Browning's, BJ's and Breeders' Cup

My wife, sister-in-law and brother-in law went to Louisville this weekend to take in some of the Breeders' Cup World Championships horse racing at historic Churchill Downs and I was able to talk them into having dinner at two different places in town that brew their own beer.


The first was Browning's Brewery which is built right into the side of the minor league baseball park in downtown Louisville. It was a smallish place and very busy for a Friday night so we ate at the bar which was fine with me since it gave me an ample view of their beer selections. I started with a pint of the She-Devil Imperial Pale Ale. It was tasty and smooth. No complaints here other than them calling it an "IPA" - yes, those are the initials of what it is but we all know what "IPA" really stands for and therefore this can be deceiving since it's got a decent hoppiness, but that's not it's greatest quality.


I moved onto their Scotch Ale next. This was by far their best beer in my opinion. A bit heavy but not overpowering with a great aftertaste. My wife ordered their Brown Ale and I had a taste, but wasn't impressed. Neither was she and brown ales are her favorite. I also got the barkeep to give me a small sample of their Helles. I am glad I didn't order a pint of this blindly. Yuck. It's a soapy malty mess of a lager that I just didn't care for. Overall a good experience here. The food was decent and while I was not a fan of all their beer, they do seem to take it seriously. I will definitely come back when and if I get the chance.

After spending the day at the races, we headed over to BJ'S Brewhouse and Restaurant in a nearby mall outside of downtown Louisville. BJ's is a chain restaurant with many locations in California and Texas and look to be just recently expanding into the Midwest and South. My expectations weren't very high on their beer since some chain "micro-brewers" are really just producing tasteless and unimaginative mass-produced swill (Sin City Brewing, Big River, Rock Bottom, Mohegan Brewhouse, etc.) just to lure you in so you will eat their nachos. Not the case for BJ's. Outstanding beer for the most part and their food was great as well! I started with the Piranha Pale Ale, a nice brew with strong taste and body. My favorite came next - their seasonal Pumpkin Ale. It was boldly flavored while remaining light and refreshing. I pushed my luck too far and ordered their Jeremiah Red Strong Ale which was average at best. I also had a taste of their Brewnette Brown Ale (great name!) and thought it was good also. Definitely better than Browning's Brown Ale the night before. I would definitely come back to BJ's in Louisville if the opportunity presents itself, and will look at it as an option while traveling in the future as well.

While killing some time before a movie Friday night, we stopped at a liquor store to get a little "anti-freeze" for the races the next day since the weather was to be unseasonably cold. Thank you Southern Comfort! The liquor store we found was actually the Liquor Barn, a huge warehouse of not only liquor and wine, but a huge assortment of high-gravity beer from all over the world. I bought several to take home and try over the next month or so. Ashlee bought some as well for me for Christmas stocking stuffers. Did I mention she's a great wife? More on those later.