Before we decided to open a brewery, we spent a lot of time thinking about quality of life; what we wanted and needed to live a joyful and purposeful life that we both love.

One of the highest desires for both of us was having a community that we could be involved in, one that is open-minded and environmentally conscious. We wanted to be able to be close to nature while still having accessibility to live music, arts, and plays. And we wanted to be somewhere that when in need, people would set aside differences and help each other.

For us, Eureka Springs met many of our check boxes for the quality of life we desire. The people are amazing, the geography is perfect, and its a town of primarily “mom and pop” businesses.

We don’t just want to make beer, though. While the quality of the beer is always one of the highest priorities for us, there’s so much more. From connecting consumers to the people who make the ingredients to being a gathering place where people can come together and make new memories (and even new friends), we want our beer to stand for something that matters.

We want to tread lightly upon the land we occupy. We want to provide jobs with a living wage. We want to support organizations that help people live a better life in and around our community. We want to offer a place where we can sit with our neighbors and know we may not always agree, but we can share a beer, tell some stories, laugh, and connect on a level that really matters.

Looking for the right “home” for Gotahold Brewing at times can be discouraging and frustrating (we both have a few more gray hairs now).  Our first offer was rejected. Still, we keep looking, imagining our place being open with guests laughing and enjoying themselves. We keep sharing our story hoping someone, somewhere knows of the “perfect place.”

We wish more than anything we could snap our fingers, find the right place at the right price (boy, we both wish we had deeper pockets!), and could pour you a cold one tomorrow. Even if we had that property today (anyone? anyone?), it’s still a good 6-9 months of equipment acquisition, construction, licensing before we ever start brewing. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that far down the road, especially being at the beginnings.

That said, you can believe we will be sharing the journey because it matters. Sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on Instagram here. We’ll keep you posted. Thanks for checking us out. We look forward to raising a pint with you on opening day.