Diary: Saturday's notes of brown, whiskey infusions, escargot and peanut butter pie.

Saturday was warm and sunny, and we were getting ready to go on a walk in New Albany when our Dayton friends texted and said they'd be at Against the Grain at eleven. We shrugged, jumped in the car and beat them there.

They had other visitors with them, all headed eventually to NABC for Gravity Head. Most of them ordered samplers, and I was struck by the number of small glasses on the table (above). It looked almost like a scene from Gravity Head.

I had a 4:00 p.m. appointment with Stephen Dennison at his place of work, Bistro 1860 on Mellwood Avenue. We parked the car there and went for a walk up Frankfort Avenue, returning in time to meet Stephen. To make a long story short, I'm doing a short piece for Food & Dining Magazine about Ballotin chocolate-flavored whiskey, and Stephen agreed to devise a few cocktails, in addition to allowing me to sample the four types with his commentary as accompaniment.

Priceless.

When conversation turned to a better martini, the evening began slipping away from me. I'm mighty glad Diana was there to be the designerated driver. Serendipity shifted into gear; eventually two couples we hadn't seen in ages arrived, and the relaxed socialization time at the bar embraced appetizers, white wine and conversation. At 7:300 p.m., Diana walked me to Sweet Surrender for fresh air and dessert. I needed the stroll.

Both Friday and Saturday were fantastic. I had resolved not to attend Gravity Head this year, far less so from pique at the slowness of my ongoing negotiation with partners; rather, it struck me as better to stay away from it and let staff do what I know they can. By all accounts they rocked it, as usual. I'm delighted to have had a hand in creating something like Gravity Head, and the hand-off is complete. What happens in the future is up to them. So it goes.

At the same time, two days' worth of distractions were nice, and there were friends, food, drinks and fun. I needed it. There are many miles ahead, with frequent detours for rancor and lawyers. But I'll not be forgetting the finer things in life.

Thanks to everyone who indulged me these past two days.

_

Donum Dei Brewery and free-range, homebrewer-sourced Porter.

There are few genuinely new ideas, just new generations not previously exposed to them, which is to say that the homebrewing community always has had a level of input into the brewing revolution.

And a town can't have too many Porters, so I'll have to try Rick's when there's the chance.

NABC first brewed a Porter in late 2002. It was called The Black Hand, and was David and Beth Howard’s winning Robust Porter recipe at the 10th annual FOSSILS homebrewed porter competition, held earlier in the year.

In 2003, we did it again. Bob Capshew’s recipe won the competition, and permanently altered the course of NABC’s subsequent Porter production, serving henceforth as the everyday basis for Bob's Old 15-B.

Craft brewers seek public input for new brews, by Bailey Loosemore (Courier-Journal)

New Albany's newest head brewer doesn't share his community's affinity for porters.

But with so many people requesting one be added to Donum Dei Brewing's menu, owner Richard Otey said he couldn't let down the steady base of regulars he's built in the past two months. So he made a decision that's becoming more common in the craft brewing and distilling industries: He used a local homebrewer's recipe.

More about the city of Louisville's craft beer business report.

WDRB has good video accompaniment to yesterday's mayoral press conference.

Louisville planning to grow its craft beer industry

... Now, the city is getting behind the industry boom, and hoping to help it grow. A new report released today contains recommendations for furthering the growth of the craft beer industry in Louisville. The report was composed by a group of local industry leaders appointed by Mayor Greg Fischer.

NABC and Against the Grain frequently pinned, if not twinned.

It may have been 2011 or 2012 when I concluded that NABC needed to be on Pinterest, and so I registered. Then I reverted to my Luddite proclivities and forgot all about it, although fortunately others in the company didn't. And so we join Against the Grain as sole "top 150 most pinned" representatives from our respective states. I suppose this is good, so thanks to all those doing the actual pinning.

The 150 Most Popular U.S. Microbreweries on Pinterest, by Laura Vitto (Mashable)

America loves its beer, and for good reason. In cities across the country, independent breweries are crafting their own unique blends and serving it up to local customers.

With nearly 3,000 breweries in the U.S. total, craft breweries make up 98 percent of them. There were 2,768 craft breweries in the U.S. by the end of 2013. Pinterest celebrated the best with a list of the top-pinned microbreweries from across the country.

The Diary of Our Own Jimmy Bracken: "Oh, Mr. Putty tat. Don't you wike me anymore?"

I harbor no illusions when it comes to the give-and-take of discourse. If you hold strong views and have the ability to state them coherently, there'll be disagreements, and you'll make enemies. It's all part of the game. At times, the other guy musters the better argument, and that's just fine.

Then there are those "WTF" times when you're advised to smile and walk away, because the primary thrust of the argument being directed against you is that you're literate.

Don't hold your breath expecting me to apologize for being literate. It won't happen.

Yesterday was one such time for shrugging. To make a long story very short, a frequent critic returned to one of his favorite subjective themes: NABC brews sub-standard and boring beers. His objective evidence? That'd be the fact that ... that ... well, that in his opinion they're sub-standard and boring.

I can't speak to the absence of objectivity now choking beer enthusiasm like so many invasive weeds. We've somehow raised an entire generation that wishes to pose as a priestly caste, although without the first notion of objectivity apart from that of Kolsch being "bad" only because it isn't IPA. The noteworthy aspect of yesterday's discussion was that it was about localism in beer, digressing relatively quickly owing to the usual beer narcissist's knee-jerk objection: BUT YOU CAN'T FORCE ME TO DRINK BAD BEER.

Wouldn't think of it, although it depends on what the meaning of "geek" is. Let's move on to the keynote speaker. He wrote:

I wish NABC would be a force in the local beer community, but it just seems to fall to memory of what it was. Instead of competing with a force such as AtG, it seems Roger just wants to complain about the people in long drawn out sentences as if they are the problem and not what is going into the bottles.

It's an utterly fascinating sentence, this: "Instead of competing with a force such as AtG."

We need to be a force, and they need to be a force. Of course, force isn't defined. As I've noted previously, reducing the better beer world to the rote screenplay of a WWE bout is indicative of something, and perhaps many things ... though not better beer.

It seems to me that we're in the business of competing for consumers, not against each other, and the wonderful thing about consumers is that they come in all sizes, shapes, colors and levels of interest. Accordingly, there are markets for beer of a similarly diverse range in terms of variety.

It's why I like session beers, and why we at NABC are tying to keep four of them tap all of the time. We do it because people are drinking them, and as capitalists, we then are compelled to make more. That's really the purpose of the exercise.

One way to look at this might be that given AtG's customary single (and invariably solid) session beer, we've already "competed" with them and won. Personally, it's nonsense and I don't agree -- because there isn't any competition, between us. We do different things in route to a common purpose. What interests NABC at present is widening the scope of better beer, not just for the self-possessed cognoscenti, but for ordinary people who develop an interest in better beer and are ignored by the likes of my correspondent.

I could go on, but it's futile. Maybe if there is time, I can log in at RateBeerComments.com and hammer the bejesus out of his.

"I think we are one of the best breweries in the world."

I love a good shtick.

The Back & Forth W/ SAM CRUZ (jeremyrichie.net)

Against The Grain Is One Of The Booming Drink And Grub Joints Here In Louisville. How Did It All Come To Fruition?

“Honestly, I think it’s our commitment to quality and improvement. For so long, Louisville has had a handful of places that were the ‘it’ spots and I think many of them got too comfortable with the position. So when we (and we certainly aren’t alone) came into the picture, folks were chomping at the bit to get a higher quality product and experience. Which leads me to another point. We have such an amazing city with all the potential and abilities of other cities. So it only seemed fitting that we could do things as good (if not better) as some of the other ‘rock-star’ breweries in the U.S.A. That said, we can also be proud of it. Maybe it’s a bit presumptuous, but I don’t give a fuck. I think we are one of the best breweries in the world, and definitely the best in KY. I’d put our beer on the table next to anything on the globe. I guess it’s ‘that’ that propels us forward.”

Slugger Field embarrassment proceeds apace as even Forecastle makes room for better beer.

This is America, after all, and no idea has merit apart from comparative pricing.

That said, now that Forecastle has decided to "get it," the deteriorating situation for better beer at Louisville Slugger Field looks even worse -- if that's possible.

Kentucky Landing gets an unqualified thumbs up for me, if for no other reason than the prospect of plastic cups of draft Bo & Luke in the summer sun.

Forecastle to offer local food and drink at fest, by Kevin Gibson (Insider Louisville)

 ... New to Forecastle this year is Kentucky Landing, an area that will highlight beer, food, art and more — all from the Bluegrass.

Breweries will include the aforementioned Against the Grain, Bluegrass Brewing Co., Falls City Beer, all from Louisville, as well as Lexington’s Kentucky Ale and West Sixth Brewing Co. Old 502 Winery will serve up Louisville-made wines.

The Louisville Bats and Centerplate present: The Sahara of Slugger Field, 2014 version.

Here comes the first pitch of the 2014 season from Centerplate, and it's ... $6.75 for a draft craft beer at Louisville Slugger Field this year -- well, assuming you can find it. Amazingly, the situation may be worse than it was in 2013.

At a time when the Cincinnati Reds, parent club of the Triple-A Louisville Bats, is generating big-time headlines with a new craft beer concessions destination ...

Cincinnati Reds Go Big With Craft Beer, by Graham Averill (Paste)

Baseball season begins in April and over the last few years, there’s been a trend among major league ball parks to offer craft beer options in addition to the ubiquitous macro beer options. The Cincinnati Reds are taking their love for craft beer to a whole new level. This season, the Great American Ball Park will debut an 85-foot-long craft beer bar, dubbed the Reds Brewery District Bar, that features 60 taps and 23 different craft beers from all over the country.

 ... the Bats and Centerplate offer this delicious list of elementary-school-cafeteria-quality options.

The list does not identify brand names, so we turn to intrepid reader JZ, who gives us the report on the opening night options at the forlorn roasted peanut stand on the concourse by Section 115:

"BBC APA, Sam Adams Lager, Reds' Apple Ale & Leinies' Shandy. 2 out of 4 is not good."

Ouch!

If you're keeping score, that's one locally brewed craft beer (Bluegrass Brewing Company), one nationally distributed lager, and two MillerCoors foo-foo abominations.

As in the past, Louisville's chapter of Craft Beer Nation turns its lonely eyes to Against the Grain, which is the nearest option for good beer outside the turnstiles. Recently, AtG was hinting that it would be involved inside the ballpark this year -- you know, where the games being played actually can be viewed.

Accordingly, and with uncharacteristic excitement for my pay grade of cynicism. I asked AtG today at Twitter for scoop -- and here's a transcript of the conversation, with two random comments contributed by John King.

---

Roger
You guys doing beer inside the ballpark this year?

John
Looking at those prices, I'd be sneaking a couple cans in. And peanuts.

Roger
Yep. Centerplate needs to burnish it's monopoly, and the Bats need to pretend they're responsive

John
I can't judge, I pay $8 for Old Style to watch my team lose every year in Chicago.

AtG
We always have beer at the ball park! ... seriously, not immediately, draft box is still at shop & we don't have product to allocate yet.

AtG
It's low on the priority list & we've a lot on our plates at the moment.

Roger
Slim hope is better than none at all. Thanks.

---

There's nothing much to add, is there? Another season at Louisville Slugger Field, and another strikeout for better beer at the ballpark. John's close to the mark; cheering for good beer at a Bats game is rather like rooting for the Cubs. The season ends, and once again, you're disappointed.

Is this the year for craft beer in Louisville Slugger Field, or will it be another ignominious swill-out?

If you search the internetz for "Louisville Bats Craft Beer," you're pointed here: Promotion Schedule.

Then search for the word "craft" on the same page, and the results show: 0 of 0.

That's par for the course, although there are the usual $1 Budweiser Beer Happy Swill Hour promos throughout the campaign. A couple hours up the road in Cincinnati, home of the Reds -- major league parent club of the Bats -- comes this news:

GREAT AMERICAN BALL PARK BEER SELECTIONS FOR 2014

Louisville Bats craft-oriented fans, read it and weep.

The Bats home season starts in two weeks. Recently, when I've mentioned the impending 2014 yearly reprise of "The Sahara of Slugger Field," I've received tantalizing hints in return, to the effect that the adjacent Against the Grain brewery intends to reverse its traditional disinterest in the perimeters of the ball park lying outside its doors, and will be involved somehow in bringing better beer to the ballpark this year, perhaps in conjunction with other Kentucky breweries. This would make sense, especially if done via the Kentucky Guild of Brewers imprimatur.

I'm told nothing, and I know nothing. It's fairly simple: Since the inception of Slugger Field, the Bats and monopolist catering partner Centerplate have refused to comprehend a vastly altered beer world, and as someone who'd dearly love to spend money at games more often than I do now, a selection of craft beer reflecting the real world we live in would be quite nice.

Ultimately, the dollar-is-king-bottom-line Bats ballclub is relinquishing further windfall profits by not lifting a timid finger to the air and catering to consumer tastes in the year 2014. Maybe they're planning on doing so, and will surprise us all in two weeks. I can only hope. The city of Louisville deserves better than mass-market swill at the yard.

One fine beer dinner at 610 Magnolia.

On Thursday, I teamed up with Blake Montgomery for a beer dinner at 610 Magnolia in Old Louisville. To be specific, the dinner was held in The Wine Studio, a few yards across the street.

Welcome to The Wine Studio @ 610 Magnolia. As the name suggests, The Wine Studio is not a traditional restaurant but a venue for experimentation, specialty themed events and cooking classes. It is a modern and open, loft-like, 850 square-foot room that will be the home of various events revolving around a new approach to food and wine. It is a place for food and wine enthusiasts to share in the experience of gourmet arts in good company.

It may also be worth noting that 610 Magnolia's Owner/Chef Edward Lee is a local legend, and while Lee wasn't at the helm of The Wine Studio's kitchen on Thursday (he dropped by and checked in), it's safe to say that his vision was pervasive, and the professionalism of staff impeccable -- confident, relaxed and articulate.

Beers from NABC, Three Floyds and Against the Grain were featured, and I represented my brethren, speaking for each. Marquee positioning was afforded AtG, and AtG delivered: The Duck in Four Forms (pictured) with Fruitis the Farmer Beescake (a new Saison with melons, seeded judiciously with brettanomyces) and dessert pairing with Bo & Luke (with smoky notes peeking above the intensity) both were scrumptious treats. Portions and pours were moderate. I was filled, not full; watered and not wasted. The attendees were wonderful.

It was a memorable evening, not because of hype and high (read: forced) energy, but owing to their absence. It was quiet, not loud. Beer works with food in any setting, whether a boisterous Bavarian beer hall or a thoughtful Wine Studio. Very well done indeed.

Local Beer Dinner

20 March 2014

Passed Canapés

New Albanian Brewing Company

Black & Blue Grass

Tafel

__________

Beef Cheek Pastrami, Pickled Vegetables, Rye Crostini Soil

Tomato-Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mayonnaise, Mache

New Albanian Brewing Company

Tunnel Vision

__________

Braised Elk Neck Stew, Farro, Bone Marrow and Parsley Toast

Herbed Crème Fraiche

3 Floyds

Robert the Bruce

__________

Duck in Four Forms:

Seared Breast, Smoked Duck Sausage, Confit of Leg, Foie Gras Bread Pudding

Braised Cabbage, Green Apple Fluid Gel and Poached Fuji Apples

Against the Grain

Fruitis the Farmer Beescake

__________

Bitter Chocolate Pot de Crème, Macerated Dried Cherries, Whipped Caramel

Pink Peppercorn Tuile Cookie

Against the Grain

Bo & Luke

The PC: Can we really have it all?

(Published at LouisvilleBeer.com on October 1, 2013)

---

Just the other day, I heard the news that executive chef Reed Johnson had parted ways with Against the Grain. Actually, I read the news at the Eater Louisville web site, and this merits a brief digression about changing times.

It strikes me as noteworthy that a full week later, the transition at AtG still hasn’t been mentioned at the Louisville Restaurants Forum, for some years the city’s go-to place for such a story.

NABC’s well-documented tussle with the Floyd County Health Department, which began in mid-June and was given ample coverage at Eater Louisville and elsewhere on-line, hasn’t hit the forum yet, either. Granted, I never thought to flog it, although you’d think someone would have. In a larger sense, a generational shift probably is under way, and discussion boards like the forum have become somewhat outmoded in the age of knee-jerk social media, yielding to any number of purely dismal Yelp-like ratings aggregators.

But this isn’t my topic today. Rather, it is my personal reaction to comments appended to the Eater notice of Reed’s leaving.

First, the departure. We all like to believe “it’s only business” and “there’s nothing personal,” and yet emotions naturally run high when change comes around. There are no right and wrong answers, only the inevitability of flux. Ironically, it turns out that I stopped by Against the Grain on what quite likely was Reed’s last day of work, scoring a growler of delicious Spezial-like smoked beer, and regretting not having enough time on the day in question to have a leisurely pint with one of his excellent barbecue sandwiches.

What’s funny is this: At the time, grasping my sweating growler and trying not to think like the businessman I’m ostensibly supposed to be – albeit it with supreme reluctance – it occurred to me that with baseball season over, cooler weather on the way, and AtG (the brewery) working so hard on its designer export beer model … well, how was the restaurant coming along, anyway?

It’s what owners do, after all. We think way too much, compare and contrast, and seldom are able to just go out and enjoy a beer and a bite. Even worse, as much as the leftist in me would like to avoid them, numbers generally end up dominating the conversation – and they have dollar signs attached to them. It is profoundly bothersome.

—

Now, I’ve no way of knowing the answers to questions like these. Furthermore, it’s none of my business. I consider myself to be friends with the quartet of AtG owners. What’s more, Reed worked for Bank Street Brewhouse for a bit, pre-AtG, when Josh Lehman was in our kitchen. I know and like everyone involved, so case closed. Better if we could all drink happily ever after, because beer cauterizes all wounds.

At the risk of pondering aloud, what I do know from personal experience – after almost five years of trying to achieve it at BSB – is that while a first-rate, chef-driven kitchen with a marvelous brewpub in back is a wonderful idea in theory, and even has been known to succeed (Swiss bank account style) in practice, it isn’t very easy to make money with higher level food when you’re trying to grow an export-driven, quality brewery at the same time.

It’s an echo of the time-honored refrain: You say you want to make a million dollars in brewing? Just start with $10 million … and that’s just the brewery, not the food.

There is much validity to that. If you don’t have a considerable pot of money from which to draw, it’s quite possible to learn that capitalizing both an evolving brewery and a top-flight kitchen is fiendishly difficult, here on the ground, out in the real world.

RateBeer never told you anything about this, did it?

This might explain my irritation at two of the (typically) anonymous comments beneath the Eater article announcing AtG’s kitchen change. One of the comments decried the absence of freedom for chefs, who always are at the mercy of brutal, bottom-line-driven owners, and lamented the overall lack of chef-driven kitchens in Louisville, encouraging culinary stars to own their own restaurants. The other predicted the imminent arrival of the Sysco truck at AtG, now that the brewery’s first chef was gone.

Pfui.

Does the world really need more such surreptitious advisors, these expert sidewalk superintendents who evidently have no clue about the food and labor costs involved with providing them with the best of ever-changing menu items at a price point they’re willing to pay, given microscopic consumer attention spans and vicious competition from the chains that typically receive the big-time government subsidies … and must I mention the monolithic agribusiness entities putting gasoline in those accursed Sysco trucks?

Dudes, you simply have no idea, do you?

Consider other infuriating stressors: Garden-variety wine snobs refusing to believe mere beer can accompany such elevated cuisine, demanding the highest-rated Chilean, Californian or (gasp) French vino, and refusing to even sample regional examples of the vintner’s art … customers who can’t pay $65 for a meal without multiple refills of Diet Coke … and don’t forget those who expect chicken fingers and periodic floor vacuuming for their free-range children.

If it was so damned easy, don’t you think all of us would be in clover? What was that? We’re already in clover? It isn’t clover at all. Think of a later stage of the digestive process, and you’d be closer to the mark.

This rant may or may not have anything to do with Against the Grain, or for that matter, to Bank Street Brewhouse. It’s just my story, and I’m sticking to it. However, this much is axiomatic, at least to me: Unless AtG, BSB or any other brewery in their relative positions comes independently stuffed with cash, there comes a point when traditional sources of investment glare first at the restaurant side, and then at the brewery, curl their lips like bankers so enjoy doing, and say something along the lines of this:

“Can you please decide which one you’d like to be, restaurant or production brewery, and once you’ve done so, we’ll consider possibly maybe helping you – unless, of course, we do not care a solitary jot. And we don’t. See that door over there … ”

Yes, those of us in the food and drink business have been known to creatively embellish the truth, and for good reason. To blink publicly or otherwise show any sign of weakness is to invite self-perpetuating calamity of the rumor-mongering variety – on the Internet, spread by word of mouth, or scratched onto the restroom wall (and guess who pays to fix that?)

Besides, no one on the planet wants to hear about our problems. We chose the lives we lead, and understandably, customers merely want to be reassured that their favorite joint is still going to be there, slinging hash and filling pints, the next time they go out. It’s only something to think about, and probe a bit more deeply than the time it takes to make ludicrous comments at a restaurant news web site.

I wish Reed Johnson the best in whatever career path he pursues. He’s a great and entirely authentic guy, with oodles of talent.

And, I also remain an unrepentant fan of AtG, even if it’s sometimes far too enjoyable for this curmudgeonly elder to refrain from giving them a hard time. I hope they can have it all, and the smoked beer — wonderful.

So, folks, give everyone some space. Try to remember that marketplaces can be unforgiving. Support independent local business whenever you can.

And: Death to chains!

It’s my traditional ending, eh?

At LouisvilleBeer.com: "The Sahara of Slugger Field."

In the days since I filed this column, Against the Grain's Sam Cruz was asked by Eater Louisville to elaborate on the tweets I mention herein. Here's the link. Sam's also been discussing the same topic at the Louisville Restaurants Forum. Nothing has been heard from the team or concessionaire; no surprise there.

Coincidentally, Against the Grain's also about to garner some great publicity in Europe: Against the Grain road trip: "The Euro market is no stranger to Against the Grain beers."

Back to baseball: I've also recently taken a cursory look at the scene in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio cities where Triple-A ballparks seem to have a tighter grip on the modern world. As time permits, I'll continue to review choices in other places when the Bats travel elsewhere.

The Sahara of Slugger Field by Roger Baylor

It's not even the best of AB-InBev

The Triple-A Louisville Bats began play earlier this month amid the usual hot stove and cold fridge speculation as to whether Louisville Slugger Field finally would join the craft (beer) (food) (bourbon) (dining) (localism) (choose one) revolution currently underway in Louisville, as well as in most other baseball outposts scattered through the remainder of the United States.

If you’ve lived in these parts for any amount of time and possess the patience to read this far, you’ve already guessed the answer.

Against the Grain road trip: "The Euro market is no stranger to Against the Grain beers."

(Press Release) 

---

Against The Grain Brewery will be one of only 30 of the greatest brewers on the planet to bring beers to The Copenhagen Beer Celebration in Denmark on May 3-4. The CBC, as it’s commonly known, was established in 2012,”to gather the absolute best brewers around the world, with the intent to celebrate them and their fantastic beer.” We are honored to have been selected to showcase our brewery and beers for this event. It is one of the worlds most respected artisan beer festivals on the globe. We are proud to show that Kentucky can send not only good bourbon out into the world but beer as well! The CBC will take place on May 3 & 4 in Copenhagen, DK. We will showcase around 12 different beers during the fest, some of which have been available in local markets before and others served for the first time.

For more information on the CBC check out the link … http://copenhagenbeercelebration.com/blog/

In conjunction with traveling to Europe for the CBC, Against the Grain will also take the opportunity to do some collaborative beer projects with three of the worlds most revered brewers.

In late April, we will travel to Oostvleteren, Belgium to produce a beer with iconic brewer Urbain Coutteau of De Struise Brouwers. The yet to be named beer will wrap up over a year of planning and discussion for the brewers to produce a unique marriage of styles and specialty techniques. For more info on De Struise, follow the link … http://www.ratebeer.com/brewers/de-struise-brouwers/9244/

On the second leg of the AtG Euro-trip, we will stop in Bodegraven, Holland to brew the Euro incarnation of our own cultish beer, Bo & Luke (a barrel aged imperial smoked stout), with Menno Oliver of Brouwerij De Molen. Lending to an already established history of collaborative brewing, we will take the Bo & Luke concept to De Molen and create a different version of this already amazing beer! For more info on De Molen or Bo & Luke follow the links … http://www.brouwerijdemolen.nl/ http://www.atgbrewery.com/Menu/Beer/2/Dark/3/Bo-Luke/246

Our last stop before the CBC takes us to a brewery located in Kastrup, Denmark to produce the final of our collaBeerations. We will work with brewmasters at Amager Bryghus to produce a beer to go into bottles and a portion exported from Denmark to the USA for sale. The beer, to remain a mystery, will be a part of Against the Grain’s first entry into foreign markets in bottle format. We are very excited at the opportunity to work with the guys at Amager, as we share many similarities, most notably the desire to rage in a brewhouse and make some kick ass beers! For more info on Amager Bryghus, follow the link… http://www.ratebeer.com/brewers/amager-bryghus/8189/

While we are excited to visit Europe and work with such amazing members of the global brewing community, the Euro market is no stranger to Against the Grain beers. Since our inception, it has been our goal to produce world class beer. The only way to truly take a measure of our products claim to being world class, is to send them to the most critical markets on the globe for scrutiny. We are proud to say that, much like our local markets, global markets also receive Against the Grain beers with the enthusiasm that keeps us innovating, experimenting, and brewing cutting edge beers without compromise.

Thunder Over Louisville with Against the Grain.

Thunder Over Louisville isn't my style, but Against the Grain definitely is, and so in honor of AtG's genuinely interesting Thunder Package, kindly permit this announcement of their intent.

As for me, I'll be in Indianapolis. By the way, Thunder Over Louisville is on April 20.

Final note: Nine unnecessary exclamation marks were surgically removed!

---

Make your Thunder Over Louisville 2013 plans with AtG

AtG’s Thunder Package 2.0

Wondering what to do for Thunder Over Louisville 2013? What if it’s cold & rainy? Don’t feel like fighting the crowd at the waterfront? Want a place to get away from the weather and relax? Good News…..

We are excited to announce our Thunder Package 2.0 for Thunder Over Louisville 2013! Get a jump on your Thunder plans and secure a seat with the best view of the Air Show and Fireworks at Louisville Slugger Field.

When you book your Thunder Over Louisville Plans with us, we will include:

A ticket for Bats v Indy Indians baseball game @2:05pm (this will be your seat for the airshow & fireworks) & access to the postgame concert “A Salute to The Eagles”

5 drink tickets for any house or guest beers, house wines or well drinks

2 appetizer tickets for any of our amazing smoked starters

2 entrée tickets for any of our smokehouse specialties

FREE soda drinks all day

Your seats will be in our newly renovated & spacious ‘Robot Room’. The ‘Robot Room’ has its own entrance, maintained bathrooms and will be staffed with your own AtG service team, to ensure your Thunder experience is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

All of this for only $125 (not including tax and 18% gratuity)

We only have 28 spots available, so make your plans today and get a jump on Thunder Over Louisville 2013.

To book your reservation, call Against The Grain (502) 515.0174 or come in and reserve your spot.

Against The Grain Brewery & To ØL Brewers present a Swanky Prix Fixe on January 29, 2013.

With customary and insouciant irreverence, Against the Grain provides information on a swankily collaborative beer dinner this month. 

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A Swanky 5 course Prix Fixe dinner!

AtG's Brewmaster Jerry Gnagy and To ØL Brewmasters (Tobias and Tore) will pair beers, with commentary from the brewmasters, for each course.

Guests will be seated for dinner on January 29th at 6:45 pm sharp. The dinner will include, an aperitif cocktail (to be served casually from 6 pm to 6:30 pm), 5 courses with 5 beer pairings from both AtG and To ØL brewmasters, as well as commentary from each brewmaster regarding the paired choice. The menu is as follows, with no substitutions or compromise.

• Basil corn chowder with house cured bacon, chili oil, and pork cracklin’ crumble
• Beer poached duck sausage with roasted beets, farro, goat cheese and toasted pecan
• Steak tartare with quail egg, sprouts, fried caper, and pecorino romano
• Cherry smoked rack of lamb with parsnip purée, pickled garlic, and fried leek
• Chipotle pot de crème with bourbon cream and smoked cherries

*Prix Fixe inspired by Chef Reed Johnson

Guests are encouraged to come casually dressed and prepared to have an evening of amazing beer, food, fun, and company from the makers. Seats are limited to 24 guests. Cost is $75 per guest and reservations must be paid in advance, as there are limited seats available. To book your reservation or for more information, contact Sam Cruz ... sam@atgbrewery.com, or purchase tickets at Against The Grain Brewery.

Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
401 East Main St. @Slugger Field
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 515-0174

A weird scene at the ATG table, Indiana Microbrewers Fest, 2012.

Something to do with Tangerine Porter and a tramp stamp?

Against The Grain/Mikkeller announce a collaboration.

Good stuff from Against the Grain.

12/19/2011

Against The Grain Brewery, located in Louisville KY, and Danish brewer Mikkeller will collaborate on a experimental beer, emphasizing the brewers' love of brewing innovative and unique beers.

Against The Grain (AtG), founded in Oct. 2011, is Louisville's newest brewery and maintains a diverse array of beers covering all of the major categories of beer flavor while generating an endless stream of innovative new brews. In short, everything is "specialty". AtG's brewers (formerly of Bluegrass Brewing) have a notable history with Mikkeller. Brewers Jerry Gnagy and Sam Cruz have sent a number of brands to the Mikkeller Bar during 2009-2010.

Mikkeller, known as the 'Gypsy Brewer' from Copenhagen Denmark, is noted for creating challenging beers that test the boundaries of beer and where quality always comes before quantity. In other words, uncompromising beer.

The Mikkeller brand, producing over one hundred different styles of beer, has grown into one of the most sought after in the world.
“Mikkeller has been very pleased to collaborate with brewers Sam Cruz and Jerry Gnagy during the time they were working for Bluegrass Brewing.

This cooperation builds on mutual respect, friendship and interest in beers of the highest possible quality.”

The collaboration brew... 'A Bloody Show' will be available in the first quarter of 2012. Stay tuned.

In addition to the release of the AtG/ Mikkeller collaboration brew, AtG will also contract brew a 'draft only' version Mikkeller's Invasion IPA for distribution in the U.S. Mikkeller Invasion will also be available in the first quarter of 2012.

A few views of Against the Grain's renovations.

Against the Grain draws ever closer. We dropped in on Labor Day prior to the final Louisville Bats game of the AAA season, and found the cast and crew laboring.

The refurbished bar area with satellite counter and famous tower brewery.

Andrew and Sam explain the barrel aging area, with public seating adjoining.

Jerry at work making the reason why we care so much.

Adam maps the reconstituted dining room. Opening is slated for the beginning of October, so stay tuned. For video and a wonderful preview, visit http://louisvillebeer.com/'s YouTube page.

Anticipation builds as Browning's site yields to Against the Grain.

Mrs. Curmudgeon accompanied me to the Louisville Bats game Tuesday night, with prime front row seats on the third base side of home plate courtesy of my friend Brent (we thank you again). The beer situation inside the turnstiles is the same: Cumberland Red and BBC APA at the peanut stand by Section 115.

But the overall beer outlook is about to become appreciably better, thanks to the commencement of renovations at the former Browning's, soon to become Against the Grain Brewing. It is an understatement of epic dimension to note the Louisville beer community's excitement at the advent of ATG.

You can observe their progress at Facebook.

Four (!) new Louisville breweries are in the planning stages.

Here’s a long overdue report on Louisville start-up brewing news, as relayed by a number of sources, whom I’ll try and properly identify. To greater or lesser extent, we've known about these projects for a while, and have been patiently awaiting as they've come together. One would not want to rush a good thing.

First, from Insider Louisville, Steve Coomes reports that the O’Shea’s Family of Pubs, Louisville pioneers in imported and craft beer presentation, will begin brewing some time in 2011 from the Flanagan's location.

Then, at the Louisville Restaurants Forum, NABC’s David Pierce has been monitoring the situation with Against the Grain Brewing, which comes to us courtesy of some familiar faces in Louisville brewing:

There is a new and welcomed addition coming to the Louisville craft brewing scene, Against the Grain Brewing. Check them out on FaceBook: Against the Grain.

But there’s even more. LouBrew, a nanobrewery in Germantown, is being planned: LouBrew on FaceBook. To contribute to the effort, go to KickStart LouBrew. A while back, Jason Lyvers reviewed the nanobrew: LouBrew is coming, LouBrew is coming!! (Lville Beer)

Back at David's Louisville Restaurants Forum post, frequent contributor and beer enthusiast Rob Coffey mentions his own plans to brew commercially. When details are forthcoming, I’ll try to post them here.

Four new breweries in Louisville? My liver simply cannot wait.