Diamond Bear Brewing Company was founded in 2000 by Russ and Sue Melton with the mission of providing Arkansas and the region with a beer of their own. Diamond Bear was Little Rock’s first production brewery in 15 years. The name "Diamond Bear" comes from the first two nicknames for Arkansas. Initially, Arkansas was called "the Bear State." But in 1905 when diamonds were discovered in Arkansas, it was changed to "the Diamond State."
