Inaugural Kentucky Commonfest Happens April 30 in Frankfort

Kentucky Breweries and distilleries will come together Saturday, April 30, to honor Kentucky’s native beer with the inaugural Kentucky Commonfest, to be held at the state Capitol in Frankfort as part of the governor’s Kentucky Derby kick-off event.

The beer and bourbon tasting event, which runs noon-5 p.m., will feature plenty of family-friendly attractions and events, like music, art vendors, a farmers market, and food trucks such as Community Que, Dueling Chopstix, The Flying Waffle, and Crave Street Kitchen.

And, yes, the overall event is about the Derby, but the beer and bourbon tasting will focus on Kentucky Common, one of only three beer styles created in the United States. The style combines base ingredients of beer and bourbon: barley and corn. Kentucky Common was invented in Louisville in the 1850s and by the beginning of Prohibition, it is believed up to 80% of the beer being consumed in Louisville was this style. Before the Mint Julep was dubbed the official drink of the Kentucky Derby in 1935, the official beverage had been Kentucky Common.

A hallmark of this lightly tart and malty, low-alcohol and easy-to-drink beer is that it could be brewed and sent to market quickly, and therefore became the most available beer to “common” people. In Louisville, it truly was the people’s beer. And 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.

A sign advertising Common beer, circa late 1890s.

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. Falls City Brewing Co. has a version in its stable, and Apocalypse Brew Works currently has one on tap that is based on a 1912 Oertel’s Brewing Company recipe.

“The Commonfest highlights the historic connections between Kentucky breweries and distilleries, specifically the significance of the Kentucky Common style of beer to Kentucky’s distilling and brewing heritage,” Tim Luscher, president of Sig Luscher Brewery and organizer of the Commonfest said.

“I am very excited about the new celebration kicking off Derby Week in Franklin County,” Judge/Executive Hutson Wells said. “It will bring our local distillers, such as Sig Luscher, brewers and community together in a way that is uniquely Kentucky distilled. This is always a special time in our state, and I predict that Commonfest will quickly become a staple among our other traditional events.”

Breweries will offer beer sales by the pour, and a limited supply of branded glassware will be provided.

Breweries and distilleries in attendance include:

Against the Grain
Akasha Brewing Company
Apocalypse Brewworks
Casey Jones Distillery
Chimera
Dreaming Creek Brewery
Ethereal Brewing
Gallant Fox
Goodwood
Holsopple
Old Louisville Brewery
Rockhouse Brewing
Scout and Scholar
Sig Luscher Brewery
Versailles Brewing
The Void Sake
West Sixth Brewery
Wisebird Cidery

This event is sponsored by Whitaker Bank and made possible by the Governor’s office, Sig Luscher Brewery, Louisville Ale Trail, Kentucky Guild of Brewers, and the Kentucky Distillers Association.