March Gladness

Hey I realize the pandemic isn't over, but after the brutal winter we just survived and while staying pretty much locked down for a whole year, we needed March. We got out of the house. We got our first round of shots. We visited breweries. All seemed almost normal except for all the mask wearing and continued social distancing, but at least we've learned how to feel safer in public, especially with most places having outdoor seating and following guidelines of their own. And while going to breweries may not seem like a big deal to some, for me it felt like home.

In March I got over to Memphis to the brand new Wiseacre facility downtown and had a beer and pizza on a sunny, cool afternoon. I made it to the newly opened Blade & Barrel in Jacksonville 3 different times since their mid-March opening. The wife and I got out of town to visit Slate Rock Brewing in Amity and Native Dog Brewing in Camden on a pretty day to drive the backroads of southern Arkansas. We hit the interstate one Saturday to get over to Point Remove in Morrilton and have a pint in their fantastic taproom. Lastly, of course I made it to Stones Throw Brewing and Lost Forty in Little Rock and Flyway in North Little Rock during the month. Eight breweries in the month! Life is returning to normal.

It makes me so happy to see these breweries in the more rural places in Arkansas and highly suggest you get out and check them out because the only difference in them and some of the "big city taprooms" is the location. They're making quality suds and are busy (reduced capacity for now!) with passionate beer lovers looking to escape their homes and have actual conversations with other humans in person as well. With a new brewery opening in Bryant next month and a couple of breweries in the works up around Jonesboro our state is becoming a nice little craft beer haven. 

Get out and check it out for yourself, and if I see you maybe I'll buy you a beer. 

Tap Time Radio June 22nd, 2020

Check out last night's episode of Tap Time with Brayan and David from Brood & Barley restaurant in Argenta!

103.7 The Buzz · Tap Time 6-22-20

Tap Time Radio May 11th, 2020

Check out last night's edition of Tap Time on 103.7 The Buzz with our guest John Beachboard from Lost Forty Brewing and Jess McMullen from Flyway Brewing.

Tap Time Radio November 18th 2019

Check out last night's edition of Tap Time on 103.7 The Buzz with our guest Jason from North Little Rock's Flyway Brewing talking about their latest happenings.

Tap Time Radio February 27th, 2019

Check out last night's episode of Tap Time on 103.7 The Buzz with our guests Ren and Sarah from Flyway Brewing in North Little Rock!

 

Tap Time Radio Oct 15th, 2018

Check out last night's Tap Time with Jess from Flyway Brewing and Ian & Theron from Stone's Throw Brewing PLUS Leighanne from the Arkansas Art's Center as we talk about the upcoming 6th annual Fountain Fest and lots more.

 

Beers To Cheer: February 2017

 

Here's we go with another month's picks for our "Beers To Cheer" from the Arkansas brewing scene! And we've got a little treat for you this month... not only are Michael, Brian and I telling you what pair of brews we got giddy over this month, but we've also got our first GUEST PICKER, one Mr. Steve Shuler from Rock City Eats *insert applause*.

So check out a whopping 8 total choices from these 4 Arkansas beer lovers for you to get out and discover for yourself! And if you missed last month's edition, by all means check it out right here: Beers To Cheer: January 2017.


Steve Shuler (@Steve_Shuler):

Rebel Kettle Barrel-Aged Wake'n'Flake - Wake ‘n’ Flake is one of the brews that put Rebel Kettle on the map. Before there was the best taproom/patio in Little Rock, John Lee and his companions brewed this excellent coffee and coconut cream stout ale for festivals around the state, quickly earning a reputation for Rebel Kettle as an adventurous and fearless beer maker. February’s barrel-aged version pushes the envelope again in two important ways. First, it’s everything a barrel beer should be; full, robust, but letting the original brew shine through instead of submitting it. Second, it embraces the lower ABV that few barrel-aged brews enjoy. The flavor is as big as a 10-percent brew, but at less than 6 percent ABV, it’s a beer that lets you enjoy the big taste without making you stop drinking sooner than you’d like. This one is off tap now, but you’ll be able to taste it again at the brewery’s one-year anniversary on April 1st. It’s a beer that will be worth the April Fool’s trip all by itself.

Moody Brews Katchiri's Bier 2017 - Even though he’s departed Little Rock for Northwest Arkansas and Bike Rack Brewing Company, it’s safe to say we’re fortunate to have a brewer in our state like Josiah Moody. Very few brewers anywhere (and I mean anywhere) have his knack for creating perfectly balanced brews with both technical and artistic expertise. His latest iteration of Katchiri’s Bier is no exception. Originally envisioned as a nuanced farmhouse saison, Moody has developed it into this gorgeous monster of an ale. Eclipsing 9 percent ABV, this year’s Katchiri’s Bier is still mellow and smooth, with an unmistakably buttery finish. Moody decided to age this one in gin barrels from Rock Town Distillery, and my goodness, what a choice that turned out to be. The leftover floral notes are the perfect accompaniment in Moody’s final Little Rock symphony. This beer is almost gone (Legacy Wine and Spirits still has it for growler fill-up), but the impact Moody made on our beer scene won’t fade anytime soon.

Scott (@WooPigBrewey):

Stone's Throw Biere de Gras - This is one that was requested by the Cajun/Creole restaurants in town for release leading up to Fat Tuesday. It's based on their biere de garde recipe but made to a more "sessionable strength." It has a wonderful toasted aroma and the flavor is a super easy-to-drink sweet malt and toasty caramel with warrior and saaz hops dancing around in the mix. A great beer to drink during Mardi Gras celebrations or paired with crawfish and spicy gumbo dishes. It definitely made my Fat Tuesday a little (a lot?) fatter.

Flyway Lord God Imperial Chocolate Stout -This big 11% imperial chocolate stout was a lot easier to find than the elusive Ivory-Billed Woodpecker for which it's named, but it disappeared (from my glass) pretty quickly. Dangerously drinkable for a huge beer, only slightly boozy, it's a full-bodied chocolate stout aged on a copious amount of fresh roasted Izard Chocolate cacao nibs. Why yes, I'll have a glass of liquefied, chocolate alcohol please.

Brian (@EBSorensen):

Ozark Beer Co. Onyx Coffee Stout - Lost amidst the hype of bigger, bolder beers from Ozark – such as the Rogers brewery’s Double IPA and the forthcoming BDCS 2017 – are smaller, more sessionable beers that have been there since day one. My personal favorite, and one I filled a growler with in mid-February, is Onyx Coffee Stout. The cream stout base is superbly complimented by cold brewed coffee provided by on-the-rise roaster Onyx Coffee Lab. Some coffee beers are nuanced, but this one screams java in every way possible. A velvety backdrop of chocolate and dark fruit is punctuated by roasted coffee notes. I could literally drink this one all day long, starting alongside my bacon and eggs in the morning.

Flyway Bluewing Berry Wheat - Back on February 4th I attended Frost Fest 2017 in Fayetteville, a gloriously freezing beer festival hosted by Fossil Cove Brewing Co. I could name any number of double IPAs, sours, or barrel-aged brews that I sampled on that day, but cutting through the haze and standing out with its pure simplicity was the flagship beer from North Little Rock’s Flyway Brewing Co. – Bluewing Berry Wheat. This easy drinker provided the necessary balance to a boozy, high-consumption day. A crisp body and tart blueberry effervescence scrubbed the tongue. Witbier is a much-maligned style that gets no respect, particularly when laced with fruit. However, Flyway pulls it off in such a way that even the manliest of men can drink Bluewing without fear of embarrassment. It is – quite simply – a well-made beer.

Michael (@fayettebrew):

Apple Blossom Bloodhound English Barleywine - This barleywine from Apple Blossom’s Brian Youngblood was one of the first beers I had in February and it made an impression that has stayed fresh in my mind all month. The English style elements keep Bloodhound strong but malty and smooth - smoother than most American style barleywines - which is appreciable regardless of whether the February weather is frigid or friendly. For a style that does not always get a lot of play in our state, this is a welcomed sight on the Apple Blossom chalk board. [Still on tap at ABBC as of this post.]

Fossil Cove Saturday Series #3: Shiny Green Bullet - Fossil Cove’s Saturday Series brings the staff who typically handle the non-brewing responsibilities of the business into the Brewdizzle (the name for Fossil Cove’s brewing space) to incorporate their style and flavor into the lineup in the form of a small batch release. The third in this series features the New Zealand Green Bullet hop in a way that lends a refreshing lime flavor to an overall easy drinking beer.  Seemingly readymade for the hotter months ahead, Shiny Green Bullet is also an excellent beer for introducing someone to the less bitter and dank side of hops.



Check back next month's for our March picks!

Tap Time from Jan 11th, 2017

Here's the latest edition of Tap Time radio on 103.7 The Buzz. We chatted with Greg from Rock City Eats and Jess and Ryan from North Little Rock's Flyway Brewing. Check it out!  

Press Release: American Craft Beer Week Celebrated in Central Arkansas

Arkansas Brewers Guild Host Events Highlighting Growing Industry

 

North Little Rock, AR, May 10, 2016 – For the 11th year in a row, the Brewers Association has declared American Craft Beer Week (ACBW), the nationwide celebration of U.S. small and independent craft brewers. The weeklong tribute provides an opportunity for craft brewers to share their diversity, creativity and passion for the beverage they love with the greater craft beer community. From May 16 – 22, all 50 states will be holding events including exclusive brewery tours, special craft beer releases, food and beer pairings, tap takeovers and more to celebrate the ever-advancing beer culture in the United States.

“American Craft Beer Week has provided independent beer fans across the country a chance to support their local breweries since 2006. With celebrations happening in all 50 states, this is truly an annual national event that recognizes all those involved in making craft beer from small breweries in the U.S. such a success." - Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and craft beer program director at the Brewers Association 

The Arkansas Brewers Guild gets a head start on ACBW with a series of events in the Argenta Arts District May 13-15. Breweries from around the state will converge for a weekend long ACBW kickoff party: Tap Takeover at Flyway Brewing Friday night, Beer Garden at Legends in Argenta Saturday night, and Brewers’ Brunch at Skinny J’s Argenta Sunday morning.

“The local brewing community is jumping fully into the phenomenon that is American Craft Beer Week by starting a few days early! The Arkansas Brewers Guild is excited to put on an entire weekend of events all within a few blocks of each other in Argenta that will lead into everything member breweries have planned for ACBW.” - Ian Beard, President Arkansas Brewers Guild

The weekend begins with the Arkansas Brewers Guild Tap Takeover hosted by Flyway Brewing, located at 314 Maple St. in North Little Rock. Beginning at 4:00pm Friday, May 13, beers from nine Arkansas breweries will be featured simultaneously for the entire evening. There is no entry fee, and representatives from each brewery will be present to talk about their product with beer enthusiasts. Participating breweries include Bentonville Brewing Company, Bubba Brew's Brewing Company, Diamond Bear Brewing Company, Flyway Brewing, Fossil Cove Brewing Co., Lost Forty Brewing, Rebel Kettle Brewing Co., Stone's Throw Brewing, and Superior Bathhouse Brewery.

“We are so pumped to have so many of our fellow brewers in one place enjoying a pint with the craft beer community! Despite being competitors on paper, we all love to get together and talk shop and everyone is always willing to help out when you need them.” -Matt Foster, Brewer Flyway Brewing

The Guild continues the festivities with a Beer Garden at Legends in Argenta Saturday, May 14, from 4:00-11:00pm, located at 520 N Main St., North Little Rock. Along with great local music, art, craft vendors and food trucks, eleven Arkansas breweries are serving their products. Admission is $5, beverage tickets are available for purchase from the Guild and redeemable for brews from Blue Canoe Brewing Co., Bubba Brew's Brewing Company, Core Brewing Company, Damgoode Pies, Diamond Bear Brewing Company, Flyway Brewing, Fossil Cove Brewing Co., Lost Forty Brewing, Ozark Beer Company, Rebel Kettle Brewing Co., and Stone's Throw Brewing.

“The Legends in Argenta beer garden is a joint effort between the Arkansas Brewers Guild and Legends of Arkansas that promises to be a huge draw for festival goers. With Mulehead as the music headliner and so many great local products available, Argenta is the place to be Saturday night!" -Susie Cowan, Executive Director Legends of Arkansas

Craft beer enthusiasts are encouraged to join the Arkansas brewing community for brunch Sunday, May 15, from 10:00am-3:00pm at Skinny J’s Argenta located at 314 N Main St., North Little Rock. Skinny J’s features only Arkansas beers on tap, making it an ideal spot for Guild members to share fellowship before heading home for a full week of ACBW activities at their own breweries.

The Arkansas Brewers Guild is organized to promote, in every lawful manner, the common interests of the members of the brewing industry in Arkansas. It is recognized by the Brewers Association as the official trade group for the industry in the state. The Guild operates as a non-profit corporation and pursues its mission through public events, industry initiatives, and governmental action. Find out more about upcoming Guild events at https://www.facebook.com/arkansasbrewersguild

Local Breweries Collaborate on Ales For ALS Brew

ALS is a disease that's had an impact on my life since I lost my grandfather, who was more like a dad to me, when I was a teenager. Now I have a good friend who has been battling it the last few years at way too young of an age, if there is such a thing. But first things first here. What is ALS? (AKA: Lou Gehrig's Disease)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain.

• There is no known cure for the disease.

• The average person survives only 2-5 years following diagnosis.

• About 5,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year.

• There are about 30,000 people in the US diagnosed with ALS today.

• The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated at 450,000.

In summary: it sucks. So what can you do? Give money for research for one thing, and one group has made that easier for beer drinkers to do. Check out: http://www.alesforals.com/

These guys have offered participating brewers access to a proprietary hop blend, free of charge, in exchange for participation in Ales for ALS™.

For more on the hop blend click here.

In come our local boys...

 

From Rebel Kettle: "We are happy to announce that next week we are brewing a very special collaboration beer with our good friends at Stone's Throw Brewing, Flyway Brewing Co., and Leap of Faith Brewing Co. to benefit Ales for ALS. Ales for ALS has partnered with hop producer Hopunion to create a special 6 hop blend just for this project. We will be using this unique blend in a generously hopped American Wheat ale. There will be a few release events next month to raise awareness and to aid research beginning at Stone's Throw on July 18th. Stay tuned for more details."

Here's the event page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1499430676958483/

And here are a few of more details for you:

June 28th - Brewday
July 17th - Radio spot on 103.7 The Buzz @ 11:30am
July 18th - Beer debuts at Stone's Throw
July 21st - Dugan's Pub 5-9pm
July 22nd - Big Orange Midtown 5-9pm
July 23rd - Flying Saucer

I reached out to John Lee from Rebel Kettle and shot a few questions at him if you're interested in learning more about this came about.

ABS: So how did this collaboration come about?

John Lee: After Foam Fest, Matt Foster (Flyway Brewing) mentioned how well he thought the Little Rock breweries did amongst the regional and national breweries there and I thought it would be a great idea to get some of us local breweries together and do a charity beer.

ABS: So you just got in contact with the Ales for ALS people and told them what was up and they sent you some of the hops? And how did the recipe come about?

John: Yeah, as far as getting the hops, you're correct. We actually got right in at the tail end of the window. They were running out and we only needed a small amount. We got 11 pounds. As far as the beer we're doing, we decided to do a couple of test batches. I did a hoppy wheat beer and Dave Ragan from Leap of Faith did a pale ale then we sat down last week and did some tastings and decided the hoppy wheat would work better for what we wanted to do. That's what we'll be brewing next week.

ABS: So tell me a little about the beer we'll be drinking?

John:  It's a hoppy wheat beer. The base is a simple American Wheat Ale recipe utilizing a 35% mix of wheat malt and flaked wheat. What really makes the beer shine is the six hop pellet blend provided by Ales for ALS and Hopunion. The hop expresses a wide array of aromas and flavors ranging from tropical fruity to piney and spicey. We used an enormous amount of the hop in late kettle and dry hop additions to give it a huge hop nose but still leave the underlying flavor of the beer intact. Although it may smell like an IPA it isn't bitter at all. Balanced and refreshing, the beer finishes crisp and clean making a perfect Summer beer.

ABS: Sounds great! I'm seeing a quite a few of this style now and I like them. And the schedule of events I'm posting is pretty close? 

John: Yes, we have the 4 dates, starting at Stones Throw on July 18th on their "new brew Friday" followed by July 21st at Dugan's Pub, the next night at Big Orange Midtown and then The Flying Saucer on July 23rd.

ABS: Big week! Each place will have a slim keg?

John: I believe 2 each, that's what we're going to commit right now.

ABS: Is this the first of many of these collaborations?

John: I hope. We've had a great time. I hope we can do some more. We're always looking for good causes and spreading the word through brewing. I hope we can continue to do so.

So there you go, now get ready to get out and get some of these for a GREAT cause. I'll see you there I hope!

A Visit With Flyway Brewing's Matt Foster

Flyway Brewing is a brewery here in Little Rock and if you've never visited their blog, I'd like to now suggest that you do that. I could go over how they got started and where their name came from and so-on-and-so-forth, but trust me, the blog is simply fantastic and full of great stories from their short history. Go ahead and read it (and bookmark it while you're there) and I'll wait here.

http://flywaybrewing.blogspot.com/

You're back? OK good. Then you now know that Matt Foster is the man behind Flyway, who is trying to get things up and running (or flying) while also balancing a full time job as a high school teacher (and husband, and father). He's a man with a passion for beer and a goal for making and sharing great beer. He's also just a genuinely nice guy.

The facility is a modest one, which doubles as the home of Little Rock's own fantastic Loblolly Creamery during the day. They share the kitchen and freezer and shelf space and Matt was kind enough to show me around and tell me a bit about his plans and what's coming up.

Arkansas Beer Scene: So what's the history of this place? A former bar?

Matt: This place was called The Flaming Arrow and it's an old restaurant apparently from the 70s and 80s. One of my good friends had her wedding reception here and a lot of big movers and shakers used to hang out down here, including Bill Clinton. Rumor has that this is where he met Gennifer Flowers and she might used to have lived in this building. Check on that one, but apparently some of the residents remember seeing him in the hallways.

ABS: Ole Slick Willy might have slept here? Great! Some history! Now you share this with Loblolly Creamery?

Matt: Yes. They've been extremely generous to me and made it possible for me to become a legal Arkansas native brewer.

ABS: And this building is where you plan on staying?

Matt: Yes, staying here indefinitely. I do have plans to move and get my own space in here in some business planning phases, working with the Arkansas Small Business Technology Development Center at UALR, something I can take to bankers and investors to get my own business loan and be able to get some more space and reasonable equipment.

ABS: What is your brewing capacity now?

Matt: It's the SABCO Brew Magic and it's a half-barrel brewing system. It's either a fancy home-brewing system or a great pilot brewing system, there are several ways of looking at it I guess. Maybe famous because Sam Calagione at Dogfish Head started on a Brew Magic as one of it's claims to fame. Piney River started on a Brew Magic too.

ABS: Piney is one of my favorites!

Matt: It's a long list actually. It's because it's affordable and allows you to control a lot of variables and create a really consistent and repeatable product. When somebody goes somewhere and gets your product you want it to all be the same.

ABS: Speaking of getting your product, where all are your beers now?

Matt: Since October I've had a permanent tap at South on Main, rolling out the Free Range Brown Ale. I've had a rotating tap at Superior Bathhouse in Hot Springs. The only other place, besides special events, so far was the collaboration with Rebel Kettle at Big Orange for Christmas.

ABS: Are you trying to expand to more right now?

Matt: No. That's a good question, but I'm pulled in so many directions and have turned my attention to more planning I'm actually going to scale back a little bit and brew less often with more variety. I feel like the Free Range Brown recipe is nailed down. I'll have it at Food and Foam Fest (April) and I think it's the best it's been. It's very approachable and it's a good gateway type beer.

ABS: It's very accessible and easy-to-drink for sure. Very sessionable. So this is your "staple" we'll say, or flagship at this point. What other beers do you have coming up?

Matt: I have another recipe for a "drinker" I'll call it. If Free Range is approachable then Migrate Ale I want to be known as "drinkable". It's a pale ale. I use some two-row barley malts, a little bit of wheat and some Northern Brewer and locally grown Dunbar Cascade hops. I'm proud to say that every batch of beer I've made and served in public has used some locally grown hops. We've gone out and hand-picked the hops ourselves, someone from Dunbar or one of us. I've got a freezer full of them. I may not always be able to do that but because of the size so far I can. I want to source more and more ingredients from Arkansas.

ABS: I saw on your website a Shadow Hands Stout coming up?

Matt: Yeah, definitely, that's part of the plan where I'm going to stop making as much Free Range. South On Main alone keeps me brewing that as I can make just enough Free Range to keep that tap up. That's a good problem to have. The Shadow Hands I have been working on for a while, it's inspired by coffee cake, sort of a coffee cake stout. I have a good brewing buddy that came up with it with me.

ABS: So where might we see these?

Matt: Migrate Ale will be at Food and Foam Fest. I'm going to start rotating a lot more often after that. South On Main has agreed to rotate so they'll have more variety too.

ABS: I love the Shadow Hands Stout label for the record.

Matt: A girl named Jennifer Perren, who graduated from Central High here, she's a senior art major at UALR and just the most talented artist. The original is actually an etching. She did the Free Range label too. She's so talented. There's no label for the Migrate Ale yet but I have tattoo artist here in town working on that one as we speak.

ABS: I hear you talk a lot about organic, you're big on that.

Matt: I feel strongly about organic and I really believe in organic farming practices, I'm not a fan of industrial farming. I'm a proud environmentalist. If I'm going to be making large quantities of beer I want to support things I believe in, you know? I think organic farming is cleaner. I think I'll have a line of beers that are organic, may have to be a little more expensive, and then a line of beers that aren't all organic. I also want to support the Arkansas Native Beer Project, it's something I'm probably the most excited about. It's something we conceived of a while back (ed. note: read the blog!). As recent as the late 50s barley was the number 2 or 3 cash crop in Arkansas. It was grown mainly as a feed crop for livestock. I wanted to grow it here. Now we've got barley growing at Dunbar Community Garden on Chester. We have other varieties growing at Victory Garden, 12th and Oak Street Garden, Laughing Stock Farm, and on research land at the U of A Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. We hope to harvest a couple of tons of barley, and when we do we'll malt it and make the first Arkansas Native Beer. An acre of barley will yield like 2 to 4 tons if I remember correctly. We planted about 150 lbs. so we're talking like 6 tons of barley. That's a lot of barley. I'm going to play around with malting the barley, mash it, boil it, brew it, hop it, ferment it, carbonate it, keg it... the first Arkansas native beer.

ABS: I love it!

Matt: It's going to be a long process, it's going to take years. But so worth it.

ABS: So where do you see yourself in a year from now with Flyway Brewing?

Matt: I'm learning so much. I'm still making mistakes, but I'm learning a lot about brewing and business. It's paying for itself, but I'm not making a living with it. But if going to do this I feel I need to set myself to be successful with my equipment and location. Get a storefront that will enrich my community, put in a brewpub and brewhouse. Be able to make a modest living. Everybody isn't going to be Founders or Dogfish Head you know, but you can make a living doing it the right way. The next year is going to be big. I'm going to try to do it the right way. I'd really like a larger brewing system that can support the business, but on a reasonable scale. I think I see exciting things happening in the next year. I think the scene here is right, in Little Rock and South Main.

ABS: I'll sure be pulling for you. Thanks so much for your time Matt!