As usual, let’s preface today’s pint of Kentucky Common with a shot of local history.
In the beginning, “craft” beer was accompanied by platters of food ― and I’m not referring to “The Peasant Wedding,” that famous painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
Beginning in the 1990s, when small, independent breweries first introduced brought freshly brewed craft beer to Louisville, most were thought of as “brewpubs.”
They had kitchens and served meals in addition to brewing and pouring beer: Bluegrass Brewing Co., the Silo, Cumberland Brews, Browning’s Brewery, Oldenberg Grill and even the cookie-cutter HOPS chain. In 2002, New Albanian Brewing Co. (my former business) added a brewing kit to an existing pizzeria, and we became a brewpub, too.
Prominent early exceptions were Pipkin and its successor, BBC Beer Co., and Tucker Brewing/Silver Creek Brewing in Southern Indiana. These were known as “production” breweries, as is the case with today’s Against the Grain in Portland, which was a brewpub, too, until recently (in Louisville Slugger Field).
Thirty years ago, state laws here and elsewhere didn’t always exhibit clarity as these legal regimes pertained to what we now call “taprooms,” which accordingly have evolved over time. You went to a brewpub to drink and eat, and to a production brewery (maybe) to take a tour, grab carry-out bottles or snag a sixth-barrel for the weekend picnic.
As new norms became established, confusion occasionally ensued. For a production brewery to seek tap placement in a restaurant down the street was one thing, mostly positive, but when brewpubs with kitchens sought outside accounts, some restaurateurs refused the “fresh local beer” sales pitch on grounds that brewpubs competed against their own food service operations.
Reiterating that most rules governing brewing and cooking are made at state and local levels, eventually a broad equilibrium came into being. There’d be brewpubs of the founding culinary model, as well as stand-alone production breweries of all sizes; whether they were larger (think: industrial park) or smaller (a converted warehouse situated in a “recovering” side of town), the latter eventually were permitted to expand their taprooms into tavern-like settings.
Now the nearby bar owners were annoyed, although nowadays being “moistened” out of existence casts this discussion in a different light: “Moist vote could force closure of Highlands bars and restaurants.”
On a side note, do you know what I personally abhor? Late night ocean-liner-sized bar business models.
Wanna know what I abhor even more?
Prohibitionism.
But I digress.
Deep breath.
It remains that there is timeless wisdom in thinking twice before consuming alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach, and a newer generation of brewery taprooms almost always seek to make food available in one or the other capacity: allowing carry-in food, partnering with local purveyors for delivery options (eventually yielding to Door Dash, et al), scheduling food trucks, or building permanent kitchens inside for food purveyors to lease (or outdoors, as with Atrium’s courtyard in Shelby Park).
Many of us enjoy pairing beer with food, and understand that maintaining kitchen facilities, and complying with any health department’s list of requirements is time-consuming and expensive.
Fortunately the competitive landscape forever evolves, offering new solutions for old problems.
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Old Louisville Brewery (625 W. Magnolia Ave.) was established in 2016 by brothers Wade and Ken Mattingly in an extensively remodeled historic former neighborhood grocery building.
Ever since, OLB’s regulars have enjoyed an enviable local reputation for intense loyalty, and ownership’s commitment to community has remained consistent, albeit recently with new owners: Col. R. Smith Griggs (now the brewer of record) and his wife Victoria.
A few weeks back, I noticed this post of OLB’s at Facebook.
Okay, you asked for more food. We found something delicious.
Starting today, we’re testing Zest grab-and-go meals at OLB: vibrant, vegetable-forward meals inspired by global flavors and perfect for when you want something fresh, easy, and actually satisfying.
Even better, every Zest purchase helps support Feed Louisville’s work with food-insecure neighbors in our community, so your lunch just got a little more meaningful. Look at you, making excellent choices.
We’ll have a variety of meals available while supplies last. So come try one, tell us what you think, and help us decide what belongs in the OLB fridge.
Fresh food. Global flavors. Local impact.
Feed Louisville dates to pandemic times, and defines itself thusly:
Hunger is a humanitarian crisis that happens every day in our community. Meanwhile, good food gets thrown into the landfill every day. Feed Louisville is a team of professional chefs on a mission to address this crisis. We prevent perfectly good food from being wasted, and use it to make beautiful meals for our unhoused and food insecure community.
Our kitchen is an intersection between food rescue + hunger relief. Our organization is built on the guiding principles of social and racial justice, mutual aid and health equity. We work in solidarity – not charity – with our unhoused community and others who are experiencing food insecurity. Food is a basic human need. Therefore, it is basic human right.
Zest is Feed Louisville’s social enterprise project, a line of grab-and-go, chef-crafted meals.
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- Vegetable-forward, nutrient-dense bowls
- Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free
- Created in the Feed Louisville kitchen (Chef Emmaly Saliga, Executive Chef)
- Designed to fund and sustain the mission
- Zest is the perfect option to cater your next business meeting, lunch ‘n’ learn, etc.
Learn about Feed Louisville and Zest: “Food is a basic human need”
A growing list of retailers and community partners are embracing the zesty Zest concept by partnering with Feed Louisville to make these grab-and-go meals available, including Fante’s Coffee, Billion Cup Coffee, Whirling Tiger, Rainbow Blossom, VYFY Wellness, Jubilee Field, Locals Louisville and Locals Frankfort.
Old Louisville Brewery is the first local brewery to offer Zest meals to its patrons, who can grab and go, or grab and stay right there on their bar stools; the meals are adaptable, warm or chilled.
Everyone wins; Louisville businesses are supporting one another and helping a good idea grow.
Thanks to the timely assistance of Caroline Knop at Simply PR KY, here are questions and answers with Rhona Kamar (Executive Director of Feed Louisville), Chef Emmaly Saliga (Zest lead chef) and Victoria Griggs (Old Louisville Brewery).
Rhona Kamar
Q: What does it mean to see Zest expand into places like Old Louisville Brewery and other local retailers throughout Louisville?
RK: From the beginning, our dream for Zest was to make this kind of globally inspired, vibrant, plant-forward food more accessible throughout the city. We wanted to make it easier for people to eat in a way that makes them feel good. Zest meals bring the beautiful flavors of the world to local health and wellness.
Seeing Zest expand into places like Old Louisville Brewery and other local retailers means that vision is growing. It means more people can access fun, feel-good food in the places they already gather.
Q: How does every Zest purchase help support Feed Louisville’s mission and the people you serve?
RK: At Feed Louisville, we believe food has the power to heal not just individuals, but communities.
When we eat nourishing food, we feel better and live fuller lives. And when we make sure everyone in our community has access to nourishing food, it creates a ripple effect of wellness that extends beyond ourselves.
As a social enterprise of Feed Louisville, every Zest purchase directly helps support our core mission of feeding people experiencing food insecurity. The revenue generated through Zest helps us produce and distribute nutritious meals for individuals and families who may not otherwise have access to them.
So in a very real way, every meal purchased through Zest becomes part of a larger act of sharing, extending your table to include your community.
Chef Emmaly Saliga:
Q: As the chef behind Zest, what excites you most about seeing your meals offered somewhere unexpected like a local brewery?
ES: Zest is all about community and culture, and this partnership creates more chances for the talent and passion of our team to reach more people in town. Breweries are gathering places that connect us to each other and the world through flavor, and Zest meals are carefully crafted to highlight global recipes and local produce. In that sense, I think it’s a natural fit for Old Louisville Brewery to feature Zest meals! It makes us so happy to share our food at a wonderful neighborhood spot that shows up for the Louisville community in so many tangible and positive ways.
Q: Why do you think Zest is resonating with customers looking for fresh, healthy grab-and-go options?
ES: A ton of research and collaboration goes into the development of these meals and I think the care and intention comes through. Every Zest meal represents the talents of our team of chefs, the hard work of the local farmers who grow our produce, and our commitment to hunger relief and a more sustainable food system.
Beyond that, the meals are interesting, fresh and delicious and I hope they inspire people to try new things and get curious about all the wonderful ways there are to enjoy vegetables!
Victoria Griggs
Q: Why is Zest a good fit for Old Louisville Brewery?
VG: We really want to support local businesses that align with our values, and Zest offers a great healthy option that complements the craft beer experience here. Old Louisville is a wonderfully walkable neighborhood. Our patrons are our neighbors, and the brewery is the heartbeat of the neighborhood where they gather.
Most places have deep fried, high fat, and high carb options that aren’t actually in line with their lifestyle. Having healthy, and especially vegan and gluten free options, means that we fit more seamlessly into the everyday pattern of life here. The partnership with Zest works so well because they deliver that at a price point that’s accessible to all of our neighbors, not to mention it’s delicious.
Q: How are Zest meals being received by your customers?
VG: People seem really receptive so far. I think they appreciate having a quick, quality food option when they are enjoying a pint. As an artisanal brewery, our customers are responsive to depth of flavor and the world flavors of the Zest meals compliment that beautifully. Many of our work from home patrons are excited to have a quick grab item as well. We sold out of one of the options the first day we carried them!
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Attentive readers will have observed that the beer guy doesn’t have much to say about beer today.
Correct. This owes to a lengthy lapse since my last visit to Old Louisville Brewery, which suggests a follow-up beer tasting is merited. This I promise to pursue soon, and once concluded, there’ll be a report in this space.
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Previously at Hip Hops:
Hip Hops: I drank a Shock Top, and other tales of mystery and imagination
Roger Baylor is an entrepreneur, educator, and innovator with 44 years of beer business experience in metropolitan Louisville as a bartender, package store clerk, brewery owner, restaurateur, writer, traveler, polemicist, homebrewing club founder, tour operator and all-purpose contrarian.
As a co-owner (1990 – 2018) of New Albanian Brewing Company Pizzeria & Public House in New Albany, Indiana – founded in 1987, 1992, 2002 and 2009 – Roger played a seminal role in metro Louisville’s contemporary beer renaissance. He was beer director at Pints&union in New Albany from 2018 through 2023.
Roger’s “Hip Hops” columns on beer-related subjects have been a fixture since 2005 in Food & Dining Magazine, where he currently serves as associate editor and contributor. He is a former columnist at both the New Albany Tribune and LEO Weekly, and founder of the NA Confidential blog (2004 – 2020). Visit RogerBaylor.com for more.
The post Hip Hops: Old Louisville Brewery, Feed Louisville — and chef-crafted Zest bowls appeared first on Food & Dining Magazine.
