Cover Story
Hot Town: 380 parking lots downtown. Where are the trees?
Slicing five miles through Louisville’s downtown, Broadway shows just how challenging it can be for a sweltering urban center to beat the dangerous summer heat. Louisville’s main drag leaves the upscale and relatively-leafy Highlands neighborhood and heads west, where it widens to seven lanes of black asphalt and enters a stretch of office buildings and…
3rd Turn Brewing
From strange brews to divine décor, 3rd Turn is your East End craft spot. It has two locations, one a beer garden in Crestwood, and the original in the heart of Jeffersontown Gaslight District inside a renovated church, offering fantastic outside seating. An especially adventurous brewery, 3rd Turn balances established favorites such as the Double…
Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
With a colorful set of cartoon characters assigned to each brew, Against the Grain has established a fun, recognizable brand. Its brews are organized by categories — hop, smoke, dark, malt, session and whim — identifiable by imagery for each. AtG’s list mixes and matches flavors within its own rules, making playfully delicious brews. That…
Akasha Brewing Co.
This is the only bar in town to feature a Pintwood Derby. Akasha is a low-key spot with a wide array of brews. It has an absolutely stunning doppelbock, a rarity in this town, called Goaty McBockface, and features regular favorites such as its Fehr’s XL American Extra Lager and the English Mild with Brett,…
Apocalypse Brew Works
Apocalypse is a Friday-to-Sunday spot with a reputation for small-batch, fresh craft beer. It is a great place to hang with your dogs and/or kids, as it offers limited indoor seating, but has a lot of outdoor seating; Apocalypse isn’t ideal for a rainy day. Apocalypse has no kitchen, but food trucks roll through when…
Bluegrass Brewing Co.
The BBC is an institution in Louisville. A pioneering microbrewery in the city, it’s also a reliable standby. Its Altbier Amber Ale and Summer Wheat are tasty choices on tap, but its Coffee Stout is something truly something to behold. With two locations, one at Third and Main streets, and the other on Fourth Street…
Donum Dei Brewery
From the outside, Donum Dei (Latin for Gift of God) is inauspicious, set back from the road in the rear end of a strip mall. With a limited kitchen (simple sandwiches and soups), Donum Dei focuses its energy on its brew selection, which includes Scotch ale Unicorn, Nebulae and an IPA. Over the last year,…
Falls City Brewing Co.
Falls City is the classic, historic Louisville brand, long churning out brews for all of us. Resurrected and refocused in 2010, the brewery has built on its brand by expanding its offerings beyond its flagship pale ale (based on its 1905 recipe) to include an IPA, Hipster Repellant; a porter, Streetlamp; and Kentucky Common, which…
False Idol Independent Brewers
Located in the Monkey Wrench’s old spot, False Idol is a bright and open-plan neighborhood hangout, with a large bar and plenty of tables. False Idol shares the space with V-Grits, which slings some of the finest vegan food in town. The beer selection is rotating, but a staple since opening is the Manna, a…
Floyd County Brewing Co.
Floyd County Brewing is quirky, featuring an Olde English, Medieval Pub vibe near the heart of downtown New Albany, Indiana. This is the kind of place that feels right to visit in cooler weather, be that for its superlative selection of porters and darker ales, or for the full-size King Louie’s Turkey Leg, if you…
Goodwood Brewing Co.
Breaking off from the Bluegrass Brewing Co., Goodwood quickly forged its own brand with quality beers that draw flavor from various woods, such as its Red Wine Barrel Saison, which shares a comparable balance of sweet, malty, and wheat heavy with a Belgian. Or try its classic Bourbon Barrel Stout, which is an excellent winter…
Gravely Brewing Co.
A new kid on the beer block, Gravely offers a music-themed aesthetic, including a bar created out of speakers. The rest of the brewery is decked out with aural regalia and fitted with an excellent stage and sound system for live music. The names of the beers carry the theme, among them the Power Chord…
Great Flood Brewing
One aspect that sets Great Flood Brewing apart is that it encourages food delivery and provides takeout menus (also the tasty, tasty North End Slice pizza joint is next door). But, wait, there is more! Great Flood also is known for such local favorites as ‘37 Coconut Porter and Blonde Ale. In the winter, it…
Holsopple Brewing
Located in a small corner of downtown Lyndon, Holsopple Brewing may be off the beaten path for Highland hipsters. And that may be a good thing! Holsopple offers a regular tap including Paula’s Pilsner and Holsopple IPA, both cornerstones of its brand, that are hop forward and adjunct free, high-quality, no-nonsense beers. That said, it…
Mile Wide Beer Co.
If you’re looking for truly superlative IPA varieties, Mile Wide is the spot. The Nomah, Tessie and Catalina Breeze are all hop-foward IPA varieties with rich and robust flavor, dense with sublimely fruited notes. Mile Wide, although named for the width of the Ohio River near downtown, features a wide, open interior space beneath an…
Monnik Beer Co.
Not only does Monnik have some of the finest, most adventurous beer in the city, but it has an incredible menu. A great session beer appetizer is an order of the Donder Fries (sour beef, raisin sauce, mayo and onion) or War Fries (house mayo and peanut sauce, onion), which pair nicely with one of…
New Albanian Brewing Co.
The New Albanian has a long and storied history in New Albany, Indiana (remember Rich O’s BBQ and Rich O’s Public House?). The annual host of Gravity Head, so named for the high ABV in the beers it brings in, the New Albanian carries such beer as the sessionable Community Dark, a relaxing English Mild…
Old Louisville Brewery
The Old Louisville Brewery likes to take beer adventures (such as Key Lime Pie Gose), featuring a tap lineup that continues to impress. It includes the hearty Bed and Breakfast Stout and refreshing Belgravia Blonde with Mango, which is a summertime delight. There is little in terms of food here, although you can grab a…
Red Foot Brewing Co.
In the heart of downtown Jeffersonsville, Indiana, the Red Foot is inside of the Red Yeti restaurant. Even with a small brewing system, it produces a wide variety of drinks, including creamy chocolate stouts and nonalcoholic options such as root beer. It is the only microbrewery in town to do so. An upscale gastropub, its…
10 under $5 – What To Do This Week In Louisville (9/17)
MONDAY — 17 Community Yoga Tim Faulkner Gallery $5 suggested donation | 6-7 p.m. Here’s a good excuse to check out the new Tim Faulkner Gallery location — yoga! All levels are welcome and mats will be available.The cost: a $5 donation. The instructor for the class is from the Kentucky Yoga Initiative. TUESDAY —…
Henry Rollins on traveling, photography and being an American abroad
Henry Rollins built a name for himself as the face of Black Flag in the early-80s, a relentless touring beast that he documented in his book, “Get In the Van.” Rollins also released a host of solo records and albums, all while fostering his career as a writer, radio personality and actor. With a tenacious…
5 Things To Do This Weekend In Louisville (9/14)
FRIDAY — 14 Kentucky Kick Down Motorcycle Festival (Sept. 14–16) American-Turners Louisville $5-$100 | Times vary Get your motor running… Now in its sixth year, the Kentucky Kick Down Motorcycle Festival has earned enormous momentum and well-earned acclaim, becoming a national go-to festival for vintage motorcycle lovers and “transitioning to that festival atmosphere we’ve been…
Thorns & Roses: The Worst, Best & Most Absurd (9/12)
Mitch’s ‘house of canards’ | Absurd It couldn’t be more obvious. The anonymous op-ed writer in The New York Times is U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, with an assist from Mitch McConnell. The piece clearly was written by a mainstream, rock-rib Republican, like both of them, and who better than Mitch to orchestrate this…
Lung dives into the issues on ?’All The King’s Horses’
For Lung, the road was the crucible for their sophomore record, the highly-political, left-leaning All the King’s Horses. The duo, cellist Kate Wakefield and drummer Daisy Caplan, kicked off their tour in May, snaking through the country, dodging West Coast wildfires and digging deep into the heartland, stopping at venues big and small, in both…
Fantastic Negrito and two other concerts to catch this week
Wombo, Long Hots, Law Offices Kaiju Wednesday, Sept. 12 With driving, psychedelic post-punk that’s manic and sharp, Wombo’s quickly-shifting, menacing music is ambitious and always interesting. Long Hots is yet another good rock-and-roll band from Philly — with a proto-punk heart, this trio mixes chaotic guitars, cool, distanced vocals and heavy-handed drums for something that…
Danny Cash’s Juggling Act: Original My Morning Jacket keyboardist is now in three bands
Louisville musician Danny Cash, best known as the original keyboardist for My Morning Jacket, performs in several local bands, including Hawks, The Excuses and Dirt One. LEO caught up with him to talk about the forthcoming albums and shows for his current projects. LEO: This summer you have been playing a lot of shows with…
Record Review: Saturday School — ‘Sophomore Album’
Saturday School produces hard-hitting, hook-heavy garage rock cut from the same cloth as the Ramones, but filtered through the bombast of Bikini Kill or Skull Kontrol. This is delightful, snarling music, a dark narrative that swings from singing about parking lot smoking on the track “Movement III” to violence on “Movement VIII.” The album plays…
Record Review: March Four — ‘now you know’
Opening on an especially elegant moment, March Four kicks off now you know with an air of charm. Part of creating its world are the sublime pops and clicks sampled from vinyl, giving a kind of musty feel to the overall affair. The tracks are short, instrumental sketches that pull from a variety of sources.…
Record Review: Father Jah — ‘#Unstoppablelife’
Everything about Father Jah’s #Unstoppablelife is an old school throwback to the golden age of hip-hop. An affiliate of the Wu-Tang, Jah is a rap disciple, paying homage to the gods of the genre throughout the album. There is an inescapable Run DMC vibe to “Macaroni,” a track that also includes subtle and not-so-subtle references…
Record Review: Comforter — ‘Where The Heart Is’
Nostalgia, homesickness, forgiveness and technology’s negative impact are covered on Where The Heart Is, a contemplative album from Comforter that has the ability to make vivid, direct statements, while also evoking a fleeting, shifty daydream. Living somewhere close to shoegaze, Comforter’s versatile, atmospheric sound aligns well with the poetic and searching lyrics, forming a cohesive…
The Café earns enduring popularity the old-fashioned way
I love The Café on Brent. I go there for lunch or breakfast — or both — about as often as I can go to any eatery that I’m not reviewing. It’s almost always crowded, and there’s a good reason for that: It’s good. It’s doubly to The Café’s credit, too, that people come, even…
May I buy you a drink?
Career growth is exciting and terrifying at the same time. It’s a strange and meaningful experience to transition from one end of an industry to another. It’s always interesting (and important) to look through a new lens at the job we’ve been doing for so long, whether that is promotions, department conversions, schedule changeovers or…
My theory on spaghetti ?and chili
Food is culture, in many ways, be it regional or even city specific. I’m one of those people who grew up thinking chili was the soupy, tomatoey stuff with beans, ground beef and spaghetti. It wasn’t until adulthood that I discovered chili can be many things. That so-called “Louisville-style” chili still hangs around, and I’ve…
‘Dracula,’ new material, new actors… still scary
“Dracula” has visited Actors Theatre every fall for the past 23 years. He’s become a standard for Halloween in Louisville, although, as the show’s success grows, his stay has grown longer, with the show now opening as early as the first week of September. I’ve seen “Dracula” six years in a row. So it’s impressive…
Comedian Christopher Titus: ‘If ‘Rebel asshole’ is my epitaph … ’
Christopher Titus stunned the comedy community when he released his debut album “Norman Rockwell is Bleeding” in 2004. His candor was gut-wrenching and hilarious as he told tales of his abusive father who was once shot by his grandmother, his schizophrenic, drug-addicted mother who eventually committed suicide and how his sister inherited the family curse…
In Nature, Author Sarah Ivens Finds a Natural Therapy
What’s your latest excuse for spending your pre- and post-work hours gazing at screens? C’mon, we’re about to hit the time of year for leaf-peeping! Many Americans don’t seem to have time today for getting in touch with the outdoors. But in other parts of the world, there’s new appreciation for the physical and emotional…
Comic Book Reviews: ‘Judas’ and ‘Joker/Daffy Duck Special’
‘Judas’ Writer Jeff Loveness; artist Jakub Rebelka Review by Ashley Cornell, The Great Escape Louisville Lost and confused, “Judas,” the titular character, is struggling against his role in the traditional Christian narrative. Having been sent to Hell following his death, Judas Iscariot reflects on his life prior to and during his friendship with Jesus. He…
Savage Love: Gay and Lonely
Q: I am a gay man in my late 50s and have never been in a relationship. I am so lonely and the painful emptiness I feel is becoming absolutely unbearable. In my early 20s, I hooked up off and on, but it never developed into anything. I have always told myself that’s okay; I’m…
Learning to love Pitino, Bevin’s overpaid tech bloke and another right-wing bigot
Do you think people would take us more seriously if we wrote this article anonymously? It is an op-ed after all. Anonymity is all the rage in big media circles. Well, since nobody believes you actually contribute to this, you’re as good as anonymous already. As we both know, since I’m the best-known, best-loved and…
Admit when you are racist
“Hey. You just scratched my car.” “No, I didn’t. And you’re shaming me in front of everyone in this parking lot.” “I don’t understand why you won’t admit it.” “You are being aggressive.” “I’m upset that you scratched my car. I think you’re being really shitty about this, and it’s pissing me off.” “OK. You…
Op-ed from a senior Bevin administration official
As we have observed and discussed in this paper, Gov. Matt “Bell Curve” Bevin is a mini-Trump in a number of ways. So it came as no surprise to discover that Bevin also has a resistance within his administration. A group of more secular, sane, moderate conservatives who work behind the scenes to prevent Gov.…
