The New Albanian Brewing Company has made a provocative gesture in expanding its operations beyond its longtime North Side compound off Grant Line Road to a new downtown New Albany facility, the Bank Street Brewhouse.
The Bank Street Brewhouse is home to the Brasserie, our take on a taproom / café modeled on the Belgian style, and a full production brewery. Save for NABC's fine craft brewed beers, fabled hospitality, and our penchant for following our own creative lights, it has little in common with our beloved NABC Pizzeria and Pub.
The Brasserie
The Brasserie was envisioned as offering the atmosphere of our favorite European pubs and cafés, an appetizing yet approachable continental menu - but one drawing on the finest of local produce and ingredients, our own, oft-praised, craft beers and the best of the region's wines and spirits. Under head chef Josh Lehman, former sous chef at Louisville’s Le Relais restaurant, this vision has become a delicious reality.
The Menu
 To date, Bank Street's eclectic menu has featured a roasted beet and goat cheese salad, mussels steamed in a broth of coconut milk, ginger and lemongrass, and croque madame (a sandwich of Black Forest ham, prosciutto, Emmantaler cheese, Blue Dog Bakery wheat bread, mornay sauce and a sunny-side-up egg garnish) - to mention just a few - though it sometimes seems Josh's simple pommes frites, served with the diner's choices of lavender syrup, rouille, pesto or curry, among other sauces, have been received with the greatest enthusiasm.
Josh anticipates that a more focused menu will allow him and his crew to concentrate on quality, and that local sourcing, by tying their menu to the changing seasons, will bring variety and not a few surprises - they plan on having a lot of fun in the kitchen.
A New Style
The NABC's Brasserie has been alternately described as 'swank', 'homey' and 'modern industrial chic'; we say yes to all three - and ask how it could have been otherwise.
The building began its life as a warehouse and distribution center for Rainbo Bread and later served as the bakery's outlet store - which here in New Albania means we remember it with affection and venerate it as a local historical landmark - but if you aren't a birthright New Albanian, you might not get it.
Our brewers probably coveted the building for its expansive 4,000 sq. ft. of floor space, good drainage, high ceilings and large loading area - with three garage doors! For others among us, it was just too cool, and the opportunities it offered for a creative conversion too intriguing. (In case you haven't noticed, we enjoy our work.)
 The entrance our friends and patrons use - off Bank Street at the front right corner of the building - is flanked by a sheltered, low-walled garden seating area on the right and 'sidewalk café' seating across the front of the Brasserie to the left.
Early reviews have remarked on the modern atmosphere of the Brasserie; some who were involved in the design process are longtime fans of Belgian brewing and breweries and were guided by memories of tap rooms at their favorite breweries and of cafés in the region: modern, sophisticated, but still warm and welcoming.
The Brasserie itself offers seating for 55 patrons at tables and the unique aggregate-topped bar, although occupancy is permitted for up to 70 and the rail between the dining and bar areas has become a popular congregating point for conversation. Three large glass-paned overhead doors give the room a bright, open feel, and on pleasant afternoons and evenings can be raised to welcome in the 'out of doors'. This is not your typical Ohio Valley bar.
With the completion of garden and sidewalk seating areas capacity has doubled and our attention will soon turn to the planned rooftop garden.
The Brewhouse
 With the arrival and installation of the Bank Street Brewhouse's new $300,000 brewing system, custom built for us, the art of brewing has a new venue in downtown New Albany.
Projections call for brewing 2,000 barrels of our fine NABC craft beer in the Brewhouse's first year of operation and as many as 6,000 barrels by the third. For comparison, the capacity of our Grant Line brewery has been 500 barrels per year, with about 95 percent of that having been sold at the NABC's Pizzeria and Public House and perhaps 5% being available to be showcased at beer festivals across the country and to be served in a select few local restaurants, including The Windsor in downtown New Albany and the Fireside Bar and Grill in Sellersburg.
While opportunities for growing the NABC's brewing capacity over the past seven years have been limited, the growth in admiration for and interest in our craft beers has not. This increased capacity will finally enable the NABC to respond to that growing interest.
The Bank Street facility's first priority has been to assume production of five lead styles from our existing line of craft beers - Beak's Best, our session strength American Bitter, Bob's Old 15-B, our original Porter, Community Dark, our session strength English style Mild Ale, Elector, our redefinition of the Imperial Red, and Hoptimus, our mightily hopped Imperial IPA - in volumes that will permit their broader distribution. Specialty and seasonal beers will continue to be brewed in our original 'Garage Brewery' at the Grant Line Road location.
NABC beers are increasingly to be found on tap at restaurants and pubs around the Louisville Metro area, across Indiana, and, if one of our Danish friends has his way, may soon be available in Copenhagen as well. |
Bank Street Brewhouse
415 Bank Street
New Albany, IN 47150
(812) 725-9585
Hours:
2 - 10 T, W, R
11 - 11 F & St
12 - 8 Sundays
Closed Mondays
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Bank Street
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The atmosphere is almost as good as the beer
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... looks like a home run. From the modern atmosphere to the unbeatable brews to the unique menu, this one has “winner” written all over it.
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... the Bank Street Brewery is already the best argument for crossing the river.
The New Albanian Bank Street Brewery
Andy S.
Yelp Food
March 11, 2009 |
What a great place! We were there last evening and had a very relaxing evening. The food was great, and needless to say so was the beer. We really liked the open air concept. Here's to years of success.
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We ate there for the first time last week and walked away talking about how perfect the portions were ... between the two of us, we had the pommes frites, the mussels, and the croque monsieur ... oh, and three beers ....... and it was deeeeeeeeelliiicious ..
can't wait to go back .. :-)
Derby? What Derby?
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Pj
April 25, 2009 |
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