Category Archives: Whiskey

More of my birthday presents

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Photo: Kinda a gag gift, Strange Brew is not what I named my website after. I named it after a Cream's greatest hits album. BTW john Martin, take the price tag off, lol.
Before I ran Louisville Strange Brew, some friends and me ran a local TV show known as “Strange Brew” some 14 years ago. Our show nor this site is named after this movie. This is a gag gift. Our show’s name was my idea. I named it after a Cream greatest hits album called “Strange Brew”. BTW, this is a very underrated cult movie from the 1980′s.
Photo: Thanks Shannon, Keith and John. Two more bottles of whiskey for me to drink. Am I proud of my Irish heritage or what?
Shannon and Keith got me a bottle of Bushmills’ 10 year. John got me a bottle of Jameson. Three bottles of Irish whiskey for Christmas. And yes, I am currently drinking the 10 year as we speak.
Photo: This may be my favorite present of all. My niece Michaela and nephew Matthew custom made this blanket for me.
My niece Michaela and my nephew Matthew custom-made this for me. This is probably my favorite gift of all.

Irish Whiskey – Real Whiskey

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                I am sick of Americans who think Jack Daniels is “King of Whiskey.” Jack is nothing more than a trendy drink. It’s popular because Americans always do what is “in”, “cool” or “most famous”. It’s no different from Americans who think Budweiser is the best beer on earth. Germany, Holland, Austria, England, Scotland and Ireland all make beers much better than Budweiser. Yet due to the huge American market, Budweiser outsells all other beers (actually Bud Light does, but you get my drift).

                We can debate all day on who invented Whiskey. The Irish and Scottish have debated this for centuries. We do know that the oldest license distillery is Bushmills, which is located in Northern Ireland. They have had a license since 1608. The recipe goes back much further than that. Today there is no debate on who makes the world’s best Whiskey. And that crown easily goes to Ireland. There is basically no such thing as a bad Whiskey in Ireland -both the Republic (Free Ireland) and Northern Ireland (Occupied Ireland).  

This is not real Whiskey. This is trendy bullshit that college losers drink during homosexual hazing rituals.

No matter what your price range is, Bushmills has it. All of these are perfect for sipping.

John Jameson may have gotten a late start for making Irish Whiskey, but he perfected it.

Now days, Powers is considered “Cheap Whiskey” in Ireland. Yet the taste of it puts almost any American Whiskey to shame.   

Now owned by Jameson, this is my personal favorite. Try a $135 price tag per bottle for Midleton…. but worth every penny.

Sad most Americans have no clue on what Redbreast is. What a pitty.

If you drink this, you are not a Whiskey drinker. You’re a pussy.

The Irish Rover – Louisville’s best and original Irish Pub

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Louisville has dozens of “Irish Pubs”. Bardstown Road has Flanagan’s, Molly Malone and O’Shea`s. Downtown has a few Irish Pubs as does St. Matthews. I have nothing against these places. Most of them have great food. Very few bars can top Flanagan’s beer selection. And the owners of O`Shea`s are great people that are known for their generosity and charity work. None of the “Irish Pubs” come close to the Irish Rover, Louisville’s first true Irish Pub.

The Irish Rover sits at 2319 Frankfort Ave. in the heart of the historic Clifton Neighborhood. They opened their doors around 18 years ago and became the first and original Irish Pub in Louisville. The Irish Rover is owned by Michael Reidy and his wife, Siobhan. Mr. Reidy was born and raised in County Claire in Ireland. That’s correct; the owner was actually Ireland born and knows the correct way to run an Irish Pub. He also has the Irish accent most “Irish Pub” owners lack.

The bar area looks very Irish in nature. I spent a week in Ireland a few years back and most Pubs there look exactly like the Irish Rover’s setup. Their bar area is a decent size. Next to it are a few booths. The dining area is two different sections with tons of room. They also have a lovely outside area for dining. This is perfect during great weather. You can sip a Guinness, eat authentic Irish food and people watch all at the same time. The inside is neat because the Reidys have decorated the walls with Irish signs, paintings and pictures. Most “Irish Pubs” in Louisville seem to lack this.

One thing I have noticed about “Irish Pubs” in Louisville is the lack of Irish Food. Walk into Flanagan’s for instance. You see things like Buffalo Chicken sandwich, sweet potato fries and pizza. The Irish Rover has Irish food. They have Bangers and Mash, Scotch Eggs, Irish Whiskey Steak, Fish and Chips, Guinness Stew and tons more. Why go to an Irish Pub to eat German Potato Salad? Would you go to an authentic Italian Restaurant to eat Grilled Cheese or Chicken Noodle Soup? I’m guessing you would expect Italian food. When I walk into an Irish Pub, I expect to see Irish Food on the menu other than just Fish and Chips.

The prices at the Rover are more than reasonable. Sandwiches come with chips (fries) and range from $6.95-$8.95. Their meals range from $6.95-$12.95, and Irish Dinners range from $10.95 to $19.95, with the Irish Whiskey Steak being the most expensive. My favorites are the Lamb Burger (medium rare), Irish Meatloaf (makes American Meatloaf look sick) and the Smoked Salmon and Potato Gratin. I also love the Welsh Rabbit, Fish and Chips and Guinness Stew. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.

Their alcohol selection is beyond great. They keep a small, but awesome draft beer selection. They also have an above average selection of bottled beer. I come to the Rover for their Irish Whiskey selection. The first row alone is enough reasons for me to set foot inside the Rover. They have all the Jameson, Bushmill, Red Breast, Middleton (best whiskey ever) and more. Don’t worry; if Irish Whiskey isn’t your thing, they have a great selection of Scotch, Bourbon and Vodka.

What really makes the Irish Rover awesome? Simple, the hospitality. When I was in Ireland I was shocked at how the mass majority of people were so friendly. They never know a stranger. When you walk into a Pub you become their friend. The same can be said about the Irish Rover. I normally sit at the bar. Many times while sipping an Irish Whiskey, Mr. Reidy will stop by to see what kind I am drinking. He loves to talk Irish Whiskey. I’ve taken dates there and Mr. Reidy always stops by our table to make sure the service and food was good. Over the last couple of years I’ve gotten to know bartenders/managers Mike, Matt and Lacey. They are very friendly people, easy to talk with and funny. Mike has helped my Irish Whiskey education, Matt makes fun of my love for UK basketball and Lacey listens to my “bad luck with female” stories. They all should get a raise!

If you want a real Irish Pub experience, the Irish Rover by far, is your best bet. The look, the feel, the food, the drinks and the hospitality are as Irish as you can get in Louisville. Nothing against the other Irish Pubs in Louisville, but they all fall very short of the Irish Rover. Next time you are coming down Frankfort Ave. stop by and check it out for yourself. Sip a pint, taste some real Irish food or stop in to make a new friend. You can’t go wrong with the Irish Rover, the best Irish Pub in Louisville.

 

The Irish Rover

2319 Frankfort Ave.

Louisville, KY 40206

502-899-3554.

Why does the Media Stereotype Irish (Irish Americans) so much?

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I am sick of black people and Mexicans crying about stereotypes. White people (besides us Irish) please, shut the hell up about jokes being made about you. Nobody seems to care about all the racist stereotypes I see daily about those of Irish descent.

That’s right, Peter is Irish-American. He clearly has to be lazy and a drunk.

Really, out of all the people they could have interviewed, they just had to find a red-headed Irish kid?

\

Irish “car bomb”? The drink couldn’t be called “lucky pot of gold” now could it?

The last movie about Ireland was about a Leprechaun that just happens to drink whiskey.

Little info about Bourbon Stilz

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Hobbies – Owns over 100,000 baseball cards, hundreds of baseball autographs and numerous sports action figures that are still in the box (kind of like the guy from the 40-year-old virgin). Enjoys music, mainly 1960-1970’s classic rock, bluegrass and Celtic. Likes to fish every now and then; not as much as I used to. Watches a lot of sports which includes College Basketball, NFL, College Football, MLB, NBA and Rugby.

Dislikes – Hippies, far left-wing people, far right-wing people, women who are hairy and people who dislike guns.

Scared of – Flying and cockroaches.

Favorite Bands – AC/DC, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, early Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Cream and Outkast.

Favorite foods – Fried chicken, Welsh Rabbit, Meatloaf, Medium Rare Steak and Chicken wings.

Favorite movies – Dirty Harry, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Unforgiven, Blazing Saddles, Night of the Living Dead (original), Dawn of the Dead (original and remake), Christine, The Hangover I and II and Back to the Future.

Favorite TV shows – American Pickers, The Walking Dead, The Sopranos, Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Simpsons and Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Favorite famous people – Clint Eastwood, Ashley Judd, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie and Jesus.

What’s not to like about Ms. Judd?

The Stereotype game

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Let’s see how many people we can offend -

(Of course all Irish men do is drink, duh)

(Never trust an Italian, they’re all gangsters)

(They only like chicken when not eating a watermelon)

(Why is there no tooth paste in England?)

 

Review – The Highlands Taproom A+

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The Highlands Taproom is one of the many cool little hangouts in the Highlands. It’s located on Bardstown Road right across from Mid-City Mall. From the outside the bar doesn’t look like much. It appears the bar was once a shotgun style home. You can tell the building has a few years on it.

Once inside you may still not be impressed. The bar is small. There are three areas not counting the three restrooms. There’s the bar area, the one pool table area (yes one pool table) and a small TV sitting room area. The draft beer selection is small compared to other bars, as is the bottle selection.

For each negative I mentioned above there’s ten good things. For starters there’s the free live music. The Taproom never charges a cover to see live music. Bands from all over Louisville, Kentucky and other states play here weekly. One night could be a folk band, the next a blues band. A nine piece Jazz band even showed up once.

The Taproom has a very diverse crowd. And for some reason this works at the Taproom. Everyone gets along with everyone, besides the occasional asshole. It’s almost impossible to visit the Taproom and not find good conversation. There’s never a stranger at the Taproom. It’s kind of like Cheers where everyone knows your name.

Sightseeing at the Taproom is second to none. You never know what you might see while at the Taproom. I’ve seen drag queens; homeless men pass out on the sidewalk and just about everything else in between. The outside has plenty of room and tables during the warmer days facing Bardstown Road. The Taproom should charge for this type of entertainment.

Karaoke could be what the Taproom is best known for. Many local magazines and websites rank them #1, #2 and #3 for Karaoke. I don’t sing but I do enjoy watching Karaoke at the Taproom. They have their fair share of great singers, but fun is the key word. People don’t take it seriously. Bad singers don’t get booed or heckled. It’s about fun and having a good time.

For me the best thing about the Taproom is the bartenders. They have the best group of bartenders out there. They make good drinks, strong drinks and are fun to talk to. Each bartender is so different in looks, attitude and personality. One thing they all have in common is their A plus service. Almost every visit to the Taproom is one well spent.

If you’re visiting here in Louisville the Taproom is a place you should visit. If you are local and never been it’s a place you should check out. If you’re in a band and looking to play, why not the Highlands Taproom? For more info visit their website or call 502-459-BEER.