
PROFILES IN BREWING By Bobby Bush, author of "Beer & Loafing"
Eileen Martin of Browning's Brewery & Pub in Louisville, Kentucky
For so many months it was rush, rush, rush. Trying to beat opening day was all that was on Eileen Martin's mind. There was no time for fancy beer names, no coasters, no glasses, no website, a single shipment of tee shirts sold as fast as they were unpacked. Brewing was priority one. Survival was the second - surviving the onslaught of thirsty baseball fans. And now the season is over for the Louisville Bats. The AAA team failed to make the playoffs. Eileen survived, but now it's extra innings for Eileen and the staff at Browning's Brewery & Pub.
Browning's shares an entrance with downtown Louisville's brick-and-mortar Sluggers Field. Inside the brewpub, originally a train shed, pre-game, post-game and game-time revelers enjoy delicious pub grub and Eileen's thirst quenching brews. During the season, she kept two lights on tap Blonde Ale and Cream Ale for the baseball fanatics and rotated others into the two clean-up spots. Free of ballpark adjectives, Red, ESB, Oatmeal Stout and Nut Brown were almost as popular as the hot weather light brews. With more time on her hands, Eileen now has an Unfiltered Rye and Oktoberfest, her first Browning's lager, on tap. She plans to replace the Blonde with a light lager next season.
Thirty-five years old, engaged but never married, Eileen came about her brewing prowess honestly. She earned it. As a first time homebrewer, she was disgusted with her results. Brewing with girlfriends, she tried again later with more success and became a founding member of the local homebrewers' club, LAGERS (Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society). By 1992 her interest led to work as assistant at The Silo, where she remained until just before the brewpub closed in 1995. Installing breweries for DME Brewing Equipment was her next employment endeavor, followed one year later by a short stint away from the beer industry.
By 1997, Eileen was the beer buyer for a sizeable retail store. That evolved into a job with a local beer distributor ("mostly good micros and imports,") followed by a two year hiatus from work. By December 1999, she was involved with Browning's, at first designing and later installing the shiny copper-clad 15 barrel brewhouse. Though opening day was in early April 2002, the typical paper chase didn't allow Eileen to brew until mid-May.
She brews as true to style as possible in her multi-level brewing tower, planning to use the slow season to keg beer for other restaurants in the Browning's family. Meanwhile, the brewpub hopes to weather the baseball-free months with Monday Night Football and other sports and beer promotions. Browning's is located closed to several downtown hotels and also benefits from hospital traffic as well, which should help.
For Eileen, who has no time in her hectic schedule for baseball, the beer season is just now beginning. Play beer!
Browning's Brewery & Pub 401 E. Main St. (Louisville Slugger Field) Louisville KY 40202 (502) 584-0506 or (502) 515-0174
===================================================================== Until October, cheers The Beer South Brew Crew
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CALENDAR
9/27 - Brewer's Ball - Atlanta GA 10/12 - 3rd Capitol City Oktoberfest - Arlington VA 10/19 - 7th Great Decatur Beer Tasting Festival - Decatur GA |
RESOURCES
Pictures from several recent events are now posted in the PIX section:
One thing you have to do when you travel, whether to beer festivals or simply to grandma's house, is eat: Check out this link next time you travel around the Southand want to find interesting restaurants:
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The material presented on this site is based on information believed to be correct, but is subject to change at anytime. If you have an update, correction, suggestion or any other contribution,
(c) 1999 - 2002 by Beer South. All Rights Reserved. |
The material presented on this site is based on information believed to be correct, but is subject to change at anytime. If you have an update, correction, suggestion or any other contribution,
(c) 1999 - 2002 by Beer South. All Rights Reserved. |
Greetings,
It's that time of year, when attention shifts focus to the gridiron, kids get back to school, leaves start to change color, and the beer festival schedule begins to lighten up. Soon we'll be bracing for cooler weather and planning holiday events. Every year there comes that certain late summer morning when you walk outside feel the annual change of season ahead. It's a great feeling, one that makes you aware of all the world around you. So, enjoy life while you can - celebrate the people, pets and places around you, do good deeds, eat well, and always drink good beer. - The Beer Bwana |

NEWS
The United States Beer Tasting Championship recently completed its 8th annual summer competition. A total of 453 beers from 183 breweries were examined across 11 different beer categories (an additional 11 categories are examined in a winter competition). Within each category, the USBTC determined both a Grand Champion and the best from each of six U.S. regions: 1) Northeast, 2) Mid-Atlantic/ Southeast, 3) Midwest, 4) Rockies/Southwest, 5) Northwest/Pacific, and 6) California. The following is a list of the "Best of the South" from the Mid-Atlantic / Southeast division:
Category Best of the South Company Location
India Pale Ale: IPA - Sweetwater Brewing / Atlanta GA - (Honorable mention) Tuppers' Hop Pocket Ale - Old Dominion Brewing / Ashburn VA
Pale Ale: Rockford Red - Williamsville Brewery / Farmville NC - (Honorable mention) Pale Ale - New River Brewing / Blacksburg VA
Amber/Red Ale: Dergy's Amber Ale - Williamsville Brewery / Farmville NC - (Honorable mention) Skyland Red Ale - Shenandoah Brewing / Alexandria VA
Belgian/French Specialty Ale: Summer Brew - Dogwood Brewing / Atlanta GA
Bitter/ESB: Dominion Ale - Old Dominion Brewing / Ashburn VA
Golden Ale: Dergy's Classic Gold Ale - Williamsville Brewery / Farmville NC
Bock/Doppelbock: Dominion Spring Brew - Old Dominion Brewing / Ashburn VA
Pilsner: Tuppers' Hop Pocket Pils - Old Dominion Brewing / Ashburn VA - (Honorable mention) Pilsner - Dogwood Brewing - Atlanta GA
Dortmunder/Helles: Dominion Lager - Old Dominion Brewing / Ashburn VA
Wheat Beer: Weizen - Weeping Radish Brewery / Manteo NC
Fruit Beer: Purple Haze - Abita Brewing / Abita Springs LA
The USBTC takes a unique approach in that its competition is held in multiple stages. Sequential field trials are conducted wherein judges evaluate beers and select the best to advance to subsequent rounds. This allows beers to be judged in relatively small flights while ensuring that the best beers are still determined through head-to-head competition. All beers were tasted in blinded fashion and judged on a hedonic scale. Source: USBTC
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BREWING CHANGES
Personnel
LA / Metarie - Zea's Rotisserie & Brewery - Patrick O'Neill to head brewer. NC / Raleigh - Southend Brewpub - Mike Morris to head brewer, replacing Bob High, who has left the company. SC / North Myrtle Beach - Mad Boar - Jason Weissberg to head brewer. |
RESOURCES
Pictures from several recent events are now posted in the PIX section:
One thing you have to do when you travel, whether to beer festivals or simply to grandma's house, is eat: Check out this link next time you travel around the Southand want to find interesting restaurants:
|
CALENDAR
9/27 - Brewer's Ball - Atlanta GA 10/12 - 3rd Capitol City Oktoberfest - Arlington VA 10/19 - 7th Great Decatur Beer Tasting Festival - Decatur GA |

PROFILES IN BREWING By Bobby Bush, author of "Beer & Loafing"
Eileen Martin of Browning's Brewery & Pub in Louisville, Kentucky
For so many months it was rush, rush, rush. Trying to beat opening day was all that was on Eileen Martin's mind. There was no time for fancy beer names, no coasters, no glasses, no website, a single shipment of tee shirts sold as fast as they were unpacked. Brewing was priority one. Survival was the second - surviving the onslaught of thirsty baseball fans. And now the season is over for the Louisville Bats. The AAA team failed to make the playoffs. Eileen survived, but now it's extra innings for Eileen and the staff at Browning's Brewery & Pub.
Browning's shares an entrance with downtown Louisville's brick-and-mortar Sluggers Field. Inside the brewpub, originally a train shed, pre-game, post-game and game-time revelers enjoy delicious pub grub and Eileen's thirst quenching brews. During the season, she kept two lights on tap Blonde Ale and Cream Ale for the baseball fanatics and rotated others into the two clean-up spots. Free of ballpark adjectives, Red, ESB, Oatmeal Stout and Nut Brown were almost as popular as the hot weather light brews. With more time on her hands, Eileen now has an Unfiltered Rye and Oktoberfest, her first Browning's lager, on tap. She plans to replace the Blonde with a light lager next season.
Thirty-five years old, engaged but never married, Eileen came about her brewing prowess honestly. She earned it. As a first time homebrewer, she was disgusted with her results. Brewing with girlfriends, she tried again later with more success and became a founding member of the local homebrewers' club, LAGERS (Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society). By 1992 her interest led to work as assistant at The Silo, where she remained until just before the brewpub closed in 1995. Installing breweries for DME Brewing Equipment was her next employment endeavor, followed one year later by a short stint away from the beer industry.
By 1997, Eileen was the beer buyer for a sizeable retail store. That evolved into a job with a local beer distributor ("mostly good micros and imports,") followed by a two year hiatus from work. By December 1999, she was involved with Browning's, at first designing and later installing the shiny copper-clad 15 barrel brewhouse. Though opening day was in early April 2002, the typical paper chase didn't allow Eileen to brew until mid-May.
She brews as true to style as possible in her multi-level brewing tower, planning to use the slow season to keg beer for other restaurants in the Browning's family. Meanwhile, the brewpub hopes to weather the baseball-free months with Monday Night Football and other sports and beer promotions. Browning's is located closed to several downtown hotels and also benefits from hospital traffic as well, which should help.
For Eileen, who has no time in her hectic schedule for baseball, the beer season is just now beginning. Play beer!
Browning's Brewery & Pub 401 E. Main St. (Louisville Slugger Field) Louisville KY 40202 (502) 584-0506 or (502) 515-0174
===================================================================== Until October, cheers The Beer South Brew Crew
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