This week in Central Arkansas’ beer scene starts today at Lost Forty Brewing, where the brew team is releasing its newly dubbed High Praise Belgian-style Tripel. Lost Forty says this is a beer-lovers brew that eschews trendy ingredients and techniques in favor of a style that’s been around for centuries. Don’t worry, it’s still a tripel, coming in at 10.5 percent ABV. Expect an herbal nose with some spice notes on the tongue and a dry finish. Lost Forty has made a tripel before, but this is the first one to get a name and a wide release. The brewery is selling High Praise by the glass in the taproom and in four-packs to go starting today. You will also soon be able to find four-packs of High Praise at select liquor stores all around Arkansas.
Stone’s Throw Brewing this week is releasing the winning recipe from the Big Red Ball Homebrew Contest last month. Orion Nebula Belgian Blonde defeated dozens of homemade beers to take the top prize at February’s event. Dubbed the official beer of kickball, the original recipe is highly crushable with a mild Belgian yeast profile and a lovely pale yellow color. This one goes on tap at 4:30 p.m. for Stone’s Throw’s #NewBrewFriday release. However, this isn’t the only kickball-related release of the week…
…because the troll factory at Rebel Kettle Brewing Company is back in action. Having already targeted Lost Forty this year, Rebel Kettle is aiming its mischief at Stone’s Throw with the 4:30 Thursday debut of Traitorade Fruited American Wheat Ale. Traitorade was brewed in collaboration with Little Rock kickball team United Traitors. Traitorade is brewed with pineapple, orange, and guava for a juicy play on the classic malty wheat recipe. Again, this one should be easy to finish quickly (an important characteristic for kickball). It’s available by the glass and in growlers to go starting Thursday at 4:30.
It’s been a while since we’ve mentioned Diamond Bear Brewing in this space, but we’re pleased to let you know that an O.G. recipe is back on tap at the American Ale House in North Little Rock. Diamond Bear’s Irish Red is a 5.9 percent ABV brewed with Caramel 80 and roasted malts for vibrant color and a rich finish. At one point, this beer was considered one of the finest Irish Red ales in the country, winning the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2005. It’s back on tap today at Diamond Bear.
Flyway Brewing has a couple of gems returning to the tapwall this week. First is Magdalene Tripel, a big 9.6 percent ABV Trappist-style ale with loads of flavor from the malt and Belgian yeast. Magdalene came off the wall briefly while Flyway went through some seasonal brews, but it’s back for the foreseeable future. Also returning is the excellent Cloudsplitter Pilsner, which in my mind is a borderline perfect pils. Clear, crisp and only slightly hoppy, Cloudsplitter is perfect for the warm weather that I hope we get sometime soon. You can expect to find Cloudsplitter back on tap this coming Friday.
Core Brewing is rolling out one of their most highly praised releases in a while. The Simcoe Beach Rat is a pale ale with a specific lot of Simcoe hops that bring a unique flavor to the beer. A lot of craft beer followers who have gotten their hands on it in NWA say it is one of the best beers Core has produced, and one of the best Pale Ales in the state. The beer will only be available in the taprooms, in cans and draft, starting this week. (Greg update)
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RIP Damgoode Pies
November 20, 2023
