Louisville

Forget the whole debate about whether Louisville is the country’s northernmost southern city, or its southernmost northern city. That distinction isn’t nearly as helpful in wrapping your head around Louisville as this little nugget is: Two of the city’s most celebrated sons are Muhammad Ali and Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. So, yeah, this is a place that’s definitely not all pulling in the same direction at once.

And that’s a good thing. When you throw high and low culture in a bag, douse it in bourbon and shake it around a bit, good things tend to come out. The city has vibrant arts and music scenes, and a level of comfort with folks on the fringes. All of which makes it a fine place to pause and tip back a pint. Here’s where to go—the top beer destinations in Louisville, Ky., chosen by the BeerFly users on BeerAdvocate.com.

Louisville’s brewing heritage is a familiar one: German and Irish immigrants establish a robust brewing culture that’s snuffed out by Prohibition, followed by the establishment of strong local and regional brands that inevitably buckle in the face of mass producers’ consolidation. The city’s most celebrated brand is Falls City, a brewery responsible for some high and low points in beermaking’s history. Falls City was the first brewery to deploy the Sta-Tab can top, but it was also the brewery that visited Billy Beer upon an unsuspecting nation. Today, the brand has been relaunched as a contract-brewed English Pale based on a historic post-Prohibition recipe. Look for it all around town.

Make no mistake, this is bourbon country. From a brewer’s perspective, that’s a good thing. Around here, nobody makes better use of the abundance of bourbon-soaked oak barrels than the Bluegrass Brewing Company. They’ve stuffed creative brews like Biere de Garde, Smoked Stout and Rye Porter into barrels from local distilling giants like Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve. The results are always worth seeking out.

Bluegrass Brewing Company Tap Room
BBC’s flagship brewing facility hosts a small taproom that pours super-fresh pints on the cheap. The standout Dark Star Porter will never, ever do you wrong.

Bluegrass Brewing Company Pubs
Beers at Bluegrass run the gamut of stylistic influences, from English to Belgian to German. This being bourbon territory, the barrel-aged stuff is well worth seeking out.

Browning’s Brewery [closed]
The big draw at Browning’s, a brewpub abutting a minor league baseball park, is the She Devil Imperial Pale Ale. It’s got an outrageous tropical fruit nose and an unusual, British-leaning bitterness on the palate. You’ll have no complaints about the food, either.

Sergio’s World Beers
Sergio’s claims to stock 1,000 beers in the bottle, on top of 40-odd eclectic taps (including many high-quality Belgians). If fact-checking this claim means slogging through an absolutely mammoth beer menu, well, there are far worse fates in life.

Cumberland Brewery
Cumberland is a local favorite for fresh-house brews and creative pub grub. Pair a Pale Ale, Nitro Porter or a Cream Ale with a bison burger, fried bologna, fish on rye or a fried green tomato sandwich.

The Pub Louisville [closed]
The Pub tries its damnedest to provide an authentic British drinking experience in the shadow of the Hard Rock Cafe. Such endeavors don’t usually end well. But while it’s evident that the place is probably putting in more effort than should be necessary, it’s also true that the place has a tap lineup that’s unmatched in the downtown convention center neighborhood.

Nachbar
The crowd at this lovely little dive in the middle of Germantown skews young and hip, but not aggressively so. Plus, there are usually dogs running around the place, which is obviously great. And the beers? The list doesn’t run 1,000 deep, but what the Nachbar does stock is outstanding—some really nice surprises from Germany and Belgium in the bottle, and a constantly rotating tap lineup.

Flanagan’s Ale House
It’s refreshing to see an Irish bar that goes above and beyond in the beer department, and Flanagan’s more than delivers. Beer selection moves far beyond the usual Euro suspects and rounds up a really outstanding bunch of Belgians and American craft offerings.

O’Shea’s Irish Pub
Drafts are the draw here. Roughly two dozen taps rotate regularly through local and regional favorites, though Bluegrass and Bell’s seem to be two frequent culprits.

The Irish Rover
The most authentic Irish joint in town owes its ambiance to, in equal parts, an off-the-boat owner and a 150-year-old barroom. Plus, they’re not content to just pour the classics from across the ocean; alongside the expected pints of Guinness and Fuller’s, you’ll find a selection of American craft bottles worthy of any geek’s attention.

Maido [closed]
The name on the front door says Maido is a sushi and sake bar. The beer list—including selections from Dupont, Rochefort, Bell’s and Founders—says otherwise. And we all know beer doesn’t lie.

The Swan Dive [closed]
The Swan is a dive, yes, and a vegetarian one at that. It doesn’t aim for the biggest, baddest selection in town, but instead tries to marry a few dozen high-quality offerings with some serious drinking atmosphere. The result is as good a place to lose an entire afternoon as there is.

New Albanian Brewing Company
New Albanian lies just across the Ohio River, in New Albany, Ind., and it straddles an intriguing line between European and American influences. As such, their big hits include an ESB and a Dark Mild, as well as a big-ass Imperial IPA. ■