A wonderful BBC Louisville Lager, food and good times at the Crescent Hill Craft House.

Formerly a mixed berry cobbler topped with BBC's spent grain.

Update: Read about branding changes at BBC Main & Clay.

To tie up a few loose ends in an article I'm writing for Food & Dining Magazine about the Crescent Hill Craft House, we were compelled to go there (yet again) early Friday evening, and eat, and drink.

That's hardship. For nibbles, we arranged a spread of Bacon Bruschetta, Charred Chicken Wings, Brussel Sprouts and Fries, My wife drank Blue Stallion's (Lexington) Hefeweizen, which is delicious. As is my habit, I surveyed a draft beer list composed entirely of local and regional beers, in search of sessionable choices.

It suddenly struck me that I had not yet tried BBC's (Main & Clay) Louisville Lager, and when I asked about it, the server was exemplary, describing it as a European lager with German hop character.

Indeed, it is, and I regret only trying it now, months after it was released. BBC Louisville Lager is so good that I'm reconsidering my decision to stop using the garage keg box, which came about because there were so few beers I'd consider drinking on a daily basis. A sixth barrel might work out right.

At a time when a brewer's tap handles are so hard to hold, doesn't it make sense for a "craft" brewer to circumvent the previous received wisdom about the untimeliness of lagers, and make a beer of widespread appeal, that can hold serve because it's so different from the now standard IPAs, and is less than 5% abv? It's the stuff of a classicist's genius, which is probably why I didn't think of it first.

My second beer on Friday night was Ei8ht  Ball Brewing's Prodigal, an American Pale Ale coming in at 6.5%, and a textbook example of the genre.

I've richly enjoyed my visits to the Crescent Hill Craft House. Let's hope it has a long and prosperous life.

Craft House web site

Craft House at Facebook