As part of The Team Kentucky Derby Week Kick-off, we’re pleased to bring you the 2nd annual Kentucky Commonfest, a beer and bourbon tasting event hosted on Capitol grounds on Saturday, April 29th from noon to 5 pm.
Kentucky breweries and distilleries will come together to celebrate the significance of the Kentucky Common beer style - one of only three beer styles created in the United States - in this first-of-a-kind event. This family-friendly event also features music, art vendors, a farmers market, and the food trucks.
Breweries will offer beer sales by the pour. A limited supply of branded glassware will be provided.
Breweries and distilleries in attendance include:
Akasha Brewing Co
Apocalypse Brew Works
Blue Stallion Brewing Company
Dreaming Creek Brewery
Fall City Brewery
Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.
Mirror Twin Brewing
Noble Funk Brewing Co
Old Louisville Brewery
Pivot Brewing Company
Scout And Scholar
Sig Luscher Brewery
Stainless Brewing and spirits
Versailles Brewing Company
West Sixth Brewing
Wise Bird Cider Co
This event is made possible by the Governor’s office, Kentucky Guild of Brewers, Sig Luscher Brewery, and Louisville Ale Trail.
About the Kentucky Common:
Kentucky Common combines the base of beer and Bourbon in Kentucky. It is one of three beer styles invented in America and was almost exclusively produced in Kentucky during its heyday. The style was invented in Louisville in the 1850s and by the beginning of Prohibition, 75% of beer sold in Louisville was Kentucky Common beer and it had become the unofficial drink of the Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Common’s hallmark is that it can be brewed quickly, and thus available to “common” folk. Brewers were able to keep prices low by fermenting with ale yeast at higher temperatures, which allowed them to turn around a batch in a week, and by using ingredients already being produced in the area for the bourbon industry.
Though barley makes up the majority of the mash bill, corn is also used with the occasional addition of wheat and/or rye. The style died out during prohibition with only a handful of historical texts surviving as proof of its existence. Modern Kentucky brewers have unearthed some old recipes and are attempting to bring this style back to the masses.