Welcome to Growlers: your weekly roundup of news, events and specials from Little Rock’s breweries and taprooms. Little Rock’s beer scene is growing and improving at a rapid pace, and we’re dedicated to keeping you up to speed on all of it. Here’s what’s happening this week:
Flyway Brewing is starting the week with Leap of Faith’s Absolution pale ale on as a guest tap. Absolution is a single-hopped ale at 6.2% ABV made with El Dorado hops. It will be on until it runs out. Later this week, Flyway will hold its taproom debut for Pick-a-Pepper pale ale, made with poblano, serrano and jalapeno peppers. Flyway first created this beer for festivals before the taproom was ever created, and it was a big hit. Finally, on Sunday, Flyway and Raduno Brick Oven and Taproom will be doing a unique “restaurant swap.” Raduno’s kitchen staff will join with Blue Sail Coffee in making brunch at Flyway, and Flyway’s cooking team will take over happy hour duties at Raduno. Make plans to attend both of those meals, they promise to make for an exciting Sunday.
Vino’s Brewpub will have eight beers from its brewery on tap this week, including two Moody Brews pours. Vino’s is still selling Josiah Moody’s Half Seas Over Imperial IPA (which is an incredible beer), and to go along with that is Moody Brews oatmeal pale ale, which is made with 25 percent oats in the grain bill. The oatmeal pale ale is dry-hopped twice with Simcoe hops. Both should be available all week.
Rebel Kettle Brewing Company has two weekly events to keep things fresh in the taproom. This week’s “Growler Tuesday” is the Womanizer Cucumber Melon Saison. This unique brew will only be available in growlers; no individual pours in the taproom. Rebel Kettle also releases a new brew at 4:30 p.m. every Thursday. This week’s release is the O.D.B., a bourbon barrel-aged Dirtbag double brown ale. This limited beer will only be available in 8- and 12-ounce pours.
Every Monday at 4 p.m., Lost Forty Brewing puts out a new beer in its Fresh Cut series. This week, Lost Forty is doing two new releases. The first is an American blackberry wheat packed with 500 pounds of blackberries from Salem, Oregon. It comes in at 5.5% ABV and an easy drinking 14.0 IBU. It will be available in growlers and six-packs. The second is an American dry-hop wheat that serves as the foundation for the blackberry wheat beer. Lost Forty will have four barrels of the dry-hop wheat for sale in the taproom.
Blue Canoe Brewing Company has a couple of special brews on tap to start the week. On Friday, Blue Canoe tapped a firkin with pale ale and Arkansas peaches, which is still available in the taproom. Also available is the limited edition Mango Gose. And Blue Canoe’s Taco Beer Burrito is featuring its fried plantains and Loblolly ice cream dessert all month long, and will soon be adding two new taps to the Tex-Mex restaurant to expand its beer offerings from 8 to 10.
Long known for its homebrewing supply business, The Water Buffalo is one step closer to opening its own brewery. Last week, the company filed its application for a small brewery with the Alcoholic Beverage Control division of the Department of Finance and Administration. When it opens, The Water Buffalo’s brewery will concentrate on beers that can be made with the supplies it sells in its retail department.
Stone’s Throw Brewing holds its weekly new beer releases every Friday. This week, the limited edition release is the rye whiskey barrel-aged 2015 Anniversary Stout. Also, Stone’s Throw will hold its Arkie Pub Trivia event on Thursday at 6:30 in conjunction with the Arkansas Arts Center.
Do you have some beer news you would like to share with us? Email me at steve@rockcityeats.com.
