THE BEER BEAT: Falls City nixes its previous expansion plan, and now the new brewery is slated for NuLu.

There's only one way to the beer garden.

Way back on January 27, I thought we had this Falls City brewery expansion package nicely packed and wrapped, so much so that it inspired a vintage pro-localism rant.

THE BEER BEAT: No selfies necessary, because localism is why I believe the impending Falls City expansion is good news.

 ... To me, this is great news. It brings the brand back home, and the expansion ties into what John Neace and Neace Ventures are doing with Louisville City FC, and in my mind, enhances prospects for the soccer stadium to be in the west end. All I need is for the K & I Bridge to be reopened to foot and bicycle traffic, making my commute to all this easier without a car.

It's still good news, and yes, I still want the K & I to be open for use by humans as well as trains, but I'm not sure the ink was dry on my post in January before rumors commenced that the west end brewery buildout wouldn't be coming to fruition. These reports spiked around the time of Louisville FC's big stadium news.

Louisville City FC set to announce Butchertown stadium location as the Bud Light Limes flow like unabated storm water over at the Roadhouse.

"The ownership of Louisville City FC has 40 acres in the Butchertown neighborhood – off Cabel, Adams and Campbell streets – under contract for a new soccer stadium that would be flanked by other commercial development."

Obviously, it makes little sense for the Neace family to own a brewery and for it not to supply vast amounts of beer for games played by the soccer team, in which they also have an ownership stake. This new projected brewery location is a bare mile from the proposed stadium site.

The current Falls City property (along with 502 Winery and Over the 9) would remain on duty to guard the western flank and give me a place to ride my bike once the K & I is seized by the city of Louisville, removed from the cold dead hands of Norfolk Southern, and restored to public access.

As ever, a boy can dream.

Falls City Brewing Co. announces move to NuLu, by Kevin Gibson (Insider Louisville)

Falls City Brewing Company will open a new brewery and taphouse in NuLu later this year, featuring a canning line and outdoor beer garden.

The brewery’s owners announced in January that a new facility would open in Portland, but the deal didn’t go through as planned. The new facility at 901 E. Liberty St. is a property owned by the brewing company’s owner, Neace Ventures.

Construction will begin sometime in June, and the brewery is expected to be fully operational by late autumn.