Before I get to the subject of this week’s column, I want to give a big thank you to all the Faithful Readers who showed up to the Knights of Columbus fish fry last Friday night. You helped make our fundraiser an incredible success! The consensus when it was over was that we had never made that much money at a fish fry before, and we have all of you who came out to thank for that! So thank you very much!
I had to turn a handful of you away because we ran out of fish. I do apologize for that. Next time we will know to cook more!
Anyway, on to this week’s column!
This week I want to give a big, well-deserved plug to a couple of folk up the road in Camden who are doing something pretty fantastic. Those folk are Bobby and Lauren Miller Glaze, the proprietors of Native Dog Brewing. I went and checked out the brewery a couple of Saturdays ago and it was a blast. The atmosphere is great, particularly the patio out back. Bobby and Lauren are very friendly, as are their bartenders. And the beer is solid. I say that as someone who has been a craft beer guy for years now.
Some of you may remember an article here in the News-Times back when Native Dog first opened its taps and its doors. I remember reading it and getting really excited. I am absolutely thrilled that south Arkansas has entered the craft beer scene, and that our first foray into it is off to a strong start.
Native Dog is a great place to spend a relaxing Saturday afternoon, and a Sunday afternoon too, for that matter. I went back the next day because one of those friendly bartenders I mentioned, Brook, was kind enough to invite me to her birthday party. Thanks again for the invite, Brook!
Now, I haven’t tried all of their beers yet, but I’ll talk a bit about the ones I have tried.
Their best effort that I’ve tasted so far is the Bat Outta Hell Stout. Stouts, for those of you not in the know, are the darkest and heaviest beers out there. Guinness is the most famous one in the world by far. The Bat Outta Hell is thick with flavor and has a nice chocolate finish with a hint of coffee.
Then, there’s the Trinity Irish Red Ale. Irish Reds are my favorite kind of beer, and this one did not disappoint in the least. The beer is dark, though not as dark as a stout. It’s nice and malty with just a bit of sweetness.
They’ve also got the Poison Springs Pale Ale, which for a pale ale is very hoppy, and their India Pale Ale is even hoppier still. What does “hoppy” mean, you may ask? Well, beer is made with a plant called hops. It’s part of what gives beer its flavor. Putting a lot of hops in beer can give it a bit of a bitter taste, but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s difficult for me to describe the unique flavor of an especially hoppy beer. You’ll just have to taste it for yourself, Faithful Reader. Suffice to say, pale ales are hoppier than your average beer, and India pale ales (IPAs for short), are the hoppiest beers out there.
They’ve got other beers, but those are the ones I had a pint of.
Not into beer? Native Dog brews root beer and cream soda as well. The root beer is good. I did tell Bobby that I think it needs a bit more vanilla, but that’s just me. The cream soda has plenty of vanilla and is another good choice for those looking for a non-alcoholic option.
As the name implies, canines are welcome on the premises! And if you’re hungry, you can find a food truck outside. Or, at least you could both of the days I was there.
I will definitely be going back. You should check it out, Faithful Reader. You’ll be glad you did.
Caleb Baumgardner is a local attorney. He can be reached at [email protected].