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Robin Garr

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Come to Monnik for the beer, stay for the food

by Robin Garr » Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:27 pm

Come to Monnik for the beer, stay for the food

LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

Monnik Beer Company's curry baked beans
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Welcome, Louisville newcomers, by which I mean anyone who’s been here less than five years or so. Here’s a quick lesson in the way we give directions around here: Monnik Beer Company is located where the old Zeppelin Café used to be. If that doesn’t nail it, Zeppelin was where the old Heitzman’s Bakery used to be.

Got it? Good. Now, let’s talk about Monnik, the newish brewpub that added another bright light to the g;owing constellation of excellent Germantown-Schnitzelburg eateries when it finally opened the week after Thanksgiving last year after more than three years in the planning.

I couldn’t find a thing not to like. The beer? Its roots are in the highly regarded Beer Engine in Danville, Kentucky, famously slaking the thirst of the Centre College community and beyond since, well, 2011, and earning beer geeks’ praise ever since. Monnik’s head brewer Scott Hand, imported from Cincinnati’s Urban Artifact, with help from Monnik co-owner Brian Holton, is brewing up a really excellent range.

We sampled three, grateful for the 5-ounce tasting glass option, and I’m eager to get back and try the rest. Beers are also available in standard pints and growlers. Mild George ($1.25) is made from bread and tastes like whole-wheat beer, yeasty and rich and low-alcohol. I swear Churchill’s Bitter ($1.25) tastes exactly like the traditional bitter in English pubs. Hauck’s Pilsner ($1.50) was so good that we had two: Its a fine golden German-style pils named for the iconic Germantown corner grocery, home of Germantown’s annual dainty contest.

The mood and the style? I felt comfortable as soon as we walked in the door. A thorough renovation has left the storefront with its big glass windows well rooted in its community. Sit down, look around the simply decorated room with its long bar, comfortable chairs and sturdy wooden tables, and you’ll have a hard time believing that this hasn’t been a neighborhood watering hole since grandpa was a pup.

Attractive light fixtures made with antique-look light bulbs might even take us back to great-grandpop or beyond. Squares of tin ceiling material have been repurposed into wall hangings because why not.

So, what about the food? A cozy pub with great beer doesn’t need anything special in the culinary department, right? Wrong. Chef Meghan Levins, formerly of 211 Clover, Taco Punk and more, has put together a fine menu that looks a bit like bar fare at first glance, but ramps it up with chef-driven flavors and creative additions like crusty bread made with the “spent” grains left over from the brewing operation. ...

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/?p=5622

See this column also in LEO Weekly:
http://www.leoweekly.com/2016/06/come-m ... stay-food/

Monnik Beer Company
1036 E Burnett Ave.
742-6564
https://facebook.com/Monnikbeer
Robin Garr's rating: 89 points
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Steve Eslinger

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Re: Come to Monnik for the beer, stay for the food

by Steve Eslinger » Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:41 pm

Nailed it! Glad to see you get over there for a review. They know their business, as they've been on point since day one. Be sure to sample some of their saisons next trip, as that is their specialty and they do them as well as any brewpub I've ever been to. And when winter returns, make sure you try their sauerbraten as it fits the bill nicely. Their burgers are excellent as well. Oh, can't forget their English-style pies either (I hope to see a return of the mole pork pie I saw as a special when I just had to go with the schweinshaxe instead). Yeah, I'm a fan...
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Iggy C

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Re: Come to Monnik for the beer, stay for the food

by Iggy C » Wed Jun 22, 2016 5:10 pm

I'm a big fan, too. I've enjoyed everything I've had there, food and beer alike.

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