Bishop Cider, a Dallas-based hard cider manufacturer, announced a major expansion on Monday that involves the purchase of two existing breweries and the opening of four new entertainment spaces. The locations will include one in Dallas, one in Arlington, and two in Fort Worth.
These venues will host what the company calls “Cidercades,” a combination of cider and arcade, which will offer games, activities, and food and beverage options while charging only a small fee for admission.
Cidercade presently has three locations — the original in Dallas, plus operations in Austin and Houston — with four more coming soon.
It has also acquired the recently-closed Legal Draft Beer Co. in Arlington and the still operational Wild Acre Brewing in Fort Worth. They will now operate under the Bishop Cider umbrella.
TexBev, a co-packaging company owned by Bishop, will move its operations from Dallas to Wild Acre Brewing, located at 1734 E El Paso Street in Fort Worth. Bishop will continue to produce beer under the Wild Acre label, with local brewer Grant Wood joining the management team to oversee operations.
“Wild Acre has gained a lot of respect in Fort Worth,” said Bishop Cider owner Joel Malone. “Founder John Pritchett has 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.”
The second company, Legal Draft Beer Company, closed the doors at the 500 E Division Street Arlington location in March of this year. Unlike Wild Acre, the purchase was primarily aimed at the company’s brewing equipment and storefront location.
The deal does not involve Bishop Cider taking on debts owed by Legal Draft, and Bishop does not plan on selling products containing the old company’s label. The building, however, is set to be converted into one of the new Cidercade locations.
The third Cidercade location is currently under construction at 1813 W Bowie Street in Forth Worth, just south of downtown. It is expected to open by the end of the summer.
Finally, Cidercade Dallas will be moving from 2777 Irving Boulevard to 1555 Regal Row. The new location boasts 79,000 square feet, making it approximately 10 times larger than the current location in the Dallas Art District.
