A Former Girl Scout's Guide to Little Rock Beer: A Cookie Tutorial

As a beer lover and former Girl Scout, I feel I must guide those not from Little Rock about what beer should be tried with which Girl Scout cookie. I got the idea about a month and a half ago when I started planning my Girl Scout Cookie series of blog posts. I wanted to end with a fun tour around the city’s breweries and highlight some tasty beer. A sugar coma is not too far behind.

As I was doing this mainly on my own, I knew I had to space the tastings out, or else I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it to the end. Please keep in mind that some of these recollections are a bit hazy, which should be understandable. 

To keep things fair, I have selected only two beers from each place. The only Little Rock brewery not included is Vino’s, which is a shame as they have probably been around longer than most of the breweries on this list. Keep a lookout, though. I do plan on doing something special featuring them in the future. 

This journey begins as all journeys must, someplace a little closer to home. 

Stone's Throw Brewing

As the Stone’s Throw MacArthur Park location is near my work, this is the best place I felt I should start. It was on a cold Friday after work. Luckily, I had let the manager know ahead of time what I was doing and brought my selection of cookies. She had a beer flight ready for me.

Shamus

The Shamus Stout is an oatmeal stout with hints of coffee and a smooth finish. You can order it on tap with either CO2 or Nitro.  For this tasting, I went with CO2. On a side note, Stone’s Throw has begun canning four packs of their most popular beers, starting with this and their Pear Guavara Cider. 

Cookie Pick: Probably one of the easiest pairings to begin with, the chocolate cookie with a stout, but this beer brought out the caramel in the Samoa and it blended nicely. However, my top pick for the Shamus will have to be the Thin Mint. It mellows out the mint and balances the dark chocolate. 

Amadeus

Inspired by Mozart, this is a Vienna lager with a warm malt overtone and my usual go-to whenever I’m there. 

Cookie Pick: I have found that the peanut butter in the Do-si-dos compliments the bitter flavor in most lagers, but there is just something about the Samoa. The toastiness of the coconut matching the warmth of the beer, or maybe it’s the sweetness of the caramel. 

Lost Forty Brewing

I feel like I do most of my projects with Lost Forty beer, probably because it’s the most available to me. Their beer can be found in most stores in Central Arkansas. During the pandemic, they have upped their game regarding small-batch releases and improving mainstays. Their taproom has also started serving pizza which always makes me happy. 

Blueberry Brunch Muffin

Lost Forty’s Blueberry Brunch Muffin has been around for a few seasons now. It is a tart ale made with blueberries, lemon, and vanilla. Perfect for a humid Spring in the South. 

Cookie Pick: The Trefoil provides an excellent canvas for many of the stronger flavored beers. It was able to cut through the tartness and bring out more of the blueberry flavor. However, the Toffeetastic made it taste like a real blueberry muffin. 

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Love Honey Bock

The barrel-aged version of the Love Honey is a limited-release version of one of their crowd pleasers. They have taken their Love Honey Bock, made with Arkansas honey, and aged it in Rock Town Distillery bourbon barrels. The bourbon finish is not too overpowering and has the taste of a nice honey bourbon. 

Cookie Pick: I found that this paired well with a variety of different cookies. The caramel in the Samoa compliments the bourbon flavor, while the Tagalong cuts that flavor down, allowing the honey to shine through. However, the toffee bits in the Toffeetastic brought out the warmth of the bourbon, and the honey added to the sweetness of the cookie.

It's interesting, as I have found in my research, the Toffeetastic tends to compliment a variety of the different beers, and it is the certified gluten-free cookie. 

Diamond Bear Brewing Company

Diamond Bear is one of Arkansas’ first commercial breweries and distributed throughout the state. I’ve probably had every beer they have released. Last year, they came out with a line of hard seltzers that seem to be doing well. 

Diamond Bear Pale Ale

In almost every bar or restaurant in Little Rock, if they have a local beer on tap, it’s usually this one. It’s the universal go-to that bridges the gap between craft beer drinkers and those that enjoy domestic. 

Cookie Pick: The Pale Ale paired really well with some of my tougher cookies. It brought out the sweetness of the Lemon-Ups and made the peanut butter in the Do-si-dos buttery smooth. 

Blu Golden Lager

Diamond Bear rebranded their Southern Blonde and renamed it Blu. This and their Fest beer are my favorites that they make. It’s incredibly light and crisp. 

Cookie Pick: Because Blu is so understated, it has been the closest to complimenting the Trefoils. The sweetness of the shortbread cut down on the bitter taste of the beer. The beer also softens the sour bite of the Lemon-Ups and lets the sweet aftertaste come through.

Brood & Barley

Brood & Barley opened at the beginning of the pandemic, and despite that, has managed to do very well. It operates as a taproom project for Flyway Brewing Company with a delicious menu, cocktails, and specialty brews. Because of this, they do not have individual cans or bottles for sale, nor are they able to do flights at the moment. So, when I went there to obtain my samples for this project, I ended up having to buy two 64oz growlers of their beer. Luckily, I had my boyfriend’s help with the rest.

Hefeweizen

Although some of the beer made for Brood and Barley do have additional flavorings and follow seasonal trends, it seems they are focusing on perfecting specific styles such as their Proper Pils. A hefeweizen is a German-style wheat beer. This one has notes of spices such as clove and nutmeg with an underlying hint of banana, but on the whole, it doesn’t stray from the traditional flavor profile.  

Cookie Pick: The Lemon-Ups balance out the clove and bring out the lemon from the cookie. Trefoils were not as complimentary, but it did mellow out the beer. One of the best pairings, in my opinion, was with the Do-si-dos. It’s that classic banana and peanut butter combination that made it really amazing. 

Robust Porter

When fresh off the tap, the Robust Porter is full-bodied and rich without being too heavy. After it's been sitting in a growler for a few days, I found that its coffee flavor becomes more pronounced. 

Cookie Pick: Before beginning the tastings, I had placed my bets on which cookie would pair best with which beer. I was correct in my assumption that Tagalongs were the ideal pick for this. The creaminess of the milk chocolate and peanut butter match the boldness of the beer perfectly. With the more pronounced coffee flavor, the porter with the Thin Mints did make me think of peppermint mochas. It felt like Christmas.

Speaking of Flyway.

Flyway Brewing Company

One of the last places I went to complete my journey before having to go back in case there was something I missed. I was happy to end my tour here. Due to the weather, I wasn’t able to sit out in the sun in Tent City. However, the in-house playlist seemed to have sampled my soundtrack to Junior High, which put me in a particularly good mood.

Low Flock

Low Flock is kind of a semi-seasonal hazy IPA made with citrus. I usually don’t go for IPAs in general. There has been a choice few that I have liked, this being one of them. 

Cookie Pick: This feels like it should be obvious, but the Lemon-Ups bring out more of the different notes such as grapefruit and orange, which makes for a very summery pairing with a sour bite.

Free Range

Free Range is their very earthy brown ale served year round. If I don’t order the Bluewing when I’m there, I usually go for this when I am in a certain mood.

Cookie Pick: This paired with the Samoa is perhaps my favorite during this whole sugarcoated odyssey. Probably because the Free Range and the Samoa are so much alike. The toasted coconut blends in with the malt while the chocolate and caramel bring out the beer’s subtle sweetness. Together, they leave a great feeling on your tastebuds.