5 Little Rock Beers You Need to Drink This December

Diamond Bear Brewing Co.

Everyone loved Diamond Bear’s signature Strawberry Blond lager, and when it was time to give the beer’s branding a refresh, they turned to the artwork of local artist Nancy Jordan. Her design feature Blu the bear as he fishes below the Little Red River below Sugar Loaf Mountain. The can and name may be new, but the fantastic taste is still the same.

Flyway Brewing Company
It just wouldn’t be the holidays without fruit cake, or at least that’s what the team at Flyway thinks. Their Fruit Cake Belgian Strong Ale is fashioned after a family recipe from owner Jess McMullen's Aunt Maxine. It has a Belgian Strong Ale base, though it’s a little heavier and darker for a Belgian style, and comes in at 8.2% ABV. They brewed it with spices and aged it on dates, currants, cherries, apricots, cracked nutmeg, and a big ole bag of freshly roasted pecans. It’s currently available on draft at Flyway as well as to take home in growlers or in their mixed four-pack Cake Series Small Batch cans (includes the coffee cake stout, fruit cake, carrot cake, and red velvet cake ales).

Lost Forty Brewing
Is there a better way to spread Christmas cheer than giving the gift of local beer? Currant Mood Currant & Cherry Ale is light and easy-drinking with loads of rich currant and dark cherry flavors. It’s the perfect addition to your holiday celebrations - pair it with your figgy puddings, put it under the tree, or drop some off on the porch of a pal who could use a little extra cheer this year. Don’t forget to slip some into your own stocking, too!

Stone’s Throw Brewing
The Dirty 7 IPA takes its name from the shady, quaint roads of rual Arkansas. At 7%, it’s a solid, standard IPA, fit for any occasion. Packed full of Mosaic hops, this beer quenches the thirsts of those who love a hop bomb but is gentle enough on those who don’t. Notes of stonefruit, berries, citrus, tropical fruit, and pine will wind their way across your taste buds, and take you back to a time when you, too, had nothing better to do.

Vnio’s Brewpub
Vino’s Six Bridges Cream Ale is light gold in color with a slightly hoppy flavor, and despite its name, doesn’t contain any actual cream. This light and eminently drinkable beer is the one we reach for time after time to wash down a slice of Vino’s in-house pizza.

Whatever brewery you end up at, be sure to grab a Locally Labeled passport, your pocket-sized guide to Little Rock’s craft adult beverage scene. Get enough stamps in your passport and you can redeem the booklet for t-shirts and other prizes.