A bit of history: Pipkin Brewing Co. (1997-2000), a production facility without a taproom, pioneered the concept of the “Beer Corner of Clay & Main,” later to become Bluegrass Brewing Company’s production brewery, and still later, the rebranded Goodwood Brewing Co.
As a production-scaled brewery with a taproom, Goodwood needs markets for its products, and during recent years the brewery has not been adverse to the risks inherent in opening new restaurants and venues elsewhere, providing just such markets.
This opportunistic pattern of strategic planning landed Goodwood in both Indianapolis IN and Columbus OH just after the pandemic, occupying recently shuttered Ram and Biersch breweries, respectively. Goodwood subsequently closed both, and it remains that while it’s good to own the restaurant selling your house beer, it’s hard to compete in the restaurant sector.
(There was a short-lived Goodwood iteration in Jeffersonville at what became the equally brief Common Haus. I first met Kyle Jahn, then at Goodwood and now owner of Trellis Brewing, when he came over to fetch empty Goodwood kegs.)
Goodwood’s web site currently lists four locations in Kentucky: Louisville (636 E. Main St., the original beer corner), Frankfort, Lexington and Owensboro. A fifth is in O’Fallon, Missouri.
This brings us to Michael L. Jones’ revelation yesterday at Louisville Business First: Goodwood Brewing Co. to open new location on Whiskey Row. I’d phrase it in Louisvillian dialect — “Goodwood’s going in where Number 15 used to be” — except that Number 15 wasn’t there for very long.
The locally-owned beer chain (Goodwood) is moving into the W.L. Weller building at 121 W. Main St. The more than 20,000-square-foot space was recently occupied by the bar and entertainment venue Number 15, which closed on Dec. 15 after less than two years in business.
Number Fifteen was a concept from Colorado-based The Numbers Holding Company, LLC, which purchased the iconic Whiskey Row building in 2021 for $3.6 million The $13 million, five-level venue opened in May 2023. It was named in honor of Kentucky being the 15th state to join the union.
Jones quotes Ted Mitzlaff, Goodwood’s owner and CEO: “We’re going to have a lot of live entertainment. We really want it to be a spot of Nashville in Downtown Louisville. On the upper levels we have rooms for events, whether it’s rehearsal dinners, weddings, or a 50th birthday party. And then there’s an Airbnb on the top floor.”
Goodwood’s brewery and taproom will continue operating a few blocks away.
