Growlers: Bubba Brews Construction Updates, Lost Forty Barleywine, Rebel Kettle Malt Liquor

This summer looks like it will belong to Bubba Brews Brewing Company, which plans on opening up two new taproom/restaurants in the coming months. The first to open looks like it will be a new taproom in downtown Hot Springs, which we first told you about back in January. This taproom will be in the former Bank of America building on Central Avenue, just across the street from Bathhouse Row. Construction on that location is proceeding, and it’s looking like the taproom will be open in the next month or so. But the real eye-catcher is going to be the three-story bar and restaurant situated right on the shores of Lake Hamilton. The plan is for this location to offer three bars (one on each level) and 11 boat slips so that boaters can pull right up. The frame of this particular building has been up for more than a year, so it’s thrilling to see things finally coming to a finish. No hard opening date has been set, but it’s likely to be mid- to late-summer when everything will be ready.
Lost Forty Brewing has been aging something for you over the past five months that is ready today. It’s a Barrel-Aged American Barleywine that’s been resting in oak barrels for almost half a year. Barleywines are usually big beers, and this version is no exception, weighing in at 10 percent ABV. Lost Forty says the nose has grapefruit and pine, while the flavor is rich and malty with a boozy finish. No cans, growlers or crowlers of this one are available; you can only get it by the glass in the taproom today starting at 4 p.m.
Rebel Kettle is bringing back its surprisingly popular malt liquor recipe one year after its debut. Chug Life was first put on tap in May 2016 and caught on better than the brewery expected, so now it’s getting a curtain call. This is a 6.6 percent ABV malt liquor with a lot of malt flavor that ends clean and slightly sweet. It’s going on for Rebel Kettle’s weekly 4:30 Thursday release event, so make plans to swing by the brewery later this week.
It’s not often that a brewery re-releases its winter seasonal in warmer months, but that’s what’s happening at Stone’s Throw Brewing this weekend. For its #NewBrewFriday, Stone’s Throw is putting back on its Jean-Claude Van Damme Belgian Strong Ale, which first arrived back in December. It’s a beer as muscular as its namesake, with an ABV of 10 percent and plenty of fruity notes from the Belgian yeast. It drinks much easier than its gravity would have you believe, so go slow if you don’t want to tip over the edge. That release is at 4 p.m. on Friday.
And there’s a brand new beer festival in Arkansas that is less than two weeks away in the Subiaco area. Cottontown Brews is set for Saturday, June 3, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., and is the only beer festival in the state that will allow you to camp out after the festival is done. The beer line-up is impressive for a rural festival, including Prestonrose Farm and Brewing Company, Lost Forty, Stone’s Throw, Diamond Bear and many more. Tickets are $38 per person, and a campsite pass is free for every vehicle. You have to reserve your campsite due to limited space, so make sure to get your tickets for this event ASAP.
Do you have some beer news you would like to share with us? Email me at steve@rockcityeats.com.

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