New Brews

All your favorite craft beers will be back in one place for unlimited sampling this Saturday at the annual Fayetteville Foam Fest. Nearly 100 breweries, including 10 locals, will converge at the Fayetteville Town Center to throw one of the biggest celebrations of craft beer in Northwest Arkansas. Usually held in the parking lot of the Walton Arts Center, festival organizer Brandon Karn says he thinks the new location will give the festival a fresh feel.

"It's a cool space, and the view out the back windows looking at the Boston Mountains is beautiful," he says. "There are lots of patio spaces, and the room will allow us to have a big screen at the front where we'll project photos and our live Twitter feed during the event. It'll be more interactive this year."

Another change is the Brewers' Dinner. Last year the dinner, featuring special craft beer pairings, was held on the weekend following the beer fest. This go around, the dinner is tonight and will include more variety in the beer pairings. Chef Mike of the Chancellor Hotel and 64/94 Bistro will pair his menu of beer cheese dip, beef puff pastry, bacon-wrapped shrimp, mango chicken satay and more with well known brews and small batch ales from local and regional breweries for the special event.

If (for some strange reason) you're worried about the sheer number of calories in all that beer, maybe the cycling brewery tour is the way to go. The tour, added this year, takes riders along the Fayetteville trail system while stopping at five local breweries. And to make you feel better about burning all those calories -- or about drinking all that beer -- the proceeds from this year's events will benefit local charities the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Apple Seeds NWA and Ranger's Pantry. So really, how can you not go?

-- JOCELYN MURPHY

JMURPHY@NWADG.COM

NAN What's Up on 05/06/2016