nUNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

~~PURSUANT~~Date TOof ~~SECTION 13~~Report ~~OR 15~~(dDate of earliest event reported): July OF27, ~~THE~~2012

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 12, 2012 (July 6, 2012)

AVENTINE RENEWABLE ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its Certificate of Incorporation)

Delaware		001-32922		05-0569368
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		(Commission File Number)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

One Lincoln Centre 5400 LBJ Freeway, Suite 450 Dallas, TX		75240
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (214) 451-6750

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 1.01.

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

~~Second~~Term ~~Amendment~~Loan toForbearance ~~the Credit~~ Agreement

On July 627, 2012, Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings, Inc. (“Aventine”) and each of its subsidiaries, Citibank, N.A., as ~~co-borrowers~~administrative ~~(collectively,~~agent ~~the~~and collateral agent (“~~Borrowers~~Term Loan Agent”), ~~entered~~and ~~into~~the arequired ~~second~~lenders ~~amendment~~ (“~~Second~~Required ~~Amendment~~Lenders”) tounder the Senior Secured Term Loan Credit Agreement dated ~~July~~December 2022, ~~2011~~2010 (as amended from time to time, the “~~Credit~~Term Loan Agreement”) entered into a Forbearance Agreement (the “Term Loan Forbearance”). Under the Term Loan Forbearance, ~~with~~Term ~~Wells~~Loan ~~Fargo~~Agent ~~Capital~~and ~~Finance~~Required Lenders agreed, ~~LLC~~subject to specified limitations and conditions, asnot ~~lender~~to take any action to enforce any rights or remedies under the Term Loan Agreement which may result from the potential events of default caused by (i) Aventine’s failure to make the interest payment due under the Term Loan Agreement on July 31, 2012, (ii) Aventine’s potential failure to satisfy the minimum liquidity and debt-to capitalization financial covenants in the Term Loan Agreement and (iii) any cross-default triggered by events of default (as ~~agent~~described ~~for~~below) under the ~~lenders~~Revolving Credit Agreement (inas ~~such~~defined ~~capacity~~below). The Term Loan Forbearance will terminate on the earlier of (i) September 7, ~~“Wells~~2012 ~~Fargo”~~or (ii) the occurrence of a further event of default under the Term Loan Agreement or the occurrence of certain other events specified in the Term Loan Forbearance. The Term Loan Forbearance requires that Aventine give certain information to Required Lenders.

~~Pursuant~~In toconsideration ~~the~~for ~~terms of~~ the ~~Second~~Term ~~Amendment,~~Loan ~~commencing on the effective date of the Second Amendment~~Forbearance, ~~the~~Aventine ~~Borrowers~~has ~~will~~agreed beto ~~required~~pay to ~~deposit~~Required ~~cash~~Lenders ~~into a blocked account held with Wells Fargo~~ (~~the “Blocked Account”~~i) a ifforbearance ~~the~~fee ~~Borrowers~~of ~~fail~~1% toof ~~satisfy~~ the ~~financial~~outstanding ~~covenant~~principal ~~under~~balance ~~the~~of ~~Credit~~loans ~~Agreement to maintain minimum excess availability at least $7.5 million~~ under the ~~Credit~~Term Loan Agreement, ~~(the~~which ~~“Excess~~fee ~~Availability Requirement”). Any such cash deposit~~ will be ~~equal~~paid toin ~~103%~~kind ofand (ii) the ~~minimum~~default ~~amount~~interest ofrate ~~excess~~on ~~availability required under~~ the ~~Credit~~outstanding ~~Agreement~~principal ~~minus~~balance ~~the amount~~ of ~~excess availability reported by~~ the ~~Borrowers~~loans inunder the ~~most~~Term ~~recent~~Loan ~~borrowing~~Agreement ~~base~~from ~~certificate (~~the ~~“Shortfall~~date ~~Amount”). The deposit~~ of the ~~Shortfall~~Term ~~Amount~~Loan ~~into~~Forbearance ~~the~~until ~~Blocked~~Aventine ~~Account~~is ~~will~~no belonger ~~deemed~~in todefault ~~satisfy~~under the ~~Excess~~Term ~~Availability~~Loan ~~Requirement~~Agreement, ~~and to cure any default or event of default~~ which ~~would~~interest ~~have~~will ~~otherwise been caused by the failure to maintain the Excess Availability Requirement. The amounts to~~ be ~~deposited~~paid ~~are~~in ~~required to be funded from the proceeds of sale of inventory of the Borrowers~~kind.

OnRevolving the effective date of the Second Amendment, the Borrowers were required to deposit approximately $1.9 million into the Blocked Account to cure the event of default resulting from the failure to maintain the Excess Availability Requirement for the week period ending June 8, 2012. Aventine agreed to allow Wells Fargo to deposit cash from a lock box account held with Wells Fargo (the “Lock Box Account”) into the Blocked Account to satisfy this requirement. Pursuant to the terms of the Second Amendment, Wells Fargo and the lenders under the Credit Agreement ~~acknowledged~~Forbearance ~~and agreed that this event of default had been cured as though for the week period ending June 8, 2012, the Borrowers had maintained the Excess Availability Requirement.~~Agreement

~~Further~~On July 27, ~~under~~2012, ~~the~~Aventine ~~terms~~and each of ~~the~~its ~~Second~~subsidiaries ~~Amendment~~and Wells Fargo Capital Finance, onLLC, as administrative agent, collateral agent and sole lender (“Sole Lender”) under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated July 2720, ~~2012,~~2011 ~~the~~(as ~~Borrowers~~amended ~~are~~from ~~required~~time to ~~deposit~~time, ~~into~~ the ~~Blocked~~“Revolving ~~Account~~Credit ~~cash~~Agreement”) ~~collateral~~entered ~~equal~~into an Amendment Number Three to ~~the~~Revolving ~~outstanding~~Credit ~~principal~~Agreement ~~amount~~and ofForbearance ~~existing~~Agreement ~~loans~~(the ~~plus~~“Revolver ~~103%~~Forbearance”). ofUnder the ~~undrawn~~Revolver ~~amount~~Forbearance, ofSole ~~all~~Lender ~~outstanding~~agreed, ~~letters~~subject ofto ~~credit~~specified aslimitations ofand ~~such~~conditions, ~~date.~~not Asto atake ~~condition~~any ~~precedent~~action to enforce any ~~future~~rights ~~loans,~~or remedies under the ~~Borrowers~~Revolving ~~will~~Credit beAgreement ~~required~~which tomay ~~cash~~result ~~collateralize~~from the ~~outstanding~~potential ~~principal~~events ~~amount~~ of ~~all~~default ~~loans~~caused by (~~including~~i) Aventine’s potential failure to satisfy the ~~requested~~minimum ~~loans)~~liquidity and ~~103%~~minimum ofethanol production at the ~~undrawn~~Pekin, Illinois ~~amount~~plant offinancial ~~all~~covenants ~~outstanding~~in ~~letters~~the ofRevolving ~~credit,~~Credit ~~prior~~Agreement toand ~~the~~(ii) any ~~making~~cross-default triggered by events of ~~such~~default ~~loans~~(as described above) under the Term Loan Agreement. As The Revolver Forbearance will terminate on the earlier of ~~July~~(i) 6September 7, 2012 or (ii) the ~~Borrowers~~occurrence ~~had~~of noa ~~outstanding~~further ~~loans~~event ~~and~~of ~~approximately~~default ~~$9.15~~under ~~million~~the ~~undrawn~~Revolving ~~letters~~Credit Agreement or the occurrence of ~~credit~~certain ~~issued~~other ~~under~~events specified in the ~~Credit~~Revolver ~~Agreement~~Forbearance. The ~~Second~~Revolver ~~Amendment~~Forbearance also ~~provides~~requires that ~~from~~Aventine ~~time~~give toSole ~~time,~~Lender ~~Wells~~certain ~~Fargo~~information. ~~may~~Additionally, ~~transfer funds from~~ the ~~Lock~~Revolver ~~Box~~Forbearance ~~Account~~amends inthe anRevolving ~~amount~~Credit ~~not~~Agreement to ~~exceed~~change the ~~principal~~date ~~amount~~for ofcash ~~all~~collateralization ~~outstanding loans plus 103%~~ of the undrawn amount of ~~all~~Aventine’s outstanding letters of credit from July 27, 2012 (as ofpreviously ~~the~~reported ~~applicable~~by ~~date~~Aventine ofon ~~determination~~July 12, 2012) to September 7, 2012.

2In consideration for the Revolver Forbearance, Aventine has agreed to pay to Sole Lender (i) a cash forbearance fee equal to $91,566.38 which will be payable on September 7, 2012 and (ii) the default interest rate on the outstanding obligations under the Revolving Credit Agreement.

~~Funds~~Item ~~deposited~~2.03. inCreation ~~the~~of ~~Blocked Account, including amounts funded due to~~ a ~~Shortfall~~Direct ~~Amount,~~Financial ~~may~~Obligation ~~increase~~or ~~the~~an ~~borrowing~~Obligation ~~base~~ under ~~the~~an ~~Credit~~Off-Balance ~~Agreement~~Sheet byArrangement upof toa $7Registrant.~~5 million.~~

The ~~Second~~information ~~Amendment~~set ~~creates~~forth aabove ~~liquidity reserve (the “Liquidity Reserve Amount”) equal to (a) $50 million (as such amount may be decreased by the amount of commitment reductions~~ in ~~accordance~~Item with the terms of the Credit Agreement) minus (b) the sum of (i) the principal amount of all loans then outstanding plus (ii) the undrawn amount of any and all outstanding letters of credit plus (iii) $71.501 ~~million.~~regarding ~~The Liquidity Reserve Amount reduces~~ the ~~Borrowers’~~Term ~~current~~Loan ~~availability~~Forbearance ~~for loans under the Credit Agreement~~ and ~~imposes a limit on~~ the ~~Borrowers’~~Revolver ~~ability~~Forbearance tois ~~borrow~~hereby ~~additional~~incorporated ~~loans~~into ~~and~~this ~~request~~Item ~~the issuance of additional letters of credit~~2. ~~The Second Amendment also reduces the aggregate undrawn amount of letters of credit that are permitted to be outstanding to the lesser of:~~ 03(ia) ~~approximately~~by $9reference.15 million, (ii) $50 million (as decreased in accordance with the terms of the Credit Agreement) minus outstanding loans minus the Liquidity Reserve Amount and (iii) the borrowing base minus the principal balance of revolving loans. These amendments, together with the requirement to cash collateralize any future loans, effectively prevent the Borrowers from requesting further loans or letters of credit under the Credit Agreement.

The Credit Agreement was restructured to ensure that inventory and proceeds of inventory from the port in Mt Vernon, Indiana (“Indiana Port Leased Premises”) do not contribute towards the Borrowers’ borrowing base until certain conditions are fulfilled. Wells Fargo is also permitted to create separate reserves in respect of inventory and the proceeds of inventory, which reserves would decrease the borrowing base. Wells Fargo and the lenders under the Credit Agreement also waived compliance with covenants to deliver a letter and an acknowledgement that related to mortgages and liens in respect of the Indiana Port Leased Premises and waived any defaults that had resulted or would result from the Borrowers’ failure to deliver such letter and acknowledgment prior to, on or after the effective date of the Second Amendment.2

~~Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.~~SIGNATURE

~~Aventine~~Pursuant ~~entered~~to ~~into~~the requirements of the ~~Second~~Securities ~~Amendment~~Exchange onAct ~~July 6,~~of ~~2012~~1934, ~~which~~the isregistrant ~~more~~has ~~fully~~duly ~~described~~caused inthis ~~Item~~report ~~1.01~~to ~~above~~be ~~and~~signed ison ~~incorporated~~its ~~herein~~behalf by ~~reference~~the undersigned hereto duly authorized.

Dated: July 27, 2012

	AVENTINE RENEWABLE ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.


	By:	/s/ Calvin Stewart
		Name:	Calvin Stewart
		Title:	Chief Financial Officer

~~SIGNATURE~~3

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereto duly authorized.

Dated: July 12, 2012

AVENTINE RENEWABLE ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC. By: /s/ Calvin Stewart Name: Calvin Stewart Title: Chief Financial Officer

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