Brewing History

GREAT THINGS CAN COME FROM THE STRANGEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES…

During the heat of World War 1, four American soldiers found themselves in a small village pub. Their main connection being in the same army company. As casual introductions are made, Leonard Anderson stresses his dislike of being called “Leo”, the pet name given by his mother as a child. And, as it always happens when alcohol is involved, the rest of the group; Chet (Leonard’s brother), Clancey and Roscoe, begin to tease “Leo” about his name.  The fires of aggravation, being fueled by ale, sets off a huge bar brawl. First among the four servicemen, then quickly including everyone else – including the bar maids!

As it goes with drunken brawls, the fighting quickly dissolved and the drinking even more quickly resumed. The four acquaintances became fast friends, and vowed to keep in touch once the war was over. Miraculously, all four survived. Being that at the time they were all single, they ultimately decided to settle into Roscoe’s home town of Harrodsburg, Kentucky. The four went in to business together, opening a mill/general store/post office.

As years passed, times changed. Prohibition swept over the US. One sultry summer evening, the men sat on Clancey’s front porch, reminiscing about the war and longing for tall, cold beer. But, since prohibition was in full swing, that quickly became a moot point. It also became the inspiration for the four friends’ greatest investment…their own secret brewery, where they could create the beer that they wanted. “To Hell With The Government!” became the traditional toast of the brewers and the select few friends that were invited to indulge in the secret brew.

Fast forward several decades. LeMayne Ellis, Steve Anderson, Keith McQuerry and Jay Anderson, all of Harrodsburg, are cleaning out the attic of LeMayne’s childhood home. Under mounds of old newspapers they discover an old envelope. Inside that envelope they discover a faded picture of four men and several pages of what appear to be recipes. Upon further inspection, they realize not only are they the direct kin of the original creators, but that they also now possess the secret recipes.

With a lot of experimentation and trial and error, Lemons Mill Brewery and OCD2 brand was born. The coupling of traditional brewing and modern flavor infusions has come to create some of the most amazing beer that will pass your lips.