The unofficial end of summer has arrived today with the first day of school in Arkansas. With autumn weather around the corner, it means you can start to look for fall beers on tap at breweries around Central Arkansas. Lost Forty Brewing already has its Oktoberfest brew The Hunter on shelves, and in the coming weeks you can expect Marzen-style beers from Stone’s Throw, Flyway Brewing, Bubba Brews and Rebel Kettle, among others. Fall is probably my favorite time of the year in the brewing business as lighter beers start to take a backseat to porters and spiced ales.
Expect to see some menu changes at Flyway soon with the approaching cooler weather. You only have a few weeks to enjoy Flyway’s Carrot Cake Stout, Kestrel Kolsch and Pintail IPA (the kolsch in particular is one you shouldn’t miss). Flyway this week is brewing its popular Coffee Cake Stout to replace the carrot cake ale. It will also begin brewing its fall seasonals Flyway Oktoberfest and Scottish Wee Heavy. And you should keep your eyes open for information on a special beer dinner in the coming weeks. Flyway is partnering with the Arkansas Wildlife Foundation for a four-course venison beer dinner later this year. We’ll post the details as soon as we know them.
The solar eclipse event is just a week away, and Bubba Brews has the perfect beer to mark the occasion. Earlier this summer, Bubba Brews released its Southern Eclipse schwarzbier. For those who have never tried this style, a schwarzbier is typically light in alcohol (Southern Eclipse comes in at 4.7 percent ABV) but has big flavors of toasted malt and coffee beans. Bubba Brews is sending kegs out around Central Arkansas, so be sure to look for it at your local growler station in the coming days.
There’s no 4:30 Thursday event this week for Rebel Kettle, but don’t think the brewery is taking time off. This Saturday is a big one for Rebel Kettle, starting at 11 a.m. at the taproom when cans of Headbanger’s Ball Imperial IPA are released. This is a very small batch, and customers are limited to four 4-packs per person. Also on Saturday, Rebel Kettle is holding a tap takeover of Whole Foods locations in Little Rock and Fayetteville from noon until 5 p.m. The Little Rock location will also have a special firkin available. Here’s the rundown at both locations:
- Summer Jam raspberry sour saison
- Swimmin’ Hole summer saison
- Moontower cream stout
- Currant Krush currant sour saison aged in red wine barrels
- Working Glass Hero blonde ale
- Easy Roller American IPA
- Rob Gnarly tart saison
- Tiny Spoon grapefruit wheat
Also, don’t forget about Rebel Kettle’s beer dinner coming up Sept. 7 at Flying Saucer, featuring chef Matt Clark of Brave New Restaurant (formerly of Waffle Wagon). Tickets are going quickly, so make sure to buy yours soon.
Lost Forty Brewing is sending summer off with an experimental brew today. Lemonade Pilsner Shandy is the brewery’s Freshcut Monday release. It blends house-made lemonade with Lost Forty’s Bare Bones Pilsner for what should be a crisp, refreshing beer. This is an ultra-small batch, so it’s only available by the pint; no crowlers, growlers or cans for this one.
Do you have some beer news you would like to share with us? Email me at steve@rockcityeats.com.
