Beer-wise on Bardstown, which Layne suitably likens to the Grateful Dead’s haunt, Haight Street, is Cumberland Brews (cumberlandbrewery.com, 1576 Bardstown Road), eponymously named for the Dead song. Among the beers flowing from the brewpub’s blown-glass tap handles is their famous Nitro Porter. To accompany it, Layne calls the Jamaican Jerk Cumberland wings “mouthwatering.”
Bluegrass Brewing Co.
Downtown is home two of the three locations of Bluegrass Brewing Co (bbcbrew.com). The BBC’s brewpub by the Theater Square Marketplace (660 S. 4th St.) earns Layne’s high marks for their “delectable pub food and many traditional and experimental brews.” He singles out Heine Brothers Coffee Stout as a can’t-miss, made in collaboration with Louisville’s beloved coffee roasters, Heine Brothers, a chain of local coffee shops. Another location is found less than a mile away, practically on the Ohio (300 W. Main St.) and the other is in the suburb of East St. Matthews (3929 Shelbyville Road)
The third and final brewery in downtown is Browning’s Brewery (browningsbrewery.com; 401 E. Main St.) situated beside the Louisville Slugger Field where the minor league Louisville Bats play, a mile from the bat-making factory and museum. Browning’s is famous for their She Devil Double IPA, which Layne describes as, “super hoppy and will make any hophead super happy.”
