Bentonville Brewing Company | Bentonville, AR
Beer Trip: Bentonville Brewing Company in Bentonville, Arkansas
Having made periodic trips to Northwest Arkansas for over a decade, the area is always different during each visit. Our last visit to Bentonville Brewing Company was pre-COVID, and since then, they’ve grown exponentially to fit the needs of the growing community.
The Brewery
When we think of Bentonville, we think of the outdoors and biking, and high-class brewing facilities. Bentonville Brewing fits all of these descriptions to a T! This place is probably the largest brewery in the area, occupying a huge, two-story building. The brewing operations themselves take up half the space, and the other half is the taproom. The structure is only about 5 years old, so everything about it feels very modern. From the concrete-top bar to the pops of wooden accents and floor-to-ceiling windows, no detail has gone unnoticed. We happened to come with two toddlers, and they stayed occupied all afternoon in the kids’ nook, which is a small room tucked off by itself featuring tons of games and toys. The tucked-away nature of the space made it the perfect place for the kiddos to make a mess (which we promise we helped to clean up)!
The outdoor space is somehow more impressive than the inside, and rivals that of any brewery we have encountered. There have to be nearly 50 tables around back, with ten or so of them under a covered, shaded canopy. Right in the middle of the space is an outdoor bar and an actual kids’ bike track with about a dozen small bikes to ride. This was one of the coolest things we’ve experienced at a brewery! Behind the track is yet another fenced-in space featuring an off-leash dog park. This place truly has something for everybody.
The Beer
You’ll find a nice selection of 15 different taps at Bentonville Brewing. Of those, 5 or 6 are considered flagships, and the rest rotate either seasonally or on a limited release basis. During our visit, the board featured 4 IPAs, multiple pilsners, an amber, a sour, and a porter, as well as several German-style beers as Oktoberfest season quickly approaches.
Having a group of us sample the menu, we all found their beer to be above average in the flavor department. The IPA drinkers found the Space Goose to be the top choice. Their flagship New England IPA has a ton of haze, along with a nice citrus and slight tropical notes. The other two favorites of the trip were limited release options in the You’re My Boy Golden Ale and the Tactical Possum Pale Ale. Both of these were easy drinkers on a warm afternoon, with the golden ale having a light blueberry taste and the pale ale being dry and citrusy.
Food, Merch, & More
You can come hungry here, as you’ll find up to 3 food trucks parked around back in addition to the Nola (New Orleans) mobile setup in the indoor vendor window. With so many options for people to pick from, it made the lines move very quickly. We enjoyed the grub from Nola, which featured delicious Po-Boys.
In addition to beer, Bentonville Brewing also makes a couple of their own ciders and craft sodas. The merchandise selection sits just beside the bar area and includes shirts, hats, wall tackers, water bottles, and fanny packs. Lucky for us, they had stickers and a wide selection of 6-packs available to go, which we took full advantage of.
Bentonville Brewing is a place we’ll remember fondly! Having young kids, a brewery with spaces to keep them occupied makes our experience so much more enjoyable. We will certainly find our way back, and recommend you pay them a visit if you find yourself in the area.
Cheers!
Chris & Morgan (& Warren and Gretchen, Cody & Anna, Isla & Lachlan)
