Greetings, first time poster. So, I've realized that any trip I take from now on has automatically become a "beercation" as well. I have not left the state since my infatuation with craft beer has become so wholesome. I live in Michigan (thank god). Im taking a trip down to Louisville in July. Forecastle music festival being my destination. I'll be passing through Indiana, arriving in Kentucky, and meeting up with a friend from Wisconsin. I need to know what breweries/brews I need to acquire while on my trip, and any places in Louisille I should hit. Bourbon Barrel aged beers are top priority if possible. I know summer will be amidst come July, but still, my hopes are high. First of all, what should I ask of my friend from Wisc? All I know of is Central Waters brewing co. Gonna have him grab some year rounders, and see if any of the bourbon barrel aged barleywine/cherry stout/peruvial are still around. What is quintessential to the Wisc area? Secondly, in Michigan Three Floyds brews are not available, yet highly reknown. Are their products available in Kentucky? Do I need to make a stop to their Brewery itself despite being out of the way ? Any good markets I should know about? Anything particular to the state I need to be wary of? Louisville: My weekend long festival is being held at the Waterfront Park. Minutes away from Main street. There lies Against The Grain Brewery and Smokehouse, as well as Bluegrass Brewing Co. Whats the word on those two? If I were forced to decide between the two, which one should I go to? Besides those, any Kentucky Brews I should grab while there? Any info is grately appreciated. I am excited to finally commense my activity within the BA community. Besides that, Founders Black Beer Party anyone? I can taste the array of breakfast stouts already. I bet that all 3 will be available. Cheers.
against the grain is great, but there's no telling what will be on tap while your here. I would stop at 3 floyds brewery if you have your heart set on their beer ecspecially dreadnaught and artic. Theyre pretty hard to get here cuz it's gone as soon as it hits shelves, but other 3 floyds like brian boru, black sun and their scottish ale are on shelves here now. I wouldnt bother wiith Bluegrass brewing you'll probably be more enertained by the beer at against the grain. Also check out louisville beer store and the holy grale while your in town.
Hey! Speaking for the Wisconsin crowd... There is an American Brown Ale aged in bourbon barrels called Rocky's Revenge made by Tyranena in Lake Mills, WI. Occasionally they will do a scotch ale in barrels too that is quite nice. New Glarus Brewery is the quintessential brewery around Madison really. While not my favorite I prefer Ale Asylum, Lake Louie or Tyranena. They all have some nice selections. I enjoy Mud Puppy Porter by Central Waters too.
Just a jump across the river is New Albanian which is really good, Also Keg Liquors is probably the best liquor store in the Louisville metro for craft beer in general. I was there last Friday and was even able to pick up Behemoth, along with Pannepot, Hiver, JW Lees and various locals. When heading through Indy Sun King and Flat 12 make some great beers, and Upland has a tap room where you may be able to score a random lambic.
you can find almost all of three floyds' brews around Indiana without any trouble, so don't worry about driving over to Munster if it's out of your way (unless you really want to go to the brewpub, and/or you really want a case of Zombie Dust). I'd just recommend hitting up some of the solid offerings in Indy (such as Bier Brewery, Brugge for some moules et frites, and Kahn's for bottles) or Bloomington (Upland for food/beer, Big Red and Sahara Mart for bottles).
Ask your friend from WI to bring New Glarus Raspberry Tart or Belgian Red or both. Everyone should experience those beers, even if fruit beers might not be not your favorite. If Ale Asylum's Satisfaction Jackson is available then that is also a great beer. None of these are Bourbon aged, but are great beers nonetheless. A trip to Three Floyds is something that you need to do sometime as part of your craft beer 'experience' so if you don't get there this time then put it on your list of things to do. Definitely!
If you can't find any good bourbon barrel stuff on your trip, you will be in KY, get yourself some good stouts, and then some legit bourbon!
Against the Grain is fairly new, so i have not had a chance to try, but I hear good things. When coming through Indy, you must visit the Keg (across the river from louisville). They have a great selection of craft brews and you can pick out singles from any sixer. While in louisville, you should check out the Holy Grale, an exquisite watering hole, and visit the Louisville beer store. You should be able to get your hands on most 3 floyds beer as they sell it at all fine establishments in KY and IN. Enjoy your beercation.
Against the Grain is a brewpub. They have been fiddling with the menu since they opened last fall, I like the current one. They seem to finally have hit on what they should be doing, food wise. The beer list is good but inconsistent, there are no regulars. The BBC nearby is Main&Clay, which is the brewery. There is a taproom there, but no food. Also in town (some have been mentioned): Cumberland brewpub BBC brewpub (3 locations - different ownership from BBC brewery [long story]), the AtG guys came from BBC brewpub. Holy Grale (beer bar) Sergio's (beer bar) There are a ton of other good beer bars with good selection, especially in Germantown, but those two stand out. Louisville Beer Store (owned by same people as Holy Grale, mostly a beer store, but some beers on tap) and in southern IN: New Albanian - Grantline (aka RichO's, aka Sportstime Pizza) -- beer bar/brewpub, food is primarily pizza. New Albanian - Bank Street -- brewpub (only NABC beers on tap). Food is Belgian bistro style or something. and one final secret food/beer suggestion in Louisville: Hammerhead. If you can find it, its worth it.
BBBW/ Peruvian Morning/ BB Cherry are getting difficult to find in Wisco....Have him pick up some Bourbon Barrel Stout from CW. Still plentiful and aging real well....
From WI originally. If your friend is up for making a stop in Madison, definitely have him get you some Ale Asylum, especially if you like hoppier offerings. I really dig their Hopilicious PA and have enjoyed all of their IPAs to varying degrees. I second the Tyranena suggestions too. I really like Rocky's Revenge and, from my experience, is readily available. Their brewers gone wild series can churn out some gems too. Another BA can correct me (I live in MA) but their Scurvy IPA (brewed with orange) and Hop ***** may be available in the summer months. If you like lagers of different kinds, Capital and New Glarus will be great, especially at a festival. Easy to get. I'd also second the nom for the fruit twin beers mentioned above. I find them more sweet than sour, but I like to have them every six months or so when I'm back. One NG note, I'm not a huge Spotted Cow fan, but it seems to be their most popular brew (at least it was their bread winner when I lived in-state). Worth a try, but it seems to appeal most to BMC drinkers IMO. One last thing. If your friend is driving through the Chicago metro area, they could also be on the look out for some brews that distro their. I love hoppy offerings, so I'd have him look for some Half-Acre Daisy Cutter in 16 oz. cans and some 12 oz. sixers of Modus Hoperandi from Ska. Seek out some Three Floyds if you can find them on your way down, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go to the brew pub. You can get fresh stock of their hoppier offerings, but it is probably something you can save for a later trip. It is in an industrial park in the suburbs. Fun place to go if you are in the area or are a devotee of their brews. If you get half the brews mentioned so far in this thread, you'll have a real, real nice beercations. I've been wanting to try Sun King for a long time too.
If you are coming through downtown Indy, the two to hit were mentioned above, Sun King and Flat 12. Both have free tastings, but you can only buy pints at Flat 12 to drink on-site(they sometimes also have food provided by a vendor). Sun King has growlers and cans for sale. Now when you're on your way down I-65 south of Indy toward Louisville and want to stop and get a bite to eat, then take the Greenwood exit and hit up Oaken Barrel. Love their food and their beer.
Ill keep it simple for you. Bars: -Holy Grale Bottle Shops: -The Louisville Beer Store -The Keg (Actually in Clarksville, IN) If you cant find anything at the above mentioned bottleshops, then I have no idea what youre looking for. The Louisville Beer Store is on Market St, so you could actually walk there. ATG is great, but they only do five random things. The food is not all that great though. It used to be bordering on good, but now its just bland. The food and the drink is amazing at the Holy Grale. Do not bother with Sergios. Way overpriced and the food absolutely sucks. If you want to drive around town, the Liquor Barn stores are always worth a stop and Evergreen Liquors is worth a trip.
Ive never even remotely considered ordering food at Sergio's. Then again, Ive never been there before about 10 PM either. But way overpriced? Not seeing it.
As an aside, if you are driving from not-Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the best route to Louisville is to avoid Chicago entirely. Go down thru Bloomington to Champaign to Indy. Slightly longer by mileage, much shorter in time. And cheaper in tolls. From Milwaukee, I guess Chicago in unavoidable.
Ive never bought anything not on tap at Sergio's. This came up in another thread, but who treats Sergio's as a bottle shop? The tap prices are right in par with everyone else. Pricey on some things, cheap on others, about average for what they serve.
