Photography by Kathy Tran
Photography by Kathy Tran
Photography by Kathy Tran
Photography by Kathy Tran
The atmosphere at Civil Pour is a crossroads: beer drinkers and coffee sippers, social butterflies and laptop-hidden workaholics. It’s a reflection of the business’s something-for-everyone model, and owner Chad Montgomery says even he has trouble putting a label on it.
Civil Pour opened in The Hill Shopping Center in 2018 offering artisanal coffee and craft beer. As one might expect, the combination creates an eclectic atmosphere filled with a wide array of patrons.
“It’s hard to say ‘I want it to be one thing for everybody,’ because it’s really a community space,” Montgomery says. “We have lots of people that come in and work and study, but then we also have groups that meet up, and sometimes that’s a group of beer drinkers in the evening, or sometimes it’s a company off-site meeting, and we get a lot of that.”
Montgomery started the business with his wife, Nellie. They had previously launched Big Texas Beer Fest in 2011. Coffee was also an interest, so the pair decided to combine both into the new venture.
Since then, Civil Pour has become a cornerstone tenant at The Hill and expanded to a second location in Richardson.
Beer accounts for 10-15% of sales “in a good month,” food represents around 25% and coffee sales comprise the rest of the business.
Montgomery says he didn’t want a full kitchen but “had to have food with beer drinkers in the mix.” His business sells an array of ready-made paninis and baked goods from three local vendors, including Liteful Foods, a gluten-free exclusive baker.
Civil Pour’s tap list is a rotating collection of 25 drafts from local, U.S. and international brewers. Local favorites like Lakewood Brewing Co.’s Temptress and Peticolas Velvet Hammer can almost always be found alongside brews from Colorado, Oregon and the Northeast. Most of the curating is done by staff, Montgomery says, and tap lines are cleaned every two weeks to ensure the highest-quality draft.
For certain drafts, it’s just better to look outside the city, state and even country, Montgomery says.
“We’ll pick some international favorites too,” he says. “Because, in some cases, like Belgian beers in particular, nobody really makes a Belgian beer exactly like the Belgians do, and it’s just that flavor is hard to get. It’s hard to replicate.”
Most of his drip coffee is pour-over, which means hot water is trickled over coffee grinds in a filter before dripping to the bottom of the pot to create the finished product. It’s typically richer and features heightened flavor profiles. The staff uses a machine called Pour Steady to ensure that every cup is brewed the exact same way every time.
“And we’re really, really diligent about the coffees that we put on what we call a slow bar,” he says. “I mean, we’ve probably sampled 170 different roasters over a period of time, and maybe 10% of those are the ones that we really love.”
Coffee is sourced from local vendors such as Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters in addition to countries like Costa Rica and Ethiopia.
Espresso-based beverage offerings lean heavily on traditional Italian influences. Lattes, cappuccinos and cortados are prepared with respect to Old World formulas, which cuts against the corporate coffee grain, Montgomery says.
“A lot of people think a macchiato is always a caramel macchiato, but a real Italian macchiato is just two ounces of espresso and just a dollop of milk, and that’s it,” Montgomery says.
There’s still plenty of syrup and experimentation on the beverages menu. The 1885, an ode to Dr. Pepper’s founding date, comes with a double shot of Civil Pour’s custom espresso blend and Dr. Pepper served over ice. Montgomery gives the credit for the house special Warlock, a Mexican-mocha-inspired mix of espresso, chocolate syrup, housemade vanilla, Vietnamese cinnamon, cayenne and steamed milk, to Indianapolis-area coffee house Quills.
Looking forward, Montgomery says that his business may look to roast its own beans in the future.
Civil Pour, 8061 Walnut Hill Lane, 972.290.0216, civil-pour.square.site
