Against the Grain Brewery & Public House — Attraction in Louisville

All I can say about Against the Grain is that I LOVE this place.

When I moved to Louisville a friend of mine hailed ATG as one of the top 5 crafter breweries in the country. It took me a while to get here, but once I did I became a true believer.

The downtown location is easy to get to, and it's conveniently located next to the soccer stadium with easy parking everywhere. There are outdoor tables for your food and drinkery.

Inside you’ll find what, to me, has become Craft Beer Mecca. To the left is the bar and if you look up you’ll see the actual brewery. ATG is a pro-prohibition brewery, meaning that there are no pumps to move the beer along; it’s all gravity fed. There’s a certain brewing honesty that goes along with that. Dead ahead are the door that lead out to the stadium corridor. There are probably 30 tables and, along one wall, church pews (yes, actually church pews!)

During busy times it can get a bit noisy, but it all lends to the “HEY, enjoy our craft beer” atmosphere of this institution. The current featured beers in each of 6 categories is listed (Session, Hop, Whim, Jolt, Dark, Smoke on our most recent visit), and the respective current brew for that category. It’s not just text, either, but honest-to-goodness chalkboard art telling the story, and it’s pretty amazing that one person can duplicate a logo so precisely with chalk. All the servers we’ve had have been very knowledgeable about the menu items, the current beers, and of the brewing process.

The menu sports typical bar/pub fare. My favorite appetizer is the beer pretzel. It’s amazing and well worth the price of admission. They also offer an assortment of salads and sandwiches as well, and so far none have disappointed.

I know it’s not the kind of thing you normally put in a review, but the restrooms are kind of cool. The restrooms have been artistically/graffiti-ized by a local artist, and that’s not the cool part. If you ask at the hostess stand, they’ll give you a Sharpie and you can add to the art with a signature, comment, or slogan! (They’ll ask you to keep if “family friendly”). It’s like one big guest book, and it’s pretty friggin’ awesome.

I not only highly recommend Against the Grain, I highly HIGHLY recommend Against the Grain. From the amazing craft beers to the facility, from the unique restroom décor to the beer pretzels (yea, I just put those...

UPDATE: I recently stopped in with my family while traveling the state and was shocked that they changed the menu! No more brisket, no more amazing smoked meats…instead $10 hot dogs and $14+ hamburgers and thats about it. What was once am amazing smokehouse with great beer is now the overpriced, subpar quality establishment that you would expect to find in a minor league stadium. Its a shame and it’s disappointing and just from my previous visit, Im not the only one that feels this way. Even our waiter said he has begged management to bring back the smoked meats. Unfortunately what was once my favorite smokehouse has now been reduced to overpriced pub burgers and hotdogs…what a shame…

Best BBQ you can buy from a restaurant! Yes, the best! I have been smoking meats for the better part of 2 decades and frequently seek out BBQ joints to check out. I came to this place and immediately lowered my expectations as soon as I saw it was part of a baseball stadium. I almost didn’t go in but I felt that my research lead me here and that I owed it a fair chance. The service was impeccable. Not over the top (by any means) but knowledgeable, friendly and willing to help with any requests. The beers? Every single beer my wife or I tried was a great example of what it was supposed to be! We visit breweries regularly and it is very rare to find one that does such a good job across the board! The BBQ?!?! The absolute best BBQ I have ever had from a restaurant! I had the brisket and it was as good of brisket as I do at home! I was blown away and the flavors and attention to detail. The pitmaster is a purist and truly knows their stuff (my hat is off to you). They actually make their own sausages daily as well. You simply cannot go wrong with any of their food. Don’t let the location scare you off. These people truly love their craft and it shows! I cannot...

We were looking for vegetarian comfort food on our first of 2 nights in Louisville and that brought us to Against the Grain Brewery with promises of a Beyond Burger and a vegetarian Sloppy Joe.

I indeed had the “Dirty Vegan” which is the Beyond Burger served with “phony cheese”, “shredduce”, red onion, pickles, and yogi sauce served on a toasted potato bun. The Beyond Burger (one of the best vegetarian simulations of a burger that you can get was cooked perfectly. I liked the bun a lot, and was glad I got the yogi dressing on side I didn’t like so glad I got it on side. I’m not vegan so I had them Put the cheddar that comes on the non vegetarian version of their burger on mine and was disappointed that they charged an extra 75 cents for that. How about they also deduct the cost of the “phony” cheese so it evens out instead of up-charging to put the more common kitchen item on?

I got the Creamy Cheesy Corn on the side. It had a nice little spice to it and was basically exactly as described. (Maybe a bit more more creamy than cheesy.) This was served in a disposable container…actually everything we got was…A bit of a waster. We definitely think when dining in items should be served in re-usable plates and bowls.

My wife and I shared the Fried Brussels which really good flavor but were a bit over-fried for her tastes.

She got the “Sloppy Jo” - a cauliflower and chickpea based vegan dish, with no bun (they didn’t have a gluten-free option). She thought the “slop” tasted a bit pickle-y on its own and would have been overall much more satisfying in a bun of some kind.

Their menu was clearly labeled with what items were vegan, vegetarian etc., which always makes us feel welcome, and they had lots of veggie options.

We were holding out for Bourbon so we didn’t get a beer from the in-house, 2 floor beer distillery, though it...