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I add things to beer that wouldn’t normally be there. Some work. Some don’t. And that’s kind of what the focus is here, is to kind of have our mainstay beers — we’ll do that. But we also want to be there for the people who like something creative, something different.”
Rebel Kettle has seemingly been just months a w a y from opening for a year now, with multiple minor setbacks lengthening the amount of time needed to get the busi- ness going. The brewery’s team purchased the building tow ard the beginning but couldn’t begin construction until the city approved the plans. That took almost eight months.
“It’s finally coming along pretty well,” Lee says. “There might be a little hold up with licensing, and we’ll deal with that. But as soon as that comes in, it’s a go.”
Still, looking around the building, it’s easy to see the light at the end. The brewing equipment itself is in place, a full seven-bar- rel system behind a set of glass doors easily visible from the taproom. The bar area is ad- jacent to three garage doors, which roll up to what will be a massive beer garden area outside.
“This is really what sold us on this place,” Lee says. “It’s big. It’s naturally shaded by the roof, so even when it’s a little warmer, it’s going to be a lot better than it would be somewhere else.”
A small kitchen will create a limited menu for guests, but the most impressive feature at Rebel Kettle is the bar, which will feature 16 taps. That would make Rebel Kettle home of one of the largest selections of craft beer in any Little Rock brewery. But lest you think Lee and his team aren’t ambitious enough in just getting the place open, those taps will all be dedicated to Rebel Kettle beer from day one.
“I guess the tricky part is doing that on opening day,” Lee says. “But I really want to, and I think I can do it. I think, given four to six weeks, I can do it.”
Right now, Rebel Kettle is getting its li- censing in order and finishing up construc- tion. And once again, the business looks like it’s just a few months away from opening. But Lee and his team are eagerly looking forward to putting their own unique stamp on Little Rock’s beer scene.
“[Little Rock] is in a great place right now,” Lee says. “Two and a half years ago, we had Vino’s and we had Diamond Bear. And now, it’s nuts.
“The support from the community has been amazing since our first Rocktoberfest two years ago. It’s hard to believe, you know, just from a festival and a Facebook page, that suddenly people were asking us when we were opening. And now, we’re looking to churn out some really good beers and hopefully set the mark, change things up a little bit.”
Rebel Kettle Brewing beers (others planned):
M ango H abanero IP A
Wake and F lake Coffee and Coconut Cream stout Orange Creamsicle ale
Sometimes, owning a brewery is about more than just the beer, as Leap of Faith’s Joe Mains can attest. A retired military man, Mains fell in love with beer making and, like so many other brewers, began making his product just for drinking at home.
“The whole process is so much like cook- ing and science, biology, all wrapped into one,” he says. “I love the whole process of making beer. I’m amazed that you can take grain and turn it into beer. It still amazes me every time I make it. I get excited like a little kid every time I see the air lock bubble, and I’m still like that. It’s a live thing.”
The love of brewing alone kept Mains working at his craft for years. Then a few friends got a taste, and Leap of Faith Brewing, complete with its jumping monk logo, sud- denly started seeming like a real possibility.
“People kept saying, ‘You need to sell this,’” Mains says with a chuckle. “It was just a hobby, so I kept saying no. But then I did a beer fest with Central Arkansas Fermen- ters, and a friend came up and asked when he could sell my beer in his bar. And that’s when I decided, you know, maybe I could do this.”
Mains is the only person that every other brewer in this piece mentioned when asked about the support they received from other central Arkansas beer makers, a testament to his passion for brewing and for his outsized heart. If that sounds a little too congratula- tory of Mains, just ask him about his plans for his brewery.
“What I want to do is do great things with great beer,” Mains says. “I want to pay the bills, of course, for the brewery, break even and then give the rest away. That would make me most happy.
“I don’t want to be like a Lost Forty or Di- amond Bear. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; they are great guys and have helped me out a lot. But I want to keep it small and do some good stuff with the proceeds. There are a lot of organizations that need help.”
Mains doesn’t have one particular charity he works with, instead opting to spread his success among many worthy causes, includ- ing The Van, the Humane Society of Pulaski County and the Arkansas Foodbank. He also says that when he opens, he plans on special events where each tap corresponds with a different charity.
Speaking of opening, Mains says he had something special planned for a location that hadn’t been done before in Arkansas. Howev- er, at that moment (keep reading), he wasn’t willing to tell me what it was. He did, how-
ever, talk about the obstacles every brewer faces in starting up.
“Money is always the hardest thing, the biggest challenge,” Mains says. “That and just finding a space and getting started. Licensing takes a little while, but money is always the biggest challenge.
“Crowdfunding has greatly helped the craft beer industry. There are a lot of brew- eries that wouldn’t otherwise be in existence without those sites. I’m going to do a Kick- starter eventually.”
No matter the work he has to put in, Mains says he believes it’s all going to be worth it.
“Craft beer in Arkansas right now is amaz- ing; it’s an amazing time to be in this business. What makes it most fun to be a brewer in this state, and this is especially true in central Ar- kansas, is the collaboration. We all like each other; we’re all friends; we all brew together. It’s really a special thing, it’s unlike any other business I’ve ever been in.”
Leap of Faith beers:
R ighteous Indignation (Belgian ale with honey)
can be the way we bury the hatchet. We can play off that notorious history and make something special here.”
“We all like each other; we all get along; we’re all friends,” Mains says. “It’s just the collaborative spirit with all the brewers, that’s what makes it worthwhile to me. I enjoy that more than anything.”
Blood Eagle is the business concept of five bikers whose rough-and-tumble appear- ance can be intimidating at first. Numerous tattoos and long beards only tell part of the story, though, and after just a few minutes of conversation, their passion for craft beer becomes unmistakable.
“We started as a group of beer drinkers called the ‘Beerzerkers,’” Blood Eagle’s Jared Davis says. “We actually brewed, Jay and Joey did, our first beer for a baby shower. Everyone came to the baby shower and said, ‘This beer is amazing!’ So we started brew- ing together and formed Blood Eagle out of this group.
“We had a group that was willing to back us if we contributed a certain amount. So we ran a Kickstarter campaign and raised $18,000, which was more than our goal. We have the equipment. We now have the build- ing, and it’s time to work on our licensing.”
Blood Eagle plans on running a sev- en-barrel system that will allow it to keep its four flagship beers in stock, as well as run some more experimental brews. Currently, the group plans on a large taproom and patio area that will offer beer from the two brew- eries and a small food menu. In addition, Blood Eagle is looking into growing its own hops in an organic community garden area behind the brewery. But it’s the proximity to both Diamond Bear and Flyway that has the potential to create a true “hops district” in North Little Rock.
“We’ve spoken with those guys, and they’re really excited about us coming in and being a part of the beer community,” Davis says. “They’ve told us, if we need anything, just come ask. We’re all trying to really get this Argenta beer community going.”
Blood Eagle’s theme and decor plans har- kens back to the days of the Vikings. Some of its original beer names referenced Norse mythology, and although those names are currently being refined, the spirit of the Vikings has already begun informing the group’s planning.
“We have an idea where we’d like to get a bus and paint it like a Viking ship and have raid parties,” Davis says. “Load all these people up with foam axes and helmets, and go ‘raid’ another brewery, you know, buy a bunch of beer and move on to the next one.”
“And that, along with Leap of Faith, it just shows we’re trying to support and draw attention to our beer scene,” Blood Eagle brewer Jay Ragsdale says. “This burst that we’re seeing now is awesome, and anything we can do to help with that, we’re ready.”
R idge’s R ye (red rye
IP A) H efe
M y Beautiful hefeweizen)
S teph
( traditional
German
It was two days after I had spoken to Leap of Faith that I visited the guys behind Blood Eagle Brewing and Taproom, who had just wrapped up a meeting with their attorney about getting their brewery started. They were understandably excited; they had recently secured their location in the large garage behind Hancock Staffing on Fourth Street in North Little Rock. But that was only one reason for the excitement. The big reveal was hinted at as I drove up and spotted none other than Mains hanging out with the group.
“We have Joe here, and we’re going to go in together,” co-founder Joe Bartsch says. “Two breweries, one location. Joe is a great person. We met him through the festival scene, and it was one of those things where as soon as we talked, we realized that this could work. It’s hard to have a conversation with Joe and not be completely on board.”
The plan is for Blood Eagle and Leap of Faith to share the space and brewery, in effect splitting time among the brewing equipment, though each brewery will have its own fermenters. It’s perhaps the most striking example of the collaboration and community spirit that is so pervasive among brewers in central Arkansas.
“Monks and Vikings have a long histo- ry against each other,” Bartsch says with a smile. “So we’re thinking that maybe this
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