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:
Lost Forty Brewing is bringing back a fantastic beer from last year today. Its Fresh Cut Monday release is the Forest Queen Milk Stout, an easy-to-drink brew at 5.3 percent ABV. Last time around, this one was made with cacao from Izard Chocolate; no word if that’s the case this time. Still, this is one great beer that you should try. Also, Lost Forty has introduced “Refill Wednesday” at the taproom. Bring in your existing growler bottle (from Lost Forty or anywhere), and you can fill up for $7 for low ABV beers or $12 for high ABV brews. This is a pretty steep discount, so be sure to pack your empty growler Wednesday before you head to work.
Speaking of bringing back classic beers, Flyway Brewing is once again making its Coffee Cake Stout as the first part of its fall seasonal “cake series.” If, like me, you remember this beer from two years ago, well before the taproom was ever in the works, you already know this isn’t one to miss. We’ll let you know as soon as this one is ready to pour.
Bubba Brews in Hot Springs has its Oktoberfest on tap this week. Called “Southern Rok,” this Marzen-style beer will be ready when the taproom opens Thursday. However, those of you in Little Rock who enjoy Bubba Brews at area restaurants should be able to find it starting today.
Rebel Kettle Brewing Company has one new beer and one re-release on deck this week. For Growler Tuesday, the brewery has “Eric’s Monkee” on tap. If you’ve never had a banana cream stout before, you might want to get a sample before filling up. And for 4:30 Thursday, Rebel Kettle has the return of Peach Revival, a peach wheat ale that was on tap earlier this summer.
Damgoode Brews has released its “O Quattlebaum” American IPA brewed with English hops. This 6 percent ABV brew has a healthy 70 IBU rating, meaning those who enjoy hoppy flavors should give this one a try. Also, Damgoode Brews is selling pints of its Golden Ale – Red Ribbon for just $2 at all locations during the summer. Damgoode tells me the beer was so popular that they ran out for a while, but now it is back on tap at all its Damgoode Pies locations.
For those of you who want to learn more about the beermaking process, Moody Brews and Vino’s brewer Josiah Moody will be giving a lecture on the topic at UCA on Friday. Specifically, Moody will be speaking on the enzyme story in the mashing process of brewing. The lecture will be given to UCA’s biology department at noon on Friday, but the talk is open to the public. Also, Moody is working on a special watermelon-ginger IPA using a couple of techniques he says he’s never tried before. That delicious-sounding experiment should be on tap at Vino’s sometime in September.
Do you have some beer news you would like to share with us? Email me at steve@rockcityeats.com.
RIP Damgoode Pies
November 20, 2023
