Arkansas Beer: An Intoxicating History

by Brian Sorensen, James Spencer (Foreword)

Arkansas's booze scene had a promising start, with America's biggest brewing families, Busch and Lemp, investing in Little Rock just prior to Prohibition. However, by 1915, the state had passed the Newberry Act, banning the manufacturing and selling of alcohol. It was not until sixty-nine years later that the state welcomed its first post-temperance brewery, Arkansas Brewing Company. After a few false starts, brewpubs in Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Little Rock found success. By 2000, the industry had regained momentum. An explosion of breweries around the state has since propelled Arkansas into the modern beer age.

176 pages, Paperback

Published September 11, 2017

Reviews

[Aaron Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and concise history of arkansas beer. Read for work,overall a good book

[Garlan ✌ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy, entertaining read about the rise of craft brewing in Arkansas, from the late 19th century, through prohibition, and then in recent years, the dramatic surge in growth from small tap houses to medium scale distributors. The author highlights both success stories as well as those that didn't last for various reasons. Legislation and the big three national distributors put a damper on early attempts to start brewing in the state. Real growth has only been possible in the last 10-12 years, but it has established a firm foothold throughout much of the state today. I really enjoyed the backstories of the local brewers and how they risked financial calamity to pursue their dreams. I'm not a non-fiction reader for the most part, so I was really surprised at how well this book read.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing research on prohibition in Arkansas and this was very helpful on both historical and contemporary information about Arkansas beer!