November 7 is Bluegrass Brewing Company's 22nd anniversary party.

David Pierce and BBC in the beginning (early Clinton Administration).

I've been busy trying to decide what I'm going to do when I grow up, and consequently, I still haven't found time to go visit David Pierce at Bluegrass Brewing Company's original location in St. Matthews.

No offense to the previous brewer, but I thought it wise to wait a bit until David has things back into his customarily impeccable order. His tenure began with a complete brew house reconditioning and overhaul, and my sights are set on this upcoming event on Saturday, November 7.

22nd Anniversary Fundraiser and Half Way to Derby Party

The election will be over, and I'll know half of my future. It could be a very good day to get away from it all, and reminisce about the early days of BBC. Outside of my own brewing workplace, I've almost certainly spent more time at BBC St. Matthews than any other brewery -- though not recently.

Perhaps a corrective is in order.

Come celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the original Louisville brewpub with a fundraiser for My Dog Eats First in the daytime and 3 bands in the evening. BBC will have retro beers for our 22nd anniversary. Try the beers that launched craft beer in Louisville.

Mark your calendars! It's also our Half Way to Derby City Brewfest. Three bands will be playing for 6pm to closing. Whiskey Bent Valley Boys at 6pm. Uncommon Houseflies plays 8:30-9:30pm.Audio Addiction is playing 10pm to closing.

Games, Comfy Cow ice cream with BBC root beer and bouncy for kids. Dog supplies and adoption booths. There will be silent auction items to benefit My Dog Eats First. Arrow Fund, Tyson's Chance Animal Foundation, Hand in Paw, Derby City Dog Rescue, Derby City Mobile Vet, Louisville Metro Services, Cali Choo Pet Furniture and many others will have booths. They are bringing many dogs ready for adoption. If you are looking for a new furbaby, this will be a great opportunity.

Listen to the Louisville Beer Dot Com podcast with David Pierce.

It's been a very strange vocational year for me.

I went on leave of absence to run for mayor, an ongoing activity that will yield a verdict in one month's time.

Then we began talking about transitions, and I decided to sell my share of NABC to my business partners. Alas, it hasn't been as easy as I'd hoped. I suppose divorces of any sort fall into that category.

Josh Hill left NABC to brew at Floyd County Brewing Company, and then he returned to be a sales person. Shortly thereafter, he took over the brewery at Bank Street Brewhouse when David Pierce returned to BBC St. Matthews roughly 13 years after he moved to the BBC production facility, now Goodwood.

As David makes clear in the podcast, little if any of this has been connected. Correlation, not causation. It was time for change, and change happened.

After listening to the podcast, I remarked to my wife that one phrase jumped out me: Recipe fatigue, or the process of brewers slightly modifying recipes until they've drifted from where they began. David plans on restoring the classic BBC formulations, and this is one of the most exciting things I've heard in a while.

Depending on how political overture turns out, I know where many future growlers will be purchased. Pendulums swing, and back I go to BBC St. Matthews for wings and APA.

Episode 108: David Pierce

We finally talked David Pierce into coming on our little podcast thingy. He talks about his legacy in Louisville’s beer scene, and what to expect now that he’s back home at BBC St. Matthews.

David Pierce has returned to BBC St. Matthews, and Josh Hill is now head brewer at Bank Street Brewhouse.

The transitions continue at NABC with David Pierce's departure, completing the circle back to Bluegrass Brewing Company in Louisville (St. Matthews). David opened the BBC brewery in 1993.

Josh Hill becomes the brewer of record at Bank Street Brewhouse, while Ben Minton continues to man the mash paddle at the Pizzeria & Public House. They both know what they're doing, having learned from the best.

Roger (that's me) is running for mayor of New Albany and trying to finish his latest Food & Dining column submission for Mr. White. As for these changes of late, baseball aficionados will understand: I'm an Oakland A's fan, and In Beane We Trust. Personnel moves are part of the business.

As for me, I could write a book. Maybe I will. The past two weeks have been crazily cosmic: Kate's and Amy's family business is going back to being just that. Josh has returned to NABC, and David to BBC. Meanwhile, I'm up on the heath with Lear, studying a soaked road map. An election in November will help determine my destiny. Not to mention our former longtime bartender Stephen Powell, who has reinvented street food in downtown New Albany.

The weird thing about it is this: If you don't know me personally, you probably think I'm a pessimist, solely because I'm better at channeling bile than defining affection. But a cynic is a closet optimist, and I think it's all going to turn out well for everyone involved, and for the company itself.

Renewal fever: Catch it!

Coming this Saturday (November 17): OG APA Brew Day.

This Saturday, NABC's David Pierce joins Jeremy Hunt at Bluegrass Brewing Company's original Shelbyville Road location to brew BBC American Pale Ale (APA), but with a twist.

(We're) brewing a throw-back batch of BBC APA ... dialing back the formula to 1995. Brewery tours and autographs will be available during our brew session. We will mash-in circa 07:00 a.m. and be complete by early afternoon.

Of course, David opened BBC in 1993 and brewed dozens of BBC beers over a period of 16 years. Of course, you needn't be a beer aficionado to spot the obvious question:

If you're dialing back the recipe, does this mean it changed in the interim?

David Pierce
"To the best of my knowledge the production formula is the same/unchanged from my original from the Pub. The Pub formula has changed, but I'm not sure how. Maybe Jeremy can tell us."

Dylan Greenwood (BBC brewery staff)
"From my experience at the brewpub the formula has somehow morphed, multiple times across multiple brewers. ... when Jerry was there the recipe called for a lot of c-120 but he told me that was the recipe that was given to him. I don't know if Cameron changed it or what. To my knowledge the APA from the production side is to the og recipe but they use special b instead of 120, also san diego super yeast."

Jeremy Hunt
"I arrived here in Louisville a year and twelve days ago. The recipe, aside from some aroma hops, has been unchanged in that time here at the St. Matthews pub. That said, I wanted to brew with David and had heard that the current recipe was different from the original APA. So... I asked David, poked around the brewery and found the OG APA Brewsheet. Then, I begged David to bring his 'OG-ness' to help us bring it back. Now.. We're getting it done, son!"

We'll find out the details soon enough. I'm going to try to be there for a while on Saturday morning.

---

Way back in 2005, I contributed a column to Food and Dining magazine, in which I described "five great beers," the only other criteria beyond my personal opinion being their consistent availability in the Louisville market

Here, alphabetically presented, are five great beers. All are personal favorites, and while they don’t begin to tell the full story of beer’s stylistic diversity, they can be found locally.

Number one on the list? BBC APA, but with a caveat. It had to be APA as brewed at the production facility. I can't remember whether this reflects a perceived change at the time, but I'm guessing it did.

BBC APA (American Pale Ale), (Louisville, Kentucky)

The best microbrewed beer brewed in Louisville is BBC APA, as crafted by its original brewer, David Pierce, at the BBC Brewing Company downtown on the corner of Main & Clay.

Dave’s signature APA originally was formulated along the lines of an English-style pale ale, but with American hops and yeast. He says, “Eventually Centennial hops became available, and I stayed with them because they give a more crisp bite.”

Fusing elements of different brewing traditions into a delicious and innovative hybrid is the defining glory of contemporary American microbrewing. APA’s medium body is malty and slightly toasty, as with English ales, but the hop kick is all-American, with some citrus notes and a long, satisfying bitterness at the end.

BBC APA holds its own with spicy ethnic food, and is my all-time favorite with chicken wings.

At the same time, I also remember enjoying APA at the BBC in St. Matthews, even during those times when it seemed to me to be different.

The moral of this story: I may well have consumed too many beers over the years.

NABC brewing schedule for the remainder of 2009 (part two).

As the first batches brewed at NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse near completion (if I remember correctly, we’re trying to have 15-B and Elector ready for serving by August 21), here’s a second look at what we’ll be trying to achieve in terms of brewing schedules and releases.

Most of the following originates with Jared Williamson, who has been brainstorming ways for the original garage brewery to produce seasonals and specialties. I’ve used his words and merely rearranged them. Remember that this is an outline, and subject to alteration.

However, it bears noting that one of the goals remains to establish a brewing schedule that permits a NABC Brewer’s Choice series, allowing each brewer (Jared, Jesse and Dave) to be creative and brew a batch of whatever comes of their inspiration. It happens when it happens, minds are blown, and the new creations are released one at a time.

Other series suggested by Jared:

Single Hop APA’s

Showcasing the different hops used in our main beers, with precisely the same malt bill (preferably, organic malt). Brewed so that two at a time can be released in the form of a comparison: “Nugget vs. Summit,” or “Cascade vs. Golding,” at 6% abv and 60 IBUs each.

“Foot” Themed Stouts

Thunderfoot is the pimp daddy, and so in its wake, a series of various styles of Stout and fusions of those could be brewed, all of them with “foot” in the name. They would be released one at a time throughout the year.

Session Dry Stout = Weefoot.
Coffee Stout = Morningfoot.
Sour Stout = Grumpyfoot (Roger endorses this one).
Belgian Stout = Leopold’s Foot.
Russian Imperial Stout = Tsarfoot.

Aged/Vintage:

Here are beers that have been brewed at Grant Line, but have yet to be released because they are still aging:

5th Anniversary (October 2007; 2 x ½ bbl)
Thunderfoot (February 2009; 8 x ½ bbl)
Malcolm’s Old Setters Ale (January 2009; 8 x ½ bbl)
Elsa von Horizon (June 2009; 14 x ½ bbl)

Brewing collaborations in the works:

NABC/Schlafly (St. Louis MO) Smoked APA/ConeSmoker … Tentative in terms of time frame, looking at late September/early October brewdate at the Schlafly Taproom.

NABC/Shoreline (Michigan City IN) … Brewer Sam Strupeck will be in New Albany in September, and we’ve invited him to brew a special batch of something.

NABC/Huber’s Winery (Starlight IN) … barrel aged (their wine, spirit barrels), with the beer(s) hopefully brewed by us and racked by late 2009 or early 2010.

The Propagator and the Propaganda - Viva Che!

By John Campbell

Day 3 of the brewery installation. Come in for a beer and watch it come together, that's why we made the walls out of glass, ya know.

David and Jesse connecting Che, the yeast propagator:




David and the Brewhouse:





The Stormtroopers:


Meanwhile, Josh is creating edible art, Nasty is holding up the bar, the forklift door has been installed in the new malt room, and Dave and Jesse continue piecing together the future...

"We must spread our principles, not with words but with deeds, for this is the most popular, the most potent, and the most irresistible form of propaganda." - Mikhail Bakunin

Musings on the hiring.

Okay, so we’ve hired David Pierce to join the NABC team.

You have questions. Why? Now what?

It’s important to understand that Dave brings a perfectly complementary set of professional skills to an existing brew team that includes our longtime brewers of record, Jesse Williams and Jared Williamson.

From the start, we’ve been a brewpub brewery, and as such, we’ve had the luxury of indulging a full range of creative artistry on the part of the current brewers (and Michael Borchers before them). The fact that we’ve always aimed for flexible stylistic interpretations as a means of weaving our house beers into the broader palette of the many beers on tap at the Public House means that we now have distinctive brands to deliver to a wider world. Without that, there’d be no brewing expansion plan.

Accordingly, our brewing expansion plan alters the old dynamic, but not in terms of fundamental creativity. Now, there are added challenges posed by consistency and production on a larger scale, and the efficient distribution of the finished product to our wholesalers, first in kegs, and then later, in cans.

That’s why Dave is on board. Remember that it’s a challenge for him, too, because it will be the first time he has undertaken to brew and ship someone else’s formulas. He's a pro's pro. 'Nuff said.

I’m sure that at some point in the future, Dave will be able to brew his own creative ideas, probably at the smaller Grant Line brewery, along with Jesse and Jared, as part of a brewmaster’s signature series. I can’t wait, although for now, the plan is to receive the brewery, build the brewery, and then brew our existing beers for distribution to metro Louisville and the state of Indiana.

The sooner this gets underway, the better, and the closer we’ll get to the next stages.

Does this help explain matters more clearly?

David Pierce joins NABC as Director of Brewing Operations.

I’m pleased to announce that the New Albanian Brewing Company has hired David R. Pierce to fill the newly created position of Director of Brewing Operations.

David, who will begin work immediately, joins NABC’s two veteran brewers, Jesse Williams and Jared Williamson. Their popular beers like Elector, Hoptimus, Beak’s Best, Community Dark, Mt. Lee, Kaiser and Thunderfoot will remain the foundation of NABC’s game plan, both on-premise at our two locations and as part of the evolving off-premise distribution.

David will begin work immediately, familiarizing himself with NABC’s portfolio of beers, and serving as de facto project manager overseeing the installation of our new 15-barrel (30-bbl fermenter) DME brewing system, which is slated for shipping in late April or early May to our new downtown New Albany production brewing facility, the Bank Street Brewhouse.

He’s not coming aboard to formulate his own beers. He’s coming to help us make full use of the new system and to achieve the full potential of our existing brands.

You should know that during his 17 years in commercial brewing, David has done it all. He opened Louisville’s first two brewpubs in the modern era, the Silo (now defunct) and Bluegrass Brewing Company, and formulated their rosters of on-premise beers. He sold and installed DME brewing systems, and served as a widely sought consultant to brewers nationwide. More recently, he has specialized in all aspects of BBC's production brewing, quality control and coordination for off-premise distribution.

He’s just the man we need to take it to the next level, and beyond. I’ll happily answer any questions you might have – after I get some sleep.

BBC (Main & Clay) aged bourbon barrel stout ... and Thunder plans.

Contrary to every reasonable expectation, Gravity Head didn't really last into April, so other beers are coming on tap at the Public House. Since I wasn't expecting to have to think about it this quickly, there's no orderly plan in place at present.

However, one beer I want to mention in particular is Grand Old Fella, a special release from Bluegrass Brewing Company (Main & Clay in Louisville). In the words of brewmaster David Pierce, it's an exclusive version of his Jefferson Reserve bourbon barrel stout, and is ...

" ... A bourbon barrel worth of stout from our first batch. The stout was pulled from the first batch three years ago, aged two years in its original barrel then racked to a 23 year old barrel for one more year."

It's on tap now, and delicious. Also note that BBC downtown will be observing its annual Thunder Over Louisville celebrations, as described by Dave thusly:

Come celebrate Thunder Over Louisville and the BBC Taproom Birthday Party with us on 12 April, 2008. Doors open at 12:00 noon. The drill is the same as in the past:

Bring a dish to share (enough for 10 people), something to throw on the grill, your favorite non-alcoholic beverages, chips, dips, etc.

Parking is limited, indoor parking is first-come, first served.
Bring lawn chairs, sunscreen, etc.

I will be your host and bartender again this year. Please RSVP via e-mail so I can get a headcount. See you here!

I suggest calling the brewery directly if this interests you. Find contact information at the website: Bluegrass Brewing Company.

BBC’s David Pierce profiled in the May issue of Louisville Magazine.

The dean of Louisville brewmasters garners much deserved column inches in the May issue of Louisville Magazine – just in time for Derby visitors to learn a thing or two about beer.

Right. We’re talking about people who believe Louisvillians actually drink mint juleps during the fifty weeks of the year when Derby fest isn't running -- an incredibly insulting way of ruining good bourbon. They'd be better off with a pint of Dave's American Pale Ale, a bona fide Louisville classic.

It’s still great press for Dave and BBC. The magazine has upgraded its website, where the April issue is currently archived (but with at least one broken link). Area residents are better off buying a newsstand copy.