Independence Brewing Co. expands distribution throughout Arkansas

 

Independence Brewing Co. expands distribution throughout Arkansas

Austin-based craft brewery finds a ‘natural’ fit with first statewide territory outside of Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (July 26, 2017) –  Independence Brewing Co., one of Texas’ original craft breweries, today announced the company will begin distributing its lineup of award-winning beers throughout the state of Arkansas. The new territory signals the brand’s first expansion of distribution outside its home state of Texas.

Independence’ Brewing Co.’s core lineup of craft brews, which include Austin Amber, Liberty Lunch IPA, Redbud Berliner Weisse, Power & Light Pale Ale, and the brand’s top-selling beer, Stash IPA, are available now in both on-premise bars and restaurants as well as off-premise retail stores. Little Rock-based Central Distributing have signed on as Independence’s wholesale partner throughout the Natural State.

“We had canoed and camp along the Buffalo River years ago, so when we began looking into new markets for Independence, Arkansas really stood out against the other states we were considering,” said Amy Cartwright, co-founder and president of Independence Brewing Co.

“The people of Arkansas really seem to hold similar values as we do at Independence; a love for the outdoors, supporting local music and the arts, and giving back to the community. We’re truly excited to hit the ground running in our first new state and hopefully become a part of its amazing culture for a long time ahead,”  Cartwright said.

Independence Brewing Co. was founded in Austin, Texas in 2004 by the husband and wife team of Rob and Amy Cartwright with the goal of brewing craft beers for “independent thinkers and independent drinkers.” The brand ranks among the top independent brewers of craft beer in the state of Texas with nearly 16 thousand barrels produced in 2016.

To celebrate the brand’s milestone, Independence Brewing Co. will host several events throughout the week in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas. Individual event details can be found on Independence Brewing Co.’s Facebook page.

Media Contact:

Christopher Marsh

Tomahawk PR

holler@tomahawkpr.com

About Independence Brewing Co.

Founded in 2004, Independence Brewing Co. is one of Texas’ original craft breweries. Based in Austin and brewed for independent thinkers and drinkers, Independence’s year-round offerings include: Austin Amber, Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout, Liberty Lunch IPA, Redbud Berliner Weisse, Stash IPA and Power & Light Pale Ale - 2016 World Beer Cup Gold Medal winner. Over 21 and want more info? Visit IndependenceBrewing.com #ThinkForYourself #DrinkForYourself

Welcome to Arkansas: Einstök Craft Ales

So you think water is a pretty important part of brewing beer? Personally I think it's THE most important part of brewing beer. Well check this out then...

"The Einstök Brewery is located just 60 miles south of the Arctic circle in the fishing port of Akureyri, Iceland. There, the water flows from rain and prehistoric glaciers down the Hlíðarfjall Mountain and through ancient lava fields, delivering the purest water on Earth, and the perfect foundation for brewing deliciously refreshing craft ales."

Wait, what?!?!  That just said "the water flows from rain and prehistoric glaciers down the Hlíðarfjall Mountain and through ancient lava fields." Sold.

I've actually tried 3 different Einstök Craft Ales this past summer while visiting Florida and found them all quite tasty. I had the Icelandic White Ale, Icelandic Toasted Porter and Icelandic Artic Pale Ale. I enjoyed the porter the most, but that's not exactly a shocker as I love a nice porter and this one has nice notes of light coffee and some licorice. Other than those 3 beers, I see an Icelandic Artic Berry Ale (Summer Seasonal) and Icelandic Doppelbock (Limited Edition Winter Brew) in their stable. Not sure what we'll see yet but I'll find out.

And I should mention I love the marketing.

So welcome to Arkansas!

Website: http://einstokbeer.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EinstokBeer 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Einstok/

Full week of launch events:

More on the Mother's Brewing Launch in Central Arkansas

Finally! Here comes Mother's Brewing Company to central Arkansas. I've been drinking their beer for years and made a few visits to their brewery, but to have them here on our shelves and taps? Such great news. There's just so much liquid awesomeness coming from these guys.

So I've got a little more info on launch week (Aug 24th - 29th) and I thought I'd put it all together here for my reference, but hey you can use it as well. I'm a sharer.

Sunday August 24th - Mother's is sponsoring the fantastic party blues master Andy Frasco at Stickyz Rock n Roll Chicken Shack at 8pm. There will be some great music and your first crack at some of their taps to start the week (or end your week as it may be). I believe there will be 4 Mother's taps flowing to keep you hydrated while you dance.

Ongoing all week: Big Orange Midtown and Big Orange West are putting on taps all week long starting Monday. The Mother of All Tap Takeovers! Also various tastings at liquor stores around town begin Monday. Watch the Twitter feed for what's going on tap at the Big O's as well as liquor store tasting and such.

Monday August 25th - Industry only event at a top secret location which I could tell you about, but then I'd have to kill you. You could just go back to Stickyz or hit one of the Big Orange locations this night and drink their taps? Sure you will. Or hey, hit your favorite local liquor store as bottles should start showing up and have a home bottle takeover. In fact, take a picture and post it to Twitter with #MothersHomeInvasion and I'll retweet it and give some Mother's swag to the best pic of the week!

Tuesday August 26th - Mellow Mushroom in West Little Rock will have a firkin of Three Blind Mice brown ale with chocolate and raspberry added. Boom. On the north side, Old Chicago in North Little Rock will be having a pint glass night with 3 drafts.

Wednesday August 27th - The Flying Saucer in the River Market will have a mind-blowing 20 tap takeover. Yes, 20 f'n taps. Biggest tap takeover in Saucer history? I believe so. All sort of great brews you will not want to miss.

Thursday August 28th - A wonderfully paired beer dinner at Big Orange Midtown and I say this with all confidence despite not knowing the menu yet because Big Orange doesn't miss on these beer dinners. This is a must. Great beer is sure to be paired with great food.

Friday August 29th - Argenta Pub Crawl starting at 6pm at The Joint, then to Creegen's Pub, Crush Wine Bar and ending at Reno's. This should be fun!

There's more! Like I said I'll update the Twitter feed with liquor store tastings and such and fill in a bit more meat and potatoes like times and costs on all of these events at they come in. Keep checking!

Welcome To Arkansas: Mother's Brewing Company!

Well it's official, the excellent Mother's Brewing Company out of Springfield, Mo is coming to central Arkansas at long last (most likely August). They've been in the northwest corner for a little bit but now I won't have to drive up there to stock up on them. Even before that I used to run up to Springfield to get their product and have actually visited their brewery on 2 occasions. I love these guys... their beer, their marketing and their fun attitude. They're a very high quality addition to our market in my opinion.

Here's a fun fact for you, I was at the brewery when Ozarks Watch Video Magazine were shooting a video episode and you can see me toward the end in the tasting room:

See me? OK, sure I wasn't interviewed or anything, but dammit there I am in the video at least! Pretty sure I was rockin' a bit of a buzz there. Duh. Here's a link to the entire video if you care to watch: http://video.optv.org/video/2331983432/

So yeah, here they come. Haven't tried them? You're in for a treat. I had their Doozy imperial IPA last night for the first time to celebrate and it's a wonderful hop bomb. I've had plenty of their Three Blind Mice (American Brown Ale), Towhead Blonde, Lil' Helper (American IPA) and my personal favorite of all of their beers, Winter Grind Coffee Stout. In my opinion it's one of the best coffee beers going right now (alongside Schlafly and Ozark perhaps). I had 1 bottle of their MILF imperial stout back in April and was very impressed with that one as well. Enjoy their Spring Batch farmhouse and Sandy pale wheat as well. So much good beer coming our way! Very few misses from these guys.

So get ready! I'll let you know when I hear some launch dates and such, but I have heard there will be a lot of fun stuff going on for the launch week. More as I get it.

Here's a few links and vids to help introduce you:

WWW: http://mothersbrewing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mothersbrewingco
Twitterverse: https://twitter.com/MothersBrewing

Central Arkansas Left Coast Launch Week (updated)

Info on Left Coast Brewing Company's central Arkansas launch week has changed. They were scheduled for next week (June 16-20th), but I've gotten word that's been changed to the FOLLOWING week (June 23-27th). Also, the only events I've gotten information about so far are the 2 listed below. I'll update of course if I get more information.

Monday Jun 23th -  Tasting at Crush Wine Bar (Argenta)


Wednesday June 25th -  Mini Pub Crawl at The Joint and Cregeens (Argenta)


The Joint: 6pm
Una Mas Amber
Trestles IPA

Cregeens: 7pm
Voo Doo American Stout

Welcome To Arkansas: Left Coast Brewing Co.

The great brewery invasion of 2014 continues for Arkansas! The latest newcomer to the shelves and bars is Left Coast Brewing Co. It's been pretty hard to get news or updates on this, so a bit of this is secondhand info, but it appears that the launch week will be the week starting June 16th. I have gotten "official word" that there will be a mini-pub crawl of sorts with The Joint and Cregeen's over in Argenta on Thursday, June 19th starting at 6pm. The Joint will have some pint glasses to give away and Trestles IPA on draft. If I can get some more information I'll pass it along on the Twitter feed. 

So who are these guys? Read on...

Left Coast Brewing Company is a production brewery based in San Clemente, Ca. The business began brewing for family-owned Oggi’s Restaurant chains in 1991 and has since took off as a separate brewing company in March of 2004.

They produce five beers full time with their flagship beer being Hop Juice Double IPA. The other full time beers are the Asylum Belgian Style Tripel Ale, Trestles IPA, Voo Doo American Stout and Una Mas Amber Lager. They also offer four seasonal beers throughout the year: Red Tide Belgian-Style Red Ale during spring, Board Walk Saison during summer, Ale Epeteios Imperial Stout in the fall and The Wedge Black IPA in the winter.

Their Epeteios Imperial Stout won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2013, so definitely cross your fingers for that one landing here.

The Voo Doo American Stout won a bronze at the 2012 World Beer Cup.

Their most popular beer from what I've seen online so far seems to be the Hop Juice Double IPA. In their words: "This hop monster uses Premium American 2– Row and a touch of light crystal malt to create a solid malt foundation. Five different Hop Varieties are used in the Hop Juice. It spends two weeks dry hopping in fermenter contributing to its great hop aroma. Starts out sweet and finishes with the crisp bitterness of a Double IPA. This drinkable blend will have you HOPPING till nights end." Well I'm not sure about you but I'm totally sold on that one!

So know you know a little. Again, watch the Twitter feed for more as it gets closer. In the meantime, follow these links and also check out the video of a visit to the brewery at the bottom. Cheers!

http://www.leftcoastbrewing.com/

https://www.facebook.com/leftcoastbrewingcompany

https://twitter.com/LeftCoastBrewco

Welcome To Arkansas: Horny Goat Brewing Co.

Here comes another one! Start looking for Milwaukee's Horny Goat beers in Arkansas this week. If you can't tell from their name alone, they seem like a brewery with a pretty good sense of humor from what I've seen. Here's some various info to get you jump-started on them:

https://twitter.com/HornyGoatBrewCo
http://www.youtube.com/user/1HornyGoatBrewing

https://www.facebook.com/Horny.Goat.Brewing.Co

 

Horny Goat Brewing was established in May of 2008 with the mission of providing great brews to craft beer lovers while keeping it light-hearted. All of our carefully crafted beers are developed at our brew pub in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Our Brew Master, Dave Reese, consistently pushed the envelope with creative and outstanding beers, using a small-batch, 10 barrel brewing system. If a new beer makes the cut at our brew pub they might end up in your favorite stores. We try our best to live up to our motto of “Carefully Crafted, Famously Fun.” ~~ Horny Goat FB page

I'm not sure which of their brews we'll see, but these are their year rounds:

WisconZin IPA - 7.1 % ABV | 70 IBUs
This big IPA has a medium malt backbone and is generously hopped with Citra and Amarillo hops. We add the juice of real Zinfandel grapes to the fermentor which adds some heavy notes of blackberry, raspberry, and pepper.

Exposed – Cream Ale 5.3% ABV | 21 IBUs
A session beer in the truest sense, this smooth creamy ale brewed with pale malt, wheat, and oats is both refreshing and dangerously easy to chug.

Hopped Up ‘n Horny – India Pale Ale 6.3% ABV | 41 IBUs
This IPA has just the right amount of hop love. We finish this brew off by dry hopping it with fresh Cascade hops, giving it a wonderful fresh citrus finish.

Horny Blonde – German Blonde Lager 5.0% ABV | 20 IBUs
Lagers are an American tradition, and so are blondes. You’ll find this pale lager both bright and crisp up front, and perfectly balanced by a hint of German hops on the end.

 

Several other intriguing seasonals on their lists, like Laka Laka Pineapple Hefeweizen, Stacked Milk Stout, Brownie Porter and Baby Got Bock (damn I love that name). I think one of the current seasonals we'll see is:

 

Watermelon Wheat 5.6% ABV | 19 IBUs
You asked and we listened. We’re showing our melons! The backbone of this brew is heavy on the wheat with just a touch of Vienna malt for complexity. We add real watermelon to our tanks during fermentation, leaving a fruity essence on the back end. German hops balance the fruit perfectly in this wheat ale for a slightly dry, extremely refreshing finish.

 

A few awards:

 

Brownie Porter - International Beer and Cider Competition: Gold Medal for Fruit and Spice Category

Exposed Cream Ale - International Beer and Cider Competition: Bronze Medal for Cream Ale Category

Horny Blonde Lager - International Beer and Cider Competition: Silver Medal for Premium Lager Category

Welcome To Arkansas: Caldera Brewing Company!

It's official! Another great brewery is headed to Arkansas via Glidewell Distributing... Oregon's fantastic Caldera Brewing Company should be landing in 4-6 weeks. More info to come soon, but here's a real quick primer.

http://www.calderabrewing.com/

From their Facebook page: Caldera Brewing Company was incorporated March 12, 1996. The first brew was July 4, 1997 and the first keg sold was August 28, 1997. 

For the first eight years, Caldera was draft only until June 2005 when the Pale Ale was put into cans. In 2007 the IPA was added to the can line up and in 2008 the Ashland Amber became the third flavor to can. In 2013, Caldera added Lawnmower Lager and Pilot Rock Porter to its can lineup. Caldera is the first micro brewery in the State of Oregon to brew and can its own beer. 

Caldera Brewing Company
590 Clover Lane
Ashland, Oregon 97520
541-482-HOPS

Welcome to Arkansas: Against The Grain

I'm still reeling a bit from the launch of not only Founders last week, but Southern Star and Leaky Roof Meadery. And oh yes, Foam Fest on Friday night. HUGE week. Need rest? Maybe so, but now I was told this morning that we should be seeing our latest brewery to land in Arkansas, Against The Grain Brewery, on the shelves tomorrow. Look for the first 2 beers, 35K and Ctira Ass  Down, in 22 oz bomber bottles. Judging from their website and beer names these guys are going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to try their first 2 beers.

Here's some info to get you better prepared:

From the website:

"Against The Grain Brewery is Louisville's first brewer-owned brewery and, like most worthwhile undertakings, the product of dissatisfaction with the status quo. We maintain a diverse array of beers covering all of the major categories of beer flavor while generating an endless stream of innovative new brews. Essentially, we are tired of the regular old 'stuff.' At Against The Grain, we have thrown the traditional mode of thought (producing the same thing over and over, I think they call it consistency) out the window and shifted our energy to producing amazing beer consistently, which can be any given style or twist on it. We hang our hats on quality and want people to know that there is a world of options out there....and we make them!!"

http://www.atgbrewery.com/

https://www.facebook.com/atgbrewery

https://untappd.com/AtGBrewery


35 K

Not your typical “Jelly of the Month Club” beer. Dark roasted malt and bittersweet cocoa and coffee flavor and aroma burst from this pitch black milk stout. The full body and sweetness are derived from the addition of lactose (aka milk sugar) which is not fermentable by beer yeast. A healthy dose of Nugget and Crystal hops provides a counterpoint to this ale’s rich and complex maltiness.
 

ABV: 7.7%     IBU 25.5     OG 18.5P

Citra Ass Down

This is a very hop forward American style IPA. Brewed with Pale, Vienna, Munich and wheat malt for a solid base for all American hops, focusing mainly on the variety “Citra.” Citra hops are a relatively new variety introduced in 2008. It was bred as a hybrid of a number of different hops, including Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, U.S. Tettnanger, East Kent Golding, Bavarian, Brewers Gold, and other unknown hops. The resulting hop, Citra, has a distinct citrusy and tropical fruit flavor and aroma. In Citra ass down we used American Columbus for bittering and 11# of Citra at the end of the boil for late kettle addition flavor and aroma. Then we added 6 more pounds Citra and 5# Centennial post fermention for aroma. Rebrewed for your tasting pleasure!

ABV 8.0%     OG 17.0      IBU 68.0

Welcome To Arkansas: Leaky Roof Meadery

Get ready to get your mead on!

Alright, first question: What the hell is mead? Good question, so my old friend Wikipedia.org gets us started:

Mead (/ˈmiːd/; archaic and dialectal "medd"; from Old English "meodu"), is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water, and frequently fruits, spices, grains or hops. (Hops act as a preservative and produce a bitter, beer-like flavor.) The alcoholic content of mead may range from about 8% ABV to more than 20%. The defining characteristic of mead is that the majority of the beverage's fermentable sugar is derived from honey. It may be still, carbonated or naturally sparkling, and it may be dry, semi-sweet or sweet.

"It can be regarded as the ancestor of all fermented drinks."

Good enough? OK then, we're all set. Next question: Who is Leaky Roof Meadery? Well you'll need to check out their website for tons of info to answer that, but in short it's 3 mead lovers up in Missouri (north of Springfield in Buffalo, Mo.) bringing their gluten-free deliciousness to the Springfield/Lake of the Ozarks area and Arkansas in kegs, bottles and eventually pint cans (possibly as early as June).

They've signed with Glidewell Distributing and well be arriving in draft form in central Arkansas next week, with some launch events planned. Wednesday, Apr 2nd, there will be events at Big Orange and The Flying Saucer (glass night!) and on Thursday, Apr 3rd, they'll have a tap takeover at Superior Bathhouse Brewery in Hot Springs. They'll also be pouring at Food & Foam Fest on Friday, Apr 4th. Head mead-maker and general manager Todd Rock will be at all of the events. Todd has worked at Hanger 24 in California as a cellerman and also at one of my favorites, Mother's Brewing Company in Springfield, Mo. as lead packaging tech.

Looking over at Untappd, I see their top beers include:

KCC&S Cyser - Our flagship mead. It is a session-strength, slightly carbonated or “petillant”, semi-sweet mead made from a blending of honey and fresh pressed apple cider. It is pale straw gold, crystal clear and has a refreshing sharpness from our liberal use of Granny Smith apples in our cider. Our cyser is technically similar to a hard cider but is less tart and emphasizes both honey and apple flavors.

Berry Picker - Our super berry melomel. It is a session-strength, petillant and sweet mead made from a blend of wildflower honey with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and red raspberries. This beverage is sweet, but not too sweet, fruity and an explosion of fresh berry flavor.

High, Dry and Dusty - Our ginger methyglin. It is a sessionable, dry and slightly carbonated mead reminiscent of a very dry ginger ale. Bright, crisp and spicy, this mead can clear a palate and leave it feeling refreshed and thirsty for more. Exceptionably good over ice, this mead is perfect for a hot day in Missouri.

Spook Light - Our fall seasonal offering is a pumpkin pie spiced mead. A house blend of pie spices complements the flavors of wildflower honey to give you taste of pie that will send shivers down your spine.

Founders Launch Week Update

Information on the Little Rock area release of Founders Brewing is trickling in now. A pub crawl has popped up to go along with the beer dinner at The Flying Saucer, so let's do a quick recap shall we? The beer dinner at Saucer is sold out I believe also, so I hope you have your ticket. As for the pub crawl, the sign (posted below) just reads "signature beers at each location" so I'm not sure what all we'll see yet. There will be a lot of their beers here this first week I've heard, but some will be pretty limited. Rumor is that the KBS will be at the Saucer dinner, not sure on the quantity.


I'll update this as things are added and re-post... so keep checking!

Mon Mar. 31st:

Events at Mellow Mushroom in West Little Rock (All Day IPA will go on draft at opening, 6pm Dirty Bastard goes on tap and also at 6pm limited amounts of Breakfast Stout on sale in bottle.)
Launch Party at Superior Bathhouse Brewery in Hot Springs (6:00 PM rep on hand from Founders, 4 beers on draft, 4 in bottles)

Tues Apr. 1st:

Patio Party at US Pizza in Hillcrest (All Day IPA and Porter on draft and at 5pm Founders pint specials!)

Wed Apr. 2nd:

Pub Crawl in the Argenta Arts District Sponsored By The Arkansas Times (flyer is below, KBS will be somewhere...)

6:00 PM - The Joint
7:00 PM - Cregeen's Irish Pub
8:00 PM - Reno's Argenta Cafe

Thurs Apr. 3rd:

5:00 PM - Rare Beer Tapping at The Flying Saucer - Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale
7:00 PM - Founders Beer Dinner at The Flying Saucer (5 beers, 5 courses)

Fri Apr. 4th:

6:00 PM - 17th Annual Food and Foam Fest in North Little Rock

Welcome To Arkansas: Southern Star Brewing Company!

Hot off the heels of the news of a great addition to our state, Founders Brewing, and before it's even hit the state, here comes another great addition to our market. Southern Star Brewing Company out of Conroe, TX will be in the state around the same time as Founders it looks like, early April. 

This is yet another great canning brewery to add to our already kick-ass selection with Tallgrass, Piney River and Finch's among others. Anybody besides me remember when it was difficult around here to find a nice canned beer to take the river or lake on the weekend? Or just lay around the pool with? Or just to crush on your head after you finish it (if that's your thing)? It's definitely no longer an issue as the shelves are stocked with great choices now, not just in the Summer but year round. Southern Star will fit right in.

I don't have any info on release parties or tap takeovers or dinner pairing or any of the usual offerings, but you can bet they are coming. I'll keep the Twitter feed full when we start hearing, so stay tuned.

Here's a bit more:

Southern Star's president is Dave Fougeron, former head brewer of Houston-based Saint Arnold Brewing Company. The brewery currently distributes in Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and South Carolina.

Their "flagship beer" is Pine Belt Pale Ale, an American-style pale ale that is roughly 6.3% alcohol by volume. It also produces Buried Hatchet, a Strong American Stout, at 8.25 percent alcohol by volume; and Bombshell Blonde, an American blonde ale at 5.25 percent alcohol by volume. Some of their seasonals include LeMort Vivant, a 6.6% abv French style beir de garde, Red Cockaded Ale, an 8.5% West Coast style imperial red and Valkyrie, a 9.5% double IPA that clocks in at 100 IBU.

southernstarbrewing.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SouthernStarBrewing
https://twitter.com/SouthernStarBC
http://www.craftcans.com/db.php?search=Southern%20Star%20Brewing%20Company

Here's a visit to the brewery with the Beer Bros, Chris and Keith.

Getting To Know Founders Brewing Company

So Founders is finally coming to Arkansas! Here's 3 great videos to either introduce you to them or maybe just educate you a little more on what this Grand Rapids, Michigan brewery is all about.

The Founders Family, a group of passionate beer enthusiasts, has grown around this simple philosophy: “We don’t brew beer for the masses. Instead, our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste. In short, we make beer for people like us.”

They're ranked 30th in the Top 50 U.S. Craft Brewing Companies, based on 2012 beer sales volume.

As of 2013, two of thier beers, Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) and Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS), were ranked among BeerAdvocate's top 10 beers, with CBS ranked as the 4th best beer in the world by user reviews. Ratebeer.com listed Founders as the overall 3rd best brewery in the world in its 2013 poll; Founders was 2nd place in 2011 and 2012. In April 2010, Founders won four medals at the World Beer Cup in Chicago, Illinois, and the brewery went on to win two more medals at Denver's Great American Beer Festival in September. The brewery also won one award at the 2012 World Beer Cup in San Diego.

The story of Founders Brewing Company:


This is what we mean when we say "Brewed for us."


Founders Brewing Co. - Interview Mike Stevens & Dave Engbers:

Welcome To Arkansas: Founders Brewing Company!

When my friends and I have a beer tasting or just any get-together (which usually turn into beer tastings), the subject almost always ends up on what breweries we'd like to see in Arkansas at some point. Over the years a good percentage of these have arrived on our tap walls and the list has been ever-changing with new breweries popping up across the country every time you turn around. Breweries like Southern Tier, Stone, Sweetwater, Terrapin, Cigar City, Bear Republic, Bells, Oskar Blues, Sixpoint, Yazoo... this list could keep going. We want them all! But there's only so much shelf space, so you have to pick-and-choose-and-hope. We'll never see them all and not having some of these actually makes road trips more fun as you can seek them out and bring some home to share.

We've landed some good ones in our area lately too, there's no doubt about that. Just a few weeks ago Summit Brewing arrived and fully justified their hype, we've got Coop Ale Works very soon and last year saw Evil Twin, Stillwater, Bayou Teche, Green Flash and so many others I can't remember them all.

But a brewery that's always been on our lists is Founders Brewing Co. out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and we can now remove them as they've landed here with Golden Eagle of Arkansas and will be showing up late March or early April at the latest.

Here's the official press release: http://foundersbrewing.com/latest-news/2014/announcing-six-new-states-distribution/

I have been assured there will be a lot of events surrounding the launch, from pub crawls to tap takeovers to dinners and pairings. The only such event that has been released so far is a beer dinner at The Flying Saucer in the River Market on April 3rd (Thurs) and I'm told that your ticket prices to that will include a ticket to Foam Fest on the following night. This should be awesome!

I'll post more on events as soon as I get them, watch the Twitter feed.

In the meantime, check these guys out:

http://foundersbrewing.com/
https://twitter.com/foundersbrewing


I'm not big on using ratings from RateBeer.com or BeerAdvocate.com and such sites as I like to make my own opinions, so I'll just tell you my favorite Founders beer in case you're not familiar with them. Personally I think their Porter is one of the best I've ever had. They have a wonderful session IPA called All-Day IPA, an incredible stout called Breakfast Stout and other great beers like Centennial IPA, Red Rye IPA, the deliciously fruity Rubaeus, the scotchy Backwoods Bastard, Curmudgeon Old Ale... damn just typing these names in makes me thirsty. So many great beers. And then of course there's KBS, which is in it's own world. A tasty, ass-kicking world.

To use a phrase from another brewery here, but it just seems so apt... "Here. We. Go."

Behind the Beer: Frost Line Rye

Summit Brewing Company's launch week in Arkansas continues and from all the feedback I've heard, people are loving their brews (me included, as I've tried the Saga IPA, Horizon Red IPA and

Summit Extra Pale Ale). Another welcome addition to state's growing craft beer scene I'd say for sure.

Here's a bit more info on their Frost Line Rye, which will be available at Big Orange Midtown on Friday as part of their Summit tap takeover. I'm honestly not sure if it's available anywhere else before then, but you can get it there for sure.

Frost Line Rye 
"Brewed to help fight off the deep freeze."

Hidden in the cold ground in the dark of winter, lie little seeds of hope. So, to help hasten the spring thaw, we give you an ale bursting with the spicy goodness of malted rye and floral, citrusy hops. An in-between-seasons seasonal, if you will. Summit's head brewer Damian McConn introduces us to the Summit's newest "fifth season" seasonal beer: Frost Line Rye. Enjoy this robust and spicy ale to help break winter's long-lasting grip.

For more on Frost Line Rye: http://www.summitbrewing.com/brews/frost-line-rye

Next Week Is Summit Week In Central Arkansas

Not just a release day now, but there are some great events planned all next week for the Summit Brewing Company Launch. You can find a Summit-themed event every day except Monday, so make up your own for that day (it is pint night at the Flying Saucer though... hint, hint). 

Mark your calendars!

* Saturday, February 1st - the start of Stickyz Rock N' Roll Chicken Shack Beer of the Month with Sága IPA only $2.50 a pint ALL MONTH LONG! This is a usual feature for Stickyz and lately they've has some solid picks for BOTM, and it's damn tough to beat $2.50/pint anywhere. In warmer weather, their patio is just right too.

* Sunday, February 2nd - Summit Super Bowl Party at The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium with a different Fire Sale Beer each quarter of the game! I mean is there a better way to watch the game than getting to sample 5 of their new beers to the market, a pint at a time, a quarter at a time? For a good price? No I say.

1st Qtr: Horizon Red IPA
2nd Qtr: Great Norther Porter
3rd Qtr: Summit Oatmeal Stout
4th Qtr: Saga IPA
OT: Summit Extra Pale Ale


* Tuesday, February 4th - Summit Pint Glass Night at Old Chicago North Little Rock @ 6PM

* Wednesday, February 5th - Tap Takeover at Mellow Mushroom West Little Rock!

* Thursday, February 6th - Tap Takeover at Reno's Argenta Cafe!

* Friday, February 7th - Tap Takeover featuring FROST LINE RYE at BIG ORANGE :: Midtown ALL DAY LONG!

Super Summit Sunday at the Saucer

If you're looking for something to do in central Arkansas on Super Bowl Sunday besides just the usual game watching, the latest brewery to get distribution in Arkansas, Summit Brewing, will be having a launch party at the Flying Saucer in the River Market, downtown Little Rock.

There will be fire sale prices on a new beer released every quarter, plus OT, so you can be the first to get your taste buds wrapped around these without dropping all your Super Bowl winnings.

Check out the list:

1st Qtr: Horizon Red IPA
2nd Qtr: Great Norther Porter
3rd Qtr: Summit Oatmeal Stout
4th Qtr: Saga IPA
OT: Summit Extra Pale Ale

Summit Brewing is based in St. Paul, MN and their output lands them in the top 50 in the US size-wise. They've been around since 1986 and are cranking out over 100,000 barrels per year. They've racked up 8 medals at The Great American Beer Festival, including a silver this year for their True Brit IPA and a silver in 2012 for their Summit Pilsener.

They'll be a welcome addition to our already hoppin' beer scene. (see what I did there?)