Sig Luscher Brewery

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) -- Just blocks from the Kentucky River near the heart of downtown Frankfort sits a cozy cabin that's the newest spot in town to get a beer.

Sig Luscher is the capitol city's first brewery in more than a century. In fact, it's the oldest and newest brewery in Frankfort.

"Frankfort's only had one ever and we are it from 1866. So now we're the first and the second, so Frankfort was really in need of one," said Nathan Cryder, co-owner of the spot.

Sig Luscher originally opened his namesake brewery in 1866, but it shut down after his death in 1891. Now it's being revived after a 132 year break by his great-great-great grandson.

"Being able to do something with my friends and then also bring back some of the family background," said Tim Luscher, who along with Cryder opened the historic space late last year.

It sits right across from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, which is built on the site of the original Sig Luscher Brewery. Reminders of Sig can be found throughout the Swiss chalet inspired brewery.

"This was the trading card that Sig would leave with the bars as he would deliver his beer, so it's like the business card," said Luscher.

They're still finding new pieces of history all the time, working with historians to continue to tell Sig's story.

"We just found a receipt a couple of weeks ago that Sig was selling yeast to E.H. Taylor, so there is this connection between the beer industry and the bourbon industry that's largely been forgotten, so we're trying to bring that story back to to people," said Cryder.

While they're not using Sig's original recipe, it has inspired Brewmeister Dylan Greenwood's pilsner and lager.

"It was kind of cool to bring back his traditions of mixing the old with the new, the old country with the new world," said Greenwood.

That rich history is part of the reason he hopped on board.

"We're already the 10th oldest brewery in the country, so that's pretty cool," said Greenwood.

He's spent the better part of a year developing the flagship beers.

"We have to take our time with ours. Sometimes it's a month. The beer I'm brewing today won't be tasted for 10 months," he said.

The intimate taproom's only been open for about a month, but the response has been positive.

"They love the beer, and that's probably the best compliment we could have had," said Luscher.

And while bourbon is king in the Bluegrass, they hope they can capitalize on the success of the bourbon trail to draw people into their brewery.

"We have had conversations with Buffalo Trace about how can we work together to get tourists to explore both, especially since there is that shared history," said Cryder.

Sig Luscher just signed with a distributor, so you should be able to try it in your local bar or restaurant soon. If you're interested in stopping by the tap room, it's located on Mero Street in Frankfort.

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