Best Breweries in Little Rock (and What to Order)
Little Rock's brewery scene is compact, which is its strength. You can visit four taprooms in an afternoon without driving more than fifteen minutes between any two, and each one has a distinct personality rather than a copy of the same industrial room.
Lost Forty Brewing
501 Byrd St, Little Rock, AR 72202
The biggest and best-known Arkansas brewery, named for a 40-acre stand of virgin timber in the Arkansas delta that was never logged. The taproom is a converted warehouse in the east downtown corridor with a full kitchen, a long bar, and enough space that it rarely feels packed even when it is busy.
What to Order
- Day Drinker Belgian Blonde - the flagship, light and drinkable, the right first beer on a hot afternoon.
• Rockhound IPA - the house West Coast IPA, bitter and clean.
• Whatever is on the rotating small-batch board. Lost Forty's barrel program produces some of the most interesting beer in the state, and it does not travel.
The food is real food, not an afterthought. If you are only doing one stop, make it this one and plan to eat.
Flyway Brewing
314 Maple St, North Little Rock, AR 72114
Named for the Mississippi Flyway, the migratory bird corridor that runs through Arkansas. Flyway is smaller, warmer, and the patio is the best of any brewery in the metro. It is a five-minute drive from downtown Little Rock across the Broadway Bridge.
What to Order
- Bluewing Berry Wheat - the beer that made them. Fruited wheat done with restraint.
• Free Range Brown - underrated, especially once the weather cools.
• The kitchen's fish and chips, which are better than they have any right to be.
Stone's Throw Brewing
402 E 9th St, Little Rock, AR 72202
The neighborhood brewery, in a converted house in the MacArthur Park district. Small batches, a dog-friendly patio, food trucks most nights, and a crowd that mostly walked there. It is the least commercial room on this list and the most likely to have something you have never tried.
What to Order
- Whatever is newest on the board. That is the point of the place.
• If they have a saison on, order the saison.
Rebel Kettle Brewing
822 E 6th St, Little Rock, AR 72202
East of downtown with an industrial patio and a rotating lineup that leans experimental. Good for a mid-crawl stop when you want something unexpected.
Building an Afternoon
A workable route that keeps you moving and keeps you fed:
1. Start at Flyway in North Little Rock around 1 p.m. Patio, one light beer.
2. Cross to Lost Forty around 2:30. Eat here. This is the meal.
3. Stone's Throw around 4. Sit on the patio, order a flight of whatever is new.
4. Finish at Rebel Kettle or head downtown for a show.
Practical Notes
- Order flights at the first two stops, not pints. Four taprooms is a lot of ounces.
• Most taprooms open at noon on Saturday and around 3 or 4 p.m. on weekdays.
• Growlers and crowlers are available at all four; check whether they fill outside containers before you carry one in.
• Lost Forty and Flyway both have real parking lots. Stone's Throw is street parking in a residential neighborhood - be considerate.
• All four are kid-friendly during daylight hours. Stone's Throw and Flyway are the most so.
Pairing With the Rest of the Weekend
The brewery corridor sits between the River Market and MacArthur Park, which makes it easy to finish an afternoon of taprooms at a show downtown. Stickyz and the Rev Room are both under ten minutes from Lost Forty.
