Raising the Bar for Beer in NW Arkansas

So glad you're here!!

As a graduate student living in Northwest Arkansas, I've become accustomed to winding down the day with a cold beer either at home or out about town at a brewery. NW Arkansas has exponentially expanded the last few decades due in part to Walmart, Tyson, and JB Hunt hiring more workers and attracting younger employees to the area. However, this is not the most notable attractive force that NW Arkansas has to offer. The beautiful views, roaring rivers, and bustling small city culture have made these younger folks want to settle down and stay a while. There is truly something for everyone Bentonville to the north, Fayetteville to the south, and everything in between.

Bluff cave at Round Top Mountain Hiking Trail in Jasper, Arkansas

 

Coming to know and love this area has been a part of my graduate school journey over the past year. I began my academic journey at the University of Mississippi in pursuit of my Bachelor's degree in Anthropology. After four years, and a whole lot of memory-making, I began my Master's degree here at the University of Arkansas in Anthropology. Not knowing anyone here was the greatest fear of my life, despite having moved around five times previously in my life. My family lives in the Detroit area, so they were now a plane ride away only on holiday breaks.

"Bluebirds of Happiness" at Terra Studios in Fayetteville, Arkansas

 

After starting classes, I made a few friends, and we decided to start doing a department happy hour at different bars in the Fayetteville area. This opportunity to connect and talk with fellow graduate students was the highlight of my first semester. By the time the spring semester rolled around, most of the bars had begun to recognize my friends and I. We have recently begun to frequent local breweries in town, and I had the idea to blog or write about my experiences as a graduate student in NW Arkansas trying different types of beer and trying to keep her head above water as I begin to write my thesis this year. 

Core Brewing Company logo decoration in Springdale, Arkansas

My plan is to taste and give reviews on local NWA beers to give locals as well as those outside of Arkansas a taste of what's going on in the beer world here. This might include some alcohol reviews every once in a while; but beer lovers, you're in the right place! Stay tuned for what comes next!

 

Cheers, and RIP to your livers :)