Caution: This column may contain references to drinking alcoholic beverages. If you regularly attend AA meetings or are not yet of legal drinking age, please skip to Free Will Astrology. If you’re reading online, please do not bookmark the Bar Belle Blog as your homepage.
Driving down I-65 to Nashville, you encounter signs that are quick and to the point: Gas. Food. Beer. Fireworks. XXX. I like simple signs that require no guesswork. In San Francisco, I walked into a retail shop called Good Vibrations thinking I could score the new John Tesh album, but instead got an eyeful of strap-ons and cock rings. Even in town, I ventured into Grateful Threads looking for some kelly green yarn to sew my granny a scarf, but walked out with a 12-inch bong and a vile of patchouli.
So when I heard about the Louisville Beer Store opening, I smiled in appreciation of the uncomplicated, direct name. And what I found when I stepped through the doors last Friday night was exactly what I expected — beer, lots of it, here.
The unassuming East Market shop is more package store than bar. Imagine the wine-tasting room at Hubers, substitute rare, hard-to-find-on-tap craft beer, and you have the idea. There are no tables or chairs — not even a bar stool to be found. The idea is that you swing in, pick up a six-pack or mix and match from singles, perhaps sample a pint or flight of eight draft beers, and be on your merry way. Whatever you do, though, please do not expect to find an ounce of domestics. There are none. And even local brew is hard to find, as not many are available in bottle form — and the purpose of the eight taps is to give connoisseurs a taste of what they can’t find on tap around town.
“We’re not gonna be a store that has thousands of beers,” says co-owner Lori Beck. “But we’re gonna be a store with 200 really good beers.”
Beck, along with partner Tyler Trotter, opened LBS on the First Friday Trolley Hop this month. Both have always shared a passion for hard-to-find beer — she got her start at Cumberland Brews, he at Browning’s. And while Trotter, a musician, was on tour, Beck would look forward to what gems he’d bring home to sample. The two decided to turn their fervor into a profitable reality, and thus the Louisville Beer Store was born.
The two plan to offer special events and educational programs, along with beer-inspired packaged foods and snacks. An art gallery is also in the works — Beck is a glass artist and curator. At the moment, the store boasts more than 100 bottled beers from 10 countries. LBS is located at 746 E. Market St. It’s open Tuesday-Sunday. For more info, call 569-BEER or visit www.louisvillebeerstore.com.
Master of the Manhattan
Louisvillian Jeromy Edwards was crowned “Master of the Manhattan” by Woodford Reserve and Esquire magazine at the Esquire Soho in New York City last week. Edwards won a nationwide competition in search of America’s best Manhattan. Edwards competed against seven other bartenders from around the country and took the top prize with his Cider Manhattan. I was lucky enough to be a judge at the local event in September and remember his concoction fondly. It was actually the last sip of bourbon I’ve had since (except for the Old Fashioned at the Pendennis Club), as I was a bit overtaken by the Kentucky spirit that night. Perhaps I’ll end my bourbon sabbatical and hit Edwards up for his award-winning cocktail at Theatre Square Marketplace soon. I’ll post the recipe on my blog.
Drunk Texts of the Week
•“U need the aids quilt jersey”
•“Im gonna put my nuts in ur jacket”
•“Nipple piercings r sooo senior citizen”
•“U cant walk on ballz”
•“Will Coach Stinson replace Coach K??”
•“She hs good taste & goes dwn ez wth white wine.”
•“I wanna shuttle launch in ur space.”
Check out my daily reasons to drink at barbelle.leoweekly.com
