Louisville, KY is the largest city in Kentucky and the 27th largest city in the United States.  Founded in 1778 as a settlement by George Rogers Clark (Better known as the “Clark” in Lewis and Clark.), Louisville sits next to the border of Kentucky and Indiana with the Ohio River serving as the borderline.

My impression of Louisville is that it is composed of a patchwork of vastly different social and economic environments.  This patchwork provides an eclectic set environments that haven’t quite blended so far – traditional customs and modern art; old and new buildings; mainstream sports (such as basketball) and wealthy sports (such as horse racing); and old wealth and widespread poverty.  This mix creates a unique, fascinating, and sometimes disturbing collection of diverse sights, sounds, smells, and experiences for visitors.  However, this patchwork appears to be melding through an ongoing revitalization effort by Louisville citizens and businesses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be honest, I’ve barely scratched the surface of the nature of Louisville.  However, I was fascinated during my stay and left wanting to learn more.

Before starting our road trip, my wife had sent me an article about a brewery in Louisville named “Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse” that was developing an impressive reputation for brewing quality. Launched in the fall of 2011, Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse is located in the southeast corner of Louisville Slugger Field in a former train station that features beautifully ornate industrial architecture.  Inside you will find a restaurant complemented by eclectic pieces of art produced by local artists and a Victorian styled, copper clad,  15-barrel brewing house.  The brewery/restaurant is a prime example of revitalization efforts ongoing in Louisville.

Indoor and outdoor dining is available.  Bands play music outdoors during the weekend when weather permits.

One of the interesting facts about this brewery’s approach is that few beers are repeated.  According to the staff, about 95% of Against the Grain beers are constantly changing variants or altogether new.  I’m not certain how long this approach will last, but the approach certainly creates a cult following of avid fans and collectors in the local area.

Beers at Against the Grain also tend to have fun names such as “Citra Wet Ass Down”, “Jacques Trappe”, “Quiet, Rye-it”, and “Kentucky Ryed Chiquen”.  Of course, having funny names does not equate to good beer.  The proof is in the consumption so let me proceed with my tasting notes.  All of the beers I sampled were on tap, except for “Kentucky Ryed Chiquen” which was bottled.

Against the Grain Noble Flops Session Pilsner (4.7% ABV / 25.7 IBUs): This beer poured a slightly hazy light gold color with white foam that left nice rings of lace.  Noble Flops had a malt biscuit aroma with floral bouquet.  The beer was light to medium-bodied with mild carbonation.  Noble Flops tasted of malt biscuit with some floral notes.  The beer had a crisp, dry finish with a perfectly integrated and complementary mild hops bitterness.  This was an excellent session beer that was full of flavor and made for a great start.

• Suggested Pairings – German Pretzel; Light Salad
• Serving Temperature – 40-45 degrees F
• Glassware – Pilsner Glass

Against the Grain Dirty Hoppin’ ScoundrAle IPA (7.5% ABV / 63.8 IBUs): This wet hopped IPA poured a slightly hazy copper gold color with white foam that left lace rings down the glass.  ScoundrAle IPA had a mild malt and floral aroma with strong bouquet of pine resin, citrus, and grapefruit pith.  This beer was medium-bodied with mild carbonation.  ScoundrAle IPA tasted of sweet malt, malt biscuit, assertive pine resin, citrus, and mild grapefruit pith.  The beer has a dry finish with delightfully lingering hops bitterness.  This is an excellent, hoppy delight that brought out the dirty scoundrel in me.

• Suggested Pairings – Wedge salad with blue cheese; Grilled Cheeseburgers
• Serving Temperature – 45-50 degrees F
• Glassware – Pint Glass

Against the Grain Jacques Trappe Belgian-style Trippel (8.9% ABV / 38 IBUs): According to the brewer, this Belgian-style Trippel was made with a huge load of pilsner malt and a generous helping of candi sugar fermented thoroughly by a Belgian Trappist yeast strain. Post fermentation, the beer was aged in French oak to dry the taste perception and to add the spicy, vanilla notes characteristic of that wood.  Jacques Trappe poured a clear gold color with off-white foam.  The beer had a mild floral and vanilla aroma.  Jacques Trappe (I’m started to get uncomfortable repeating the name.) was medium-bodied with mild carbonation.  The beer tasted of malt, hay, funky Belgian yeast and was sweet (a little too sweet for my preference) with hints of wood, vanilla, and mild spice.  This was a very good beer whose sweet outer perception hides a lurking alcohol beast.

• Suggested Pairings – Roast Pork
• Serving Temperature – 45-50 degrees F
• Glassware – Goblet

Against the Grain Brown Note Brown Ale (5.0% ABV / 20 IBUs): This beer poured a clear brown color with off-white foam.  Brown Note had aromas of malt grain, bread, and caramel.  The beer was light to medium-bodied with mild carbonation.  Brown Note tasted of malt bread, light cocoa, mild caramel, and a little biscuit at the end with a drying finish.  This beer was a malty delight and I could drink it often.

• Suggested Pairings – Colby Cheese; Shepard’s Pie; Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes
• Serving Temperature – 45-50 degrees F
• Glassware – Pint Glass

Against the Grain Citra Wet Ass Down Wet Hopped DIPA (7.6% ABV / 68 IBUs): This beer is a variant of Against the Grain’s original Citra Ass Down DIPA.  According to the brewer: “We started with our Citra Ass Down recipe, modified the hop bill just a little, and then really went to town with the wet hops. We loaded massive piles of fresh, wet Citra hops into the boil kettle near the end of the boil to extract all that juicy Citra flavor and aroma. Nothing about this is balanced. It’s a crusher. We then loaded the fermenter with another 10 pounds of wet Citra hops and threw in 30 pounds of wet Mosaic hops for good measure. Mosaic is a new hop variety by the same breeders that brought the world Simcoe and Citra hops. It is said to mimic, modify, and enhance the flavors and aromas of whatever other hops it is added to. Does it make Citra even better? You bet your wet ass it does!”

This beer poured a slightly hazy copper gold color with white foam that left a nice ringed lace.  Citra Wet Ass Down DIPA had an amazingly delightful aroma of malt, pine resin, vibrant citrus, and grapefruit pith.  The beer was medium to full-bodied with mild carbonation and a thin layer of hop oils that coat your tongue.  Citra Wet Ass Down DIPA tasted of malt grain, pine resin, tropical fruit and oranges, and grapefruit pith.  The flavors were wonderful.  The beer had a great dry finish with assertive and snappy hops bitterness.  This outstanding beer makes me want to Citra down and drink more!

• Suggested Pairings – Gorgonzola Cheese; Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon with Lemon
• Serving Temperature – 45-50 degrees F
• Glassware – Pint Glass or Snifter

Against the Grain Kentucky Ryed Chiquen Barrel Aged Amber Ale (8.6% ABV / 27.4 IBUs): This amber ale is brewed with rye malt and aged in rye whiskey barrels.  According to the brewer, Kentucky Ryed Chiquen is “brewed with Maris Otter from the UK and rye malt and caramel rye from Germany, imparting a spicy, fruity and dry flavor. Then hopped with enough English Nugget and Kent Goldings just to balance and fermented with our house ale yeast. After fermentation we moved the entire batch into the AtG private dining room and into used Redemption Rye barrels from our good friends at Strong’s Spirits. There it aged for 5 weeks until we felt it had picked up the right amount of residual bourbon character and oak flavors. We then transferred it to our serving tank, carbonated it and the end result is on tap now, a balanced drinkable and complex barrel aged beer.”

This beer poured a reddish copper hue with thin off-white foam.  Kentucky Ryed Chiquen had aromas of malt bread, rye, light bourbon, raisins/prunes, and floral hints.  The beer was medium to full-bodied, had a lush and creamy feel on my palate, and was moderately carbonated.  Kentucky Ryed Chiquen tasted of malt, bourbon, oak, and rye with hints of raisins, tobacco, and molasses.  The beer had a dry finish.  Wow!  Great set of sophisticated flavors for an outstanding beer.

• Suggested Pairings – Beer Can Smoked Chicken with Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits; Pecan Pie
• Serving Temperature – 45-50 degrees F
• Glassware – Pint Glass

Against the Grain 35K Milk Stout (7.7% ABV / 25.5 IBUs): This beer poured a dark black color with nice beige foam.  35K Milk Stout smelled of roasted malt, dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, with hints of toffee.  The beer was medium to full-bodied and creamy with moderate carbonation.  35K Milk Stout tasted of roasted malt, dark chocolate, espresso beans, and cocoa with sweet milk sugar.  The beer had a nice dry finish with mild hops bitterness that is subtle but complementary.  35K Milk Stout is excellent.

• Suggested Pairings – Chocolate Desserts; Vanilla Ice Cream
• Serving Temperature – 50-55 degrees F
• Glassware – Pint Glass

Against the Grain Sicherheit Wort Beechwood Smoked Light Ale (5.5% ABV / 20.5 IBUs): This beer poured a clear copper gold color with off-white foam.  Sicherheit Wort had a malt aroma with light smoke.  The aroma was very similar to a lightly peated Scotch Whisky. This beer is light-bodied with mild carbonation.  Sicherheit Wort tastes of malt, light smoke, wood, and mild sweet caramel.  There is a subtle hops presence at the end that is very complementary.  Probably one of the best session beers I’ve ever had.  Light, straightforward and delicious!  Sometimes great things can be found in simple packages.

• Suggested Pairings – Smoked Chicken or Rabbit with Yams and Pecans
• Serving Temperature – 50-55 degrees F
• Glassware – Pint or Tulip Glass

Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse was one of my favorite visits.  A large contributor to the enjoyment was our server Kait.  Kait was attentive, delightful, and knowledgeable about the beers.  She elevated our dining and drinking experience. Thanks Kait!

The next day we visited a nanobrewery called Apocalypse Brewing.  I wish I had good things to say about this brewery, but I really did not enjoy the experience or the beer.

However, we also visited a microbrewery across the river in New Albany, IN that I can recommend.  Stayed tuned for my next blog entry about the New Albanian Brewing Company.