Growlers: Mark Sniff Joins Flyway, Lost Forty Barleywine, Blue Canoe New Brew Thursdays

With the departure of brewer Ryan Frank (who created the mega-popular Bluewing Berry Wheat), Flyway Brewing has been searching for another talented beermaker to join their team. They have certainly found one in Mark Sniff, who starts at the brewery today. Sniff is one of the two men behind Void Cellars, the outstanding home brewing team that many in the industry believe produce the best sour beers in Arkansas. Owner Jess McMullen says they’ll spend some time first working with Sniff on Flyway’s standard beer recipes, but they definitely plan on putting his experience with sours to work sooner rather than later. Most of Void Cellars’ brews take nine months or more to ferment, so don’t expect to see a full Flyway sour lineup until late this year (at the earliest). Sniff starts out as assistant brewer to Flyway’s head brewer Tim Berkley.
Lost Forty Brewing’s month of barrel-aged brews continues today with another double Freshcut Monday release. Today, barleywine gets the barrel treatment with a red wine barrel-aged barleywine, as well as a one-year bourbon barrel-aged funky barleywine. This release marks the seventh entry in Lost Forty’s Wild Barrels Project, a highly successful program featuring several excellent sour beers. The funky barleywine is only available by the glass at the taproom. The Wild Barrels #7, however, is available in 500 ml bottles that you can take home. Both of these are extremely limited, so be sure to try these as soon as possible. By the way, Lost Forty this week is taking its Freshcut Monday campaign to Northwest Arkansas. The newly opened Big Orange Rogers will have two barrel-aged brews from Lost Forty on tap starting at 4 p.m. today. It’s a chance for those in Northwest Arkansas to experience what we in Little Rock are lucky enough to enjoy every week.
Blue Canoe has settled in nicely enough at its new warehouse to begin its own weekly new beer release program. Blue Canoe’s New Brew Thursday kicks off this week with the debut of Raspberry Blackberry Gose, a 4 percent easy-drinker with plenty of tart flavors and a wildly fruity nose. These new releases are typically going to be very limited, and this gose is no exception. It’s available only at the taproom. At the warehouse this weekend, Blue Canoe has a full schedule with a party featuring DJ Tilomere on Friday, rockers deFrance on Saturday and a yoga brunch on Sunday. Make sure to check out Blue Canoe’s Facebook page for ticket and schedule information.
Rebel Kettle’s 4:30 Thursday release this week features a longtime favorite. Jackie Brown, the brewery’s toasted coconut double brown ale, is on tap for the first time at Rebel Kettle in more than a year. This ale features a robust malt with a prominent coconut nose that just piles on the flavor. It’s only available at the taproom starting Thursday afternoon.
Stone’s Throw Brewing’s #NewBrewFriday features a big rye ale called Cover Crop Rye IPA. This one is a pleasantly hoppy beer with a big, peppery finish from the rye. At 7 percent ABV, it should by just right for this cold, wet weather we’re projected to have this week. Stop by Stone’s Throw at 4 p.m. Friday to warm up with this one.
Do you have any beer news you’d like to share with us? Email steve@rockcityeats.com.