Little Rock’s brew scene is a flurry of activity. With the large number of proposed openings, as well as the immense amount of beer-focused events, we’ve put everything together in one place for you. If you consider yourself a beer enthusiast, you’ll want to give this a good read.
Newer to the scene in name, but not in experience, Blood Eagle Brewing Company recently caused a stir at the Hot Springs Craft Beer Festival. The brewery is comprised of five friends, all tattoo artists, Jay, Jared, Joe, Matt, and Eric. If you haven’t had a chance to try their brews yet, don’t worry, you will soon enough. “The hope is to bring beers with amazing flavor and pack it in an image of anything that would make you want to listen to your favorite metal music … and be glad you’re not drinking boring beer,” they said. Keep your eyes out. These guys plan to attend more events, as well as maintain their kickstarter in order to establish a brick and mortar and proper equipment. They plan to stay a while –“With any luck and vast amounts of hard work, we will soon stand and be counted among those currently brewing in the Central Arkansas area.”
Wonder what’s going on with Rebel Kettle Brewing? The microbrewery is working toward making downtown Little Rock its home on 822 E. 6th Street. John Lee, the force behind the brewery, said the team is getting close to acquiring all permits to begin construction. “Our building contractor is ready to go and states that it’s roughly a two month project. Our federal licensing is moving along nicely and so is our recipe development. We can only guesstimate that we are looking at a fall opening but as we have already seen that nothing seems to be concrete in this business,” he said. Trust me, I can’t wait.
In the meantime, Flyway Brewery is making strong headway. Jess McMullen said, “We began demolition/construction on our building at 314 Maple Street last Wednesday … Right now, we feel that the best answer for the “when will you open” question is late summer/early fall.” Luckily, the guys at Flyway know that most of us can’t wait that long. Starting today Flyway beers are landing in Argenta Arts District. McMullen added, “If people have not had the chance to taste our beers, then now is a great opportunity to get out and grab a Flyway pint.”
Grab them here:
• The Joint will serve up Free Range Brown Ale – A roasty-toasty American Brown Ale.
• Reno’s Café will tap a keg of Migrate Ale – An American drinking ale.
• Cregeen’s Irish Pub will be pouring Pick-a-Pepper Pale – A Flyway Summer Seasonal. Pleasing to your palate without packing a powerful, its brewed with Poblano, Serrano, Jalapeno and Anaheim peppers and was an absolute hit at Hot Springs Craft Beer Festival.
Don’t forget about Leap of Faith Brewing Company. Joe Mains said, “Everything is going great! We are brewing some collaboration beers with Stone’s Throw, but other than that, we are primarily focused on obtaining a space.”
What about those breweries that already have a space? Have you been to Stone’s Throw Brewing’s new biergarten? If not, you should make your way over as the weather has been perfect for patio sipping in downtown, plus, you can now enjoy the taproom until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. While you’re there try this week’s two summer seasonals – the Caddo Kolsch and the Two-Timing American IPA. The brewery is also conducting a collaboration series, and has already worked with Leap of Faith and Diamond Bear. Upcoming events include an anniversary stout release and rare beer tapping on July 4, as well as the Block on Rock event on August 1.
Like Stone’s Throw, Blue Canoe Brewing Co. in the River Market has been making big changes. After some recent expansion the team was able to increase their brew space, but not wanting to stop there, they are also working on securing a patio space. They said of the brew space, “We’ll be putting some tours together in the future after we deck it out!” Also, the brewery has rolled out some seasonal beers, their Pinnacle Blossom, a super summery and refreshing wit which takes its name from the Pinnacle Mountain honeysuckle blossoms in it. Don’t miss their Belgian table session, the Lazy River, also a part of their summer line up, and stay-tuned as they’ll be debuting new flavors soon.
Collaborations are a common thread in the beer scene, and are a driving force at Moody Brews lately. Josiah Moody reported working with Damgoode Pies, as he recently brewed them what he calls “a pretty crazy beer.” Grant Chandler won the Damgoode-hosted homebrew contest, and Moody has been ecstatic to work with him. The winning brew, a hoppy farmhouse ale harbored an interesting twist – it was fermented with locally isolated and cultured yeast from the skin of a plum grown at Dunbar Community garden. Moody said, “This has been on a personal to do list for a long time for me … to my surprise, Grant does micro work at Children’s Hospital and had done the isolation already!” This beer, which Moody describes as similar to Katchiri’s Bier, will have complex farmhouse-like flavors with a combination of slightly tart, earthy, peppery, and fruity esters.
Next on the docket is more collaborations, this time with a cause. Moody Brews is teaming up with Stones Throw, Flyway, and other neighboring breweries to do a super collaboration brew for Ales for ALS. Moody said, “We’ve got a lot of ideas but no definite on beer styles yet. Look for the final product at participating breweries’ tap rooms.”
Lost Forty Brewing is working hard to provide more beers, more events, and more fun to Central Arkansas. Tonight the Wandering White Hope Belgian Ale will make a debut at US Pizza in Hillcrest for First Thursday as a part of US Pizza’s Party on the Patio, expanding the beer beyond the taproom. More details on the benefits of this event can be found here. Look for it in cans starting this Sunday, which is exciting, as it is the first of their Fresh Cuts series to be canned and sold from the taproom – pick up a six-pack for are 8.99.
Speaking of Fresh Cut Monday’s, June will see a Double IPA and the release of their first-ever Imperial Stout. In July, Lost Forty will partner with The Pantry Crest for a beer dinner on the 12th and will participate in a Whole Foods Takeover on the 25th.
Don’t forget to check out the selection of Lost Forty canned beer, if you haven’t already. As vacation time hits, cans provides a way to travel with your favorite nectar – from the beach all the way to the mountains.
The brewery said, “You’ll be able to find us consistently on the shelves of your favorite local craft beer retailer and growler bars. To celebrate the flow of cans into the market, we’ll be doing Can Tastings at area Liquor Stores so that you can taste for yourself why cans are the worlds best beer delivery system.”
Check out the following dates to mark one on your calendar.
• Markham St. Liquor, June 5th: 3 – 6pm
• Maumelle Wine & Spirits, June 12th: 3:30 – 6pm
• 107 Liquor (Sherwood), June 18th: 4 – 7pm
• Colonial Wine & Spirits, July 3rd: 4 –7pm
