Steam Theory Brewing Company poured its last beers from its facility in West Dallas on June 19, 2022. The restaurant and bar — which former Bachelor and Bachelorette host Chris Harrison invested in — has closed permanently. But it isn’t the end for this 4-year-old Dallas company.
For about a year, Steam Theory has operated what co-owner Chuck Homola calls a “virtual brewery” with North Carolina company Bevana. From an East Coast facility, Bevana is brewing four Steam Theory beers and mailing them to customers in dozens of states, Texas included.
Through much of the pandemic, Steam Theory’s restaurant and taproom remained open, but it struggled because of decreased traffic.
“We were very dependent on people coming through the door,” Homola says.
The company received two rounds of PPP money and some Restaurant Revitalization Fund money. It wasn’t enough, so Homola says he started looking for other ways to save Steam Theory.
“I’m an extremely stubborn person,” he says. “I love this company and I didn’t want to see it go.”
Homola believes the virtual brewery could keep his business afloat and cut out rent costs. (Though he’ll miss the taproom, which was especially beloved for its French fries.) His ambition for Steam Theory’s virtual brewery charts a new path for businesses in the craft brewing industry, which has endured a tough two years. Recent brewery closures in North Texas include BrainDead in Deep Ellum, Legal Draft in Arlington, Armadillo Ale Works in Denton, and Cedar Creek Brewhouse & Eatery in Farmers Branch.
Homola describes the dilemma as creatively challenging.
His company is one of the only Dallas-Fort Worth based companies pivoting to a virtual brewery model. Restaurants have taken similar steps, selling their food nationwide in ghost kitchens.
Steam Theory engages in taste tests to check the quality of their product being made some 1,000 miles away. From North Carolina, Bevana is currently brewing and selling: Vamonos Hermanos, a Mexican lager; Juice Caboose, a hazy IPA; Hops Against Humanity, a West Coast IPA; and Threat Level Midnight, a stout with coffee, chocolate and caramel notes.
Bevana has partnered with nine beverage companies, and Steam Theory is the only one from North Texas.
Homola says he’s choosing to look forward, despite the loss of the taproom.
”We’ll still be in beer festivals and beer competitions. We’ll be doing all the things we always did. Just not in a brick and mortar,” he says.
More about ‘Bachelor’ host Chris Harrison’s involvement
We figured you’d want to know.
One of TV’s most famous reality dating show hosts, Harrison, was a silent partner in Steam Theory. He’s a friend of a friend, Homola says, and a Dallas native.
Harrison told The Dallas Morning News in 2018 that he thought it would be neat to invest in a Dallas-based brewery and “set some roots back in Texas.”
And is he really into craft beer? Well, he is now: “We actually turned him into a beer drinker,” Homola says.
Harrison seemed to most enjoy one of Steam Theory’s popular beers, Singularity. It’s so named because it’s a simple beer, a blonde ale, says the website. But surely Singularity is also named after Harrison, the former dating show host.
