Any conversation about local brewing operations and beer produced in Northwest Arkansas has been focused on Washington County, with a majority of the talk centered on Fayetteville.
Ozark Beer Co. is working to change that.
Housed in an 8,000-square-foot warehouse on about 2 acres near downtown Rogers, Ozark Beer Co. is the first local brewer in Benton County. Ozark Beer Co. opened in late 2013 and already has 23 restaurants it distributes to throughout the region.
Ozark Beer Co. cans were recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and brew-master Andy Coates said grocery and liquor stores will begin carrying the brand as early as April.
Opening a brewery had been a dream for Coates, an Iowa native, for a number of years. He just needed the right location.
Laws favorable to brewing and distribution, a booming population and a still relatively under served craft-beer market led Coates to Northwest Arkansas. It helped that Coates’ wife and the brewery’s business manager, Lacie Bray, is from the area. The couple met in Colorado.
Coates, like the region’s other brewers, strongly considered Fayetteville, but during the planning stages of Ozark Beer, previously-dry Benton County voted to allow alcohol sales. That piqued Coates’ interest in locating farther north. Finding a space that could accommodate growth also was key, and the old warehouse near downtown Rogers offered what the brewery needed.
Besides its Benton County location, Ozark Beer Co. has set itself apart in other ways.
Ozark Beer Co. is brewing with all-American-made equipment. Everything from the tanks to the drain grates were manufactured in the United States and, when possible, Coates bought locally.
Staying as local as possible added costs to the operation, but he said, felt more true to the brewery’s aim to deliver “Hard Work, Honest Beer.”
Coates is keeping the selections limited, and right now Ozark Beer Co. has an India Pale Ale and a cream stout that can be purchased in local restaurants, or on Saturdays and Sundays at the tasting room in Rogers. A Belgium golden ale is available starting this week, and an America pale ale is coming in February.
Concentrating on what the brewery does best and not getting spread too thin is a key to long-term success, Coates said. He would know. Coates got his start in Colorado’s thriving craft-beer scene, attended the American Brewer’s Guild in Vermont and apprenticed at Chicago’s Goose Island Beer Co. before being hired there as a full-time brewer.
Ozark Beer Co. is now the region’s eighth brewing operation. Some operate as restaurants, as well, but others focus solely on the beer.
Can all these local breweries survive? It’s possible. Beer, as detailed in our September story on the Fayetteville Ale Trail, can be big business. Oregon, a mecca of local breweries, reports $3 billion a year in craft-beer sales.
So far sales at Ozark Beer Co. are exceeding expectations, Coates said. Still, he doesn’t plan on adding any more accounts at this time. Focusing on existing customers is critical as Ozark Beer Co. discovers whether sales are sustainable or people are buying simply because “we are the brand-new shiny toy in the toy box.”
A reader recently emailed to ask what rock I’d been living under after he read last week’s column.
I wrote then that we shouldn’t expect the rumored Bentonville Plaza Sheraton to be built across from the Wal-Mart home office anytime soon. It’s been a possibility for about 10 years and remains a possibility, but at this point the 6,500 square feet of meeting space and 234 rooms are really nothing more than urban legend.
What I knew then and likely should have noted in the column to avoid confusion is that Starwood, the company responsible for the Sheraton brand, does have one of its Four Points by Sheraton hotels scheduled to open at 211 S.E. Walton in the spring.
Four Points are designed for what the company describes as the “self-sufficient” traveler. They’re not quite the luxury, full-service brand Sheraton is.
So, yes, technically a Sheraton property is coming to Bentonville. Just not that Sheraton property.
Headed back under the rock now. Thanks to all of you for reading, and never hesitate to email or call if you have an idea or think something needs clarification.
If you have a tip, call Chris Bahn at (479) 365-2972 or email him at cbahn@nwaonline.com
Business, Pages 61 on 01/12/2014