Review: Renbarger's Brewhaus

The hopper counted 66 taps at the Brewhaus. (Credit: Joseph Lord)

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Russ, Russ, Russ. This is nothing against Russ Renbarger, but the man was impossible to avoid this summer.

He promoted a Derby party hosted by Kim Kardashian, was on a reality television program and was revealed, in these pages, to be one of Louisville’s most prolific Facebook enthusiasts. And then he opened a bar.

He’s certainly a man about town, and the opening of Renbarger’s Brewhaus served as proof that we weren’t going to shake the man loose anytime soon. Renbarger’s Brewhaus opened this summer on Baxter Avenue with a measure of fanfare due in large part to its owner’s ubiquity. It replaced Dublin’s Cellar, which had suffered from another type of ubiquity — the glut of Irish pubs on the block.

So the premise is simple. Renbarger’s Brewhaus offers an upper-scale nightclub scene — or at least what passes for one in Louisville — on a stretch of Baxter Avenue known mostly for Irish pubs and neighborhood bars. It’s the type of joint where the women come in cocktail dresses, the men show up in collared shirts and slacks. Or Ed Hardyesque T-shirts. Something along those lines.

Renbarger’s Brewhaus is certainly stylistic. The front room has eye-catching spiraling brick pillars. The room is dark and roomy enough for dancing, but small enough to keep the partygoers from breaking up into several mini-parties. Plus, the club’s location is ideal, right in the middle of one of Louisville’s thriving bar scenes, and it’s a fine endeavor to try to add a little up-scaleness to Baxter.

Sitting at the bar, I faced a mind-blowing piece of functional art against the wall — a series of Vs with beer taps sticking out of it. I counted 66 taps with handles. (And a couple taps without handles, and thus no beer.) Many of the beers would appeal to beer snobs, including Shiner Bock, Nevada Sierra, Rogue, Schlafly. Renbarger’s Brewhaus also has Woodchuck Cider, that sweet alternative for drinkers who don’t like hops. And, for the poor or hipster, there was Pabst Blue Ribbon.

I found a seat at the bar and ordered a Blue Moon, which set me back $4. This wasn’t a crazy wild party night at Renbarger’s Brewhaus, and the room was far from packed. Renbarger’s Brewhaus boasts a couple of sidewalk tables for al fresco drinking and the ever-fun game of people-watching in the Highlands.

The importance of fostering an evening party vibe to the bar’s staff was evident while I enjoyed my drink and chuckled as the guy two stools down tried, failingly, to strike up conversation with the barkeep. The Renbarger’s Brewhaus staff was scurrying to put this away, find that broom, make those shots. The service and the clientele were fine, and the Top 40 music didn’t even bother me, but my Blue Moon was served in a translucent Dixie cup. A Dixie cup, not a glass. Really? When I think “upscale,” I’m not thinking of beer served like this were a Pi Kappa Alpha kegger. Otherwise, Renbarger’s Brewhaus is a fine addition to the Baxter bar scene — something a little different than Irish pubs and neighborhood bars, and a chance for the city’s cool club kids to party with a nanocelebrity. Baxter could, and does, do worse.

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