Lost Forty
, the much-anticipated brewery from Yellow Rocket Concepts and the people who brought you Big Orange, Local Lime and ZaZa, should open by mid-December with a grand opening to follow in the spring, according to co-owner Scott McGehee. Large scale brewing is scheduled to begin this week in Lost Forty’s 19,000-square-feet space at 501 Byrd Street in the warehouse district east of Interstate 30. Meanwhile, McGehee is prepping the menu for Pint and Pantry, the brewery’s tap room restaurant.

Brewmaster Omar Castrellon, co-owner John Beachboard, Big Orange/Local Lime bar manager Dylan Yelenich and others have been test brewing, mostly in Beachboard’s garage, for more than a year. They’ve come up with four standard brews:

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Bear Bones Pilsner. It’s a “full-bodied Pilsner … for someone who doesn’t like a lot of hops, a lot of bite,” McGehee said, adding he thinks it could be a “crossover beer” for people who usually drink domestic beers.

Lost Forty Pale Ale. “Medium-hopped … balanced with citrus notes,” McGehee said.

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Love Honey Bock. An Arkansas honey brown lager. 

Rock Hound. A 9 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) crystal-hopped Imperial Pale Ale. “Crystal Hops aren’t quite as intense” as others used for IPAs. They’re more fruity, McGehee said. y.

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Pint and Pantry will always keep three standard beers, three seasonals and one or two “pilot” brews on tap. 


Lost Forty is currently brewing on a 30-barrel system which would allow them to produce 3,000 barrels of beer a year (a barrel represents about two kegs of beer), but McGehee said the brewery could easily scale up to 20,000 barrels and had already purchased equipment that will allow it to put out 6,500 barrels annually. Three months after opening, the brewery will add a canning line.

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Pint and Pantry will be a “fun focused, beer focused taproom,” McGehee said. “We don’t want to call ourselves a restaurant. … If there’s a theme, it’s kind of beer hall food meets the Delta.” That means all sort of stuff that can be smoked and pickled — house made brats and kielbasa, pickled carrots, green beans and peppers and, according to McGehee, “the most incredible brisket you’ve ever tasted.”

It will be open 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

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Seating will be comprised of three tables that seat 18 people apiece. One hundred-year-old reclaimed warehouse windows will divide the tap room from the brewery and allow for a peek at the brewing process. There’ll also be two giant TVs. 

The name Lost 40 comes from the Lost Forty, a 40-acre forest in Calhoun County where virgin hardwood and pine trees still grow. Yellow Rocket Concepts’ Amber Brewer said the brewery would regularly host events that raise funds to preserve the Lost Forty. 

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