With the rise in demand for farm-to-table meals and locally sourced foods of all types, West Sixth Brewing in Lexington invites guests to see where it all begins—right from the brewery’s own farm.
“People want to know where their food comes from,” said Joe Kuosman, one of West Sixth’s founders. “But most people don’t think beer comes from the earth, so now we can show them.”
The brewery’s owners purchased a 120-acre farm, located north of Frankfort off U.S. 127 in Franklin County. The acreage checked all the boxes for a site between Lexington and Louisville and was not so rural that it would be hard to find. In its third year of operation, the farm is growing hops, berries and apple trees. Although it will be a few years before those hops will be mature enough to use in the brewing process, and a few more years until the 100 apple trees produce enough fruit to make West Sixth’s hard cider, the folks at West Sixth see the farm as something else.
“We see it as similar to a winery,” Kuosman said. “People go there for the experience, and they can do the same thing here.”
The farm is serene, with rolling hills of grassland, shady woodlands and two small ponds. Looping around and through the acreage are four miles of hiking and mountain bike trails that take visitors past a catch-and-release lake, two cows, a few dozen chickens and honeybee hives.
The goal has never been to grow all of the ingredients for their beers; it is more of an evolving experiment. Kuosman said he and the other owners are farming the land and learning as they go. But mainly, they want people to come out and do whatever they want to do.
“We want people to treat it like a park,” Kuosman said. “The environment is what is important.”
An open-air taproom with picnic tables scattered about is just the introduction to the property. West Sixth invites visitors to support the food trucks there or bring their own sandwiches and have a picnic on the hillside. Little ones can run around and fish, and dogs on a leash are welcome, too.
The farm is open April through October, but the outer loop trail is open year-round.
West Sixth Brewing opened its doors in 2012 in the former Rainbo Bread factory in Lexington. The company brews, cans and bottles its flagship West Sixth IPA, along with favorites such as Pennyrile Pale Ale, Strawberry Kölsch, bourbon barrel-aged Pay It Forward Cocoa Porter, and Sixfold VI: Wild Sour with Tart Cherries, which is aged in oak wine barrels.