Bank Street brewed Beak's Best: "American bitter & soul liniment."

As NABC’s core portfolio is brewed at our new Bank Street Brewhouse facility and tapped for public consumption, I’ve been reintroducing each ale and providing background as to its development.

Beak’s Best is NABC’s session-strength Bitter, named in honor of globetrotting historian and educator Don "Beak" Barry. Like its namesake, Beak’s Best is fond of traveling (albeit in kegs) and will be available for distribution in Louisville through River City. Once we’ve acquired more cooperage, Beak’s will come cask-conditioned for everyday drinking at NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse. Of course, it will be on tap at our original location, too.

Beak’s is another of NABC founding brewer Michael Borchers’s original recipes, and was brewed for the first time in October, 2002. In 2003, it was the winner of the "Louisville Magazine Best Of" award for Louisville area microbrews.
Brewer Jesse Williams, Michael’s successor, tweaked the recipe into what was known as St. Radegund for a few years before Beak’s reappeared around 2007/2008 in the buildup toward expansion and distribution.

We’re calling Beak’s an “American Bitter” because of the Cascade hops. Otherwise, there is an English underpinning, both in terms of malt and yeast. Tony's classic "soul liniment" tag completes the scene.

Here are the specs:

Malts: Simpsons Golden Promise, Simpsons Medium Crystal, Castle (Belgian) Aromatic and Special B

Hops: Double hopped with Cascade pellets, finished through hop-back with whole cone Cascades

Yeast: House London

OG: 1.059 or 14.75 degree Plato

ABV: 5.3%

IBU: 35

Color: 10.3 degree Lovibond SRM