Bad Tom Smith Brewing

As of October 21. 2019 they have moved to their new location at 5900 Madison Road.
I have never been to the old place and therefore could not possibly comment on the old reviews.
This new location is very nice, features a 120 old bank vault which gives the location this extra old west vibe.
The beer is good and the staff really nice. Each beer has a story with it relating to Bad Tom Smith.

 

A nice little place on Eastern Ave. that has a decent selection
of ales for most every taste. Super nice staff, knowledgeable,
and brews that have improved over the years since first
inception which offered some varying degree of quality.
That said, they are now producing solid ales at a decent
price with styles from Kentucky Common all the way to
Imperial Stouts and strong ales.

No food, but a great place to stop before hitting Terry's
Turf Club for an astounding burger.

Cheers

This brewery has a good mix of styles. There is sure to be SOMETHING for anyone that likes craft beer.

I LOVE their Breathitt County and Wicked Sheryl and Doc. I like their seasonal pumpkin also. I have always been treated very well here. I almost know some of the people by name. LOL.

 

The first thing I have to say about Bad Tom Smith is about the poor parking. Parking is off street and frankly not ok. The bar is comfortable enough with picnic tables in place. The beers are just not good. Flavor and aroma notes of infection, acetone, burnt plastic, vinyl, nail polish remover and other sorts of unpleasantness. The bartender appeared to know about the beers. That was until I tasted and smelled the beers. Yuck!... The selection is ok but all the beers taste and smell not so good in different ways. Get it together guys.

 

Stop #428 on my world brewery tour.

6.9 miles from my house makes it convenient and a bit overdue for a visit. Stopped in on a Friday evening around 9. All the off-street parking is reserved for the highly-acclaimed burger bar a couple of doors down.

Small space where the bar and brewery are all one big room. A handful of locals hanging out at the large bar. Order your drinks (a flight in this case) and the bartender walks over to the taps by the brewery. Gave me a chance to pick his and the brewers brain about the operation. Once they told me they pitch at 75 (and don't specialize in Saison's), I should have walked out. Instead, I took my flight to one of the picnic tables to share with the wife.

At the Craft Brewers Association conference this year, the keynote focused on the importance of quality. I think it's imperative that if you're a homebrewer considering opening a brewery, you need to consistently medal at competitions before sinking lots of time, energy, and money into a brewery. In this case, I'd suggest it's not too late to solicit qualified feedback from their beers and process. I'd love to have one of the closest breweries to me producing great beers.