Arkansas brewery to go up for sale [Video]

Diamond Bear Owner Russ Melton says the pending sale has led to some misconceptions about what could happen to the brewery.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Diamond Bear Brewing Company became Arkansas’s first brewery when Russ and Sue Melton opened it in 2000.

Twenty-four years later, the property it currently sits on is set to be sold due to Russ Melton’s impending retirement, and he said that has led to some misconceptions about what will happen to the Diamond Bear.

“I want to make sure we’re clear,” Melton said. “It’s the property that’s for sale.”

According to Melton, the property housing the Diamond Bear—and Ol’ Bart Southern Eats, which joined the facility in 2023—could very well go to someone who wants to keep the brewery up and running.

“The buyer may want the brewery as well,” Melton said, “And by the way, probably half of the people that call seem to have an interest in that.”

Even if they don’t, Diamond Bear’s …