Country Boy Brewing – Lexington, KY
I know I’m going to get some pushback for mentioning a brewery from the Bluegrass State on the same list as a Rust Belt state.
Kentuckians like to believe they are Southern. Southerners refuse to claim them.
But the truth is, Kentucky has more in common with the Rust Belt than they’d probably like to admit.
Heck, a sizable percentage of their population migrated north to the Rust Belt at the turn of the 20th century in search of factory jobs and helped build the arsenal of democracy that defeated fascism during World War II.
So it’s no wonder I feel a natural connection to Kentucky, and why I felt right at home at Country Boy Brewing in Lexington, Kentucky.
Country Boy Brewing was founded in 2012, the year that I lived in Kentucky, albeit for a short period of time.
Their branding is pure Americana and will tug at the heart strings of any red-blooded American.
Their beer is top notch, with my personal favorite being Shotgun Wedding, a brown ale aged on vanilla beans.
While they now can their beers and distribute to a larger area, you’d best be served just visiting their taproom and enjoying it straight from the source.