Lexington is quickly becoming the quintessential drinking destination of central Kentucky for all beverages not made in a bathtub. While this area of the Commonwealth has a rich history of capitalizing on the benefits of making limestone water into something that can make you go blind, over the last ten years distilleries have started to share the well and the wealth with many local breweries.
For those that can’t quite stomach bourbon and haven’t got the palate for small batch beer, Lexington has been a cruel mistress for anyone that would like to “drink local.”
That is, until the city sees Happy Cattleman Brewing celebrate their grand opening this weekend. Owner and brewmaster Wally Plancher will open America’s first “Craft Zima Brewery” in the ever expanding historic distillery district in Lexington’s Pepper Campus.
“To be honest I haven’t drank a lot since the mid to late 90s, losing crystal pepsi was one thing, but when having a Zima with some candy in it somehow shifted from being awesome to being lame, I just didn’t want to drink socially anymore, because I just didn’t know how,” explained Plancher. “We all love the taste of Zima, but to be fair, by the end of its run, it just tasted a little too corporate. Maybe its popularity died out because the recipe was compromised to reach a broader audience? I can tell you, that won’t happen here. Our Zima will always be made from small batch recipes with a focus on local ingredients. However, if you remember, Zima’s initial popularity didn’t just stem from the taste. It wasn’t just delicious, it was also the safest buzz I’d ever come across. You know the old rhyme, beer before liquor never sicker, but never fear if that beer is clear.”
Plancher has been experimenting with his recipe for almost 20 years now, “I mean I’ve put every type of hard candy into all kinds of bottled drinks, but nothing’s worked. I almost gave up completely after I tried dropping a Werther’s Original into a bottle of Smirnoff Ice at a Keeneland tailgate. My friends made me chug it, and have been hiding bottles of it around my house ever since.”
The owner is confident that Happy Cattleman Brewing will be an immediate success, “Financially speaking, I really think this is gonna take off, because people don’t really care if something is good or bad, they just care if it reminds them of a time when they were younger and could drink experimental beverages without fear that they have a hangover for 3 days like we do in our thirties.”