Old Lightning Rod Day is Wednesday, January 16, at both NABC locations.

For 2013, Old Lightning Rod Day moves to Wednesday, January 16, which is the day before Benjamin Franklin's actual birth date of January 17 (in 1706).

Old Lightning Rod

Let thy discontents be thy secrets

NABC'S annual January release commemorating the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, Old Lightning Rod is a throwback strong ale from Colonial American times, incorporating “triangular” molasses as an adjunct, and encapsulating Franklin’s sly founding wisdom.

The sole annual release of NABC's dark, rich Colonial-era tribute ale will be on draft at both on-premise locations (Pizzeria & Public House and Bank Street Brewhouse) on the 16th. There'll be no bottles, and draft usually evaporates in a matter of days. There's be no limitations on growler fills. You also can also look for samples of Old Lightning Rod at NABC's kiosk during the Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest in Indianapolis on Saturday, January 26.

Here's the back story.

Benjamin Franklin was a multi-talented Colonial-era creative legend who brewed beer and drank beer. In his writings, Franklin referred to various types of ale and concluded that its consumption was healthy in moderation – an observation with which modern medical science concurs.

What did these ales of old taste like?

Seven years ago, as part of a nationwide promotion on the occasion of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, NABC’s brewers tweaked a Colonial-era recipe provided to members of the Brewer Association, and the result was our first ever batch of Old Lightning Rod. We've repeated the experiment every year since, and the ale keeps tasting better and better.