"Craggies Ale" news and stories

In a region better known for heirloom tomatoes and heritage pigs, a small craft brewery is reaching back to an 1840s recipe for its next beer.

Craggie Brewing Co. in Asheville, N.C., plans to start producing its Antebellum Ale later this week, following a few successful test runs that surprised even brewmaster Bill Drew.

"I wasn't a big fan of brewing this, but I actually really like it," admits Drew, who found his inspiration in a trio of beer recipes included in a business plan for a 1930s Statesville brewery helmed by his co-owner's distant relative. While it's almost certain Maj. William Allison never bottled the beer – his enterprise floundered in the face of a legal challenge from Chattanooga's Southeast Brewing Company -- a hand-written note indicating the beer's century-old antecedents intrigued the Craggie team.

The original recipe calls for spruce, molasses, ginger and "a gill of yeast." Since the beverage didn't include hops or grain, co-owner Jonathan Cort admits it's a stretch to classify it as a beer -- although he eagerly explored the possibilities of marketing Craggie's product as a gluten-free brew.