Rich O's Public House

Rich O's Public HouseRich O's Public House
Rich O's Public HouseRich O's Public House
Bar, Eatery

3312 Plaza Drive
New Albany, Indiana, 47150
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.46
Reviews:
30
Ratings:
30
pDev:
11.88%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by karst:
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Reviewed by karst from Missouri

4.33/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
March 18th found Rich O's Public House after wondering around New Athens, In. Helpful staff guided us to several of the better offerings: Lindemans Fromboise Lambic, Burton Bridge Brewery-Thomas Skyles Old Ale -cask, BBC's Jeffersonson's Res. Bourbon barrel and the Fossil HBC winner Old 15-B a very drinkable clean stout. A lot of beer loving folks stop by and have been doing so for 10 yrs or so. High Gravity beer is still on tap from annual Gravity Head. My server brought me a 12 oz pack of Homeroasted roasted by a local patron. We had been talking about Kaldi's Coffee Stout. Very nice folks. The opposite side serves pizza and has a brewery view through a glass wall. Both sides have a chalk board with the offerings from the 30 taps. It was my pleasure to return the next week for pizza and a new UK cask ale and leave with a couple of growlers of high gravity beer. Friday nights are more crowded and you may have to have a couple of pints while waiting for a booth on the Pizza side.
Mar 26, 2006
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by jkrich from Florida

3.23/5  rDev -27.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
My overall score suffers because of uneven service and quality. My first visit was very enjoyable as we sipped on Alpha King and enjoyed calzones and a wonderful meatball and spaghetti dinner. There were at least a dozen or more beers on draft of several different styles. Good music played while we ate and drank, and service was attentive. Unfortunately, I attempted to return a couple of times. Once, the pub was closed (in the middle of the day)while the pizzeria attached to the pub was loud, smoky and obnoxious. A second time the pub was open, but I could not get anyone to wait on us; very disappointing. Also, the place did not look clean. However, I am willing to give it another try.
Feb 28, 2010
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Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Me and some buddies stopped in on a recent trip to the Louisville, KY area. This was my second time here (but my first time in a few years), and we sat in the Sportstime Pizza area of the building (I was told the Rich O's part of the building didn't open until 1PM, and we were there before then for lunch). They had around 30-40 beers on tap, including about 5 of the New Albanian Brewing Company brews (NABC is attached to the building, you can see their brewing equipment from our dining area). I tried a couple of the New Albanian beers (the 15-B Porter and the Community Dark Mild Ale) which were both very good. Their overall tap selection was excellent, they had a great variety of beers to try so my buddies were all able to find something they liked. Rich O's also has a great selection of bottled beer too, they have the bottled beer menus at all the tables/booths (the tap menu was on one of the walls there).

The menu from what I could tell was mostly pizza, calzones and sandwiches. I got a huge calzone for lunch ( up to 10 toppings for just $7), it was excellent and for that price it was a pretty good deal! I forget the exact prices for pizza, but from what I remembered the prices for the other food seemed pretty reasonable. The service was great too, our server was knowledgeable and cool to talk to. I don't know why it took me so long to go back there, the food is great and the time spent there was fun. Even my friends who aren't beer geeks liked it a lot. I'd recommend Rich O's to anyone that lives or is stopping through the area.
May 07, 2009
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Reviewed by Buschyfor3 from Kentucky

4.58/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Being a native Louisvillian, I like to travel 10 minutes across the river to Rich O's Public House in New Albany whenever I get the chance.

Typically, when I visit Rich O's, I sit in the "Sportstime Pizza" parlor which is attached to the Public House - so my review focuses on that specific section of the establishment. Inside, there is a huge chalkboard next to the entrance listing all the seasonal beers on tap, as well as the daily food specials. There are ususally a good 20-25 beers listed on the chalkboard. The parlor is fairly big, with about 15 wooden booths that seat 4-6 people comfortably and a could of high-tables with 4-5 bar stools around each. The interior is lit with stylish, billiard-style stained-glass lamps that hang from the ceiling and there are a half-dozen ceiling fans that keep the temperatures comfortable. The rest of the decor consists of various window signs and posters from a handful of breweries, and there is a nice view into the NABC's brewery through a couple of long glass windows on the back wall (you can see their stills and their kegging equipment). The atmosphere is usually lively, and always fun. A good place to enjoy a beer, pizza and good stories with friends.

If you can't find a beer you want on the chalkboard, then you can look in their bottled beer menu list - 3 1/2 pages, separated by country of origin, with beers from virtually every country you can think of! The list is really impressive, especially their selection of Belgians (dubbels, triples, quads, lambics/guezes) and American craft beers (alot of FFF in bottles and on tap, Bells, Founders, Rogue, etc). Even more impressive is their list of rare, vintaged beers, including many vintages of Harviestoun's Ola Dubh and J.W. Lees Harvest Ale. Prices are decent, as most American craft 12oz bottles will run you $3-5, bombers around $7-8; most imports are priced at $5-6; Belgians are notably marked up the most. Draft specials are usually pretty solid though (examples from my last visit: 20 oz FFF Alpha King, Founders Cherise, $4.75; Weihenstephaner Hefe 20 oz, $5.00).

Rich O's food is excellent - their breadsticks are large, warm, and always fresh; the beer cheese is spicy and a great compliment to a cold, craft draft; and their deep dish pizza are killer and reasonably priced. I always bring home leftovers but they never last for long. The rest of their food selection consists of calzones, sub sandwiches and I believe you can also order buffalo-style wings.

In all, Rich O's is a great pizza parlor/brewpub. Everytime I get the chance to visit Rich O's I never hesitate to go, and I never leave disappointed. Their beer selection is the best I've seen anywhere across KY/IN and the food is killer. If you love craft beer and good pizza and you just happen to be passing through Louisville on I-64, make a 10 minute detour to New Albany and spend some quality time at Rich O's pub - well worth the trip!
Apr 26, 2009
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Reviewed by tmoneyba from Ohio

4.33/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Easy to find location one block off Grant Line Road (111). Lot parking. Building is clean and orderly with New Albanian Brewing on the left. Bar in back and seating for food on the left front and in the back. Servers area has taps in the middle. Staff is freindly with good beer knowledge. Menu is apps and pizza selections from next door. Gravity Head selections are first class and resident and guest selection is good all the time. Good location and well worth the stop and go to Gravity Head each year.
Jan 18, 2009
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Reviewed by Onibubba from Kentucky

4.7/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Whenever I visit Louisville, Rich O's is a requirement. Best pizza bar none. I recommend the Roundhouse Italian Sausage and Banana Peppers...Mmmmm. That burnt cheese around the crust - The best part. Really, really fantastic. On to the beer. Always fantastic stuff on tap. This past weekend I was there for the DFH Hootenany and if you missed it, you missed some outstanding beers. Throughout the night they had a DFH Chicory run through the Randalizer with coffee beans. If there was a way to bottle that amazing taste, I'd be drinking it nightly. Saison Dupont, Rodenbach Grand Cru, special events like the aforementioned Hootenany, Gravity Head... This place is not to be missed. On the down side - service can be spotty. I mean, I know it gets busy, but when you are standing at the bar, you sometimes want to scream, "Who do I have to F#*K to get a beer here? I tip!" Never had problems with the wait staff though. Not a big gripe, I understand that there are off nights, and serving drunks can be a pain in the ass, so no biggie.

Bottom line is there is great food, great beer, great events, and great atmosphere. How can you not love this place? You know what? I love it so much I'm adjusting my service score.

You absolutely MUST hit Rich O's!
Nov 19, 2008
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Reviewed by LauraG from Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Insane and amazing. Strange, eclectic decor -- a quilt made of beer-related t-shirts, posters of Lenin and Bob Marley, random prints, tin signs, and lithographs clutter the walls.

In the numerous times I've been to Rich O's, I've never, ever been disappointed with either the beer, the food, or the service. Is it packed and busy on the weekends? Sure. But given the funky, convivial, share-and-share-alike socialist vibe of the joint, why wouldn't folks drive for miles around to get unique, exciting beers and the best dadgum beer cheese in America? Yeah, it took a visit to get used to the weird layout, seating yourself, endearingly crabby servers, etc. But it's completely worth whatever minor adjustments you might have to make, for the sake of hundreds of hard-to-find imports, dozens of unique on-tap offerings, and did I mention the beer cheese?
Sep 20, 2008
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Reviewed by ColoradoBobs from Colorado

4.4/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 2 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
What a mix. This place is completely off the hook. The bar side is a dump, for atmosphere: cramped, poorly lighted, and still allows smoking.

The family side by contrast is everything opposite. Bright, clean, airy. I was in the bar side. On my first visit I was not initially impressed . . . until I looked at the tap list and the bottles menu. On that particular day, I counted -- and remember, this is in a town of about 20,000! -- 48 beers on draught and 253 in bottles from two-dozen countries.

Food is ridiculous: huge portions, well made, at insanely low prices. A couple of examples: a 21 inch pizza (that's almost 350 square inches, or 2 and one-quarter square feet!) with TEN toppings is $31; a calzone with TEN fillings is $7; and their famous bread-sticks with beer-cheese are also excellent and very inexpensive.

Servers can be a bit snarky, but they definitely know their beer, and can recommend specific brews if you tell them what you like.

This is the oddest, most beer-focused place I've ever been. If you're ever anywhere within 100 miles, you owe it to yourself to stop in and visit this one-of-a-kind rarity. Worth finding for sure.

By the way, anyone looking for light-yellow, fizzy tasteless beers can just avoid this place. They used to carry Bud Light and Corona for about $5.50 a bottle, but anymore, they don't even offer the stuff. You'd probably get cussed at if you tried to order a light beer here.
Apr 18, 2008
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Reviewed by TJustice from Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3
I visited this place on a Saturday afternoon, and was surpised at the crowd. As you enter, there is no bar in sight, only a hand full of tables to the left, and "tv room" to the right, and a pizzeria next door. A large chalkboard showed what they had (house and guest brews) and what they were in the process of making. Beer was you average price per pint, food menu was limited, but what I had was good. To the rear of the bar, was a small lounge area, with a leather couch, love seat, and a wing back chair. Along with a bar area, and a few tables, this was a very cozy area of the pub. One more major plus was the fact that you can still smoke in the building.

As I spent roughly 3 hours of my afternoon there with a few friends, I tried nearly everything they had on tab (house brew) and settles on the porter they had as my favorite. Regardless, good beer, good atmosphere, and good service. I think we may have worn out our welcome with the locals. They began making suggestions of other bars we should try out in the area (which I took as a suggestion we should be leaving so they could have our seats).

At the end of the day, I would recommend this place to others, and will be visiting again in the near future.
Mar 23, 2008
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Reviewed by oldefortran from Kentucky

4.7/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
From the outside, this place does not look like much, but once you enter the door it is a completely different story. From the numerous collectible beer/brewery artifacts on the wall to humorous pictures and even a blue toilet seat with a story all to itself. When talking about the atmosphere of this great establishment, one cannot overlook the "Red Room", which is named for obvious reasons and can't be missed with the huge Lenin poster on the back wall. Definitely very original and just plain awesome.

The beer selection and quality of this place is virtually unsurpassed in this area. The local NABC beers are plentiful in variety and in awards they have won. Their beers range from amazing porters, stouts, IPAs, ESBs, Belgian-styles, etc to more obscure mugwort and juniper brews. After trying some of their own beers, check out the big black board and see what they have on their plethora of taps that are rotated very regularly. In addition to those, they also have a 3+ page bottled beer menu with brews from all over the world. There is something for every beer lover in this place!

The service is fairly fast, they always have the correct glass for the beer, and I've personally never had them mess up an order. I have read a couple reviews talking about rudeness and bad service, but I definitely have to disagree. From going to this place for 3+ years, there have been times when the service was very short with me and my party, but never rude, and sometimes the wait can be a little much. But, this has only happened when the place was very packed, especially during the many beer celebrations they host. These people are running around like crazy getting everyone's drink orders and, in my opinion, doing a great job. If there are lots of folks and a bit of a wait, I suggest meeting new folks and talking about beer. If there was ever a place made for that, this is it.

Hungry? Grab a pizza while you imbibe some great ales. Their pizza is definitely some of the best in the area and their beer cheese is the best I have ever had anywhere. It's almost too addictive! Do not leave without at least trying the beer cheese.

There's not enough good things I can say about this place. Definitely check it out if you are in the area and keep an eye open for their celebrations like Gravity Head (for high gravity beers), the Lupulin Land Harvest Hopcoming, and Saturnalia Winter Solstice (for season winter brews).
Sep 13, 2007
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Reviewed by irishpilot777 from Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5
I live about 5 min from Rich-O's/Sportstime Pizza. I have grown to love everything about the place(except for the crappy strip mall exterior). Even the servers have come to be an expected nuisance, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It makes it feel like home. I don't always get along with my brother, but I love him nonetheless, and he is always there for me like they are. I have friends that come into town and the first place we go is Rich-O's. I have even taken a taxi there directly from the airport, to meet up with my usual Thurs. night crew. There is always a surprise in the menu or beer list and it keeps my palate intrigued for the next visit. If you are looking for crappy lite beer, or mass appeal beer, go somewhere else. The crowd is a mixture of professors, professionals, students, families, eurofiles, and beer lovers young and old. In this way especially, it reminds me of my days in Germany. Everyone is welcome and treated the same if they love beer(even if it is like crap sometimes, haha). There are festivals for Saturnalia and Gravity Head(a personal fav), as well as others. The beer cheese and breadsticks are unmatched and you would do well to find a better pizza any where between here and Chicago(although Wick's on Bardstown Rd. in Louisville is a good challenger). Bring your appetite and love of beer as well as a sense of humor and you will be at home, even if you've never been before. Also explore a little and check out the red room, my favorite theme room in any bar anywhere I have been.
Aug 07, 2007
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Reviewed by 86sportster883 from Maryland

4.13/5  rDev -7.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Pizza, Beer and Pinkos

I was visiting the Louisville area on business, and stopped in this place on a Tuesday night for dinner and drinks, with my co-workers; Tom & Vinny. The parking lot was full, but there appeared to be plenty of tables when we first walked in around 7pm. We sat ourselves down and a waiter came by within a few minutes.

The Public House is not a very big place. It has one large dining area with a few smaller rooms adjacent. Wooden benches and tables line the walls of the main room which contains two blackboards; one listing the beers on tap and the other listing their bottled beer specials.

The bottled beer specials included Stone's Arrogant and Oak-aged Double Bastard, Founders Devil Dancer and Breakfast Stout, the Brooklyn Winter & Monster Ales, Aventinus Eisbock and De Dolle’s Special Export Stout. They also offered a wide selection of bottled beers from Belgium, Germany and other European countries, as well as, several American craft beer offerings. Overall, a very nice selection of bottled beers, although you’ll wind up paying about double for the imports compared to what you would expect to pay in a liquor store. The American micros seemed more reasonably priced.

The draft beers included Schlafly's Coffee Stout, Bell's Two Hearted and dopplebock, Rogue Smoke, Lindeman's Framboise, Anchor Steam, De Ranke XX Bitter, Hitachino New Year Celebration Ale and their standard offering of NABF beers (Hoptimus, Elector, Old 15B, Cummunity Dark and Croupier).

The waiter was attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. The draft beers were fresh and good. The thin crust, deep dish pizza was tasty and different, and the atmosphere was very casual. We sat in the largest of several rooms where there was no TV, no smoke and a mostly middle-aged (plus) clientele. BA magazines were available for reading, as well as, a mini library of what appeared to be beer related periodicals. There were a couple of small rooms (including the Red room) with couches and chairs that offered a more intimate setting, but I found them to be too smoky for me to remain in for very long.

This is definitely one of the better places to grab a good beer in the Louisville area. The Public House might be what you would get if you crossed a good brewpub with a coffeehouse, next to a small library selling pizza. A place where, a large picture of Eisenhower doesn’t seem out of place next to an equally large picture of Frank Zappa.
Mar 07, 2007
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Reviewed by trbren4 from Maryland

2.25/5  rDev -49.6%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 4 | food: 2
I can some this place up in one sentence...Its in Indiana and its in a strip mall. I will give this place one positive note, their list of beers was pretty good and somewhat unique. The service on the other hand would have been better in a prison cafeteria. When we arrived I walked around for a few minutes and read the chalk board but we were never greeted, finally we approached a small bar and asked the guy behind it if we could sit here, his reply was "I dont care what you do" so needless to say not friendly from the start. We ordered two beers (both in house products, one of which smelled like a urinal mint) and a pizza. I asked the bartender if they had any Dreadnaught left because it was on their chalk board. He went and looked for it and retured to tell me that they had two left and he would put them on my tab. I was excited to have found the beer after seeing it on the BA Top 50 list last year. We ate and ordered another beer, two more in-house brews that we somewhat better than the first two. Our bartender was leaving and told us to ask for our beers when we were ready to pay cause they were already on our tab. While we were there, a large group was having a party and every server/bartender that went behind the bar complained about them. A lady can up to the bar holding her 3 yr old and asked were the bathroom was. One server's reply was "good luck finding it" and walked away. When it came time for us to pay, we asked for our tab and our bottles. The bartender returned and said they didnt have any of the dreadnaught left and I told him that we had two bottles already on our tab. They then called the bartender that was waiting on us on the phone to ask where they were. While that was happening, the two guys behind the bar were talking and my wife heard them say that he had just sold them to someone else. This same guy came over and told me that the other bartender was mistaken because all the beer was pulled forward on the shelf. I asked what that had to do with my beers and he said there was only one left on the shelf and the rest of the beers were not Dreadnaught, so they didnt have two. I said no problem can I just get that one and my tab, he walked away and the other bartender said no because it has a broken neck. Why would they keep broken beers on the shelf??? I bet their inventory is crazy. I asked why I was getting three different stories here and just wanted the beers that were on my tab. One of the guys said to me that I should "get over it, go look for it somewhere else"...I told him that it was not the point, these were on my tab and I didnt like being lied to. The same guy said to my wife and I, "I got your tab, now get the fuck out of our bar." Confused, I closed my wallet and walked out. I dont think that this is anyway to talk to a customer or in front of a lady. I'm not a beer geek, but I do enjoy a craft beers and having them in a friendly yet unique place. Rich O's or the New Albanian brewery is not the place to find either of these things. Besides, the place has Communist clad walls...not exactly American if you ask me.
Nice beer list (I've seen better) prison quality food and the worst staff of any establishment in North America.
Jan 30, 2007
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Reviewed by barturtle from Kentucky

4.83/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I've been an irregular at Richo's for quite a long time ('98 or before) having moved in and out of the area several times. When you're at a brewpub half way across the country and someone brings up a pub from back home, you know they're doing something right.

The food might read like standard bar far on the menu, but it's some of the best prepared bar food you're likely to come across, that being said, it would be nice if they added a few healthier selections (but then when has bar food ever been healthy).

The beer list is incredible, with what must be around 150 bottles and enough taps I haven't bothered to count (well over 30 I'd guess). The selection includes enough Belgians and British beers to shame most other places and then goes on to cover many other countries.

The atmosphere is not what you would expect from the outside, with no TVs and a strong, yet eccentric music selection, you will tend to find yourself in conversations with people you've never met before (but will remember and probably see the next time you go-even if it's a year later)

To tell you how great this place is, even the staff never leave-on top of the fact that they seem to never quit, you can often see them there even when they aren't working!
Jan 21, 2007
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Reviewed by Niniimaa from Kentucky

5/5  rDev +12.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Best place worth the effort to find. Stay to the Public House corner to avoid TVs, kids, and smoking.

Highly knowledgable staff can recommend brands to the inexperienced. I stay with half pints to have more variety.

Start with breadsticks with beercheese. Salad is hearty. Get the refrigerator pizza to enable more beer drinking. We drive over from the Highlands for the beer selection and best pizza in the Louisville Greater Area atleast.

I frequent the Publicanista's webpage to stay current on the status of NABC beer on tap and upcoming festivals (Ben Franklin B-day, Lambic tasting, Gravity Head, etc). Bring newbies to spread the wealth.
Jan 12, 2007
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Reviewed by GreenWBush from Oregon

4.65/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
My friend warned me about finding this place. He was right. After a 411 call, a few wrong turns, and a few delays in Louisville rush hour traffic, it was drinkin' time.

We were starved as all get out after driving from Georgia on a slice or two of cold pizza. My wife ordered the calzone, I got a ham sub. Basic bar food, we presumed, hoping to get some food in us before the insta-buzz of beer on an empty stomach.

The atmoshpere somehow transcends the stale strip-mall exterior. The place winds towards the bar, and by the time you're in that dark, very English environment you are sold on the place. I felt a major London flashback at the bar.

We asked about hoppy selections, and were answered with the in-house brands of Hoptimus (double-ish IPA with english characteristics) and Elector, an Americanized English IPA if that makes any sense. Founder's Centennial IPA, Upland's Dragonfly IPA, and Rogue's Mogul ale were also available for your hoppy desires.

I enjoyed the house brews but we both thought they were a touch ragged and all had a significant chlorophyll flavor. As the beers breathed (and we acquainted ourself to English yeasted American IPA) they definetely got better.

Tap selection is bomb-diggity, I can't remember all but what more than Stone's OG and GD's Old Ruffian explain about the quality and hard-core-ness. A vintage keg of Gale's Prize Old Ale was also intriguing, but as I was driving I could not partake.

The attitude toward beer here is incredible, as reflected both in the credo and overall presentation and respect. Beers are served at the proper temperature, multiple sizings are available, and everything is VERY reasonable in terms of price. I was also pleasantly surprised by the food; both of our entries seemed far above average for bar-food and were very cheap.

This place rocks. Too bad its a four hour drive from my house. I hope to return very soon, perhaps for next year's Gravity Head if i'm still in the state.
Apr 15, 2006
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Reviewed by cameraman from Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Even though this place is Indiana, it is the best place to find incredible beers in the Louisville metro area. It is a tough find, it is located in a small strip mall just off a main road. Right next door to Sportstime Pizza and New Albania Brewing, all three are owned by the same people. The owner of Rich O's is incredibly knowledgable about beer, and it shows in the selection, which is amazing. The decor in the front is very bland, but once you get past that you walk into someones basement. That has an eccletic amount of stuff on the walls. The bar is small, but that won't matter when you see the beer list. I love to see people who have never been there before look at the beer list, utter shock and amazment, at how vast and exotic it is. If you come to the Louisville area this is a must to go to if you are looking for excellent beer selection.
Mar 14, 2006
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Reviewed by oreilly from Ohio

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Rich O's is right next to and is what I would refer to as the better half of Sportstime Pizza. Sportstime is about the Pizza. Rich O's is about the beer. I try to make it to Rich O's a couple of time per month to sample some of the locally brewed beers or a couple from the extensive list of the world's beers. The beer is alwas served at the correct temperature and oftentimes in a matching glass. Drinking from the bottle is not appropriate so beers are always served either in a glass or with a glass. The crowd is typically friendly. There is a significant upcharge for a fruit wedge for Corona. Lite beers are outlawed. Respect beer.
Jan 04, 2006
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Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 3
Most of the comments from other BAers are right on. The bar is located in what appears to be a vacant 1950's strip mall. The signage is weak and the place is easy to pass by. Inside is where it gets interesting. From other comment, I imagined that the place would have been larger. It's quite small and it's unclear on how to get to the bar from the front door. The place (and it's help) is very eccentric, yet comfortable. It looks and feels like Jimmy Hendrix's basement if he were a Commi. I enjoyed the fact that there is little there to do other than enjoy and appreciate the vast array of high-quality brews. The beer menu was awsome. I attended the week after Lupin Land Fest and they had great IPA's, IIPA's, APA's and a good array of Belgians, local brews, and Pilsners. They obviously relish in the thought of having the most hard-to-get brews on tap in the region. If you are within an hour of Louisville and don't stop in for a pint or two, then you will do yourself an injustice.
Oct 26, 2005
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Reviewed by drunkensailor from Kentucky

4.4/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 5
There was a time in my life when all I drank was Bud Light or similar products. It was with the help of a very good friend and an introduction to Rich O's that my life has been forever changed. I meet friends at Rich 'O's about once to three times a month, and even if I lived three hours away I would still make the drive. Not only is the selection amazing, it is in constant state of change. They are great about sampling the beers on tap, and most of the staff is somewhat knowledgable. The food, my god, is amazing. It is without a doubt the best calone of all time. As big as my head. if they let me, I'd like to get married here.
Jul 06, 2005
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Reviewed by brewdlyhooked13 from Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I had the pleasure of crashing the IN/KY Gathering with my brother and had a great evening talking and tasting beers with other BAs.

Located in a very unassuming shopping center area next to a car wash, it takes up the corner space of an L-shaped arrangement of store fronts. A nice assortment of neon signs from quality brewers preps the patrons for what lies inside. The inside was rather crowded that night. I would imagine that this is a typical problem for Rich-Os as there are easily enough craft beer loving people in the area to support their business. There was really nowhere to sit down for awhile. Fortunately I had some beer gifts to pass around and some beer trades to execute, by the time I was all done with that, some spaces opened up for me to sit down and have a beer and some pizza. Very cozy atmosphere, though a TV or 5 wouldn't hurt, especially during March Madness.

I only got to try one of their smoked beers, thought it was great. Others were equally impressed by some of the other local products. The server guy was very attentive and patient with all of us, even taking a food request from me while in the middle of something else. Service was prompt and friendly.

Though seating arrangements were a bit limited, the beer list was anything but. Very extensive list of US micros and top shelf imports. I tried several but was having so much fun I didn't stop to take notes on any of the beers, just enjoyed them. The pizza we had was just the normal stuff, but was it ever good. They know how to use garlic in this place very well, the pizza disappeared with haste.

I plan to attend more events at Rich-Os, if you're in the area and have a thirst for better beer, this is the place to go.
Apr 18, 2005
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Reviewed by orbitalr0x from Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Got to visit here during the IN/KY Gathering. Located in a strip mall...my eyes lit up when I saw the Rogue neon in the window. They had a huge list of tapped imports and micros for the Gravity Head festival. My favorite of the night being Fantome Saison on draft. There's a wonderful atmosphere here with good lighting, lots of tables and even some couches near the bar. Everything I ordered was delivered in the proper glassware and they seem to really care about good beer here...not a macro in sight. On top of all of this they also brew their own beer.

The food here was great as well...I had a calzone with spinach, roasted garlic and mushrooms that was just awesome. We had one waiter for the whole gathering...and he was very nice and accomodating. I really can't say enough about this place. Their love for good beer shows...and if you're in southern Indiana anywhere near New Albany...do yourself a big favor and get to Rich O's. You will not regret the decision!
Mar 30, 2005
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Reviewed by merlin48 from Kentucky

4.78/5  rDev +7.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Spent a few hours here on 3-19-05, during the Ky/Indiana beer gathering. "Gravity Head", a celebration of barleywines, wheatwines, etc., was still going on. Adnams Tally-Ho barleywine was on cask, and over 20 assorted micro and imports were on tap. Extensive bottle selection included Alaskan Smoked Porter and an imposing number of other quality Ameican micros and fine imports. No macros to be found here. Very comfortable atmosphere, with a strong emphasis on quality beer. Staff was attentive and very knowledable. Proper glassware was used. This is also a brewpub, but their Electra IPA was the only one I tried and it was very high quality. This place has been well described by previous reviewers, so there's not a lot for me to add. This is simply one of the best beer bars I've ever visited in North America. Amazing place to be located just across the Ohio River from Louisville. Can't wait to make another visit to this outstanding pub.
Mar 21, 2005
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Reviewed by SheepNutz from Kentucky

4.43/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Wow, what a place. I had the pleasure of going to Rich-O's with a few fellow Kentucky BAs for the Saturnalia festival, and I was really blown away. The place is decorated nicely, with lots of cool breweriana and tons of even cooler communist memorabilia. There's lots of tables to sit at, a few bar stools, and even a few couches and sofas. I didn't get to check out the view over at the sportstime pizza connected to Rich-Os. It took us a few minutes to get a brew and get a table, but as they say, good things come to those who wait. They had a killer tap selection due to the Saturnalia festival, including De Ranke XX Bitter, Anchor OSA 2004, Urthel Quadrium, Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock G’frorns, Hitachino Nest Sweet Lactose Stout, and Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale just to name a few. On top of that, they had a HUGE bottled beer menu, with two great offerings that I've been searching for and just couldn't pass up (Cantillon St. Lamvinus and Alaskan Smoked Porter). They even have a beer engine pumping cask ale. Everything was poured properly and was in proper glassware. The wait staff was fairly decent as well. If you come here, be sure to save some room for pizza as well. The deep dish is really really deep, and with great toppings such as spinich and whole roasted garlic cloves, you just can't go wrong. All the prices here on both food and beverage are decent, with nothing too overpriced. You can even get beers in bottles to go without the bar markup price, ingenious! This place is highly recommended if you are in the New Albany / Louisville, Kentucky area. Go. Now.
Jan 11, 2005
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Reviewed by clvand0 from Kentucky

4.85/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
What a cool place. Somewhat hidden in a small shopping center, this place is much bigger and better than it looks on the outside. The first room of Rich O's has some luncheon tables. Go through a door and you have an area with a very small bar and several couches. To the left is the Red Room with more seating in a small area. We were there for part of the "Saturnalia" festival. Unreal beer selections on tap. Just unreal. Alpha Klaus, Fantome, De Rank Noel. Wow. The bar service was great - the co-owner kept coming by and checking on us as well as tending the bar.

The food from the pizza place next door was good (I only had the breadsticks, but the pizza looked great as well). The brewmaster from New Albanian gave us a great tour of the brewing area and gave us trials of all the beer he had on tap and in fermenter. What a great place. I'll be back very soon.
Dec 29, 2004
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Reviewed by kmpitz2 from Tennessee

4.9/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Had my first of many future experiences at Rich-O's today. Wow. They are celebrating the winter solstice now with their Saturnalia Festival. There are 17 beers on tap special now for the festival, with 13 or so in the wings for when these run out. How is a guy to chose? I went with a De Ranke Pere Noel, Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard, Corsendonk Christmas Ale, and Left Hand Milk Stout. While there, I was able to talk to Roger, the man in charge of writing their newsletter and one of hte bartenders, and got to meet a lot of folks that love good beer. What a great experience. They even let you buy their bottled beer for take-away, so I got a bottle of the Fantome Hiver. The only other that I remember was Alaskan Smoked Porter. Anyone in the vivinity of Louisville or southern Indiana should visit this place. I'm already planning my next trip!

Edit: Visited again yesterday. We spent at least an hour chatting with Michael, the head brewery, inside the small brewing set-up. He gave us samples of all the beers available off tap at the time, plus a taste of their stout that was still in fermenter. He put up with some questions from 4 homebrewers, all while continuing to work a bit. What a quality establishment. I can't say anything but good things about every aspect of the place.
Dec 19, 2004
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Reviewed by cerevisiaephilus from Michigan

4.9/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Hands down the best bar I've ever been in. [edit: well, I was a bit excited when I returned from Rich O's for the first time. I've tempered my ratings a bit, namely in the food and atmosphere category. I need to save 5s for some place truly special].

Wow. Just got back this morning from an incredible, dare I say AWESOME (imagine Will Ferrel impersonating James Lipton...'you are AWESOME'), trip down to New Albany Indiana. While hooking up with some members of the Fossils Homebrew Club was certainly the highlight of the evening, Rich O's wasn't exactly a let down.

The reason I went was to partake in some of the finest hoppy beers the world has to offer at their 3rd Annual Lupulin Land Fest. Besides the fact that 60 minute and SN Harvest were delayed until Monday, the selection was great. Had hand pullled Two Hearted, which was incredibly yeasty...the cask must have been rushed. Oh well. Had a 90 minute, an I2PA, and two dry hopped St. Rogue Reds. I passed on the 120 minutes (on draft!), the Mojo and Hazed and Infused, the two Anderson Valley brews, the Heavy Handed IPA, the Arrogant Bastard and Stone IPA, the Alpha King and the Avery 11. I regret having to pass on these and I also wish I would have had some Anderson Valley instead of the 90 minute or the second Rogue Red. But those Rogue reds are just awesome.

They also have another couple taps including Guinness, Belhaven's Scottish, Lindeman's Framboise and a couple others too. Very impressive.

The bottle selection wasn't exactly shabby either. George Gale's going back into the mid '80s, Jw Lees going back to the early '90s, a bunch of Thomas Hardy (didn't catch the date on those), Fantome Pissenlit on special for 12$!!, and about 200 other tasty treats that I didn't have a chance to peruse including, get this, something like 12 lambics!

Holy crap.

The place is about as cool as they come too. It seems like its going to be pretty drab from the outside. Its a mini shopping center occupied exclusively by the Rich O's, New Albanian Brewery, Sportstime Pizza, and FOSSILS homebrew club. But the bar is just incredible. Tight little place, lots of walls and beams and tons of very cool stuff hanging on the wall. There are two couches and a big comfy chair around a coffee table. Stacks upon stacks of magazines and newspapers including 7 brewing papers and the Economist, among other periodicals of some stature. There's also the 'red room' off to one side filled with communist paraphenalia. Really really really great stuff.

THe food was incredible...at least the Pizza we ordered. We got a $30 dollar 'refrigerator' pizza, or as Serena called it, 'one agressive pizza'. It was freakin' huge. The toppings alone were at least an inch thick...no joke. It must of weighed 20lbs. Really really tasty.

The place is a little confusing when you first walk in. Its not quite clear where you order a beer and the servers look just like everybody else in the bar. It took a while to get a first beer, but after that the service was fantastic. He had a fresh beer on the table while I was just finishing the last one.

Also should note that the people there were just incredible. Not only did the owner give me advice on where to camp over email, I got to meet him. Very cool guy. I talked to a lot of strangers who knew a lot about beer. Really cool regular crowd whose neighborhood bar this is. Really great great great great.

It got pretty crowded, but I couldn't imagine how crowded it must egt when there isn't a huge harvest festival occuring simultaneously in the town.
Oct 09, 2004
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Reviewed by oracle from Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 5
As a long time denizen of Rich O's, it's difficult for me to be un-biased but I will do my best.

Rich O's is a little off the beaten path, in terms of its location and it's philosphy and it's approach to all things beer.

With 24 taps, some taken up by their own very fine in-house brewed beers, they still have the best selection of drafts of any establiment I have been in. The do not serve mass-produced industrial brews, in bottles or on draft (universally labeled "swill" by the staff and patrons alike) Do NOT attempt to order a Bud Light in this place.. There is usually a good mix of american micros and imports (including two or three belgians). The beers move fast enough to keep them from sitting around too long. The staff is very knowledgable about the beers on tap and are usually good at making recommendations.

In addition to the taps, the have anywhere between 150 and 200 different beers in bottles. The also carry a small selection of wines, meads and imported ciders (REAL cider, not that Woodchuck apple juice).

All of the food I have had there has been universally good. They have excellent pizza and a nice selection of sandwhichs. Soup, which varies from day to day, is made fresh by Amy, one of the owners.

The place is a little on the small side. Tables can be at a premium on weekend nights and service can be a little slow at times due to the fact that the place gets very crowded on occasion rather than due to any fault of the staff.

Any true beer fanatic would be well advised to stop by whenever in the area.
Jun 01, 2004
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Reviewed by rlcoffey from Kentucky

4.9/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Not only the best beer selection in Louisville (ignoring the fact that it is Southern Indiana), it also has the best pizza in town. I never get anything but the upside down pizza anymore, but back when I first discovered Rich O's, I would order other items, which were also quite good. The breadsticks are good, the pretzels with beer cheese make an excellent appetizer, and oh, yeah, they have some beer too.

Always a wonderful selection of beer on tap, knowledgable staff to help you find the specific taste you are looking for, and on one of my first trips there, other patrons introduced me to Chimay Grande Reserve, now a requirement on any Rich O's trip.

Sometimes you get what you pay for, but not in this case. The beer is very reasonably prices and the food is just plain cheap.
Apr 19, 2004
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Reviewed by zerk from California

4.85/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
After having so many of their NABC beers and hearing so many great things about Rich O's, I decided I had to finally make my way to the Louisville area. I went during their Gravity Head 2004, where I counted around 25 excellent hard to find high gravity beers on tap!!! The beer selection is by far the best I've seen anywhere in the US... and it's all fresh and kept in excellent condition. All of the NABC (New Albanian Brewing Co.) beers on tap are excellent as well. My only dilemma was that I couldn't order them all!

The atmosphere is warm and cozy, and the staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Food is from next-door's Sportstime Pizza, which is owned by the same family, and is quite good as well.

If you're going to be in the Louisville area and don't stop by Rich O's, you're doing yourself a great disservice!
Mar 21, 2004
Rich O's Public House in New Albany, IN
Place rating: 4.46 out of 5 with 30 ratings