Page 12 - SYNC 10.28.15

IDRINK SPECIALS |
n less than three years, Little Rock’s beverage scene has more a great way to connect the dots in the local brewery scene, show- than tripled in size. What was once two solid local breweries casing the close proximity and variety of places to visit in Pulaski has grown to at least seven beer makers, a distillery and two County. Hopefully, this will continue to grow the central Arkansas
wineries. And with even more beer and wine planned for 2016, alcohol industry by creating more demand for local choices.”
Look for Blood Eagle and Leap of Faith to begin renovation and construction soon, with an expected opening later in 2016.
Blood Eagle beers (unnamed):
P ale ale
Black rye IP A Double IP A Wheat beer
It’s possible there’s no brewery more un- likely than Slate Rock Brewing. It’s not be- cause the owners lack passion or experience (they don’t), but rather because of its location. Owners and husband-and-wife team Orianne and Shawn Burgess are setting up their busi- ness in Amity. It’s a tiny Clark County town boasting fewer than 750 people at last cen- sus. Oh, and did you know Clark County just went wet less than five years ago?
“It’s a challenge, for sure,” Orianne says. “We’re not trying to make it big, so it’s just going to be simple, family-owned. If we have anybody else work for us, it’ll be close friends.
“It’ll just be a hometown spot. During the summertime, you have your river floaters and campers and fishermen who will be custom- ers. But really, we’re just trying to appeal to the local crowd and turn them into craft beer drinkers.”
The two also come from uncommon brewing roots. Shawn is a contractor; Ori- anne, a painter who runs a rural mail route. But they both got the brewing bug just a year after getting married.
“It was an anniversary present to each other, our first anniversary, just a little brew- ing kit,” Orianne says with a laugh. “And we did it for a couple of years. Then we went to Mexico, where a friend of ours is a brewer, and he asked Shawn to help out. And Shawn said, ‘We can do this!’”
Work has already begun on Slate Rock Brewing, with the foundation dug out and formed on some property belonging to Ori- anne’s parents. Shawn’s skills and connections mean the family will be doing most of the building themselves, except where the state requires professional work, such as with the plumbing.
Still, building a brewery is an expensive proposition. Slate Rock has started a Kick- starter fundraising project with a goal of reaching $16,000 by Nov. 16. As of press time, donations totaled a little more than $1,000.
“We know the local economy isn’t that great,” Orianne says. “We’re not trying to make a million dollars. But it’ll hopefully help everybody here see that beer isn’t a bad thing.”
As for the brewery, the Burgesses plan to operate a 10-barrel system, capable of putting out 310 gallons of beer a week (though they will likely operate under capacity until the
central Arkansas is quickly crafting its own identity in the world of craft beverages. Such a rapidly evolving landscape naturally creates a support structure, and both Little Rock brewers and winemakers back one another fiercely.
Seeing the impact this revolution can have on the city’s econ- omy and culture, Little Rock and North Little Rock leaders have also come together with a program to help these businesses stay vibrant. The collaboration between the two’s conven-
tion and visitors bureaus is called Locally Labeled.
“It’s our beverage tourism product for the greater Little Rock area,” says Gretchen Hall, CEO of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s high- lighting all of our local adult-beverage makers, including the breweries, distillery and the winery.”
Locally Labeled is a unique incentive program that encourages customers to visit all of the city’s drink man- ufacturers. Visitors can pick up a passport at the vis- itors bureau,
or any of the
participating
businesses,
and collect
stickers at
each location
they make
a purchase.
Once they get
seven unique
stickers, cus-
tomers can
turn in the
passport for
a free Locally
Labeled sandstone coaster that isn’t available for sale. Visit all 10 businesses, and you get a special Locally Labeled T-shirt and a discount on other merchandise.
“We hope this raises the awareness of central Arkansas as a wonderful tourism destination,” Hall says. “And we also want our local residents to learn more about these makers and all of our local business here.
“Our culinary scene here in the greater Little Rock area is really growing and expanding, and our beverage scene is a big part of that. Ale trails are popular across the country. Kentucky has their bourbon trails, and we’re lucky enough to have all three in this area.”
At the Locally Labeled kickoff event Oct. 15, the buzz was noteworthy, with hundreds of people showing up to get a taste of the craft beer and wine available in the city (spirits were not permitted at the event). And while the program is now only two weeks old, breweries in the Little Rock area have already noticed a difference.
“In the program’s first weekend, we’ve seen a trend of people starting at the bigger breweries and then making their way to smaller operations,” Stone’s Throw Brewing co-owner Ian Beard says. “If this trend continues, the Locally Labeled program will be
That potential for increased demand is something that has city leaders excited for ideas like Locally Labeled. The hope is that the heightened interest will spark economic growth, both from locals and tourists.
“Little Rock is unique as a destination, and we want to continue to make it that way,” Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola says. “So whether its food or unique craft beer, we want to encourage that.
And it’s one of my jobs as mayor is to continue that progress. You know, wheth- er it’s the cre- ative corri- dor on Main Street or the technology corridor, or whether it’s all the won- derful restau- rants and mi- crobreweries. It all creates
that wonderful experience. People want to live in a place with a good quality of life, and this really helps that.”
While Locally Labeled is starting with 10 businesses, there are already plans in place to expand in the coming years, both in terms of adding new beverage companies and making changes based on how well the program is able to succeed.
“We have two more breweries and another winery that are in the works,” Hall says. “As soon as those get opened, we’ll have new iterations of the passport printed. We’re interested to see how many people participate and actually redeem those passports, and
then we’ll take it from there.”
Currently, there are 10 participating businesses in the Locally Labeled program:
Blue Canoe Brewing Co. Damgoode Pies River Market Diamond Bear Brewing Co.
An Enchanting Evening Winery Lost Forty Brewing
Refined Ale Brewery
River Bottom Winery at BoBrook Farms Rock Town Distillery
Stone’s Throw Brewing
Vino’s Brewpub
You can pick up a passport at any of these businesses or the River Mar- ket’s Ottenheimer H all. T o redeem the passport , go to S hop the R ock in Oppenheimer H all. You must be 21 or older to participate, and only one prize per completed passport will be awarded. For more information on Locally Labeled, go to littlerock.com.
12 syncweekly.com • 10.28.15
Little Rock,
North Little Rock team up for incentive program