Bluegrass Brewing Company - Theater Square

No Longer In Business

was here on new years eve night before the show at the palace and this place was packed. i give a n/a rating for food because we didnt eat anything. grabbed a couple of beers from the bar and stood at a table not much room to move around. i am sure on a slower day it would be fine and then i can check out the menu to see if it is any different than 3rd and main or shelbyville road. the beer we had was adequate nothing to write home about. maybe i am just partial to the taproom but just something doesnt set right with me and i dont know what that is. willing to give it another chance or two in the future.

Decent selection , overall the beers were good. Service was ok.

Dim, bar-like ambiance though a little larger since they have regular tables & such. Nice sized selection of beers; a few of them were pretty good, some of them were okay, & a couple were pretty blah. The bartender was nice but the staff was confused about which kegs were connected to which tap handles & I’m still not entirely sure what one of my beers *actually* was. Not a huge deal but they should be more aware. Did not get food. Beer was priced pretty cheap, though.

Overview: BBC Theater Square is located close to the Louisville Palace and is nearly across from the Brown Hotel’s 4th St. entrance. This location has quite a bit of outdoor seating, and the bar actually opens up to serve outside patrons as well. The bar continues inside, and the rest of the restaurant proceeds in a "shotgun" manner straight back into the kitchen. A mixture of tables and booths for non-bar seating. Menus of regular selections were available, and specialty beers were written on chalkboards around the place. Service was the bartender, and he seemed friendly enough and was reasonably prompt with drink refills. He could not tell me basic information about the beer he poured (a chain-wide problem). Selection of their own house beers (8), and three rotating taps. Food menu was identical to St. Matthews location, though beer seemed to be more highly priced (a 1/2 pint will run you 3.50 here; they’re about 2.75 in St. Matt’s on regular strength offerings). PROS: Walking distance from the Louisville Palace; nice layout and feel. CONS: Typical BBC selections; uninformed service; little higher prices on drinks. OVERALL: Pretty much meets the utility of being a place for drinks and food before/after a show at the Palace. No reason to come here otherwise, unless you are ticking Louisville places. For parking, there are a few pay lots and garages in the area, but, if you are here after 6 p.m., I’d just park on 3rd street at a metered spot (free after 6 p.m. and all day Sunday) and cut through an alley. You’ll be at this place in five minutes or so from your spot.

again, how have I never rated this place? typical brews with rotating taps. sketchy to artsy location. good food.

Stopped in on a Saturday in the middle of the afternoon. Street parking only. There is a bit of a sports bar feel to the place, but with a lot of woodwork. The most impressive part about this place was the whiskey selection. Pappy 23 on the shelf. The beer wasn’t great, but I got a sampler to try as many as I could. The barrel aged stout was nice. Pricing was decent. I got out for about $12. Didn’t order food.

(backlogged in abstinence) Visited 09/2012. Sportsbar feel on the main downtown drag, nearly empty just around/after happy hour. Nice inside/outside bar sitting made less relevant by forgettable brewpub brews and so-so student service (had a sampler of 5 and 2 pints, all down the drain of oblivion). (on par with the DC Capitol City Brewing franchise).

This is a nice location for the BBC but its biggest drawback is that Against the Grain, Doc Crowes, and Haymarket aren’t too far away either. If you are at the theater and desperate for some craft beer it might serve you well enough. Just lower your expectations regarding the quality of the beers which can be hit or miss.

If you want the full BBC experience make the trip out to St Matthews and visit the original brewpub. Despite its own parking issues they have a better selection and happy hour prices let you try a few beers to find out that is palatable.

there’s a nice patio/deck area, which is pleasant in good weather. we tried their alt, porter and weizenbock, where were all descent, but not outstanding.

One of the downtown BBC locations on the touristy Fourth St. A sports pub-esque feel. They had 4-5 regulars and 2 seasonals on tap. The particular beers I tried (a smoked alt and esb) were decent, but not great. I’ve also been to the tap room location, which has a cozier atmosphere, but the two are similar. I am just not a big fan of their beer, so I would maybe recommend stopping by for a pint just to check them out, but not make this a destination spot.