Louisville’s local craft beer industry is an integral part of the city’s culinary scene—and it’s growing, according to a report and news release issued Monday by a work group formed by Mayor Greg Fischer.The report contained recommendations for increasing the industry’s impact on jobs, culture and tourism, and ways to renew the strong beer heritage once found in Louisville.“Like bourbon, the craft beer industry is red hot, nationally and locally, with new breweries and restaurant operations opening throughout our city and just across the river,” Fischer said in a news release.The five main recommendations include:
- developing an official beer trail and map of local breweries
- changing the alcohol beverage control laws to be more beer friendly
- representing local breweries and their products in more city events and functions
- creating an internationally recognized event to spotlight beer that’s aged in bourbon barrels
- reconnecting Louisville with its brewing heritage.
Fischer said the city will work together with many partners, including the Kentucky Guild of Brewers and the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, to execute and refine the report’s recommendations.The Louisville metro area has nine breweries with several new breweries expected to open in coming months, the report said. Plans for additional brewing operations are also in the works for the next few years. According to the report, sales of craft beer nationally increased by 18 percent in 2013, while at the same time, overall beer sales declined.John King, executive director of the Kentucky Guild of Brewers, said the growth of the brewing industry in Louisville corresponds with the city’s current local food movement.“Our growth as an industry is a direct result of our determination to put Louisville on the map as a top beer destination in the United States,” King said in a news release.You can read the full report here.
