Brian Sorensen - Arkansas Beer: An Intoxicating History

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Published by American Palate

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2017 by Brian Sorensen

All rights reserved

First published 2017

e-book edition 2017

ISBN 978.1.43966.250.2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017940935

print edition ISBN 978.1.46713.755.3

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

FOREWORD

One of my dads earliest memories was of hiding under the bed with his mother and baby sister as lawmen broke bottles outside their home in Hot Springs. Some of my relatives claim that my grandpa was making moonshine, but I believe its more likely he was brewing beer and selling it to try to feed his family in the hard times of the early 1930s. Meanwhile, casinos and speakeasies were openly entertaining the crowds downtown with illegal gambling and illicit hooch.

In a way, I think this story illustrates Arkansass schizophrenic relationship with beer and with alcohol in general. The state is split between those who enjoy adult beverages and those who literally see them as the work of the devil. Even today, according to Wikipedia, thirty-five of the states seventyfive counties are dry. Except for a handful of cities, retail alcohol sales are altogether shut down statewide on Sundays. The wet counties feature a patchwork of municipalities where alcohol sales are limited or forbidden.

For those who choose to imbibe, however, its better than it used to be. When I was in college in the mid-1980s, you couldnt buy alcoholeven beer and winein Fayetteville grocery or convenience stores. Restaurants that served hard liquor had to be private clubs, where patrons paid a membership fee and were required to sign in upon entering.

In those days, most beer consisted of essentially the same yellow fizzy stuff served in differently shaped bottles with various labels and marketing schemes attached. The colder and cheaper it was, the better. In our minds, beer came from massive factories, where the brewing process was shrouded in mystery and stainless steel. The thought of commercial brewing happening in the Natural State probably seemed to many as an unlikely, unachievable goal.

Imagine my surprise in reading the first chapters of this book to find that Arkansas does indeed have a long brewing heritage. Its not as deep and broad as St. Louis or Milwaukee, but there are brewing roots here. More importantly, new seeds recently planted by craft brewers are not only germinating but also bearing fruit. Our state has become home to a thriving community of brewing professionals whose hard work and artistic vision are turning our once beer-poor region into something lovers of good beer can be proud of.

My first experience with locally brewed beer was the Ozark Brewing Company, a brewpub on Fayettevilles Dickson Street. (No connection to todays Ozark Beer Company in Rogers.) Not only could patrons sample several styles of beer made on location, but they could also watch the brewmaster at work through windows looking in at the ten-barrel brewery from the dining room. Brewing had been demystified.

It wasnt long before my friend Andy Sparks, who owned the local homebrew store in Fayetteville, convinced me to take up making beer myself. Soon I was brewing and sampling styles of beer that werent available for sale in the local liquor stores. My aspirations were never to go pro, but luckily for us, many former homebrewers are trading in their kitchen kettles for commercial brewing systems and selling their wares as a part of the growing craft beer wave.

In many ways, the breweries of Arkansas today represent a microcosm of brewing in general. There are large production breweries that are producing a significant volume of beer and are aiming to have a regional presence, not only in Arkansas but in other states as well. Medium-scale breweries are covering the stores and taps of their local areas. Small breweries are focusing mostly on their own tasting room patrons and may have a few tap handles around town. Of course, some of the smaller players will eventually grow larger, but I think its great that there are niches where brewers of any size can find success.

This is not to say that Arkansas has suddenly become the Colorado of the South. Fizzy yellow stuff still reigns supreme among the masses. During hunting season, twelve-packs of macro brew still come in blaze orange boxes. Convenience stores are still packed with beers that appeal more to the wallet than the palate.

However, the foothold for craft beer is secure. Once consumers get over the mental hurdle that beer is actually supposed to taste like something, there is no going back. Craft beer tasting rooms and brewpubs are becoming gathering places where friends can get together to try a flight of whats new or simply grab a pint of their favorite go-to ale. New employment is bringing income and tax revenue that cities are finding attractive. Disused areas of towns are finding new life. In turn, cities such as Fayetteville are spending money to promote the fledgling industry to visitors and tourists. Even in recently dry Benton County, delicious craft beer is being brewed that I believe rivals any in the country. I never thought Id see it.

Im glad that Brian is documenting Arkansas beer with this book. He has been reporting on the industry as it grows with excellent articles on the Fayetteville Flyer for the past few years. His love of the subject matter shows.

Our craft brewers deserve to step out from behind their mash tuns and canning lines and into the spotlight. I look forward to watching the Arkansas craft beer industry as it continues to grow and prosper.

JAMES SPENCER

Basic Brewing Radio

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The first person I want to thank as this book reaches publication is my wife, Megan. She has endured countless brewery visits, beer tastings and festivals over the years as I pursued my interest in writing about this awesome subject. Her willingness to let me sneak off to our home office at night to put pen to paper has not gone unnoticed. Together we have three children, and I recognize that every minute together is precious. When I first met Megan in college, I knew she was the onethat we were meant to be. Through all the ups and downs that life has thrown our way, I wake up each morning knowing how lucky I am to have found her.

Im so appreciative of the brewers and brewery owners who let me peer under the hood, so to speak, as I did the research for this book. Having covered the beer scene in Northwest Arkansas for the past several years, most brewers in that section of the state knew me and trusted what I was up to. Through the process of writing this book, however, I met many new peoplebrewers from Fort Smith, Hot Springs, Little Rock and small towns in between. Only rarely did I sense reluctance to participate in this project (and usually then only because of peoples hectic schedule). They opened their arms to me and gave me whatever I asked of them. Most of the information presented in this book was gathered firsthand, and without the good people of the Arkansas brewing industry, it would not have been possible.

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