There is a new brewer coming to town. Hop & Sting Brewing Co. is the newest brewery to announce a location in Denton, going in right off the square on McKinney Street in a space sitting behind the old Gulf gas station. Just down the street will be the Denton County Brewing Company, also set to open Winter 2016.

Jon Powell, the 31-year-old owner of Hop & Sting Brewing Co., has been brewing for a decade, the last three years professionally. “I’ve always thought Denton was going to be the brewing capital of DFW,” Powell says. In the last three years, Powell has worked alongside some amazing DFW brewers at Grapevine Craft Brewery and Rahr & Sons Brewery.

“As soon as I knew I’d be working in Denton, I called Vicki (Oppenheim) immediately,” Powell said.

Vicki Oppenheim is an urban planner at Green Leaf Environmental Planning and is also a coordinator at the Denton Community Market. Oppenheim thinks this will be a big addition to downtown, especially if the community market gets their new space for next season.

Last July, the Denton City Council voted to change zoning codes for businesses that brew beer commercially, allowing breweries to come to downtown Denton. Construction on the interior of the new Hop & Sting Brewing Co building is set to begin this June.

“The ordinance came along the same time Jon wanted to open his brewery,” Oppenheim says. Oppenheim connected Powell with her city contacts, helped to evaluate the building site, and put him in contact with local architect David Robinson with Kirkpatrick Architecture Studio.

If you want to get an early taste of what’s to come at Hop & Sting, you can come to the What’s Your Angle? Pop Up Art Show on June 9, 2016, held at the Greater Denton Arts Council. All proceeds of the What’s Your Angle? Pop Up Art Show will go to benefit the Denton Community Market. Hop & Sting is one of the sponsors for the event and will be providing tasting of their beer at the show.

Hop & Sting Brewing Co. won’t be offering food, but will serve as a bar where you can go to grab a pint, order a keg, or fill up your growler. Powell says they plan on having local food come in on site, eventually, as well.

As far as their offerings will go? “There will be a lot. Saisons, IPAs, interesting Stouts and Belgian ales with Texas twists on them,” Powell says. “If we think it's a good beer, we are going to brew it.”

Hop & Sting is set to open Winter 2016 and is located at 104 W McKinney Street, behind the old Gulf gas station.