Love, sweat and beers. This is the slogan that represents West Sixth Brewing’s recently celebrated fifth anniversary, according to the brewery’s co-founder Brady Barlow.

West Sixth Brewery is a microbrewery and taproom located on the corner of West Sixth Street and Bellaire Avenue. The brewery was founded by Barlow, Ben Self, Joe Kuosman and Robin Sither in 2012.

Prior to opening West Sixth, none of the men had any experience in the brewing industry, but they all had previous experience working in the business world. They capitalized on their business skills while learning what they could about quality brewing.

“I worked in retail of heavy equipment, Joe worked in logistics at Amazon, and Ben worked in finance and marketing with Blue State Digital, so we just tried to put it all together and do something special,” Barlow said.

The brewery is well known for its unique and distinct craft beer.

Barlow explained that West Sixth wanted there to be more craft beer in Lexington, and there was not very much at the time, which is why they decided to include and promote it.

“There was only Country Boy Brewing and Kentucky Ale, and the city was primed for a good craft beer culture,” Barlow said. “We felt like there was room for craft beer to fit with bourbon and whiskey. As a whole, we represent the group of breweries in town, not only locally, but even from a tourist standpoint. Chances are in most towns you’ll find a brewery. We wanted to make Lexington a part of that trend so that people could try other beers.”

Aside from West Sixth Brewery’s well-established beers and products, the company has stood out in other ways.

The brewery orients itself with being a local based, community serving business. Barlow said that by taking care of your community, your community takes care of you.

“We want you to feel very comfortable and we have a strong emphasis on customer service,” Barlow said. “Many of our bartenders have been around since the day we opened and we have little staff turnover, so we have a very familiar atmosphere.”

He also went on to say that, despite the challenge of keeping up with the growth West Sixth has produced since its inception, he still continues to learn and implement ways to keep the business running smoothly and consistently.

As the company moves forward into the future, the brewery’s long-term goals are to concentrate on maximizing their potential and success in Lexington and the region.

“The biggest thing with West Sixth as we move forward is that we want to make great beer, a great place to work, and a positive impact on the community,” Barlow said.