Blue Canoe Brewing Company has a couple of special beers coming out this week. On Friday, the brewery will release its Lime Gosa beer that has been aging in añejo tequila barrels for three months. The Lime Gosa is an exceptionally mild, drinkable beer, so it will be interesting to see what new flavors the aging process has in store. And yet, Saturday’s release might be even more buzzworthy. Blue Canoe is putting out a Raspberry Lambic beer that has aged for five months. It’s one of the first (if not the very first) lambics ever made in Arkansas. This one is a very small batch; only five gallons will be available starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. You certainly won’t want to miss this one.
One of our best drinks of 2015 is back on tap today at Vino’s Brewpub. Moody Brews Cuban Pull, a brown ale brewed with lactose and aged on roasted coffee beans, is one of the best coffee beers I’ve ever had, and at 6.3 percent ABV, it certainly doesn’t hold back. Also, Josiah Moody is in the middle of a three-cask series of his farmhouse ale Katchiri’s Bier. The second version is on tap today and is double dry-hopped with Simcoe hops in the oak barrel. When that’s finished, the third cask will be released, which was filled with Katchiri’s Bier and Fatalii peppers from Dunbar Community Garden. The first cask, which was conditioned with mangoes, sold out over the weekend.
Core Brewing’s Argenta taproom is getting a big upgrade and will be offering a full food menu starting Tuesday. The menu has tapas (including devilled eggs and hummus), entrees (including a burger and fish tacos) and desserts. Most Central Arkansas breweries now offer food, and those that don’t have regular food trucks to keep their patrons from hunger.
Rebel Kettle Brewing Company is serving up its Key Lime Sour Pale Ale for Growler Tuesday (only growler sales of this one). For its 4:30 Thursday release, the brewery is tapping its Day Dreamsicle, an orange creamsicle wheat beer. Then on Friday, Rebel Kettle is doing its first food pairing event. At 5 p.m., Rebel Kettle will release a firkin of double brown ale rested in coffee beans, vanilla beans and maple syrup. The beer is paired with one of only two dozen Kessler cinnamon rolls, made from scratch with salted caramel and Benton’s bacon glaze. This one sounds delicious, so make sure you come early for it.
If you missed the Ales for ALS Hoppy Lager collaboration last week at Rebel Kettle, don’t worry. That beer will be Lost Forty’s Fresh Cut release at 4:30 today (Monday). A portion of the proceeds go to ALS research, so please get out and buy a pint for a good cause.
And if you miss today’s release, the Ales for ALS beer goes on tap at Flyway Brewing on Tuesday. Also this week at Flyway, the taproom will host the excellent WunderBus food truck Wednesday evening for those going to the Journey and Doobie Brothers concert at Verizon Arena. WunderBus’s German offerings are perfect beer food, so this team-up should be a good one.