distilleries (allofwhicharewithin30minutesof the
citycenter).
Theeightbreweries listedon the trail showcase the
city’s loveaffairwithcraftbrewing.While theregion is
home tomasterdistillers, it’salso increasinglybecom-
inghome tomasterbrewers, and theBrewgrassTrail
Passportallowsbeer lovers to track theirprogress tast-
ing localbrewsacross town. I’mnotone tocountand
comparemynumberofstamps ina traditionalpassport,
buthere, Iamdetermined togetalleightstamps inmy
BrewgrassPassport.
BeerandbourbonworktogetherattheAlltech
LexingtonBrewingandDistillingCo.Amongastackof
bourbonbarrels, IsipaglassofKentuckyBourbonBarrel
Ale,whichhasaged foruptosixweeks inacharred-
oakbourbonbarrel.Nextonmysipping list(andalso
barrel-aged) isKentuckyBourbonBarrelStout.
On thecampusof theoldJamesE.Pepperdistillery
inLexington’sDistilleryDistrict,EtherealBrewing
turns its focusonBelgian farmhouseandAmerican
craftbeers,plus the funkiersideof farmhousebrewing
withsourbeers.Etherealhasa“dedicatedyeast lab”
andachemistwhohelpswith thebrewingprocess, and
bothmake thebrewerystandout.Despitealsohostinga
few tapswithvisitorbrews, themajority ispureEthere-
al, fromSaison toIPA toBelgianDubbel.
Of the24 taps inCountryBoyBrewingandTaproom,
12arededicatedCountryBoy taps, allwithquirky
names likeShotgunWedding,CliffJumper,HalfWay
HomeandCougarBait.Therearealso theoccasional
beerswith local fruits, vegetablesandhops.Oneofmy
immediate favorites is theJalapeñoSmokedPorter.
WestSixthBrewingcreateshigh-qualitycraftbeer
andworks tosupport the localcommunityat thesame
time. Its“Sixth foraCause”events focusonadifferent
nonprofiteachmonth, towhich itgives6percentof
sales. (WestSixthalsogives6percentof itsnetprofits
back tocharitieseveryyear.)AsIsipmydrink in the
beergarden,membersof theWestSixthRunningClub
chatnext tome. “WerunonTuesdaynights, thencome
backhere forbeerandapretzel,”saysone.Alongwith
therunningclub,WestSixthhasyogaclasses, abike
club, gamenightsandoccasional science lectures.
beer isonlyoneofthewaysthatlexington is
expanding itsculture.From the12-mileLegacyTrail
thatmeanders throughdowntownandendsat the
KentuckyHorsePark, topublicartmuralsscat-
tered throughout town, toneighborhoodswithnew
community-mindedbusinesses,Lexingtonhonors its
heritagewhileensuringprogressivechange for thecity.
WestSixth isoneofahandfulofcommunity-focused
businesses thatare tucked into theBreadBox. In this
redevelopmentof theoldRainboBreadFactory—
occupyingoneblockonLexington’sSixthStreet—are
variedbusinessesworking tomake thecityabetter
place.Thebuildingservedasabakery formore thana
century,butupon itsreinvention, itnowhousesadis-
tillery, abrewingcompany, coffeeroasters, abikeshop,
a farm-to-tablerestaurantandan indooraquaponics
food-productionorganization.
IcheckthetilapiatanksatFoodChain,wheretiny
fishareraised.Thenonprofitraisestilapia indoorsand
filtersthewater fromthetanksto irrigatetheherbsand
lettuces itgrows.Nextdoor,SmithtownSeafood isone
of the links inFoodChain.Partofeverydollarspentat
SmithtownworkstobenefitFoodChain’smissionofedu-
catingLexingtoncitizensaboutsustainableagriculture,
foodproductionandsmart foodchoices. Imakesure
my lunchatSmithtownSeafoodpaysoff, choosingthe
TilapiaSingaporedish.My local tilapia isseasonedwith
Szechuansaltandservedwithtastypickledvegetables,
FoodChainmicrogreens,mint, cilantroandThaibasil.
Back in theDistilleryDistrict,myearliervisit to
EtherealBrewingwas justonestopamong thenew
additions to theoldJamesE.Pepperdistillerycampus.
AMERICANWAY
FEBRUARY2016
59
IFYOUGO
VISIT
HorseCountry
Visithorsecountry.com
FoodChain
Foodchainlex.org
EAT
SmithtownSeafood
Smithtownseafood.com
MiddleFork
KitchenBar
Middleforkkb.com
Crank&Boom
IceCreamLounge
Crankandboom.com
UpstartCrow
(859) 231-8666
DRINK
AlltechLexington
Brewingand
DistillingCo.
Kentuckyale.com
Ethereal Brewing
Etherealbrew.com
CountryBoyBrewing
Countryboybrewing.com
WestSixthBrewing
Westsixth.com
BarrelHouse
DistillingCo.
Barrelhousedistillery.com
BreakRoom
(859) 425-6504
SLEEP
GratzPark Inn
Gratzparkinn.com
MORE
VisitLEX
Visitlex.com
Whilevisitorscan
stillhonorthe
historichighlights,
Lexington’spassion
for innovation
leadsthemodern-
daycharge.
