TThe craft beer revolution has arrived in Northwest Arkansas. It can be found in the bottom of a glass of Southside Porter at Tanglewood Branch Brewing Co., a pale ale at the West Mountain Brewing Co. or the Water Street Wheat at Fossil Cove. It will soon be found at the Saddlebock Brewery and the Core Brewing Facility as well.
The growth follows along with a national trend, according to the national Brewers Association. In 2011, craft beer exceeded 5 percent of the national beer market share for the first time. According to the trade organization, 76 brew pubs and 174 microbreweries opened their doors in 2011. That count would include one in Fayetteville — the West Mountain Brewing Co., which served its first pints in November.
When the final count is made for 2012, at least three more Northwest Arkansas breweries, and likely more, will be added to the roster. Tanglewood Branch began serving its own beer May 7, Fossil Cove opened June 1, and Core Brewing in Springdale hopes to be open in the next few weeks. Another facility, Saddlebock Brewery, is currently under construction as well, and reports indicate several other local breweries are in progress.
Here’s a guide to those that are serving beer right now and some hints about those to come. HOG HAUS BREWING COMPANY
WHERE — 430 W. Dickson Street in Fayetteville
INFO — 521-2739 or www. hoghaus.com
ABOUT THE BREWERY — Hog Haus opened in 2004 from the remnants of the former Ozark Brewing Co. and was the only brew pub in Northwest Arkansas until late last year. Brewmaster Jesse Core joined the Hog Haus team in May 2012 and oversaw a renovation of the brewing system and a tweaking of the recipes while still keeping many of the most popular beers, such as the Fat Boy Blue, a blueberry-fl avored creation.
THOUGHTS ABOUT BEER CULTURE — “It’s a good time for craft beer,” says Core, who obtained a microbiology degree before spending several years at Tyson Foods. Core says beermaking is as much about building relationships and educating patrons as it is turning grains, hops and water into a drink. “Brewing good beer is a passion, and a lot of fun, but that’s just part of the product,” he says.
BEERS — Core says his favorite beers are English-style ales, and his signature beer refl ects that passion. His favorite recipe is for ESB, which stands for extra special bitter. He plans to brew four staples and also have a rotating list of four seasonal beers. In addition to the ESB will be the Woodstock Wheat and its blueberry version, the Fat Boy Blue. There will also be a stout-style brew of the brewmaker’s choosing.
TASTING HOURS — 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday WEST MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY
WHERE — 21 W. Mountain St. in Fayetteville
INFO — 442-9090 or www. facebook.com/tinytimspizza
ABOUT THE BREWERY — Andy Coates walked up to West Mountain Brewing Co. after seeing the brewing equipment in the window. Having worked at Great Divide Brewing Co. and Goose Island Brewery Co. before moving to Fayetteville, Coates was interested in what his new hometown had to offer beerwise. He learned then what many already had. The tanks at West Mountain were empty, just as they had been since 1999. After chatting with the owners, Coates was hired on as a brewer, and parts were ordered to complete the brewing system. He started applying for permits and gearing up for the brewing process in October 2010 and offered his fi rst beers in November 2011.
THOUGHTS ABOUT BEER CULTURE — Coates started his career in beer on a bottling line for $7 an hour and free beer. He watched Great Divide grow up during that time, and then, after an brewing apprenticeship, he watched Goose Island grow exponentially, too. He served at Goose Island as a night and weekend brewer as the company worked to keep up with demand. The number of breweries in America is now nearing pre-Prohibition levels, he says. And that trend is finding its way to Fayetteville.
“We’re 5-10 years behind the craft brewery movement,” he says.
When patrons walk into the combined brewery and pizza restaurant and order a domestic light beer, servers often bring out samples of house-made beers. About 60 percent of the time, those diners go on to order the beverage made in the brewery.
“If we can give them an introduction into something they might like, that’s my philosophy,” Coates says.
BEERS — The most purchased beer at West Mountain is the brown ale, a medium-bodied English-style beer. Also on tap recently were the Session Ale, a light, low-alcohol beer made for easy drinking, and an India pale ale. Coates has also brewed up several other styles, including a rye ale, a chocolate stout and a Mexican-inspired stout with chocolate and dried ancho chiles that had the mouthfeel of mole, the traditional Mexican condiment. A saison will be available soon, Coates says. The brewery is running at capacity, and as soon as one beer is emptied, another is brewed.
TASTING HOURS — 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
TANGLEWOOD
BRANCH BEER CO.
WHERE — 1431 S. School Ave. in Fayetteville
INFO — 856-6500 or www. tanglewoodbranch.com
ABOUT THE BREWERY — Owner and brewmaster J.T. Wampler’s fascination with beer started when his favorite bar changed olives. The new batch didn’t produce the kind of martinis he liked, so he asked the bartender to give him a beer instead. Coupled with a few friends who enjoyed brewing beer, Wampler started making beer at home before leaving a job as a newspaper photographer — Disclaimer: He worked for the company that publishes this newspaper — to open Tanglewood Branch. After serving gourmet sandwiches for several months as the brewery waited for its permits, Tanglewood debuted its own beer on May 7.
THOUGHTS ABOUT BEER CULTURE — Wampler says Tanglewood is one of the smallest breweries in the country but has recently doubled its capacity to keep up with demand.
“A lot of it is education — telling people there’s more than Bud, Miller and Coors,” he says. That philosophy is working, he adds.
Although Tanglewood sells several options of premium beers offered by other breweries, Wampler estimates 90 percent of patrons order his beer when they have the chance.
“As much as we can make, we can sell. They come for the house beer,” he says. Wampler hopes that remains true for his brewery and the other new breweries in town, too. He dreams of the day where Fayetteville might turn into a beer destination just as cities such as Ashville, N.C., and Fort Collins, Colo., have.
BEERS — Wampler’s most popular brew is the Southside Porter, a dark brown ale. Of the about 50 batches of beer he has brewed, there has been much variety, including a black IPA and a berry weiss, which included fresh farmers market berries mixed into a light-bodied wheat beer. Southside Porter will be available at all times, Wampler says. Seasonal brews will also be available periodically, such as the Doomsday Tripel, which he brewed on Wednesday’s summer solstice and will be tapped for the winter solstice.
TASTING HOURS — 11 a.m.-close Monday through Saturday; 5 p.m.-close Sunday FOSSIL COVE BREWING CO.
WHERE — 1946 N. Birch Ave. in Fayetteville
INFO — 445-6050 or fossilcove brewing.com
ABOUT THE BREWERY — Ben Mills started brewing beer in his off-campus apartment while he was still working on his biology degree. When he got his degree, he wondered, briefl y, about what to do.
“I didn’t want to be a lab rat or a teacher,” he says.
Which led him back to beer. After completing the master brewers’ program at the University of California — Davis, Mills returned to Arkansas and began work on the Fossil Cove Brewing Co. Mills and his business partners purchased a complete brewing system from a defunct brewery in Washington state and made plans to open the new facility. Mills debuted his beer at the Fayetteville FoamFest in early May and opened his tasting room in Fayetteville on June 1.
THOUGHTS ABOUT BEER CULTURE — Beer enthusiasts are attracted to craft beer for one reason, Mills says: “It literally has more fl avor.”
Beer drinking can also be a very local thing, which is part of what Mills hopes to foster through his brewery. The same clientele who visit the farmers’ market for fresh produce are likely to visit the local breweries to buy fresh beer.
BEERS — Mills hopes to offer five different beers at all times: a brown ale, an IPA, a tripel, a wheat beer called Water Street Wheat and the Paleo Ale. Mills will also create specialty beers, such as a peach-jalapeno pale ale.
TASTING HOURS — 4 p.m.-close Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-close Saturday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays WHAT’S COMING NEXT
Two breweries hope to be operational in a matter of weeks, and both are larger than any of the existing operations in Northwest Arkansas.
Core Brewing and Distilling Co. is currently being built on Lowell Road in northeast Springdale. Operated by Hog Haus brewmaster Jesse Core, the commercial brewery will package his beer for distribution in the area. The brewery will focus on packaging its products into cans, kegs and growlers. A tasting room and patio will be built, and Core estimates the facility will be open in the next few weeks.
That’s also the timeline for Steve Rehbock, owner and brewer at Saddlebock Brewery. Rehbock says he and his wife made the decision to open a brewery about a year ago and have been working toward that goal since. Saddlebock Brewery, which is located on a horse farm near on the westernmost point of the White River in southeastern Springdale, will also have a tasting room and offer educational seminars about the art of pairing beer and food.
Whats Up, Pages 16 on 06/22/2012