Kudos to Holy Grale and Sergio's for making Draft's "best beer bars" list.

National eyes have turned to the Louisville beer scene once again, and as someone who's been in the trenches for a quarter-century, constantly fighting these battles ... come to think of it, sometimes before many local commentators were even born ... let me just say that it's a wonderful thing, indeed.

And so, congratulations to Holy Grale and Sergio's. Louisville is richer because of  establishments like these, and I echo noted IPA lover Mr. Spock in saying: "Pour long and prosper, guys."

When we speak with craft beer lovers in other parts of the country, it's an unparalleled selling point to be able to tell folks that in addition to an ever-expanding local independent craft brewing scene in metro Louisville and the surrounding region, there are world-class beer bars aplenty -- in fact, some of the best anywhere.

Praise also is due the justly fabled Heorot in Muncie, Indiana, although Draft's list writer is plainly foolish to dismiss Indiana-at-large by suggesting the Heorot is "often the lone Indiana stop for craft brewers crossing the Midwest."

Really?

With more than a dozen local craft breweries in the Indianapolis area alone, not to mention Twenty Tap and other excellent purveyors in the state capital? But Heorot's inclusion is amply merited, and it is one of many reasons to visit Indiana for beer, something that can be said about the metro Louisville area as well.

Nostalgia nudges me. I fondly remember the warm feeling that recognition brings, as when the Public House was declared the 6th-best beer bar in the world all the way back in 2007, or when we made it into Stan's and Daria's "The Beer Lover's Guide to the USA" thirteen years ago, in 2000.

Cherish it, keep up the damned fine work, and thanks.

Draft Magazine's listing is here: America’s 100 best beer bars: 2013

And, at Insider Louisville, the Draft link with superfluous commentary (Windhoek?) from the nominal music writer: Polly Wanna History Lesson?

Because the toilet is the very BEST place for your Blue Moon neon.

As photographed at Sergio's.

Could the opening of Sergio's World Beers be just around the corner?

Via Twitter, Sergio's World Beers reports: "Finally."

At the web site, there are these words:

Yes, finally, the new bar has the state beer license! Preview available here. We have estimated time of opening now: 1 week/7 days? Stay tuned for more details.

Story Avenue isn't going to be the same, is it?

Latest on Sergio's: No scheduled opening (yet) for the Louisville location.

Okay, either I misread the previous posting at the website of Sergio's World Beers, or it was unclear, or both, so here's the latest on the wind-down of the original location in Shelbyville and the wind-up of the new one on Story Ave. in Louisville. The following is copied verbatim.

Louisville Location Details and FAQs

Wednesday, 08 July 2009 21:48
This article should answer some of your questions about the Louisville Location LL.

FAQ #1: Sorry, but we do not have a scheduled "opening" yet for the LL. Stay tuned for more details regarding the grand opening, open house and other events.

FAQ #2: There is no phone number for the LL. Shelbyville Location currently has no phone service either.

FAQ #3: We (the team) mainly works during the morning and afternoon hours at the LL with the migration and preparing everything.

FAQ #4: The address of the LL is 1605 Story Avenue – Louisville, KY 40206-1739.

UPDATES: Please subscribe to the VIP Email Club for the latest updates and check back to our website often. Follow us on Twitter @SergiosBeers.

Also, please allow us a few days to catch up on all the emails. Sorry for the delay!

You can read other articles about the move:

Updates to Business Hours - 7-8-2009
Everything is Leaving - 7-8-2009 pictures included
Update - 7-8-2009
Louisville Location - 6-30-2009

Sergio's World Beers an unlikely Shelbyville mecca ... but it is.

Staffer Ben Adkins of the Sentinel-News, a newspaper published in Shelby County, Kentucky, is hereby accorded the honor of being the first media representative to break the news about Sergio’s to the extended Louisville metropolitan area.

In December, 2006, Adkins offered the scoop:

Sergio's, Shelbyville's newest eatery, is multiculturalism defined.

Flags from nearly 100 nations are draped along the walls of the restaurant, while nearly as many license plates from every state in America, every Canadian province and other far-reaching corners of the world serve as a border near the ceiling.

"We're going to do international food -- things that you can't really find around here," said owner Sergio Ribenboim.

So far, not exactly earthshaking. After all, isolated rural towns now have Mexican taquerias, and from the food and dining standpoint, multiculturalism has been shown to sell even if it is served up watered down. There’ll be more about “water” in a moment, but first we’ll scroll further into the Sentinel-News piece for the most intriguing bit:

A bar is also being built, which will feature around 100 beers from Belgium, Belize and other countries worldwide.

"Every country that there's beer available from, I'm going to have," Ribenboim said.

Strong words like those typically come from people who enjoy being challenged, especially when it comes to beer, because America’s hoary and monopolistic three-tier system of beer distribution works to ensure that those residing in the hinterlands enjoy far less choice than city dwellers.

Knowing that, it should come as no surprise that the current state of affairs at Sergio’s hasn’t quite developed in the way the owner foretold.

Now his bottled beer list now runs to the vicinity of 350, there are also eight other beers on tap, and despite the necessary evil of mass-market swill (order a “water,” and you’ll be served Miller Lite), the selection is strong, particularly the Belgian contingent – hands down the best in the region.

I began hearing about Sergio’s in May, with the conduit for information being a loyal customer with dual citizenship, i.e., he belongs in the “Norm!” class both in Sergio’s and the Rich O’s/NABC Public House. Although our paths hadn’t crossed, Sergio had made the drive to New Albany on numerous occasions since being introduced by his brother, until finally we met at the end of June.

Two days ago, my exuberantly beer-friendly frequent collaborator Graham took the wheel and we traveled east on I-64, eventually exiting near Shelbyville and backtracking on U.S. 60 to the Kentucky beer shrine, which occupies a building that formerly housed a sports bar.


Verily, our visit to Sergio’s, while brief, proved as joyful and entertaining as any beer trek I’ve previously undertaken, but it is no exaggeration to add that it was one filled with more eccentricities and conundrums than all but a select few episodes in the expansive pantheon of my fermented memories.

As was the case in times of old, when much of the allure of Rich O’s was its entirely unexpected location in New Albany, the story of Sergio’s is inseparable from its relative isolation well outside the city limits of Louisville.

While the Sergio’s bottle club, which rewards customers for trying the many beers on the list, is topped by the impossible well-traveled and multi-lingual owner himself (after all, he says, all new beers coming across the threshold must be sampled with an eye toward suitability), the second ranking position is occupied by none other than Ronnie the Redneck – a real person who formerly requested light beer and a salt shaker, and now has consumed 290 different beers from across the planet.

The food menu is voluminous and truly international, and we were barely seated in the cluttered bar area when a friendly helper brought homemade salsa and chips, but the real specialty of the house is a fine and messy Philly cheese steak.

Prices throughout are reasonable, and the atmosphere at Sergio’s is decidedly casual. In the end, what makes it click is that there is nothing whatsoever pretentious about the experience (understand that I’ve always known how I can be in such situations), and the only thing gentrified about it is the quality of the beer list.

Sergio’s 12-year-old son runs the web sites when he isn’t exploring the world, running his own business or collecting cars (no, real autos, but Sergio can explain it to you):

http://www.sergiosworldbeers.homestead.com/
http://www.sergiosworldbeers.com/