The Steaming Tap and the Copper Vat: A Sip at Superior Bathhouse Brewery

In the heart of the Zig-Zag Mountains of Arkansas, water emerges from the earth at a constant 143 degrees Fahrenheit. For centuries, this thermal water was the primary draw for Hot Springs, a town built on the belief that these minerals could cure what ailed you. Today, the steam still rises from the open fountains along Bathhouse Row, but at the northern end of this historic promenade, the water is being put to a decidedly different use.

Superior Bathhouse Brewery stands as a remarkable intersection of federal land management and local entrepreneurship. It is the first brewery to operate within a U.S. National Park and, notably, the only brewery in the world to utilize thermal spring water as the main ingredient in its beer. The building itself, a Classical Revival structure dating back to 1916, has been transformed from a place of therapeutic soaking into a bustling hub of fermentation, where the mineral-rich output of the earth meets the alchemy of malt and hops.

Local Story

The story of the Superior is one of adaptive reuse. The bathhouse originally closed its doors in 1983 as the era of traditional hydrotherapy waned. It sat vacant for thirty years, a silent sentinel on Central Avenue, until Rose Schweikhart proposed a bold idea to the National Park Service: turning the space into a brewery. In 2013, after significant restoration, the vats returned to the building—not for bathing, but for brewing.

Every drop of beer produced here begins in the park's deep underground reservoirs. The water is naturally filtered through layers of sandstone and shale, emerging with a unique mineral profile that includes silica, calcium, and magnesium. While many brewers go to great lengths to strip their water of minerals or add chemical salts to mimic specific regional water profiles, the team here embraces the local terroir. The result is a lineup of beers that feel intrinsically tied to the ground beneath your feet. The atmosphere inside retains the clean, clinical beauty of its past, with original tile floors and large windows that offer a view of the wooded hillsides where the water first fell as rain over 4,000 years ago.

Experience Guide

Visiting the Superior is a sensory experience that balances the history of the park with a modern culinary approach. When you walk in, the light through the tall windows hits the original marble and tile, creating a bright, airy space that feels significantly more historic than your average industrial taproom.

The 'Beer Root Float' and the 'Flight of 18' are the most famous ways to sample the output, though a standard flight of four is more manageable for most. The tap list usually features a wide variety, from light, crisp Kolschs that highlight the water's clarity to darker stouts where the mineral backbone adds a subtle complexity. Beyond the beer, the kitchen focuses on elevated pub fare—think soft pretzels with beer cheese made on-site and hearty sandwiches that provide the necessary fuel after a hike on the nearby West Mountain Trail. Zuro can help you time your visit to avoid the peak weekend rushes when the wait times for a table can stretch across the afternoon.

The Science of the Spring

The water used at Superior Bathhouse Brewery isn't just hot; it’s ancient. Geologists estimate that the water emerging from the springs today fell as rain thousands of years ago. It slowly percolated into the earth, reaching depths where it was heated by the natural geothermal gradient of the crust before being forced back to the surface through a series of faults.

Because the water is already 143 degrees when it reaches the brewery, it requires less energy to bring to a boil for the brewing process. The mineral content, which once attracted bathers from across the globe, serves as a natural nutrient for the yeast. Brewers often describe the 'mouthfeel' of the beer here as having a distinctive softness, a direct result of the specific mineral concentrations provided by the Hot Springs National Park water system.

Exploring Bathhouse Row

A visit to the brewery is ideally paired with a walk along the rest of Bathhouse Row. Directly next door and further south, you’ll find the Buckstaff Bathhouse, which still offers traditional thermal mineral baths, and the Fordyce Bathhouse, which now serves as the park’s visitor center and museum. The contrast between the silent, preserved museum rooms of the Fordyce and the clinking glasses of the Superior highlights the living history of the town. You can still see the original plumbing fixtures and heavy porcelain tubs in many of these buildings, reminding you that for over a century, this water has been the lifeblood of the local economy.