CLARKSVILLE, Tenn (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Recent guests of Dunbar Cave State Park’s tours may have noticed a large glass container sitting on a natural stone shelf in the depths of the cave. It was a carboy, used to ferment beer, and it contained a special brew made in partnership between Dunbar Cave and local King’s Bluff Brewery.
According to Kings Bluff’s head brewer, Dustyn Brewer, the idea for the partnership came from Blayne Clements, a member of the Friends of Dunbar Cave and a regular at Kings Bluff, who suggested the idea. The small batch draught will be spun up into a larger batch. Part of the proceeds from the beer will go to the Friends of Dunbar Cave for their work in preserving one of Clarksville’s favorite landmarks.
“It will ultimately lead to better conservation efforts,” said David Britton, “It all comes back to ensuring that this place is here in perpetuity.”
The Friends of Dunbar Cave fund various upkeep and improvement projects at the park. They fund two of the park’s cave tour guide positions and are currently working on making the full trail loop ADA accessible.
“This was an opportunity for us to do something with one of the coolest landmarks in Clarksville,” said Brewer. “It needs more attention. It needs more community support, and awareness, and this was really a cool way for us to be able to do this with them.”
This particular brew was named Dunbar Draught. It is a kellerbier, which translates to ‘cellar beer,’ and is created using medieval brewing techniques. It is a lager and requires a very specific, low temperature in order to ferment properly. Early brewers relied on the naturally cool temperatures found in caves to provide a stable environment for the beer to age.
Friends of Dunbar Cave as well as park staff will join Kings Bluff tonight, October 29, at 5:30 p.m, when they will tap the keg and try Dunbar Draught for the first time. The beer will be available to the public tasting beginning Wednesday, October 30.