Native Suds

Debut event brews support for local beer

Even as winter weather sticks around, Jessica Sumner is asking local breweries to think spring.

The bar manager at the Chancellor Hotel in downtown Fayetteville has organized the first Home Grown Brewhaw, a night of samples from local and regional breweries. The event takes place at 7 p.m. Sunday and features Arkansas-made craft beer from Ozark Beer Company, Core Brewing, Apple Blossom Beer Company, Fossil Cove Brewing Co. and Bike Rack Brewing Co. from the two-county area. Flyway Brewing Company and Stone's Throw Brewing join from Little Rock.

FAQ

Home Grown Brewhaw

WHEN — 7 p.m. Sunday

WHERE — The Chancellor Hotel, Fayetteville

COST — Free, but must be 21 years of age or older

INFO — Find the event on Facebook

Sumner says the idea for the local beer tasting came from two sources -- the love she and her husband share for craft beer and a desire to provide an educational experience for those in the the local service industry.

The brewers have been asked to bring in their spring seasonal brews, and guests can enjoy samples of those beverages. Sumner says the experience will work similarly to other large-scale beer events in the area but will have important differences, too. The Chancellor has a full bar, which will be an option for those who don't enjoy beer. That also provides for one of the other highlights of the night, Sumner says. Several local bartenders will team up with the breweries to create beer-based cocktails, as Maxine's bartender Jacqueline Shin will do with Ozark Beer Company products. The bartender-created cocktails will then be featured on the bar's menu for the evening.

Local collaborations also extend to the event's partners, which include local T-shirt company Home Grown Arkansas, brewery tour coordinators Hogshead Tours and snack maker Bernice's Hummus.

Sumner is expecting between 100 and 200 guests for the first Brewhaw.

-- Kevin Kinder

[email protected]

NAN What's Up on 02/27/2015

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