Lexington, Kentucky

Sure, no problem. Lexington actually has some very nice beer establishments. I would start at the local breweries - West Sixth, Country Boy, and the new Ethereal Brewing. After that, you should try out some of the craft beer bars. I really like The Beer Trappe alot and it is right on campus. They have a great selection of bottles to go as well as several taps of good stuff at all times. Kevin's the man there. Pazzo's pizza has a ton of beers on tap and is on campus, too. Beerworks downtown is another one that I like alot and they have homebrewing equipment if that is your thing. Shenanigan's is also downtown and offers some hard to find beers for sale and has a few taps going at all times, too. Lexington is actually a very craft beer oriented town. Nearly every restaurant offers several choices - both local and national - and there are a bunch of restaurants that cater to this crowd with beer pairings, special events, etc.

 

Jake's pretty spot-on with his advice, also check out Blue Stallion in Lexington if you're into German brews, and Rooster Brew is just 15 minutes away in Paris, and the drive is quite pleasant.

If you are into bourbon...you might just end up living here with your daughter.

 

Wait!, there are people who are not into bourbon? What the hell?!?

 

Smart gal for choosing to become part of the Big Blue Nation. Lexington is in a beautiful part of KY and has some great breweries (better as a whole than Louisville), not to mention the distilleries in the area and Keenland. Pazzos should be a must-stop when you are in town for pizza and beer and as others mentioned, definitely check out the four breweries listed. I haven't been to Ethereal yet, but West Sixth, Country Boy, and Blue Stallion are all fantastic.

 

I finally got a chance to check out Ethereal over the weekend and I came away pretty impressed. I thought their beer was solid although not spectacular. But, I really liked the overall feel of the location and the ambiance of the place. It will be really nice when springtime hits and they have their patio open. The whole complex has lots of potential with the other restaurants and bars moving in soon. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops next year.

 

The current lineup is more their shelf/flagship stuff. They'll be putting out a lot of great one off's and high gravity beers down the road. They already have an experimental tap that they sell out of every time they tap something. I can't wait to see their packaged products and brewery releases.

 

I'm sorry your daughter chose poorly, but you're just a short distance away from a decent city in Louisville (cut any UK fan and you'll find they indeed bleed RED). Kidding aside, Lexington has a great beer scene. Everyplace I've tried has been mentioned already, so I can only second the recommendations. I'm a particular fan of West Sixth for it's laid back atmosphere and great selection on tap. They support the local community with cycling and running clubs as well as some great tie-ins with local restaurants (I rode in their Savor Cycle cycling food tour last September). The Beer Trappe is a classic and deserves major credit for bringing serious beer to town. Nothing like a sunny afternoon in their front window followed by a taste of Louisiana a couple doors down at Bourbon n' Toulouse.

Lexington is a fun little town and you should find much to keep you and your daughter happy there.

 

I'll be traveling to Lexington for the first time for business in late February. I'm glad I found this post.

Question for the locals - how's the weather in late February?

 

I really enjoy the Village Idiot as well. It is downtown and has really good food, along with a good tap and bottle selection.

 

Almost always cold, 20s-30s, snow possible but not anything daunting.

 

I have some relatives who will be in Lexington this weekend and are willing to bring me back some beer. Is Liquor Barn the best option? If so, are some better than others? Do any of the breweries mentioned above sell bottles to go? My relatives will be staying near Rupp Area.

Thanks.

 

Best liquor barn is probably the Beaumont one imo. I would suggest the beer trappe though first. Then shenanigans second. Shenanigans is closest to downtown.

 

As @crbnfbr said, Shenanigans on S. Broadway is the best and closest to Rupp (worth visiting, Wildcat Liquor is closer, but worthless for craft beer). Now, just about two blocks away from Shenanigans is Country Boy Brewing, which may or may not have some cans/bottles that don't get distro (Country Western V. 2, the barrel-aged 750s), always worth a visit and a check.

The next time, if your relatives are also from Wisconsin, send them with some New Glarus, Central Waters, etc., and even if nobody else will, I'll do some IP trades for that goodness.

 

Thanks for the help guys! Will definitely keep you in mind for the New Glarus and Central Waters if the trip is made again.

 

Hey Lexington folks, I know I'm probably a little too late to the game, but I've been trying to scare up a bottle of Country and Western Volume 3. I've seemingly missed it whenever it showed up in Louisville, but I'm willing to make the drive to Lexington if I have to. Does anyone know anywhere this is still kicking around?

 

Been sold out everywhere in Lexington for a few months now, but I think it's still on tap at Country Boy.

 

Ah, bummer. Well, if anybody's trading, I'm your huckleberry.