Veteran-Owned Brewery Black Fox Brewing Company Opens off Denton Square

Just off the courthouse square in Denton, Black Fox Brewing Company of Texas is now open. The small-batch brewery took over the space formerly held by Howling Mutt Brewing Company.

Owner Michael Velasco has been home brewing for 20 years. “I started off with a pot on the stove, making a mess in the kitchen,” he says. He fell in love with the craft, “read[ing] up and geek[ing] out” on all things beer and eventually building his own all-electric system to control temperature on his brews.

The Black Fox name comes from the Velasco family’s black, long-haired chihuahua named Pukinah. On a trip to San Antonio, Velasco held Pukinah in his arms on the hotel elevator, when another guest asked if Velasco was holding “a little black fox.” The logo is an outline of Pukinah, in memory of the dog.

Velasco registered the Black Fox name in 2014 and was always looking for a place to set up shop, but the right opportunity never seemed to come his way.

When Howling Mutt Brewery announced it was closing, Velasco told them to hold off before selling all their equipment. They talked, and Velasco bought a lot of their brewing equipment. He added new seating, a large mural of the Black Fox logo and a wall full of band posters, such as Slipknot, Pink Floyd and The Doors. The memorabilia, much of it signed, was a collection meant to go in his house. But when Velasco's wife, Emily, saw the big, empty wall, she suggested they make it a music room.

Velasco is an Army veteran who was deployed to Bosnia and Kuwait in the 1990s, an “eye-opening” experience that informs his worldview today. He celebrates veterans at his brewery through a “buy-a-vet-a-beer” program. Anyone can buy a ticket for a beer, which goes in a jar. Then, any veteran who comes in can take the ticket out of the jar and use it to buy a beer. He first saw the idea at Audacity Brew House, Denton’s first brewery, which closed in 2017. “I thought it was a great idea,” Velasco says. “No one else is doing that around here that I know of.”
Black Fox has six beers on tap. On the lighter side, the Front Porch Light Ale is a crisp, easy-drinking beer, and the Dirty Cursed Blonde is a fuller, complex blond. The 31 Foxtrot Pale Ale, named for Velasco's Army MOS, is flavorful with a hint of bitter hops. The Red Ale is a balanced beer with an amber hue.

Velasco was looking for balance when he created the recipes, not wanting to hit anyone over the head with hop or malt flavor. On the darker side is the Black Fox Stout, which has a roasted flavor. The Cedar Street IPA was not ready yet when we visited.

For non-beer drinkers, Black Fox has seven wines available, from reds to whites to pinks, and four flavors of Austin Eastciders cider.

The brewery has an intimate feel. With two small rooms and a courtyard area, you are never far from anyone else in the taproom. It is easy to join in conversation with others at adjacent tables or with Velasco behind the bar. Out in the courtyard is a stage for live music.

Velasco says he has loved the support from other brewers and small businesses in the Denton area in their first month being open. “It’s a community. It’s a family,” he says. “Everybody’s willing to help.”

Black Fox Brewing Company of Texas, 205 N. Cedar St., Denton. Wednesday – Friday, 4–10 p.m.; Saturday, noon – 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 6 p.m.