New brews and where to find them – plus – brewery events you’ll want to mark on your calendar and other tidbits. Find it all below.
Blood Eagle Brewing Company
Don’t forget about these guys. In the process of setting up, Blood Work is working diligently to get delicious beer into your pint glasses. The team says, “Same old same old here at the moment – continuing to obtain gear and handle legalities.” With any luck we’ll be seeing them regularly later this year.
Leap of Faith Brewing Company
Keep your eyes on this brewery, as well. This could be the year Leap of Faith sets down roots.
Until then, faithful fans can expect to see some of Joe Mains’ work at the tap soon. Currently, Mains is collaborating with Theron Cash of Stone’s Throw Brewing on an Irish Red. The final product will grace the taproom in a few weeks.
He says, “This is my first attempt at this recipe so I will be interested in feedback – did two small batches and did different things to each one so they will both be different.”
Josiah Moody of Moody Brews and Vino’s Pizza-Pub Brewery
If you’re a fan of Moody Brews’ Cuban Pull, get excited. If you’ve never tried it, now is the time as it’s on tap at Vino’s. The brown ale is balanced perfectly with milk sugar and aged on espresso roasted coffee beans.
Sound like a dessert?
Loblolly thought so, and has already made a special ice cream featuring it. You might have to scout for the pints, though, as Loblolly’s Sally Mengel says, “You may or may not find [the pints] at Vino’s and the Loblolly Soda Fountain. There is a very limited number so it will go out quick.”
If you’re looking for a different taste, there are plenty of options on tap at Vino’s including a scotch ale, a black kölsch, the Dunbar Gardenhouse – a traditional farmhouse style with Dunbar Garden Wild Yeast, and the Holidaze.
In true Moody-fashion, the Holidaze comes in at 8.1 percent. He describes the taste profile – “It’s a strong, spiced brown ale, brewed with sweet potatoes and cranberries.”
Also, there’s a chance to get some great beer accompanied by excellent tunes later this month. On Sunday, Jan. 24, KABF’s Overground/Underground presents a special show at Vino’s with draft beer specials. Adam Faucett & The Tall Grass, Bad Boyfriends, and Bad Match will be playing. Donations and $1 of pint sales will go to KABF. Moody is glad to be involved and laid out the deals, “There will be $3 pints in the backroom, including the Cuban Pull, Cream Ale, and Pinnacle IPA.”
Flyway Brewing
Look for more ice cream at Flyway on Saturday, Jan. 23. Get your beer and ice cream cravings taken care of simultaneously. There will be ice cream scoops, beer floats, beer milkshakes, brownie beer Sundays, and beer ice cream flights.
Loblolly’s Sally Mengel says, “We will also be pre-selling a limited edition 4-pack of pints that are all Flyway Beer Flavors starting Saturday 23 that includes a Flyway pint glass.”
Stone’s Throw Brewing – The local favorite is alive and well, and has plenty of goings-on packed in this month. If you love playing trivia, mark Thursdays in your calendar.
Start by catching #ArkiePubTrivia with the Arkansas Rep tonight, Thursday, Jan. 14.
Next Thursday, Jan. 21, trivia will be with the Old State House, and on Thursday, Jan. 28, will feature Stephen Koch of Arkansongs.
Perhaps trivia isn’t your thing, but science is. If so, don’t miss the brewery at this month’s Science After Dark at the Museum of Discovery, on Thursday Jan. 28.
Get involved with the #5Beers5Bites Dinner at the Southern Gourmasian this month. Happening on Tuesday, Jan. 26, the dinners have been going on for a little more than two years and were born out of a Kickstarter reward option.
Stone’s Throw’s Ian Beard says, “They were all at the taproom until the new restaurant opened up early last year. Since then we’ve been able to host larger crowds and the culinary team has been able to do even more with a non-mobile kitchen at their disposal. Until our second anniversary “Greatest Hits” dinner in December 2015, Justin never repeated an offering on the menu. That’s 2 years of unique dishes every month!”
If you like a good contest, catch the Big Red Ball Homebrew Contest at Next Level Events on Saturday, Jan. 30.
Also, don’t miss the Beer, Wine & Cheese Pairing at Kent Walker Cheese – a great opportunity for those who haven’t been in yet and love a good brew.
Blue Canoe Brewing Co.
If you blink, you’re liable to miss great beer news in this town. Blue Canoe expanded their hours with the near year to include Wednesdays, and are now opening at 4 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. on weekdays, and at 1 p.m. instead of noon on Saturday and Sundays.
Don’t forget about the great news involving expansion and the addition of Conway’s Blue Sail Coffee to the space. The team says, “We’ve begun construction next door and we’re really excited about the progress! Downtown is in for a treat! We’re hoping to have next door up and running by April!”
In terms of brews, check out the Pre-Prohibition Pilsner which recently debuted the taproom. There’s also talk of a double IPA and a 5-month bourbon barrel-aged brew.
That last one will grace glasses after Jan. 18. Co-owner Ida Cowan says, “This one is something very, very special and is a very limited release.”
Rebel Kettle Brewing Co.
If you are following beer, than you probably know that Rebel Kettle finally obtained their long-awaited federal permit. Brewman John Lee, says, “We should have all of our ingredients and chemicals by next week but I can’t give a hard opening date yet.” Nevertheless we know we’ll finally see this taproom open this year. Lee is excited, as he says, “I’m pretty stoked. It’s been a long time coming. Next month will be 3 years since I started this thing.”
Lost Forty Brewing
If you missed the announcement, Lost Forty’s Day Drinker is now on shelves everywhere and is slated to be a permanent part of the lineup. Plus, Rockhound IPA cans are in production and once complete, will be added to the lineup, as well, totaling five year-round beers for the brewery.
Marketing director Amber Brewer says, “The next goal is to add recurring seasonals that will be distributed in cans.” These will be available everywhere you can normally find Lost Forty’s canned brews, and you won’t want to miss them, as the artwork has a special “twist.”
The brewery is expanding by adding another 90BBL fermenter for larger production. Also, if you’re near the Hot Springs area, rejoice, as the brewery will officially launch in the area tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 15. Catch their debut at Oaklawn this weekend.
If you haven’t experienced a beer dinner yet, don’t miss Lost Forty’s Second Annual Winter Beer Dinner with South on Main. Brewer says it won’t be anything short of “epic.” There are very few tickets left, so email Amy@SouthOnMain.com to reserve your seat. The dinner will include the first available batch of market Baltic Porter.