Core’s Emma Street Public House recognized as best beer bar in Arkansas

Staff photo

Over 7,000 readers of Craftbeer.com recently voted for the best beer bar in their respective states. The result was a list the website dubbed Great American Beer Bars 2017. Arkansas was represented on the list – which was released on Tuesday – by Core Brewing Co.’s Emma Street Public House in Springdale.

Core opened its downtown Springdale pub in August 2016. It replaced the taproom inside the brewery a few miles away. The new location was another in what has become a long list of Core-branded pubs found throughout the state. Founder Jesse Core envisioned these neighborhood watering holes as “decompression zones” between the workplace and home. They are relatively small, communal spaces that provide customers a place to relax and enjoy a beer while they talk or play board games.

What: Craft beer fans nominated and then voted for their favorite craft beer bar
When: November and December 2016
Where: The Brewers Association’s CraftBeer.com
Winners: See full list below

In addition to Springdale, Core pubs have popped up in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Fort Smith, and North Little Rock. One opened in the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in February 2016, and Core has plans to expand into neighboring states soon.

People have responded well to the concept. Live music and trivia nights are offered on a regular basis. Amateur comedy shows and open mic jam sessions provide entertainment as well. Upwards of eighteen Core beers can be found on tap at any given time, including staples such as Hilltop IPA, Arkansas Red, and Leghound Lager. Kyya Imperial Chocolate Stout and Jalapeno ESB are specialty brews recently available at the pubs. Core is not afraid to experiment, and its neighborhood taprooms essentially serve as sensory labs to find out what customers like and don’t like.

The recognition from Craftbeer.com was exciting to hear for the man the brewery is named for.

“We care about our friends and customers, and enjoy seeing them regularly,” said Core. “If we take care of our customers the rest works out. I think we are on the right track.”

This Friday Core will release an imperial brown ale it is calling Invincible 9.0 at the Fayetteville and Springdale pubs. The beer was named in honor of Bass Reeves, one of the first African-American Deputy U.S. Marshalls west of the Mississippi River. Reeves was born in 1838 in Crawford County, and as legend has it, arrested over 3,000 criminals without suffering injury. Thus he was known as the “invincible U.S. Marshall.” The namesake beer has already made its rounds at other Core pubs – and at select draft accounts in Northwest Arkansas – and has been received favorably by the public.

The Arkansas beer industry is on a roll these days, and increasingly Core Brewing Co. is grabbing attention from outside the state’s borders. There are certainly other terrific breweries and beer bars across the Natural State, but Core can celebrate this most recent (and well-deserved) distinction.