Core Brewing Products Hard to Find in Springdale

If you want to buy a 22-ounce “bomber” of Core Brewing Co. beer in Springdale, you have to go to the brewery on Lowell Road or to Macadoodles out on Interstate 540.

Why is that? Because, Core beer is not sold at any of the seven Springdale liquor stores owned by Jim Phillips, or the one liquor store owned by his wife, Merry Lee Phillips.

Whispers found that a bit strange considering Core’s bombers, brewed and bottled in Springdale, can be bought at Dickson Street Liquor Store, Liquor Mart, Crossover Liquor and Liquor World — all in Fayetteville.

It’s not even being sold at County Line Liquor, Jim Phillips’ flagship store that literally sits just a few hundred feet northwest of Core’s brewery.

The irony is not lost on brewery founder Jesse Core.

“We’re disappointed because we’re a Springdale brewery and we’d love to have our products in his stores,” Core said. “I’d be glad to do some promotions with Jim.”

Phillips said there’s good reason why Core is not being carried in his stores.

“I don’t think there’s much of a demand for it,” he said.

Moreover, Phillips said, Core has never reached out to him in an effort to promote his brand.

“Core has never come to us with samples, so we’ve never tasted it,” Phillips said. “If we discover that it’s tasty, maybe we’ll carry it.”

Let’s rewind about three years, when Phillips was, as he is now, the president of the Springdale Liquor Association, and Core was a member of the Springdale City Council.

If you remember, back in those days Springdale was in a tizzy about the proposed Macadoodles coming in at Elm Springs Road. There were two camps — those who wanted the store, like Core and the city administration, and those who didn’t, like Phillips and former state senator Jim Holt.

Macadoodles eventually opened in April 2010, but only after a back and forth battle that included a dramatic hearing before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, and a legal challenge from the Arkansas Beverage Retailers Association, a group of which Phillips was a member.

Was the rift the reason why Core beer is not being sold in Phillips’ liquor stores?

That’s a good question.