Akasha Brewing Company

Akasha Brewing Company is a Louisville brewery owned and run by Rick Stidham and Jerry Nawrocki, who jokingly call themselves its janitors as well as its brewers. Rick took up homebrewing more than 30 years ago after buying Jerry a homebrew kit as a birthday gift, and he went on to win several top homebrew competition awards. From 5-gallon kitchen batches, the brewery now brews 15 barrels at a time and serves up to 15 of its own beers on site, all unfiltered and unpasteurized and nearly all vegan-friendly. Akasha has also revived Fehr’s XL, the crisp lager of Frank Fehr Brewing Co., a major Louisville brewery founded in 1872 that closed in 1964. The East Market Street taproom has a 24-tap wall, board games, pinball, outdoor seating and a few TVs. Dogs, minors with a parent and outside food are welcome. Pop-up brunches and dinners happen too.