CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) Next time you are at Blackhorse Pub and Brewery in downtown Clarksville sipping on one of their craft beers, you might want to take a moment to appreciate just how much work and passion goes into the making of your drink.
You can also thank Head Brewmaster Steve McEndree and the other brewers for their time and attention to their creations. I recently joined McEndree, who has been brewing beer for around 20 years, early one morning in the Brewhouse at Blackhorse.
I was surprised when McEndree told me that he doesn’t actually make beer. He said the yeast makes the beer. Brewers make food for the yeast and the yeast converts the ingredients to CO2 and alcohol.
Blackhorse opened in 1992 at 132 Franklin St., first known as the Franklin St. Pub, and has been brewing beer since 1995.
“This is an amazing craft, I’ve been doing it a long time and I learn something new every day,” McEndree said.
Craft beers are brewed every other day at Blackhorse and it takes about eight hours to get a batch of beer, around 284 gallons, into a fermenter where the beer will sit for about two weeks.
McEndree said Blackhorse has about eight beers on tap along with seasonal brews and they are always working to come up with something different. One thing Blackhorse has been experimenting with for the last five years is barrel aging of their beers.
“We’ve had some good luck so we’re going to go forward with that and expand our barrel aging program. We’ve got a warehouse down the street that we’re going to fill up with all different kinds of barrels and let them age and produce some really great barrel aged tasting beer,” McEndree said.
If you want to taste some great craft beers, don’t miss the Blackhorse Pub and Brewery’s 25th Birthday Block Party, March 18 from 6 p.m.- midnight. Along with partying at the pub on 2nd St. between Franklin and Commerce, there’s going to be music from Mo’Pie and the Beagles, food trucks and of course lots of craft beers.