Jerry Gnagy, Sam Cruz, Adam Watson, and Andrew Ott opened Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse in the fall of 2011. Housed in a former train station that features beautifully ornate industrial architecture, the brewery/smokehouse occupies the southeast corner of Louisville Slugger Field.

Against the Grain Brewery is Louisville’s first brewer-owned brewery.

Inside you will find a restaurant complemented by eclectic pieces of art produced by local artists. Co-located with the restaurant, a Victorian styled, copper clad, 15-barrel brewing house supported the business originally.  And the brewing house still supports restaurant operations. The brewery/restaurant provides a prime example of revitalization efforts ongoing in Louisville.

A 15-barrel brewing house supports restaurant operations.

Eclectic artwork from local artists fills the restaurant.

Subject to weather, you can choose indoor or outdoor dining. Bands play music outdoors during the weekend when weather permits.

Weather permitting, the outdoor seating is more festive.

The owners possess a somewhat irreverent attitude towards staying within the strict bounds of classical beer styles. Instead, they focus on quality, flavor and innovation.

Originally, about 95% of Against the Grain beers constantly changed or were altogether new.  However, in 2015 the partners expanded their business and opened a three-vessel, 30-barrel brewhouse 20 blocks away from the pub in downtown Louisville. This facility acts as the production arm of Against the Grain for off-site sales. They increased production by 400% and began canning standard brands for worldwide sales. Today you can find Against the Grain beers in 43 states in the U.S. and about 25 countries around the world.

In keeping with the owners irreverent attitude, beers at Against the Grain also tend to have fun names such as “Citra Ass Down”, “Erogenous Rhone”, and “There Gose the Neighborhood”, as well as, distinctively inventive artwork.

Tasting Notes

Here are my notes on a few of the beers I tried.

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.

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…”

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.  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.

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.

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.  Light, straightforward and delicious.