A Brewery in the Middle of Nowhere: Gravity BrewWorks in Big Flat, AR

Has anyone ever heard of Gravity BrewWorks? Neither have I, until recently. We go camping, hiking, biking, etc. a lot around the Mountain View area, which is in a dry county. We have some friends that drive from Stone County to Baxter County, which is a wet county, to get their regular dose of beer. They told us about Gravity BrewWorks and how much they love it, so we checked it out.

About 30 minutes from Mountain View, on Highway 14 East in Big Flat, you will find Gravity BrewWorks This is a small “nanobrewery” that opened in November of 2013. One of the owners used to be the head brewer at Vino’s in Little Rock. They focus on a small number of house-brewed batches, which allows them to really focus and make sure these are great beers.

THE ENVIRONMENT

In the middle of Nowheresville, you will find this very nice brewery. The large sign out from makes it hard to miss.

The inside is open and modernly decorated. There is a bar up front and tables with some games to play throughout the rest of the room.

There is even a large, clean bathroom for when you break the seal.

The people that work there couldn’t be more kind. Two ladies were working this day and both were very helpful. They offered us samples of each beer, answered any questions we had, and just made easy small talk with everyone there. We felt immediately right at home here.
There were some locals enjoying a beer while we were here, as well. They were very kind and easy to talk to, as well. It was a very nice, homey environment. Just right for a brewery, in my opinion.

THE BREWS

On the day we stopped by, there were four brews on tap, all of which we got to sample.
1. Falling Star ESB (5%)- This is an English-style ale that was lighter than the others, but pretty bitter. Spoiler alert: We got some of this one in a growler.
2. Blacker Shade of Ale (5.3%) – You guessed it, this was a dark beer. It was full of deep, rich flavors. A great sipping beer, but one I wouldn’t get a growler of. (I am not a huge fan of dark beer)
3. Hoppy Together IRA (6%)- This Indian Red Ale was a nice hoppy beer without being overly hoppy. It still had depth and flavors that I enjoyed, even though I am not a hops fan.
4. Bel Hop Belgian IPA (6.3%)- This was hoppy! That is all I could taste and I am NOT a fan of hops. If you are, you will love this beer!

The prices were surprisingly affordable as well…much cheaper than many Little Rock Breweries we frequent.  Each beer is labeled with a letter, which shows you how much it costs on the menu. With all options of pints ranging from $4.25- $5.75, that is pretty great price-wise, especially for a brewery with no near competition.

We decided to purchase a couple of their 32 oz quart bottles for $3 a piece. We got the Falling Star in one and the Hoppy Together IRA in another.  I was happy to see 32 oz bottles available. I would never have been able to drink a 64 oz of either of these brews before it went flat. So, the 32 oz is a nice option to have on hand when going to any brewery.

If you want to stop by, their tasting room is open Thursday- Saturday, 12-8pm.

 

 

Food Review: Flyway Brewing

I’m not a HUGE beer person, but I am a huge pretzel person. Here’s my take:
-Environment- very cool, modern, and spacious.
-Blueberry Wheat Beer- this was my fav, but I like light, fruity beer….most IPA lovers will not like this.

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Two flights of beer

-Pretzels- a little disappointing, too thick and under done for my taste, but I like pretzels well done.. Not much buttery flavor. I tried the plain one, it came with really good course ground mustard. I also tried the sriracha one with madras mustard. It wasn’t sriracha-y enough and that mustard was downright gross. Everyone I was with agreed. The lavender salt pretzel with honey mustard was by far the best. Not too lavender-y, but lots of good salty flavor. The honey mustard was pretty typical, very sweet.

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Flyway pretzel (plain with courses ground mustard)

But let your mouth be the judge and let us know what you think in the comments.