Top 3 Microbreweries in Kentucky

Brewing quality beer and ale is being mastered by microbreweries across America in record numbers. As technology becomes more advanced, so does the processing of micro brewed beers. Here in Kentucky there are several microbreweries across the state. One of the main initiatives of Kentucky's Department of Agriculture is to "buy local", this motto is completely designed to encourage the residents of Kentucky to purchase and consume locally grown produce and locally made goods, such as Kentucky's home town microbrewery beer.

Being a beer enthusiast myself, I was drawn to check out a few of the microbreweries that are available to Kentucky residents. I really liked the fact that I did not have to go out of states to find such a product. Below is a list of my top three picks for microbreweries in Kentucky. Remember when you are enjoying a nice cold one, consider the appearance, color, taste, aroma and the way if feels going down. A good micro brewed beer or ale should be sipped lightly to get the full enjoyment out of it.

Bluegrass Brewing Co.

The Bluegrass Brewing co. is located at 636 East Main Street Louisville, KY 40701, (502) 584-2739 right in the heart of downtown. Bluegrass is an award winning microbrewery that was established in 1993 and produces a wide variety beer and ale. This microbrewery uses a mixture of barley malts such as, vienna and chocolate along with rich hops to add color, texture, flavor and aroma to get to the finished product. Some of my favorites at this brewery were the Bourbon Barrel Rye Porter, which had a robust chocolaty flavor with a twist of German rye malt, which gave this beer a full nutty and spicy flavors. Another was their American Pale Ale, this beer is a full bodied beer with explosive hops, it's copper in color with citrus and pine flavors to balance out the crystal malts used to make this masterpiece. Bluegrass micro brewed beers can be found at stores that sell alcohol all across the state of Kentucky. The cost for a six pack in the store is around $9.99, depending where you are at, some stores mark up the prices. BBC Kegs are $115.00 for ½ keg, $65.00 for ¼ keg and $45.00 for 1/16 keg with a $100.00 deposit for the keg itself.

Lexington Brewing Co.

The Lexington brewing co. is located at 401 Cross Street Lexington, KY 40508, (859) 887-3406 and is centered in the heart of downtown Lexington and has been creating award winning beer since the year 2000. First came their KY Ale their first year, which was followed by their KY Light in 2003. This spectacular brewing company strives to produce the finest quality beer possible. The master brewers at Lexington Brewing co. have taken two traditional beers, English Pale Ale and Irish Red Ale and combined them in their own special brewing process to produce a beer that is light amber in color with a full rich body that is strongly influenced by the imported malts and wheat malt for a smooth finish. The cost for this beer also depends on what county you are in and at which store you purchase the bee. The average cost is $8.99 to $10.99 per six pack.

Hofbrauhaus Newport

Hofbrauhaus is located at 200 East Third Street Newport, KY 41071, (859) 491-7200. Kentucky welcomes its first authentic German style brewery, restaurant and pub. Inspired by the original Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany bring traditional German flavor to America. This extraordinary place will make you feel like you are right there in Germany. The beer is truly amazing and brewed in such a manor to keep the traditional flavors. There is so much character in this place, for instance the large festive Bier Garden, which beautifully over looks the skyline of Cincinnati, OH. Hofbauhaus opens at 11AM daily, has great night entertainment and lots of special events. Some of their best beers are Kunzel Schwarzbier, which is a dark lager that is almost black in appearance and has a full body with chocolate and caramel flavors and a smooth finish. Maybock is a nice heart warming beer that is very thick and full of rich sweet flavors that leaves a nice lingering finish. Average cost of a pint is $4.50, you can also purchase six packs, twelve packs and kegs here.

References for this article came from www.beer101.com and www.beerexpedition.com also I have visited the above named Microbreweries and use myself for a reference as well.