I was lucky enough to be invited to the soft opening at the new Highlands brew pub, Great Flood Brewing Co, and I cannot say enough about how well these guys have done in creating a brand. Their brand is Louisville. They picked a great name, a great theme, and they stuck with both to the end. The end I speak of, however, is not an end, but a beginning. It’s the beginning of a new Highlands brew spot that seems to me like it should take off straight out of the gates. It’s the beginning of a creative partnership that will push the brewing community to greater heights. The only end I see is an end to the grueling work that it took to transform their space into a warm atmosphere for sipping a cold beer.
The Flavors
The boys at Great Flood Brewing Co were serving up five different brews last night: APA, IPA, Brown Ale, Wit, and Hoppy Irish. I tried four of the five, and they all seemed to have this delightful creaminess about them that made me smile. I truly enjoyed everything I tried, but I would have to say that I was struck most by the IPA and the Brown Ale.
IPA
The IPA clocked in at more than 8% ABV and carried a strong 70+ IBUs. The balance was incredible. I love the citrus hop notes, and the color of this one. Despite the high ABV, there is no heavy alcohol taste, but instead a smoothness that you get with a more session-friendly IPA. There isn’t just one flavor that overpowered everything else. Balance.
Brown Ale
As far as the sweetness that often comes with a brown ale, this Great Flood rendition is once again the picture of balance. Not too sweet, and not too boring, the malt presence is there along with an amazing coffee hit. I love coffee. I love coffee notes in a beer. But there are times when the coffee flavor can get out of control in a beer. Not the brown ale at Great Flood Brewing Co. The flavors all play very nicely together.
Wit
Wheat / Belgian Style, whatever you want to call it, this Wit beer is my wife’s favorite. She is a connoisseur when it comes to these styles of beer, and this one impressed her (and me) quite a bit. The color looks almost like orange juice, but the flavors bring much more than the standard orange and coriander found in the Belgian brews. Again, I am not noticing anything “standard” about the Great Flood Brewing Co beers, which makes me eager to try the next batches that are made available to us!
Great Flood Brewing Co officially opens opened its doors to the public tonight, Friday, April 11, 2014. Stop in and try a few beers. As I mentioned in earlier posts about Great Flood, they will be mixing up the flavors and the recipes all the time, so no one ever gets bored!
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