments were ordered to close and could only offer to-go,” Krajcirovic said. “Things started out slow and restrictions kept changing, so we had to keep changing along the way.

“Slowly, things have started picking back up. Thanks to our loyal fan base we have made it this far and hope to continue to share our love for craft beer.”

Krajcirovic and Martin began renovation of their building at 226 Texas Street in September of 2019, which was still pre-COVID. By the time 2020 and COVID hit full force, they were already rolling, though their hopes of opening in February were pushed back to the end of June.

Brew tanks at Ash and Ember Brewing
Photos courtesy Ash & Ember Brewing

“At this point we had spent nearly six years of planning the brewery and felt the only choice was to keep going,” Krajcirovic said.

Ash & Ember Launches Mug Club

The Mug Club, by the way, is $350 for a year of beer. Members get a 19.5-ounce souvenir, along with a club shirt, and a special anniversary party at the end of the year just for club members – and, of course, free beer.

“To make it easier for our customers we allow them to get two mug fills per visit each month. Beers expire if they are not used within the month,” Krajcirovic said.

They’ve also successfully met the challenges of a craft brewery in today’s market.

Focused On Serving The Community

“We have stayed focused on the taproom and serving the community, offering pints, flights and to-go crowlers (containers) and growlers. We have had to pivot on several of our plans because of changes in the market due to COVID,” Krajcirovoc said. “The distribution market changed, and just business in general changed. There have been so many challenges, including just getting our name out there.”

Special events, of course, help and they hold a variety, including Pint Night Tuesdays, Lotería, trivia, Music Bingo and Game Night as well as beer dinners, special flight pairings, Hike/Yoga & Brews, Candles & Craft classes and more. You can follow them on Facebook to see upcoming events.

Tap room at Ash and Ember Brewing
Photo courtesy Ash & Ember

Meanwhile, they maintain a traditional approach to brewing.

“Our passion is to create traditional beers that remain true to their styles and revive timeless flavors,” Krajcirovoc said. “The tap-list rotates periodically, but we typically have a range of light to dark beers.”

Currently, they are tapping their Witbier, Helles, Hefe, Tripel, two IPAs, a brown ale and their Oatmeal Stout. They also carry fruit-flavored sodas.

Krajcirovoc said they do have plans to move into downtown Cedar Hill in the future.

“We hope to make it through these challenging times and be able to continue to share our love of craft beer with the community,” he said. “We are so thankful for the support we have received from Cedar Hill and the DFW community from likes on social media, reviews on Untappd and Google to patronage in the taproom.”

August Events at Ash & Ember Brewing

Tuesdays – Pint Night & Street Tacos, 4-9pm

Wednesday August 3 – Game Night @7pm

Thursday August 11 – The Office Trivia @7pm

Wednesday August 17 – Lotería Night @7pm

Thursday August 25 – Disco Music Bingo @7pm

Wednesday August 31 – Game Night @7pm

Fri & Sat – Open Noon – 11pm

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Rick Mauch
Rick Mauch is a veteran of more than four decades in the media. He began writing in high school and immediately went into broadcasting for almost a decade after graduating, working his way to morning drive in Birmingham, Alabama. However, realizing how much he missed writing (though he did continue to do some during his time in top-40 radio), Rick returned to what he loved and has been doing it ever since. Rick's career has spanned a plethora of media outlets, including community journalism, sports, entertainment, politics and more. He's worked in print, broadcast and online media. He also spent several years doing public relations for a children's home in East Texas - still writing on the side, of course. When he's not writing, Rick loves to play golf and do Bigfoot research. He's an avid believer. He also made his first hole-in-one in June of 2020. Rick is married to Junell Mauch. They have five children and three granddaughters