KENTUCKY HORSE PARK

Saturday, 7/27/2013

NEWEST BOURBON TRAIL DISTILLERY

Well our first night here and it was our first night we weren't running our AC!  Glory be!  We woke up this morning to light rain and cool temps.  The campground is busy with participants in Hats Off Day and Rood & Riddle events getting their things together and heading over to the Horse Park.  There are as many horse trailers/campers as there are regular campers. 

We headed into Lexington to check out the newest member of the Bourbon Trail, Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company.  The brewing and distilling company was founded in 2000 by Dr. Pearse Lyons, an Irishmen whose family worked as coopers supplying barrels to distilleries in Ireland.    Lyons is the president and founder of  Alltech, an animal health and nutrition company, focusing on natural solutions to agriculture and food industry challenges.  It actually all goes together. 

 Originally housed the generator for the ice house in early 1900's.

Pearse Lyons  graduated from the University College of Dublin with a degree in biochemistry.  He worked for Harp while in college and decided to become a brewer attending the British School of Malting and Brewing completing a doctorate in brewing.  He came to Kentucky in 1976  to start a company focused on fermentation expertise to help brewers.  He then turned his attention to animal feed believing that yeasts, enzymes and certain bacteria would help animals utilize feed more efficiently.  Today it is a global animal and health company with a presence in 128 countries.

When the Lexington Brewing Company closed in 1999, Dr Lyons purchased the facilities and started a brewery and distillery.   

The bourbons include Town Branch Bourbon named after the river that Lexington was founded on; Pearse Lyons Reserve and Bluegrass Sundown a bourbon-infused coffee drink that when mixed with boiling water and topped with a layer of heavy cream makes a yummy after dinner drink.

Beautiful copper distillers

The brews include Kentucky Ale, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Kentucky Kolsch, Kentucky Stout and Kentucky IPA, a light hop.  The Kentucky Stout is brewed with coffee beans giving it a very rich, deep flavor.

 Kentucky Ale Meets Bourbon Barrel: 

Within hours of Kentucky bourbon leaving the barrel, Kentucky Ale takes up residence for six-weeks in the used cask.  This creates an interesting flavor and fragrance; definitely improves the body of the beer.  

 They purchase the used bourbon barrels through a barrel broker, however these barrels came from Woodford Reserve Distillery.  

Eight step brewing process.

Hops ... grown for show because the Kentucky climate is not conducive to hop growing.  Needs a wet, cool climate .... like Vermont!

The copper for these distilleries are worth a fortune.  The building is patrolled to ensure no thefts.

WHAT’S A CLEAN AIR STATE????

It was getting on to 1:30 and we were hungry.  After a quick stop at Walmart to buy another fuel filter, we tried to track down a brew pub to have lunch but couldn't find one.  So, as we headed back to the Horse Park we passed Sam’s Restaurant, a small, low building with lots of cars in the parking lot.  We took that as a good sign that this might be a decent locals place to eat.

We walked in the door and the front of the restaurant had about 20 tables, all with ash trays!  The “little girl” waitress told us we could sit anywhere we wanted. I blurted out, in my ever so “tactful” way, “Isn’t this a clean air state?”  She looked at me as if she had no idea what that meant, then pointed to the back of the restaurant where it was the “no smoking” section.  This area contained about 10 tables and was a glassed off corridor with the restrooms.  We could watch the smokers through the glass windows alongside our table and receive the benefit of their smoke through the ventilation overhead as well as wafting off their clothes as they swooshed by on their way to the restroom!  That being said…..it was the best BLT sandwich I’d had in a long time.