My Old North Georgia Home Ale

Review Date 3/30/2024  By John Staradumsky

  Style: Kentucky Common   Brewery: Rock Solid   Country: USA   State: Georgia   $ Per OZ: $.31 (B)   ABV: 5.5%

See, this is why I love beer so much. Just when you think you know it all, when you think you’ve tried it all, and you think that’s all there is? Beer jumps up and slaps you in the face and says “Wake up! Here’s something new!” And so it was with Rock Solid Brewing and My Old North Georgia Home ale.

Here’s what Rock Solid says about My Old North Georgia Home:

We took all the things you love about bourbon and turned them into an easy-drinking springtime ale. Made with American-grown barley, flaked corn, and a touch of rye, this beer is smooth and slightly floral with a touch of black pepper and bread crust.

They call this beer a Historical Beer - Kentucky Common. I had to look that up, as fas I know, I have never had a Kentucky Common before in my 43 years of beer drinking.

Kentucky common beer is a once-popular style of ale from the area in and around Louisville, Kentucky from the 1850s until Prohibition. This style is rarely brewed commercially today. It was also locally known as dark cream common beer, cream beer or common beer. The beer was top-fermented and was krausened up to 10% making it quite highly carbonated. Like cream ale, it was consumed fresh, usually as draught beer. In 1913 it was estimated that 80% of the beer consumed in Louisville was of this type. Many local breweries made only this style of beer.

Fascinating, but also makes me wonder why this beer was not named My Old Kentucky Home or My Old Louisville Home. Whatever you call it, I had a hell of a time getting it. As soon as I heard tell of it, I was determined to go get some. So one fine Sunday, I took a ride to Ball Ground to do just that. My plan was to have  apint at the brewery, and fill some crowlers to take home. My Old North Georgia Home would be the pint I would drink at the brewery.

Except I never got to drink it there. On the way north to the brewery, there were police cruisers all over the highway. There was one parked right off the exit I took to get to downtown Ball Ground, too. Now, I probably would have been fine with one pint but still, I didn’t feel comfortable, so decided to just get to the bring home some crowlers part.

Except, I never got to bring home crowlers. They were out of crowler cans. OK then, they do can beers as well, so I will bring home a 4-pack, which is how they sell them.

Except, I never got to bring home a 4-pack. They were out of them, although they did have two pint cans froma  4-pack left. I bought those, and a half liter bottle of a barrel aged imperial stout.

Rock Solid My Old North Georgia Home has an alcohol content of 5.5% by volume and I paid $11 for two pint cans. I think 4-packs were running $19.99, had they had them. Craft beer prices are starting to climb again and I really think are getting out of control. I can often drink draft craft at Taco Mac for less than I can for the same beer at the brewery. My cans of My Old North Georgia Home were packaged on 3/13/2024. A day before my birthday!

Rock Solid My Old North Georgia Home pours to a dark murky brown color with a thick fluffy tan head and a nose of soft cookie malt. Taking a sip, the beer is immediately malty. Chocolate chip cookies and fudge brownies immediately come to mind. Brown sugar, toasted nuts, spicy rye, and grassy hops in the finish are all here. Do I get a hint of booze? Perhaps it is the power of suggestion.

Hedonistically, I give this one four stars out of five. It’s hard to judge it to style when you’ve never had the style before, but I will give it an extra half star for creativity as a rare style. Then I’m taking it back for the high price, $19.99 for 4 pint cans of what is essentially a moderate strength brown ale is too much. I would still buy it again all the same.

Despite all the trouble I had getting this one, it was worth it all to try the style. The things we do for beer!

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??