As microbreweries continue to grow across the country, craft beer has blossomed in parts of the United States that people don’t usually associate with beer. Central Arkansas is one of those places. To help promote its growing craft beer scene, Little Rock has the Locally Labeled Passport. So next time you’re in the Greater Little Rock area, you need to pick it up to help you explore the region’s craft breweries, brewpubs, wineries, and distillery. Although the program focuses on breweries, there are two wineries and a distillery are also part of the program. The inclusion of wineries and a distillery really sets the program apart from others that focus…
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A pint at Diamond Bear Brewing in North Little Rock, Ark.
For people driving through Central Arkansas searching out craft beer and food, there are about a half dozen breweries/brewpubs that are open for lunch during the week. Perhaps the easiest to reach is Diamond Bear Brewing Company. Diamond Bear is located in North Little Rock about two miles from the intersection of I-40 and I-30, so it’s easily accessible for people driving through. The brewery is also located just under half a mile from Dickey-Stephens Park, home of the Arkansas Travelers. So it’s easy accessible to local residents, too. My visit this summer was instigated by the desire to stop for lunch and some beer. So pulling into the parking…
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A pint at Flyway Brewing in North Little Rock, Ark.
When visiting Central Arkansas, it can be easy to overlook North Little Rock unless you’re attending a baseball game at Dickey-Stephens Park or a concert at Verizon Arena. North Little Rock has a population of 62,000 compared to Little Rock’s 194,000. However, downtown North Little Rock is a very vibrant area with connections to Little Rock via the Metro Streetcar. The life of the party is clearly on North Main Street, but one block away visitors will find Flyway Brewing Company at the intersection of Maple and West Fourth streets. The brewery clearly plays up it name in its decor, as evidenced by the geese featured on the building’s awning…
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A pint at Lost Forty Brewing in Little Rock, Ark.
Perhaps the best-known brewery in Little Rock is Lost Forty Brewing. When talking with local people about what brewery to visit in town, the two strongest recommendations I received were to visit Lost Forty. In addition, a recent MSN.com article ranked it the top brewery in the state people are talking about based upon a survey of information on Foursquare. I should add that the recommendations I received about visiting Lost Forty focused on its Sunday Brunch, so my wife Katie and I adjusted our schedule to be sure that we stopped there before heading out of town. The brewery opens at 10 a.m. for Sunday brunch, which seems quite early…
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A pint at Rebel Kettle Brewing in Little Rock, Ark.
If you combine a rock ‘n’ roll attitude and craft beer you get Rebel Kettle Brewing Company. Or at least that’s what I feel like you get with the Rebel Kettle logo. The brewery is a slightly different story, but it is still a place that is amped-up. You get the amped-up feeling just walking up to the brewery as its logo is prominently displayed when entering the building. I neglected to take a picture of the railing right as you enter the brewery, but it prominently features the company logo of a skeleton wearing a leather jacket with a flowing head of hair and hoisting a pint of beer.…
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A pint at Stone’s Throw Brewing in Little Rock, Ark.
Like many craft breweries across the country, Stone’s Throw Brewing started because a group of homebrewers decided to live out their dream of starting a brewery. These four guys (Theron, Brad, Shawn, and Ian) met through Central Arkansas Fermenters and started a Kickstarter campaign in April 2013 with the goal of opening a taproom. The brewery and taproom dreams became reality in July of that year. The brewery sits on the southern edge of downtown abutting MacArthur Park and the surrounding historic district. If you’re a history buff you may want to check out the birthplace of General Douglas MacArthur, which has been converted into MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military…
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A pint at Blue Canoe Brewing in Little Rock, Ark.
Despite not being known for its craft beer scene, Little Rock, Ark., has four craft breweries in downtown. The first one my wife (Katie) and I visited on our summer road trip from Alabama to Oklahoma was Blue Canoe Brewing Company. We opted to start our beer adventure in town at Blue Canoe because based upon our Internet browsing we liked the food menu there the best. That’s not to say the other food menus are bad; just that we were more tempted by the items on Blue Canoe’s menu than what the other breweries offered. Due to its downtown location Blue Canoe does not have a dedicated parking lot,…
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My night with the Arkansas Travelers – July 1, 2017
The second stop on the road trip from Alabama to Oklahoma was Little Rock, Ark. I wanted to stop because I have never thoroughly written about my experience at an Arkansas Travelers game at Dickey-Stephens Park, and this trip seemed like a good opportunity to write about the park and explore a city my wife and I had not visited together. We also got assistance from the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, and spent the night at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Little Rock. To see a view from the room, check out my post on Twitter (here). The hotel recently underwent a massive renovation, sits right on the Arkansas…
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Bill Clinton Library in Little Rock, Ark.
After being elected to five terms as governor of Arkansas, it was a natural choice for Bill Clinton to select Little Rock as the site of his presidential library. The building extends over the Arkansas River reflecting Clinton’s campaign promise of “building a bridge to the 21st century.” The building was dedicated on Nov. 18, 2004, and contains three stories of exhibits. “Oval Office” exhibit is a replica of the office during Clinton’s presidency. The “People’s Gifts” exhibit features a wide variety of gifts given to the Clinton family from 1993 to 2001.
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My night with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals – July 22, 2013
At the beginning of the summer I set a goal of watching games at three Minor League ballparks. I recently moved out of my apartment in Stillwater, Okla., and incorporated two stadium visits into my trip. On the way from Georgia to Oklahoma, I stopped in Northwest Arkansas to do some sightseeing and saw my first game at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark., home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Like many stadiums built in suburbia, an expansive parking lot surrounds Arvest Ballpark. The city built the stadium in hopes of spurring development in the area, but so far nothing has arisen near the intersection of South 56th Street and Watkins…
