Bank Street Brewhouse: "Farewell to Taco Punk, hello to a new (ad)venture."

Taking an eight-month leave of absence wasn't ever going to be easy.

Like most other aspects of life, it's starting out as a gray and foggy transition, not a black 'n' white denouement. That said, it's still a bid strange seeing announcements I didn't write. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to guess that since 1992, more than 90% of NABC's "content" has been my doing.

Of course, JeffG does the wording succinctly (a skill I've never truly learned) and wonderfully, and so we move forward. If all goes as planned, the tenant coming soon to fill the vacancy should be a very good fit with longer hours than Gabe could offer, and a fuller menu. I'd tell you more about it, except that I'm out of the loop ... on leave, remember?

It seems like longer, but only ten months have elapsed since we closed the original BSB kitchen, after a five year run that seemed more like 50. If there's any single lesson worth learning when you're in it for the long haul, it's that these things can take time.

Farewell to Taco Punk, hello to a new (ad)venture (NABC website)

In the continuing evolution of NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse, it’s sometimes necessary to end one good thing so that another good thing can take its place. With that in mind, we announce that our ride with Taco Punk has reached its conclusion. Effective immediately, Taco Punk service at BSB is no more. We greatly appreciate Gabe Sowder’s efforts and wish him well in his future endeavors. The tacos were great. We ate lots of them ...

Drinking Progressively on Tuesday at BSB, and NABC's holiday hours this week.

On Tuesday evening at Bank Street Brewhouse, we'll be drinking progressively and chatting about local politics in the run-up to 2015.

Drinking Progressively returns tonight to Bank Street Brewhouse at 6:00 p.m.

NABC's business hours for the holiday are as follows.

Wednesday, December 31 (New Year's Eve)
NABC's Pizzeria & Public House will open for daytime hours of 11 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Bank Street Brewhouse will be closed on New Year’s Eve.

Thursday, January 1 (New Year's Day)
Both NABC locations will be closed on New Year’s Day. Regular hours return on Friday the 2nd.

On Friday, January 2nd, we'll be holding the second annual Hoptimus Inception Reception at Bank Street Brewhouse. It's the birthday party of Hoptimus, NABC's classic Imperial IPA. Stay tuned for further information on special tastings.

Taco Punk will be serving at BSB on Friday and Saturday, January 2 & 3, beginning at 5:00 p.m. both nights.

The NABC Weekend: Taco Punk at BSB tonight, Flat12 bash tomorrow in Jeff, and Kentucky wholesale news.

The words of Dr. Sidney Freedman resonate as another holiday season unfolds.

Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice. Pull down your pants, and slide on the ice. 

And so we embark in earnest on the final lap of the race to 2015. In New Albany, we're merely looking to institute a semblance of regularity; if not this weekend, then quite soon.

The PC: NABC joins forces with Taco Punk at Bank Street Brewhouse in downtown New Albany.

Gabe "Taco Punk" Sowder should be serving food tonight at Bank Street Brewhouse around 5:00 p.m., but he'll not be on site tomorrow, as there is a private party booked at BSB and we're closed to the public all day on Saturday.

Meanwhile, on the North Side of the West Bank at the Pizzeria & Public House, the annual Saturnalia seasonal draft festival is ongoing.

Over in Jeffersonville, it's all about the advent of Flat12's new riverfront outpost, but our Indy-based friends have guest taps, too: Against the Grain, Country Boy and NABC (Naughty Claus).

All about the Flat12 Bierwerks Jeffersonville grand opening party on Sat., December 6.

I plan to drink lunch there around noon tomorrow.

In other NABC news, we've signed a wholesale distribution agreement with Clark Distributing Co., Inc.

Clark Distributing Co., Inc. of Oakland, Kentucky, an affiliated corporation, is a Kentucky corporation operating beer distributorships in Bowling Green, Betsy Layne, Henderson, Hopkinsville, Hazard, Owensboro, Paducah and Versailles (Lexington-Fayette area).

With NABC's longtime partnership at River City Distributing keeping us firm in the metro Louisville area, the linkage with Clark gets NABC back into most of the remainder of the Commonwealth, with the exception of Northern Kentucky opposite Cincinnati. Paperwork is being completed, so stay tuned for further details.

Taco Punk returns to Bank Street Brewhouse on Nov. 28 & 29, and beyond.

Last weekend’s Taco Punk pop-up kitchen at Bank Street Brewhouse was great fun, and so we’re going to do it again … in fact, the arrangement will be ongoing, at least for the foreseeable future.

Chef Gabe Sowder will be vending his gourmet tacos at Bank Street Brewhouse on Friday and Saturday evenings, November 28 and 29, beginning around 5:00 p.m. both nights.

The plan at present is for Gabe and Taco Punk to continue doing so on most Fridays and Saturdays from here out, and perhaps Thursdays, too. Here’s the overview.

Gabe’s doing a scaled back Taco Punk menu. Think of it as a food truck running out of BSB’s kitchen space. Last weekend, the menu consisted of chips, salsa, guacamole and tacos served five different ways. The menu could get bigger, or not. The days and hours might change — or not. There’ll be no Taco Punk at BSB on Saturday, December 6, because we have a large group coming in … you can stop by and purchase growlers and bombers to go on the 6th, but that’s all. We’re unsure of Christmas and New Year’s weekend hours, so stay tuned.

Neither of us want to promise more than we can deliver, and we’re content to see the arrangement evolve gradually. However, we’re certain that Taco Punk’s food and NABC’s beers are a tasty match, so we’ll give it a shot and see what happens.

My Saturday, Part 3: Taco Punk pop-up at Bank Street Brewhouse.

Pop-ups are difficult, because there is no established routine, and choreography in the kitchen and serving arts is are more important than you might think. Gabe Sowder did it all in the kitchen and Stephen Powell ran the whole floor. They rocked it.

At any rate, the two-night pop-up worked pretty well in spite of a few glitches, and the food was quite good. Thanks to all who came out, and look for an announcement of future intent. We all think that NABC and Taco Punk is an excellent match ... but I'll be coy until I'm not.

I was in bed, asleep, by 9:30 p.m. and slept until 8:00 a.m. It had been a long day, but it left me very excited.

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Drinking Progressively: Let's make it Tuesday evenings, beginning on November 25.

Three things to do on a warm Saturday in November that don't involve watching sports.

The Friday night portion of Bank Street Brewhouse's pop-up kitchen with Taco Punk (Gabe Sowder) seemed to go pretty well. It'll play again tonight, beginning around 6:00 p.m.

Pop-Up Taco Punk at Bank Street Brewhouse, Nov. 21 & 22 (6 p.m. - close).

In Jeffersonville: How could I say no to Curt Peters, my philosophy mentor at IU Southeast, when he asked if NABC could bring Rosa L. Stumblebus, our draft truck, to the Vintage Fire Museum today?

Vintage Fire Museum offers "Chili, Brats, and (NABC) Brew," this Saturday.

A short distance from the Vintage Fire Museum, our pals from Indy are opening their tap room. Brewing is to follow early next year.

Flat12 Bierwerks taproom location in Jeffersonville: "Soft" opening on Nov. 22, grand opening on Dec. 6, brewing to follow.

Thanks to readers who support these and other events. Think globally ... drink (and eat, and shop) locally.

Drinking Progressively: Let's make it Tuesday evenings, beginning on November 25.

Pop-Up Taco Punk at Bank Street Brewhouse, Nov. 21 & 22 (6 p.m. - close).

Since May, when we suspended kitchen service at Bank Street Brewhouse, we’ve done our level best to provide creative alternatives to a full-time food menu, from the active encouragement of carry-in and delivery from downtown New Albany’s many fine restaurants, to Eh Cumpari’s mobile wood-fired pizza oven and our own Stephen J. Powell’s Pigs and Cows.

(There also was this, which inspired our friends to the north to follow suit)

In addition, there have been two “pop-up” dinner evenings with Chef Dan Thomas, both of which were culinary and critical successes. He’ll be returning soon for more one-off meals.

In the meantime, there’s another pop-up weekend on the way, this time with Chef Gabe Sowder and his gourmet tacos. Metro Louisville knows Gabe, a native of Jeffersonville, for his bricks ‘n’ mortar shop in NuLu, called Taco Punk.

Unfortunately, Taco Punk’s NuLu shop closed early last month, but Gabe’s still got the goods, and he’s agreed to set up the tortilla press at Bank Street Brewhouse on the weekend of November 21 & 22 (Friday and Saturday). Gabe will be serving from 6:00 p.m. to closing.

During these "pop-up" hours on the 21st and 22nd, just “pop in” and buy Taco Punk tacos. NABC's Progressive Points are the ideal accompaniment, but there'll be soft drinks, too, and all ages are welcome.

We think the combination of Taco Punk and NABC is a good one. If the pop-up goes well ... who knows?