Bourbon may be king, but craft beer is gunning for the crown.
While bourbon has been reigning in Louisville since 1783 and is the birthplace of Bourbonism, the craft beer scene isn’t far behind. Louisville’s beer history spans over 175 years and was recognized as one of the top brewing cities in America at one point in time.
Louisville created the Kentucky Common beer style in the 1850s, and with access to the almighty bourbon barrel, brewers are able to experiment with used bourbon barrels to create some of the most beloved barrel-aged beers in the world.
Today 20+ breweries are mashing and fermenting every day in the city. Here’s our guide to all of them with facts you might not have known + beers to try at each one.
🍺 3rd Turn Brewing, 10408 Watterson Trail
Located in Jeffersontown, this brewery serves 20 taps in a restored church from 1878 + slings brews in Oldham County on their 3+ acre beer garden.
Try: Double Haze Porter
🍺 Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse, 401 E. Main St.
This award-winning brewery is Louisville’s first brewer owned brewery with 4 locations throughout the city. They sell beers around the world, but you can grab one in their original location on Main Street where they brew in a 15-barrel tower brewhouse.
Try: The Brown Note
🍺 Akasha Brewing Company, 909 E. Market St.
Started by two homebrewers with 25+ years of brewing experience, you can visit their taproom in NuLu with board games + outdoor seating.
Try: Fehr’s XL
🍺 Apocalypse Brew Works, 1612 Mellwood Ave.
This brewery opened in 2012 to “brew beer for the masses and your survival” + support sustainability by using solar-heated water, grain reuse + material recycling.
Try: Watermelon Crack
🍺 Atrium Brewing, 1154 Logan St.
Atrium is one of the new kids on the block having opened in 2020. They’re known for making milkshake IPAs + pastry beers popular in the city + host bingo on Thursdays.
Try: Blueberry Lemon Cake Boy
🍺 Bluegrass Brewing Company, 300 W. Main St.
Open since 1993, BBC, is a Louisville brewery OG. They’re original location in St. Matthews closed in 2017, but their downtown location across from the KFC Yum! Center still slings brews in a building from 1880 listed on the National Historic Register.
Try: Summer Wheat
🍺 Butchertown Brewing, 1860 Mellwood Ave.
A small batch brewery specializing in beer aged in spirit barrels. They’re open Saturdays from 4-9 p.m.
Try: Barrel-aged Chocolate Stout
🍺 Falls City Beer, 901 E. Liberty St.
With ties dating back to 1905, Falls City is one of Louisville’s oldest beer makers. Their taproom in the Phoenix Hill area features a beer hall + outdoor beer garden.
Try: Hipster Repellant
🍺 Chimera Brewing Co., 1025 Barret Ave.
Located within vegan restaurant V-Grits, Chimera brews beers with benefits. A portion of every pour is donated to a local non-profit organization.
Try: Pumpkin Spice Porter
🍺 Great Flood Brewing Co., 2120 Bardstown Rd.
Named after the Great Flood of 1937, this brewery opened it’s first location in the Highlands in 2014 + in 2020 opened a second location with a restaurant in Middletown.
Try: ‘37 Coffee Porter
🍺 Gallant Fox Brewing Company, 2132 Frankfort Ave.
Located in the Clifton neighborhood, Gallant Fox packages several of their beers in 16oz cans + have 2 outdoor patios.
Try: Foxtoberfest
🍺 Goodwood Brewing and Spirits, 636 E Main St.
This downtown brewery embraces bourbon culture with their beer + believes that what’s good for bourbon is good for beers.
Try: Sting Like a Bee
🍺 Gravely Brewing Co., 514 Baxter Ave.
Gravely is where beer enthusiasts, music lovers + foodies unite in this brewery and music venue with Mayan street food truck permanently onsite.
Try: La Bamba
🍺 Holsopple Brewing, 8023 Catherine Ln.
Enjoy neighborhood vibes in this family-friendly taproom that also dabbles in hard seltzer.
Try: McClanahan’s Irish Red
🍺 Milewide Beer Co., 636 Barret Ave.
Named after the length across the Ohio River, this brewery is known for beers named after pop culture icons + their taproom has pinball and outdoor beer garden.
Try: DJ Roomba
🍺 Monnik Beer Company, 1036 E Burnett Ave.
Located in the heart of Schnitzelburg, this brewery and restaurant is known for their Saison beers + use of local ingredients in their restaurant.
Try: Eagle Skull
🍺 Old Louisville Brewery, 625 W Magnolia Ave.
This microbrewery situated in the Old Louisville neighborhood is considered the smartest brewery in Louisville because their staff is made up of mostly teachers slinging beers in their off-hours.
Try: Elvis Juice
🍺 Shippingport Brewing Co., 1221 W Main St.
Owned and operated by Portland neighborhood resident, Amelia Pillow, formerly the head brewer at Against the Grain’s brewpub, opened her brewery in 2021 naming it after Shippingport Island on the Ohio River. The taproom serves hot-pressed deli sandwiches and soups daily.
Try: Marge
🍺 Ten20 Craft Brewery, 1020 E Washington St.
Located a few blocks from Lynn Family Stadium in Butchertown, this brewery is a perfect stop to pregame before a soccer match in their trendy, spacious taproom.
Try: Butchertown Sunrise
🍺 Wild Hops Brewery, 1001 Logan St.
Logan Street Market has a lot to offer including their own brewery from Safai coffee company. Their bar also includes seasonal cocktails + guest drafts.
Try: Daddio NEIPA
Bonus:
🍺 Sergio’s World Beers, 1605 Story Ave.
This staple beer bar is recognized by RateBeer as a top destination in the world to have beer. With 1,000+ beers from around the world packed into this dive bar, there’s something for everyone including cuisines of the world like Brazil’s national dish, Feijoada.
🍺 Highlands Tap Room, 1056 Bardstown Rd.
This local watering hole is home to 2 full bars housed side by side, over 25 beers on tap, an ever-growing whiskey collection, and a full kitchen. It’s never a bad spot for some casual drinks + appetizers.
🍺 West Sixth NuLu, 817 E Market St. Suite 101
This Lexington-based brewery set up shop in NuLu Marketplace in May 2021. The brewery cans upward of 30 different beers throughout the year since its first West Sixth IPA + was the first major tenant announced for NuLu Marketplace development.
🍺 Hi-Wire Brewing, 642 Baxter Ave.
We wrote about the opening of Hi-Wire here not too long ago, but the city welcomed the Asheville-based company to the commonwealth on Aug. 27 and it’s been a hit since with its spacious indoor taproom + outdoor seating options along Baxter Ave.
