5 (Okay, 6) Questions with West Sixth Brewing’s Kelly Hieronymus & Ben Self

Lexington, Kentucky’s West Sixth Brewing (named brilliantly for the street corner on which it resides) started as a humble little brewery back in 2012 when Kentucky was barely a blip on the craft brewing radar. At the time, Kentucky had only 14 breweries and ranked near the bottom of the Brewer’s Association 2012 list of US breweries per capita at 43.

Craft brewing in Kentucky has exploded since then, with West Sixth being particularly successful, albeit through an unconventional definition of success. Their focus on community, sustainability, ethics and keeping things local has served them well. To learn more about why this model has worked for them and to get their thoughts on the future of the industry as a whole, we posed five (okay, six) questions to West Sixth’s Creative Director, Kelly Hieronymus, and co-founder Ben Self.

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Against the Grain | Brown Note Brown Ale

I tend to be the type of beer drinker who plays favorites. For several years, I fell into a rut of good-beer-drinking. I knew what I liked and that’s mostly what I drank. But my eyes have been opened to the massive range of variety in today’s craft beer scene. In my home state of Kentucky, craft brewing was a little slow to take off but has really hit its stride over the past few years. Lately, I’ve been on a mission to seek out new Kentucky-brewed beers. On a recent visit to Liquor Barn in Lexington, I was perusing the aisles, trying not to get taken in by the label gimmickry that has become prevalent in craft brewing.

I failed. My eyes were immediately drawn to one particular beer, mostly because the label was, well…rather disgusting. I’m all for humor in beer labeling, but, really? Then I noticed the brewery: Louisville-based Against the Grain.

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Resident Culture Brewing Co. | Iconic Anonymity Hazy Double IPA

Resident Culture is arguably Charlotte’s best brewery. They were just ranked in the Top 10 North Carolina Breweries on Untappd for 2019 and they were named the 2018 10th Best New Brewery in the World from RateBeer, just to name a few of their many accolades.

Located in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood, Resident Culture opened their doors two years ago. Their motto, “Stay Funky,” is encapsulated in their beers, can artwork, swag and in the taproom itself. Read More

Hook Point Brewing | Flat Hat American Ale

If you’re craving a crisp, refreshing beer that keeps up with your lifestyle, or if you’re just in the mood to try something distinct and new, then reach for a Hook Point Brewing’s flagship beer, Flat Hat American Ale.

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Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. | Kentucky Coffee Barrel Cream Ale

Coffee is a vitally important part of my life. Those long cold Chicago nights staying up late with an infant calls for coffee by the pot full, and if my body wasn’t dependent on caffeine before, it sure is now. I’ve always been a big fan of coffee stouts, and Uppers and Downers is one of my favorite Chicago beer festivals during the winter months. As breweries are experimenting more with how coffee and different beer styles and mesh, quite a few different and unique offerings are becoming more readily available, such as Kentucky Coffee Barrel Cream Ale, and it’s a goldmine for both coffee and beer lovers.

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JDub’s Brewing Company | Passion Wheat

Christmas as a kid is a wonderland of gifts and anticipation for gifts; Christmas as an adult is travel and worrying about travel. The gift we receive is—once we’ve finally reached our destination—a whole new world of local beers at our fingertips. I went to the beautiful shores of Sarasota, FL where I spent most of my time in the pool sipping JDub’s Brewing Company’s Passion Wheat, pretending it wasn’t winter. The Passion Wheat definitely helped maintain my self-delusion.
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Event Recap | Hi-Wire Brewing’s Stout Bout Crowns Blind Tasting Champ

There is a slight half-season, somewhere between the end of summer and the middle of autumn, where you can start to see your breath as you walk the dog in … Read More

Live Oak Brewing | Pilz

There are a lot of beers on the shelves that hang in the periphery of my vision in my regular quest for hops. I may notice a few of those beers from time to time—the traditional styles—and ponder for a second about trying them but instead, I predictably settle on a sixer of some flashy new IPA or stout. Then, one fine day, I decided to break the cycle. I now see the error of my ways, for where I was once blind, now I see. Pilsners can be downright delicious, too, and Live Oak Pilz is the best example I’ve ever had. 

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Aardwolf Brewing Company | Adalwolf Pils

A wolf hidden in sheep’s clothing, Aardwolf Brewing out of Jacksonville, FL has a wide portfolio of beers that are constantly hitting the mark. In a state that never receives snow and has summers that can be extremely humid and hot, Lagers are the beers that are perfect for any time of year.

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Forecastle Music Festival Fuses Craft Beer and Bourbon Experience

Much like America’s best beer festivals, today’s elite level music festivals have begun prescribing to the notion that top tier events must elevate what they offer to provide attendees with … Read More

CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective Continues to Disrupt

In 2015, the CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective was born out of Oskar Blues Holding Company in what began as a financial partnership with Fireman Capital Partners, a Boston area private equity firm. The Collective brought together a group of like-minded brewers who still maintain their independence under the Brewers Association’s definition of a small and independent brewery, but have also become part of a unified entity that has allowed for greater collaboration of ideas, resources and distribution networks. Just two months after the formation of CANarchy, Oskar Blues brought Michigan’s Perrin Brewing Company to the fold and have since added four others.

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2 Day 2 Nights | Charlottesville, Virginia

About an hour’s drive west of Richmond, Virginia, the small city of Charlottesville offers an ideal weekend getaway for beer lovers. Being a college town, summer is a great time to visit with many of the college kids home for break. Here are some ideas on how to spend a weekend here. Read More

5 Questions With…Creature Comfort’s Director of Community & Culture, Matt Stevens

A brewer’s influence can expand well beyond the beer you buy in a taproom or the cans you see on shelves. Craft brewers today realize that their presence in their local communities can inspire positive change and network effects that help their neighbors and taproom regulars alike. Athens, GA-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. is one of the breweries defining what it means for a brewer to be authentically connected to their community. In early 2018, Creature Comforts hired Matt Stevens to be their Community and Culture Director; his job description includes running their Get Comfortable and Get Artistic charity initiatives.

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Kentucky’s Country Boy Brewing is Growing into a Regional Power

To most Americans, Kentucky is known primarily for bourbon, basketball, horse racing and fried chicken. However much like the rest of the country, one of the Bluegrass state’s fastest growing commodities is a result of the recent rise of craft beer. In just the past decade alone, brands like Lexington’s Alltech Brewing, Country Boy Brewing, West Sixth Brewery, and Northern Kentucky’s Braxton Brewing have emerged as formidable players in the state, all producing over 14,000 barrels of beer in 2018.

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Unseen Creatures Brewing & Blending | To the Earth we Return

As the years go by, Marco Leyte-Vidal, owner and head brewer of Unseen Creatures Brewing & Blending, has found himself returning to the Earth by focusing more on family, friends and exploring his creativity. Marco has worked to remove the clutter and noise that so easily surrounds us, sought peace in simplicity and has grown in the quiet moments of his life. It was returning to this analog way of life that inspired Marco to create “To The Earth We Return.”

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Ultimate 6er | Tampa Bay Breweries You Can’t Miss

It’s time to take a vacation and hit the beaches! The beaches in Tampa Bay are known as some of the best in America. If you’re planning a trip to the Tampa Bay area anytime soon, you’re surely going to be seeking out some of the breweries to get your hands on some of the local craft beer offerings. Here are some of the breweries I think you just can’t miss if you’re around:

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Edmund’s Oast Brewing | Order of Magnitude

As spring comes into full swing, summer is next in the order and quickly approaching. The scope of what beer people want is changing with the seasons. So many breweries are switching it up and releasing new and exciting styles and experiments. Edmund’s Oast Brewing (EOBC) is no different. Read More

Collective Arts Brewing | Jam Up the Mash

Collective Arts is combining two things that many can all appreciate: beer and art. If you also appreciate sour and hoppy flavored beers, you’re in for a special treat. This brewery is keeping the art fresh on the cans, too, by allowing artists to submit their work to be featured on the cans. Unique events are always happening and you can catch ones like a launch party of Series 12 that is also a dance party. I see events like these and wish I didn’t live so far! Lucky for me, I do get access to some of their beer on the shelves here in Florida.

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2019 Tampa Bay Beer Week | Foeder for Thought

2019 marks the sixth year that Green Bench Brewing Company held Foeder for Thought, a craft beer festival centered around fermentation-forward beers and beer education. Brewers assembled from around the nation to Green Bench, and bring their funky, sour, wild, rustic, and all-around amazing beers with them to pour at the event. Some participated in panel discussions, led by Michael Kiser and the team over at Good Beer Hunting, bringing insight into the brewing world and educating the consumers about all things funky and Foeder. It continues to be one of the most highly-anticipated events during Tampa Bay Beer Week.

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Here’s How Thor Ended Up Drinking Creature Comforts in Avengers Endgame

In an alternate timeline of the Marvel comics, Thor, the God of Thunder, could have become the God of Craft Beer. Craft beer nerds who’ve also seen Avengers Endgame, might have noticed several cameo appearances by one of craft beer’s fastest rising brands, Athens, GA’s Creature Comforts Brewing, and now we know how that all came to be.

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