Welcome to Boomtown Kitchen, which opens this evening at 5 p.m.

Boomtown Kitchen is located at 110 Main Street in the space most recently housing Cox's, and before that Big Four Burgers.

We are honored and excited to announce the grand opening of Boomtown Kitchen! We will be introducing ourselves to our community Thursday, June 20th we will open at 5 PM until 11 PM so join us for dinner. Our Americana based menu offers a variety of entrées including salmon, pork chops, chicken, Certified Angus Beef sirloin and ribeye cuts, as well as an array of sandwiches and burgers including our wild game option for the rest of June ... antelope. See you soon friends!

Previously:

It's the business of being in business: Matt McMahan explains the Cox's-to-Boomtown Kitchen story ... then drops the mic.

SHANE'S EXCELLENT NEW WORDS: Boomtown's a kitchen now, but it used to be a made-for-Gahan fest.

The old becomes new: Boomtown Kitchen will replace Cox's -- and a glimpse of Floyd County Brewing's new beer garden.

BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Pints&union begins regular hours tonight, and there's a "luxuriant brunette brew" to help celebrate.

Noon edit: this introduction was posted on social media and is a tad more specific. Scroll down for this morning's original post.

Many of you are aware that Pints&union will begin regular hours this evening at 6:00 p.m. There are a couple of things it might help you to know about tonight.

First, Pints&union is a bar with food, not a restaurant with a full menu and servers (but all ages welcome, just no under-21s at the bar).

We're doing counter/bar service with a menu of small plates, and the entire food program will take a few business days to dial in.

Second, tonight is intended to be an inaugural bash. The pub surely is destined to become a place for conversation, though tonight is likelier to be noisier than this.

We'll be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week, then temporarily bypassing Sunday (until later), and will reopen next Tuesday. I'm guessing a routine will develop fairly quickly, although I'm not willing to try defining "normal."

We cannot put into words our appreciation for your support and look forward to seeing you, whether tonight or many other nights during the years to come.

Tonight Pints&union (114 E. Market Street, New Albany) begins regular business hours at 6:00 p.m.

Last weekend's two "soft" opening evenings were helpful, and tweaks will continue to be made. Expect a few adjustments to the hours of operation during the first couple of weeks, and note that because the pub's kitchen hood was the very last item to be installed, edibles are still being dialed in.

As for the beer, eight of ten potential faucets will be pouring. It isn't yet clear whether the permanent number of taps will be seven or eight, but for now I've squeezed in a special treat for those of you who enjoy classic styles: Daredevil Munich Dunkel from Indianapolis.

It's an old-world dark lager brewed with rigorous authenticity by a new-school Indiana craft brewer. Daredevil was awarded Grand Champion Brewery and Indiana Brewery of the Year in the professional division at the 2017 and 2018 Indiana State Fair Brewers Cup.

Lift Off IPA remains Daredevil's biggest seller (it's also the biggest selling IPA in Indianapolis, with Bell's Two Hearted Ale second), but brewer and co-owner Michael Pearson's classic lager program is stellar and underrated. Expect to see examples of these at Pints&union on a seasonal basis.

Stylistically speaking, K. Florian Klemp profiles Munich Dunkel at All About Beer magazine.

A revered institution is one that endures via love of tradition, one that needs little refinement, let alone overhaul or modernization. In the world of beer, that is, without debate, true about Munich dunkel. Sometimes referred to simply as dunkel (“dark”), it is the everyday, luxuriant brunette brew of Bavaria and Franconia, and the beer that brought renown to Munich as a brewing center. True to the roots of Bavarian brewing history as both a dark beer and lager, dunkel is one of those rare gems that combines depth and simplicity packaged in proletarian delight, marrying the rich footprint of dark malts with the smoothness of a lager.

The bottle and can selection at Pints&union will gradually expand over the coming weeks. I need to wait and see how beers move before completing it. Stylistic diversity is crucial, but so is steady depletion. Ultimately the list of bottles and cans will top out at 40-odd, with a few open slots to rotate seasonals and specialties.

Here is the opening draft list at Pints&union. I hope to see you tonight as we embark on what I'm hoping will be a long and satisfying journey.

Everyday
Anchor Porter (Robust Porter; 5.6%; CA)
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale (India Pale Ale; 7%; MI)
Fuller’s London Pride (English Bitter; 4.7%; England)
Guinness Stout (Irish Dry Stout; 4.2%; Ireland)
Pilsner Urquell (Bohemian Pilsner; 4.4%; Czech Republic)

Seasonal
Daredevil Munich Dunkel (Bavarian-style Dark Lager; 5.4%;IN)
Falls City Classic Pilsner (American Pilsner; 4.5%; KY)
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier (Bavarian Wheat; 5.4%; Germany)

Fundamentally delayed: The New Albany Street Piano "Grand Opening" is Saturday, September 5.

The New Albany Street Piano "Grand Opening" will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 5, and it is likely to be the politician-watching event of the millennium.

That's because:

Make no mistake: Jeff Gahan is the "driving force" behind the Bored of Works' inability to fathom street pianos, public art and modernity itself.

The street piano was quarantined for months by the mayor's insatiable need for down-low control, and when this fact became painfully obvious to the entire community (except Jimmy, of course), Team Gahan got hot and bothered.

GAHANS STRIKE BACK: Street piano approved but the social media fur begins to fly.

Now that something so very simple finally has been blessed by the self-appointed pillars, how many of them will turn out to claim credit for a phenomenon they neither understood nor assisted?

Celebrate the New Albany Street Piano, while remembering Team Gahan's dismal reaction to it.

I'll be there with a clipboard, checking off the hypocrisy.

Saturday, September 5
4:00 p.m.
Jimmy's Music Center, 123 E. Market St., New Albany

Mark your calendars! After all of the hullabaloo of the last few months, it is finally time to enjoy the New Albany Street Piano for its original purpose: making music and spreading joy to downtown New Albany. We hope to have a good crowd assembled for the unveiling, so please share this invite and bring a friend of two. We invite you all to stop by Jimmy's to see the piano and play/sing/listen for a bit, then head to enjoy an evening at one of the many fine establishments the downtown has to offer. Hope to see you there!

Devil's Rock night club is opening on Main Street.

Did you know that Preston Arts Center is still a location in which one can "Shop Downtown New Albany", even though its Indiana branch's doors have been closed for three years?

Ditto for the Vintage Fire Museum, no longer located in New Albany, but in Jeffersonville.

It says so right there on Develop New Albany's web site. I suppose these entities are grandfathered into their present categories owing to previous incarnations and membership pay schedules.

Unusually, the same web site still lists Cafe 27, the Main Street bistro that closed a couple months ago. The successor to Cafe 27, Devil's Rock Night Club and Concert Venue, is nowhere to be found on the site, even if DNA itself still touts real estate listings in Outer Timbuktu.

The newspaper gets to the very bottom of it here. Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Cafe 27 opens for business on Memorial Day.

The work at Cafe 27 on Main Street has been underway for quite a while ...

Cafe 27 opening to be pushed back a bit, says Chef.

 ... but now downtown has a new eatery, opening tomorrow. The north side of Main Street between Pearl and Bank is getting there, and we wish good fortune to the owners, chef and staff. 

Cafe 27 page at Facebook

Even One Southern Indiana is getting into the act (sighhh).

Cafe 27 Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening
Date: 5/31/2013
Time: 11:00 AM

145 E Main Street
New Albany, IN 47150

Phone: 812-945-0266

Today: Earth Friends Cafe in the Library open for business.

 Earth Friends Cafe & Coffee Bar

Bank Street Brewhouse wants you to join us on television: Monday, November 16, 5 - 9 ... in the morning.

As previously noted, yesterday was a heavy day in Indianapolis. John and I went north to hawk NABC drafts, pausing momentarily in the early afternoon to accept Indiana Main Street's award to Bank Street Brewhouse as "Business of the Year" in a statehouse rotunda photo op. I ended up wearing a tasteful British brewery fleece instead of the suit, with my "These Machines Kill Fascists" t-shirt underneath. There was some flashing along the way.

NABC brewers Dave Pierce and Jesse Williams spent the day in the brewhouse planning the festivities for a television gig that materialized without warning on Thursday afternoon.

Seems that this coming Monday, November 16, Bank Street Brewhouse will be the scene for "Fox in the Morning's" remote spots of Manufacturing Mondays, a new segment by Keith Kaiser. He'll be helping brew a batch of Community Dark, and we'll be on the tube at intervals between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. -- that's right, IN THE MORNING.

Some readers no doubt will remember a similar feat for Gravity Head 2008 at the Public House, when Terry Meiners joined us: Gravity Head tailgate breakfast party on the WHAS-11 morning show.

Coincidentally, having contributed a piece about breakfast and beer to LEO, the brew team concluded that there would be an exclusive beer-paired breakfast in honor of the Monday morning telecast. Chef Josh was unable to commit, but it has been determined that Jesse Williams will don the whites and invade Chef's Bank Street kitchen to cook. I'll turn it over to Dave:

Here is Chef For The Day Jesse's menu:

Roasted Red Pepper, asparagus and Capriole Farmstead Chevre' Quiche, paired with NABC Farmhouse Saison

Biscuits, Gravy & Sweet Potato home fries:
Whole wheat Porter biscuits made with NABC Bob's Old 15-B, country sausage gravy made with lean pork raised on NABC's spent grain, paired with NABC Bob's Old 15B Robust Brown Porter

Pear Galette paired with NABC Tafelbier.

Coffee? Any of you coffee people out there want to trade beer for beans?

In short, NABC will provide coffee, food, and pairing beer once the clock strikes 7 a.m. There'll be a tip jar for the early risers. We need a head count, so please RSVP. It already has been blurbed on Facebook, so don't respond again here.

Okay -- it's a work day. So what?

Stay tuned! This should be a fun (albeit unexpected) beginning to Bank Street Brewhouse's Grand Opening week.

Bank Street Brewhouse Grand Opening Week begins Tuesday, November 17.

Bank Street Brewhouse Grand Opening Week begins Tuesday, November 17.

Having "electored" to begin winter hours at the Bank Street Brewhouse, and feeling that after eight months of work, we're feeling great about what we've accomplished so far, it seemed a good time for a Grand Opening gala. Here's what I have so far. There'll probably be a few alterations, and I'll inform you of these.

Tuesday, November 17

It's Villiger 1888 Cigar Night on the patio. In conjunction with our friends at Kaiser’s Tobacco Store, where so much of Roger’s paycheck is deposited each week, we’ll host our first-ever cigar night with cigars, promos and giveaways. A representative of Villiger 1888 will be on hand. 1888 is a new hand-rolled premium cigar from the Dominican Republic by way of Switzerland’s 121-year-old Villiger tobacco firm. There will be a small fee (as yet undecided) for participation that will include ample cigar(s), beers and a chances to win door prizes. “Session Beer” pint specials at BSB all day long, and food specials to be announced.

Wednesday, November 18

Bank Street Brewhouse's Official Ribbon Cutting ceremony, and suitably propagandistic speeches, featuring representatives of city government, Develop New Albany, One Southern Indiana and the Pants Down Progressive local political insurgency. The show begins at 6:00 p.m. We’ve saved kegs from the batch of Elector that New Albany Mayor Doug England (with David Pierce, above) helped brew earlier this year, and the “mayor’s batch” will be pouring all day. Expect “Grant Line Garage Brewery” beer specials all day long, perhaps Jared's single hop series on the handpull, and food specials are to be announced.

Thursday, November 19

NABC encourages its friends and customers to attend the Conway Fire Equipment Museum Pledge Night, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Grand Convention Center, where NABC’s Community Dark will be on tap at the cash bar. Before, during and after the event, there’ll be food and beer (Beak’s Best, Bob’s Old 15-B) specials at Bank Street Brewhouse.

Friday, November 20

There is a possibility of musical entertainment in the evening. More on that later. Food and beer specials will last all day long (specifics to be announced).

Saturday, November 21

Singer, songwriter, poet and author Misha Feigin offers dinnertime musical entertainment inside the Bank Street Brewhouse from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with food and beer specials to be announced.

Sunday, November 22

Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar from Noon to 3:00 p.m.

I'm sometimes asked: Why the Bloody Mary?

Because it is a traditional match with beer and beer-based cuisine, and as such, the natural extension of Chef Josh’s kitchen … especially the way NABC does it. In the few short months since its inception, our Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar has been acclaimed as a downtown New Albany institution. Select the spices and ingredients that you'd like, watch as it is served over ice in a 20-ounce NABC pint glass rimmed with your choice of Celery Salt or Smoked Sea Salt, and then finish it off with a skewer of unique garnishes.

Thanks for your support, and we're looking forward to a fine, progressive winter season in New Albany.

Today, tomorrow and November at NABC's two locations.

Having just concluded the weekly staff meeting, I'm sitting at a table within the progressive confines of Bank Street Brewhouse's Taxpayer Memorial Patio. Seeing as I've become less of an owner than a full-time PR man, here's a brief update on NABC's activities and events as we approach November.

First, at NABC's Pizzeria & Public House today: A special wooden "Anstich" (gravity pour) keg of Schneider Wiesen Edel-Weisse is being tapped shortly. It is an unfiltered wheat ale from Kelheim, Germany's celebrated Schneider brewhouse, brewed formerly as a hybrid wheat-style Marzen (Oktoberfest) ale. Nowadays, the brewer includes some American Cascades hops as a bow toward the India Pale Ales he enjoyed when visiting craft breweries in America. Next Friday, November 6, we'll have another "Anstich" keg: Hochzeitsbier Märzen von 1810, from the Brauerei Hofstetten in Austria. It's a traditional Oktoberfest lager.

Tomorrow (Oct. 31) at the Public House, Rogue Dead Guy Halloween Party: The party will run from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the Prost special events wing, and features Rogue Dead Guy, a classic microbrew from our pals out at Rogue Ales in Oregon. To honor the spirit of the day, you're encouraged to come dressed as your favorite dead guy. There will be beer specials on Dead Guy and Double Dead Guy, giveaways of Rogue merchandise and a $50 NABC gift card. NABC's cellarman Mike Bauman also has lined up Schmaltz Freaktober Fest and a cask of Hambleton Nightmare Yorkshire Porter for the occasion.

Winter hours at Bank Street Brewhouse begin Nov. 3: On Tuesday, November 3, we'll be making a few adjustments to the schedule at Bank Street Brewhouse. Most noticeably, we'll be opening at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with new three-course fixed price meals available each of these evenings, along with an afternoon snack menu and daily beer specials. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays remain the same. I promise to have the complete new schedule finished and posted very soon. The idea here is very simple: Certain times of the week have worked well, and others not as much. Keeping lunch hours open on these days will enable us to offer group business lunch plans, and to concentrate efforts in the evenings for beer dinners and pairings. Weekends have worked well and won't change. In another six months, we'll take stock again and see what moves are merited then.

Bank Street Grand Opening Week begins November 17: As an extension of the preceding, we feel like after eight months in business, we're finally able to celebrate our grand opening. Beginning on Tuesday the 17th, look for a cigar promotion on the patio, food and beer specials, music, and a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, November 18. We've saved a handful of kegs from the Elector batch that Mayor Doug England helped brew, and they'll be pouring on Wednesday the 18th.

As always, thanks for your support. I'll have updates and details coming during the next few days.