Diamond Bear Gives Arkansas Its Own Brew New Bottling Line Should Be Operational by July

Jill M. Rohrbach, travel writer
Arkansas Tourism

Before the rise of behemoth brewing companies, like Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing Company, small breweries were the norm in the United States, and -- like the local food and culture -- they added to the overall experience of visiting new places. Russ Melton, who opened the Diamond Bear Brewing Company in Little Rock in 2000, first realized the joy of discovering regional beers while serving in the Army and living in Bavaria for several years. An Arkansas native, he left Bavaria thinking The Natural State was deserving of its own beer.

While there are a couple of brewpubs in Arkansas that sell on-site the beers they make, Diamond Bear is the only production brewery in Arkansas today.

The Beer Market

The beer market is divided into domestic, import and craft beer. But beer can be both craft and import. Diamond Bear competes in the upper-price tier of the beer market, primarily against other craft beers such as Sierra Nevada from California and imports such as Bass Ale, Heineken and Corona, Melton explained.

A craft beer is one brewed without the use of adjuncts, which are chemicals, additives and preservatives. Charlie Kling, the head brewer at Diamond Bear, explained that adjuncts such as rice and corn give a beer alcohol, but no flavor. "We get better flavor with two-row malted barley," he said.

Diamond Bear beer is brewed in accordance with the German Purity Laws, meaning only barley, hops, water and yeast are used. "There are millions of permutations you can get off of those four ingredients," Kling said. For example, he said there are dozens of varieties of hops for different flavors. Flavor is also affected by the temperature during fermentation, by the water chemistry, by adding hops at different times in the process, and by other factors.

Melton said some people have the preconceived notion that all craft beer is heavy or that Bud Light is how beer should taste. "In Europe they don't drink beer like [Bud Light]," he said.

Kling added that people are sometimes afraid to try something different. "It's one of those things that when people do try it, they like it," he said. "It is different; but, in the same respect, do you want bland or flavorful food?"

"People are surprised by how smooth and pleasant our Irish Red and Pale Ale is," Melton added. According to Melton, the brewery's Southern Blond Ale is a good transition beer, closest to most domestic beers, yet more flavorful, which makes it ideal for those trying craft beer for the first time.

The Beers (as described by the brewery)

• Southern Blonde -- "A light, crisp golden ale brewed with 100% two-row pale malt. It's light in body and aroma, but well hopped with generous carbonation creating a wonderful foam head."
• Pale Ale -- "A medium-bodied, amber-colored pale ale, this beer is well balanced between the sweetness imparted by the roasted caramel malt and the light bitterness and aroma imparted by the Golding, Fuggle and Cascade Hops. Typical of pale ales, it has mild carbonation with a pleasant hoppy aroma."
• Irish Red -- "A bold smooth Irish red ale, this style ale is brewed with a rich blend of malts to give it a deep-red full body and generous amounts of Willamette and Fuggle hops for a wonderful aroma and taste."

Melton said the brewery will also offer seasonal beers such as a Summer Wheat, Oktoberfest, Holiday Ale and a seasonal spring beer.

Bottling Diamond Bear in Arkansas

All of Diamond Bear's draft beer is brewed on site. Until now, though, Diamond Bear's line of bottled beers has been brewed under contract and bottled by an out-of-state brewery. Diamond Bear recently purchased a bottling line from a company in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Diamond Bear moved the line to its brewery in Little Rock, and Melton said he expects to be bottling by July.

"We're currently in the process of getting it hooked up and working out the logistics of bringing the packaging to Arkansas as well," explained Melton. Diamond Bear buys everything it can locally. Thus, even the packaging for the bottled line of products will come from Arkansas.

While the bottled product has always been the same recipe as the draft product brewed in Arkansas, Melton said several elements created a slight difference in the bottled product. "Attention to detail will be better here," he said. Also, water is a key component when making beer, and Minnesota and Arkansas water have different qualities.

"Water in Arkansas is very good," Melton said.

According to Melton, producing all of its products on-site should enable Diamond Bear to keep its bottled line consistent with the quality of its draft beer. It will also allow the brewery greater flexibility to offer more varieties with shorter lead times and fresher beer, Melton said.

Where It's Sold

Diamond Bear beer is sold in Arkansas, western Tennessee and northern Louisiana. The company is in the process of expanding into Mississippi and other parts of Tennessee and Louisiana.

"You'll find it in liquor stores and grocery stores that have good selection of premium products," Melton said. "There are also a growing number of bars and restaurants carrying our product."

The first establishment to offer Diamond Bear beer was the Flying Saucer, located in the downtown River Market District of Little Rock. "Even with over 85 of the top beers in the world to offer, Diamond Bear consistently is one of our best-selling beers," Shawn Shaw of the Flying Saucer said. "Once people try Diamond Bear, they normally reorder the product on a continuous basis."

Diamond Bear History

Diamond Bear started brewing in September of 2000 and began distributing in October of 2000.

The name of the company is as distinctly Arkansas as its beer. The first part of the name comes from the fact that North America's largest diamond (40.23 carats) and more than 70,000 other diamonds have been unearthed in a field south of Murfreesboro since farmer John Huddleston discovered the first such gems there in 1906. Now the eroding surface of a volcanic pipe is preserved as Crater of Diamonds State Park, the world's only site where, for a small fee, anyone can dig for diamonds and keep what they find.

As for the bear portion of Diamond Bear, Arkansas was home to a large population of bears in pioneer days. The Bear State is Arkansas' earliest known nickname, first seen in print in 1858.

Tours and Private Parties

Public tours of the brewery are offered at 2 p.m. every Saturday. Melton said tours are given on a first-come, first-serve basis, and the brewery can handle up to 30 people per tour. Tours last from 45 minutes to an hour. Private group tours are available by special arrangement. The brewery may also be rented for catered private parties, with Diamond Bear's beers on tap. The 6,000-square-foot facility can accommodate up to 500 people.

Diamond Bear Brewing Company is located at 323 Cross Street, three blocks east of the Arkansas State Capitol. For more information, call (501) 708-BREW (2739).

Natural State Brew Pubs

• Vino's Brewpub, 923 West 7th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas. (501) 375-8466; www.vinosbrewpub.com. Vino's serves 6 Bridges Cream Ale, Firehouse Pale Ale, Lazyboy Stout, Ouachita ESB, Rainbow Wheat, Quapaw Quarter Porter, Aphrodite Red Ale, English "Old Style" Ale, Pinnacle IPA and Shamrock Stout. Vino's is also known for its pizzas and calzones and live music.
• Bosco's, 500 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, Arkansas. (501) 907-1881; www.boscosbeer.com/. This restaurant for beer lovers is now open in Little Rock's River Market area. It currently has eight beers on tap, including its award-winning Bombay IPA, Isle of Skye Scottish Ale, Cask Conditioned Ale and Bottle Conditioned Ale. Food offerings include appetizers such as smoked duck spring rolls, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, pasta and entrees such as black bean and goat cheese tamales.