Whether you're into the lagers, the IPAs, the pilsners, the pale ales, the kolsches, the stouts or the good ole domestics, there was something for beer drinkers with all tastes at the fourth annual Great Arkansas Beer Festival, put on July 22 at the Statehouse Convention Center.
Guests paid $30 in advance or $40 at the door to taste hundreds of mass-produced and craft brews in miniature glasses handed out at the door. About 2,700 people attended, said Bill Puckett, who founded the festival in 2014 with pals Reed Lewallen and Trey Jordan. Puckett proclaimed the 2017 affair "the largest beer festival in Arkansas history." A portion of the proceeds, between $5,000 and $6,000, went to the Ronald McDonald House.
Beers were provided by breweries and distributors who served from under colorful tents emblazoned with the names and catchy phrases of their brands. In a back corner of the room, Heifer International manned a pen stocked with baby goats for petting and yard games for guests with a more competitive bend.
High Profile on 07/30/2017