Ethereal Brewing

Ethereal BrewingEthereal Brewing
Ethereal BrewingEthereal Brewing
Brewery, Bar

1224 Manchester St
Lexington, Kentucky, 40504-1129
United States

(859) 309-1254 | map
etherealbrew.com
BEER STATS
Average:
4.08
Beers:
172
Ratings:
542
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.3
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
39
pDev:
8.6%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by skibb:
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Rated by skibb from Kentucky

4.93/5  rDev +14.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75

Jul 15, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.85/5  rDev -10.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
Located in an old bourbon distillery, along with several craft distillers and food outlets. High ceilings give the impression of space, but it's actually kind of small, but there is outside seating available. Flights are available.. Kind of a lazy afternoon, so it was a nice place to chill. Decent amount of taps, decent beer.
Mar 08, 2023
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Reviewed by Mxsluis from Michigan

4.34/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
Visited on a Sunday afternoon and the place was half full; but it was a beautiful day in October. The people there were friendly and having a good time, very nice atmosphere. My server was very knowledgeable and helpful. It was a great brewery experience.
Oct 23, 2022
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Reviewed by Manta200 from Kentucky

4.28/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
What a cool place!!! Located in the Lexington distillery district in an old revived distillery building. Lots of exposed red brick, love it! Outside area seating with old barrels as tables. 16 beers on tap. I will be back!
Sep 07, 2020
 
Rated: 3.96 by Jaszucs from Indiana

Aug 13, 2018
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Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.99/5  rDev -7.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.75
Nice space in a cool location with 16 taps. Long bar plus tables in two rooms.
Flights and beer to go (cans or growlers) available. Friendly and knowledgeable service.
Jul 27, 2018
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Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
As a big slap to the face of the weirdo's in the Lexington craft beer scene that carry a disdain for maple syrup in beer, Ethereal brewers prod them along with a decadently sweet imperial stout that's laced with generous maple syrup additions.

Espresso black, Aunt Homima carries an onyx black sheen and a dainty tan creme. Aromas of buttery maple mesmerize the senses. But its foundation for scent is roasted coffee, burnt toast and cocoa-like in maltiness. Sweet to taste, the early palate is a melange of high roast, molasses, maple and cream; most like sweetened Italian expresso.

The malt sweetness subsides slowly over the middle palate but the maple sweetness seems in tact. Other malt characteristics blossom with a robust and roasty broadness. High espresso, charred toast, bitter chocolate and black walnut carry a robust stout character with the taste of maple skirting gently above. Bitter with cocoa, walnut oils and an overall woodsiness spring from the hops and disguise easily as more roasted types of bitterness.

Full bodied and with a creamy roasted texture, the flavors play out on the finish like burnt cream and maple. Decadent, lavish and roasty, a long linger of campfire, coffee and butter maple extend into the next sip along with a rummy alcohol spice.
Apr 19, 2018
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Reviewed by CatzPajamas from Kentucky

4.94/5  rDev +14.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Came in with my wife on a somewhat slow Monday afternoon. Greeting us was a very friendly bartender who, after hearing this was our first time there, extended her attention and walked us through the menu and her favorite beers. This place looks pretty neat (if you can find it - google maps through us for a loop) - it is very industrial and open full of bricks vertical space.

Let me preface; I am a homebrewer - avid and ambitious. This brewery's taplist struck a note with 15 of their own taps, which spanned from hoppy IPAs/pale ales to stouts, saisons to Belgian wits and some sours. We both got flights (4 beers each) of what styles we knew we liked. We were very satisfied. I was especially happy with their hoppy offerings and my wife really enjoyed their White Ale.

Service was great - the bartender chatted us up and made a point to check up on us despite getting pretty damn busy.

Selection was broad and well done, at least from what we tasted (8 out of 15 beers). All were very clean, and direct...well representative of their said style...seriously all were very, very solid. I highly recommend this brewery if you are coming through Lexington.
Oct 18, 2017
 
Rated: 4.17 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Sep 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.18 by iRun2Beer from Minnesota

May 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by OtisCampbell007 from Tennessee

Apr 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.32 by TVail from Texas

Dec 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.86 by Yermomsfavorite from California

Jul 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.78 by pixarnick from Kentucky

Jun 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.19 by puftdank from Illinois

Jun 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.59 by mfloan from North Carolina

Jun 15, 2016
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Reviewed by SPLITGRIN from Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Continuing my visits of Lexington area beer venues. If you'll bring company is one I've had on my list to visit since I heard about them opening. They sit in the old James E pepper distillery area. The brewery itself is in a nice area with plenty of parking big also gives them what seemed like plenty of room for expansion. The vibe of the place gives off an old industrial feel which is kind of cool. It would not be hard to spend an entire evening here as there are other places around including the new break room bar and a artisan ice cream shop nearby. The service was just so-so as the bartender seemed a little overwhelmed and bothered by our desire to try a flight right off the bat. He did get some help however a little while after we had been there and seemed to be in a better mood later on. The beers I tried range from excellent to mediocre as I sampled five different beers before I chose the one that I wanted. I ended up getting a full glass poor of their wild ale called the anti-realist. This was an exceptional beer that was sour yet very drinkable and shows they have real talent in brewing. I look forward to trying more beers from this brewery and hope they start bottling or canning soon.

Updated 01/28/18.
Since my original review of material a lot has changed here. And all for the better. Seems they have got rid of the one bartender that had a bad attitude. I've been here many times since my first experience and I've had nothing but great service. The beers have consistently gotten better as well. And they have started bottling which is a huge plus. Their barrel aging program is probably one of the top two in the state in my opinion. Really enjoy my visits to Ethereal.
Apr 06, 2016
 
Rated: 4.07 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Mar 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.39 by Marcus_Erroneous from Kentucky

Nov 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4.32 by mrfrancis from Kentucky

Oct 02, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by ajr628

Sep 11, 2015
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Reviewed by mwd57 from Equatorial Guinea

4.67/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Went with my daughter on one of our daddy daughter dates. she picked an awesome experience. they had advertised tours but were too busy to do one for us until the bartender said "your sitting right next to the owner maybe he will take you". we got a personal tour with every detail explained to us even the up and downs of their journey to get the site bought and renovated. enjoyed the flight and came away with a growler of their Berliner Weisse. i work in africa and brought it back to share at a beer tasting with friends. the flight was not kind and the beer was just a little flat but the sour taste was still very nice. enjoyed the tartness and the lingering after glow.
Aug 09, 2015
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Reviewed by alexanderplatz from Kentucky

3.36/5  rDev -21.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3
Nice architectural vibe in the re-purposed industrial distillery space. However the acoustics were terrible. Music played over stereo system detracted rather than enhanced the experience. Difficult to have a conversation with a companion next to me at the bar.

Beer selection: they had 16 beers on tap, about half of which were brewed on site. Overall selection favored lighter, tangier beers and IPAs. Nothing special on tap IMO. No bar snacks, typical of craft beer scene it seems. Reasonable prices: most beers were $3-4 for a 10 oz portion and $5-6 for a pint.
Jul 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.93 by flowner120 from Kentucky

Jul 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.63 by PassMeAZima from Kentucky

Jul 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.1 by fredmugs from Indiana

Jun 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by jimmyd8386 from Kentucky

Jun 22, 2015
 
Rated: 4.4 by GoBigBrew422 from Kentucky

Jun 03, 2015
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Reviewed by Yetiman420 from Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
Stop #473 on my world brewery tour. Early Friday afternoon in mid February.

Really old industrial park a bit off the path in Lexington. Very well done job renovating the interior. Had a flight of all beers and doubled down on the Saison. ESB was also especially nice. Don't see that style well done at a lot of craft places.

Sat at the bar and had nice beer conversation with others. Bartender had a hand in the brewing so was able to answer some questions I pestered him with.

Ethereal and Blue Stallion are now my two favorites in town.
Apr 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.31 by mwar from Kentucky

Feb 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by gutbuster from Kentucky

Feb 10, 2015
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Reviewed by LexingtonBeer from Kentucky

4.31/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4
The brewery is in a portion of the old Pepper Distillery near downtown Lexington. The result is an amazing atmosphere of old reclaimed industrial styling. Once the patio is complete (made up of bricks from the distillery and accented by the old side rail line), the overall appeal will increase.

All of their house brew is exemplary and of very high quality materials. Highlights are the Saison, IPA and the Stout. They also have a varied list of guest taps. These guys should solidify themselves as the best brewery in Lexington.
Jan 24, 2015
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Reviewed by West_Chester_Ale_Tester from Ohio

4/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.25
A nice spot that has helped revitalize this entire section of Lexington. The location is close to Rupp Arena and has plenty of parking. It's also close to a stop on the bourbon trail. The beers are solid and they always have more on tap than I can try at once.
Dec 13, 2014
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Rated by Tchfunkta from Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
Looking forward to the Sour offerings.
Dec 11, 2014
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Reviewed by KYGunner from Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
Don't let the view from Manchester fool you because the architecture inside the brewery is gorgeous. I love brick, tall ceilings, old photos and overall aesthetic. It has plenty of seating, an overflow room and the brewing system is open to gaze at. The bathrooms have three stalls a piece which is a God send compared to some other breweries in town.

As for beer there's 16 taps and the infamous Tap Zero. Great array of guest taps and the house beers are well crafted. Things were a little thin when I was there but I don't think they could anticipate the overwhelming support. This looks to be a wonderful addition to the Lexington beer scene.
Dec 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by ortie from Kentucky

Dec 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by AJB1027

Dec 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.6 by crbnfbr from Kentucky

Dec 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by IMFletcher from Kentucky

Nov 30, 2014
Ethereal Brewing in Lexington, KY
Brewery rating: 4.08 out of 5 with 542 ratings