Goodwood to start beer distribution Monday

Grab all the Bluegrass Brewing Company bottles you can get now.

Starting Monday, the well-known beers will disappear from liquor store shelves as a new lineup from Goodwood Brewing Company takes over — and it's unclear when they'll return.

The change is all part of a re-branding initiative for Goodwood, a production brewery that recently spun away from BBC in an effort to take its recipes in a different direction and cut down on confusion that plagued the business for a decade.

The separately owned company previously produced and distributed BBC beers, such as the Nut Brown Ale and Dark Star Porter, under a licensing agreement. But Goodwood's owners decided to end the relationship in pursuit of creating their own portfolio of all wood-aged beers.

"We like what wood does to beer," said brewery president Phillip Dearner. "It puts it back into an older aspect. Back in the day, all beer was aged with wood somehow. ... If you look around the nation, several people dabble in wood aging. But no one is fully invested in experimenting with wood."

Wood aging includes aging beer in barrels as well as using wood chips during the fermenting process, Dearner said. Four of Goodwood's beers will be aged in bourbon, brandy and wine barrels, while three will be wood processed. All will soon be on display in liquor stores, including Liquor Barn and ValuMarket, and on tap at Goodwood's remodeled taproom at Clay and Main streets.

"It's almost like having a child," Dearner said. "It's very exciting. We've put a lot of work into this for the past year, and it's awesome."

BBC founder Pat Hagan agrees reducing confusion around the two companies will likely be beneficial, but he said Goodwood's separation leaves BBC's beer distribution up in the air. The company will immediately distribute kegs to restaurants and liquor stores with taps to keep the BBC brand in the market, but Hagan and his co-owners are still considering options for bottles and cans, such as contracting with an out-of-state brewery or again selling licensing rights.

The brewery does not have the space or ability to produce beer for distribution at its two brewpubs.

Hagan said the Goodwood change happening so close to the closing of BBC's Fourth Street location to make room for a Kindred Healthcare expansion has made some customers wonder if the BBC name is going away for good. But the founder said people shouldn't worry.

"We're going to get our beer back out there," Hagan said. "It might be better in the long run."

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at (502) 582-4646. Follow her on Twitter at @bloosemore.

GOODWOOD BREWING COMPANY

What: A production brewery that recently spun away from its ties to the Bluegrass Brewing Company. The brewery focuses on wood-aged beers and will release seven for distribution starting Monday.

Where: 636 E. Main St.

When: Taproom is open 4-11 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 2-11 p.m. Saturday.

More info: Visit www.goodwood.beer.