THE BEER BEAT: It took a week to get the details straight, but BBC is leaving its current St. Matthews location after 23 years and hopes to reopen elsewhere in Louisville.

There are lessons somewhere in all this, but at the moment I am bereft of glibness. If Jim, Debbie and Blake are reading, thanks; you had it right the first time. 

To revisit the roller coaster of the past week, first the rumorama insisted that January 29 would be the last business day for Bluegrass Brewing Company St. Matthews, but the rest of it was unclear. Next, the Green Mouse received a more nuanced and expansive report, much of which has now come to light (below), to the effect that the January 29 date was incorrect.

Then literally, this report proved to be true; not January 29, but February 5 as the last day for BBC at its longtime Shelbyville Road digs.

Yesterday morning, Insider Louisville's Caitlin Bowling reported about the fast and furious BBC rumors, and subsequently her instincts were proven correct.

Rumors fly about fate of Bluegrass Brewing Company’s St. Matthews restaurant

During the past week, Insider Louisville has received tip after tip from people who say they’ve heard that the Bluegrass Brewing Company plans to close its St. Matthews bar and restaurant.

A few hours later, the floodgates opened. I believe the C-J's Bailey Loosemore was first past the post.

Bluegrass Brewing Co. to leave St. Matthews

Bluegrass Brewing Company is moving from its St. Matthews location after 23 years on Shelbyville Road.

On Friday, co-owner Pat Hagan told the Courier-Journal that the company has agreed to forgo its lease on the brewery's building so that another restaurant can move in. Partners in the new venture were previously involved in Sully's Saloon, a Fourth Street Live! bar and restaurant that closed in 2013 after an 11-year run ...

... Soon, construction will start on a new BBC restaurant in the Kindred Healthcare facility at the corner of Broadway and Fourth Street. And Hagan hopes to find a new building in the East End where he can reopen a taproom and resume retail production.

Business First's David Mann closed Friday with an update.

BBC leaving St. Matthews after 23 years

Bluegrass Brewing Co. is leaving the St. Matthews space it's called home for 23 years. The brewpub, located on Shelbyville Road, near Breckenridge Lane is closing up shop Feb. 5, allowing a new concept to move in to the location.

The area has changed in the more than two decades since BBC opened there, owner Pat Hagan told me in an interview today.

"It's more of a night club area now, which we're not," he said.

So, to recap: Owner Pat Hagan bowed (intelligently, in my view) to leasing and area development realities and now hopes to move BBC to a new location, one that will allow the expansion of brewing into bottling and/or canning. The 3rd Street brewery and restaurant remain open, and the 4th Street branch will reopen when the Kindred building is finished. The coming week will be a victory lap for BBC in St. Matthews, and I hope to make it over and learn the future of my Wort Mug, number 66.

That's the way it is, at least until it changes again. APA, here I come.

A multitude of local beer events for the month of December.

There are so many first-rate beer events taking place in the first half of December that I'm unable to keep track. Consider the following a note to both myself and our readers. Look for my bi-monthly LEO column on December 10, in which there'll be more to say about the seasonal beer creations of our local brewers.

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Friday, December 5
Prohibition Repeal Party at Bluegrass Brewing Co. (Shelbyville Road)

Bluegrass Brewing Company (Shelbyville Road in Louisville) will celebrate the repeal of Prohibition on Friday, December 5th, with nickel beers from 6 :00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The festivities will include a free soup kitchen, BBC employees dressed in 1920’s apparel, and 1920’s era music to help set the ambiance.

This annual celebration is one of Bluegrass Brewing Company’s most popular events so come out and join in the festivities. For more information please contact BBC at 899-7070.

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Saturday, December 6
Food and Clothing Drive at NABC

NABC's inaugural holiday food and clothing drive takes place from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Prost special events wing.

We'll be accepting clothing, toys, canned goods, and winter coats, with proceeds to benefit Wayside Christian Mission and other local charities.

There'll also be live music in an "open mic" format -- just bring an instrument, show up and jam with us to raise money, clothing, food, and awareness. Specific invitations have been extended to some of NABC's musical friends, but there are no limitations, and the more playing, the merrier.

A silent auction is being assembled, with items to include breweriana from (among others) the archival NABC collection and World Class Beverages via our ever industrious rep, Tisha Dean. There'll also be gift baskets (one from Huber Winery already is in place) and area gift certificates. Contact John or Reva for more info.

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Friday, December 12
Saturnalia Winter Solstice Fest at NABC

It's NABC’s annual celebration of winter seasonal and holiday drafts from America and the world, and my favorite festival of all the yearly promotions we do, primarily because so many people I haven’t seen in a while come back for the holidays, and these beers provide the ideal accompaniment to the joys of reconnecting with old pals, sharing the war stories, and remembering the ones who no longer are with us. Here are the links to Saturnalia information:

Saturnalia explained: Festive draft beers for the winter solstice, coming December 12.

American micro draft lineup, descriptions, links for Saturnalia Winter Solstice MMVIII (begins December 12).

Imported draft lineup, descriptions, links for Saturnalia Winter Solstice MMVIII (begins December 12).

Roger's believe-it-or-not: Saturnalia's planned and ready, a full month ahead of opening night.

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Saturday, December 13
FOSSILS Homebrewing & Beer Appeciation Club's 19th Annual Holiday Party at NABC.

Complete details can be found here: Hallelujah! FOSSILS annual holiday bash scheduled for Saturday, December 13. While the party obviously is intended for club members, guests (21 and over) of current members are welcomed, and the gathering is the natural opportunity for you to give yourself the gift of a membership. A headcount is needed, so questions and RSVP should be directed here: Mail.

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Saturday, December 13
NABC Winter Release Party at Flanagan's Ale House (Baxter Ave., Louisville)

The New Albanian Brewing Company will be on hand at Flanagan's Ale House (934 Baxter Avenue in the Highlands; in the Red Room) for a Winter Release Party on the 13th from 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. We'll be tapping the only kegs of NABC Naughty Claus (taps at 7:00 p.m.) and NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries (5:00 p.m.) slated to cross the river in 2008, but there'll also be other NABC beers on tap as well as live music: Rebecca Williams, Luke Asher, Ben Traughber, and the River Rat String Band. Music starts at 5:00 p.m.

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Monday, December 15
Belgian Beer Dinner at the Come Back Inn in Jeffersonville

Owner Chris Smith and company are partnering with World Class Beverages, with the majority of beers coming from the Wetten Importers portfolio (the only exception is the Chimay). The beer selection includes the relatively rare St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition, and overall, I'm more excited than usual about the choices, primarily because the September beercycling adventure took in all three of the breweries handled by Wetten (thanks again, Pete).

The Curmudgeons will be there. The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., and there'll be six courses and seven Belgian beers, with a souvenir glass included. The price is $70 (service non compris), and reservations can be made at 812-285-1777 (credit card hold). For beer information, visit the sites of Wetten Importers and Chimay.

Inaugural Volksfest coming to Clay Street in Louisville this Saturday, August 23.

From the press release:

VOLKSFEST 2008: Presented by BBC and The Taprooom, New Albanian Brewing and O'Shea's

Saturday, August 23, 2008 ... 2:00 p.m. - Midnight.

On Saturday, August 23, 2008 two great breweries of Kentuckiana come together to present a fest of the people -“VOLKSFEST” 2008! Festivities are from 2:00 p.m. -midnight and will include German food, a German theme movie plus live local rock n roll!

BBC & New Albanian Brewing will be blocking off Clay Street between East Market & Main and will be spicing up a usual sleepy Saturday downtown scene. This event is open to the public and is FREE, with proceeds from food and beer to benefit Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, St. Vincent DePaul Society and Louisville Film Society Educational Arm.

Drink, Drink Bier—beers to be served will include a strong line-up of five micro Oktoberfest brews, and other special craft beers hand-selected by Louisville's “godfather of beer” Roger Baylor himself. Food will be prepared and served by local favorites O'Shea's, Monkey Wrench and Café Lou Lou, featuring: Dogs, Brats, Kraut, German Potato Salad and Big Soft Pretzels.

The “VOLKSFEST” will also feature a movie awards ceremony hosted by 48 Hours Film Project, which, will take place at dusk and will be followed by a dual screen showing of the German classic “Das Boot” presented by Louisville Film Society. German entertainment will be from 2 pm to 4 pm, and then local bands will take the stage to keep the evening rocking.

All ages are welcomed so everyone will want to be downtown for a fest of the people … VOLKSFEST 2008!

For further info on the VOLKSFEST call BBC at 502-419-2412 or 502-584-2739