Ingredient Highlight – Heirloom Corn

Ingredient Highlight - Heirloom Corn

There are four main ingredients that make up beer: water, grain, hops and yeast. Grain can come in all shapes and sizes and can be malted or roasted to all different degrees. Corn can be included in the grain bill along with barley, wheat, oats and other types of grain. Commercial corn is one of the lowest cost ingredients around, and many breweries have taken advantage of the cost savings, which does not do this ingredient justice. Our Heirloom Summer Ale looks to turn this mentality upside down by highlighting the very ingredient that many seek to hide: Corn. Harding House Brewing Co. partnered with Lost Weekend Farms in Madison, TN to brew a session cream ale using a heritage corn variety.

Brewing is an agricultural act

Although this beautiful variety is native to the southeast, many farms replaced this variety with more commercial, economic corn. Thankfully, Lost Weekend Farms has taken the call to revive this variety, and Harding House Brewing Co. is excited to participate in this act of agricultural rebellion. This is just one way in which we are working toward creating local economies for heirloom crops, grown in our own backyards. Lost Weekend Farms believes that a farm and farmers markets can be a host for community and a place to celebrate the seasons bounty in order to escape the divisiveness that is so prevalent today. We couldn’t agree more!

About our Heirloom Summer Ale

Brewed with heritage corn and American hops, the Heirloom Cream Ale has a light, crisp body, with a piney fruit aroma and a bitter, refreshing finish. We believe that the best beer is brewed and consumed in the season in which the ingredients exist. Expect to find this specific corn species to be available all through the Summer, into early Fall. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to stay up to date on our progress toward opening day. For more information about Lost Weekend Farms, visit their website at http://lostweekendfarms.com/ and follow them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram as well.