After making a few appearances at beer festivals around the state this year, StudDuck Beers is open for business in Lonsdale. StudDuck is now the fourth brewery operating in Garland County. Owners Brad Bassett and Jerry Luckett have been working on the concept for a couple of years, and their fun-loving, slightly irreverent style should be a hit in their community. The initial line-up of beers includes an IPA, pilsner and a California steam beer, but I predict their top seller will be one called Harbor Water. It is a beer brewed with black tea to resemble a true Southern hard sweet tea. If you’re in the Lonsdale area or passing nearby on your way to Hot Springs, stop in and say hi. StudDuck Beers is open from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The hard seltzer craze that has swept the nation lands in Central Arkansas today. Lost Forty Brewing’s Freshcut Monday release is Watermelon Strawberry Hard Seltzer. This is just an experimental pilot batch; Lost Forty hasn’t announced any plans to create seltzer drinks en masse or distribute. Still, you have to think they will be paying close attention to feedback and demand on this release. This small batch seltzer comes in at 5% ABV and is only available by the glass today at Lost Forty’s taproom. Also, don’t forget that Festival of Darkness is approaching! The annual zombie-themed Nighty Night release party is October 26. Tickets to the event are $20 and get you free beers from more than two dozen local, homebrew and regional craft breweries.
Rebel Kettle’s annual October release is back this week. At its 4:30 Thursday event, Rebel Kettle will tap Fuzzy Pumpkin, a 5% ABV sour brewed with pumpkin spice. Traditionally, Fuzzy Pumpkin has been brewed with apricots, but this year the brew team switched it up to make it a peach sour. Expect a saison profile that finishes with flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger for a warm, crisp finish. Fuzzy Pumpkin launches at Rebel Kettle this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. And next week, Little Rock hard rockers Hell Camino will hold its third album release party on the Rebel Kettle stage on Saturday, Oct. 26. The brewery will be serving up its Hell Camino Chipotle Porter for the event.
Stone’s Throw Brewing is bringing one of its bigger beers back for the fall weather. This week’s #NewBrewFriday release at the MacPark location is Byzantium Imperial IPA, a 9% ABV brew with an citrus flavor profile. This is the second time this year Byzantium has made it on tap. Expect a robust punch of fruity Mosaic hops on the sip with a dry finish that beer nerds will appreciate. It goes on tap at the MacPark location this Friday at 4 p.m.
As part of its upcoming beer dinner with food truck Delta Biscuit Company, Buffalo Brewing is creating four beers that use cereal in the recipe. It unveils the second of those four Thursday with the tapping of Fruit Loops Saison. Buffalo starts out with a traditional standard saison recipe made with wild yeast, then adds 15 pounds of Fruit Loops cereal to the mix. Expect a slightly sweet, fruity profile (and I have no idea what to expect when it comes to the color). That goes on tap Thursday at Buffalo Brewing. That Delta Biscuit Company beer dinner is October 29. Tickets for that are on sale now.
Up until now, Flyway Brewing has poured traditional sizes of its brews in the taproom. That changes Saturday with Stein Day at Flyway. The taproom will be pouring half liters of its delicious Oktoberfest Lager and Thrasher Black Lager all day Saturday for $10. That cost includes your stein, which you will get to take home. Both of these beers are well worth the visit on their own (Thrasher is a personal favorite of mine), and getting to keep the stein makes a stop Saturday just about mandatory.
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RIP Damgoode Pies
November 20, 2023
