Review: Come for the beer, stay for the food at UnHitched Brewing Co.

LOUISVILLE – Located in a downtown Louisville in a former hotel and bowling alley, UnHitched Brewing Co. belongs on your must-visit list.

Built in 1865, the eatery that also serves craft beer is at 115 S. Mill St.

I popped in recently for some craft beer and and ordered my favorite kind of lunch – I just asked the chef to surprise me. And he did just that, offering up some delicious dishes not typically found in brewery settings.

But, first things first ? the craft beer. Head brewer Garret Conley has been with UnHitched since August 2018 and part of its official opening in 2019. He’s an innovative and creative force with an impressive food-and-beverage background in Chicago and other places.

As co-owner Adam Longacre likes to tell it, “Collectively, we are so lucky to have such amazing talent at UnHitched. No small town thinking; each person brings big, creative ideas to the table.”

Katie Conley and husband Garret brought a different perspective to their restaurant, relocating back home to Stark County from Chicago.

“We were butchers. We consulted and worked with many of the high-end restaurants in Chicago, but ultimately we wanted to bring our love of food, have a life, utilize our culinary and business experience back to Stark County," Katie Conley said. "We wanted to work at a place we believed in, one that also valued a work-life balance long before it was a catchphrase.”

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With Katie as my guide, I ordered a flight box consisting of four 5-ounce pours from UnHitched's craft beer menu for $12. Served in the ideal order for maximum enjoyment, my flight included East Bank (altbier, smooth, clean and balanced with a silky nitro profile and a dry finish), Samurai Hotel (extra pale ale, bright citrus and mimosa overtones without being too fruity), Wakeside (juicy IPA and my favorite, the newest introduction, effervescent with a hoppy finish), and Ten Pin (pilsner, crisp and very drinkable and an UnHitched favorite).

It’s worth noting that 100% of UnHitched Brewing Co.’s beer ingredients are grown and processed in the Midwest, all within a 400 mile radius of the taproom, with 90% coming from Ohio. Garret Conley uses all Ohio hops and grains grown in Ohio and Indiana.

Cocktail, mocktails, wine and soda are also available to satisfy those not interested in beer. I sampled a specialty cocktail, pineapple green tea mule ($13), a refreshing and spirited mix of Tito’s vodka, pineapple, green tea simple syrup and ginger beer. Another reason to return.

And now to the food. As mentioned, Alex Horn sent out some of his favorite dishes to enjoy while I sipped my craft beers. My secret, I-hope-he-sends-that-out list included the hearth fired pita with farmers cheese topped with roasted garlic oil, fermented honey, sumac and za'atar; and the Serbian pimento, a warm gochujang urnebes (an authentic Serbian spread consisting of salty cheese, garlic, sour cream, roasted peppers, paprika, oil, and cooked egg yolks) topped with chives. The oversized pita comes with either farmers cheese or the pimento ($10 per combo). My wish was granted.

While I ripped and dipped the perfectly puffed and flavorfully charred scratch-made pita, Longacre stopped to chat and joined me for a few bites. As we were enjoying the pita, he mentioned, “The pita is the pizza dough … and when we prepare it in our certain way and put it in the pizza oven, it rises and puffs up.”

Served next was a bowl of General Tso’s brussels sprouts, flash fried with two sauces and Szechuan candied peanuts ($11). The portion was generous and it was perfect with sips of Ten Pin. The Vietnamese caramel wings ($16) boasted confit wings tossed in a sweet and spicy caramel glaze served with housemade tamari ginger marinated cucumbers. So sticky, but I felt no shame in licking my fingers with pure enjoyment. I found East Bank to be perfect with these glazed wonders.

I had one additional item on the menu I wanted to try, so I ordered the hot Italian fries. This unique dish featured fresh cut fries, alta cucina tomato gravy, a mozzarella-and-provolone blend, hot giardiniera (a colorful and tangy Italian pickled dish of carrots, cauliflower, peppers and other veggies) and fresh parsley. Unique and delicious.

There are Friday dinner specials, lunch sandwich specials, sweets (a dessert pita!), and a menu for “half pints” (kids 12 and younger) that spans the favorites of a cheeseburger with fries ($8), chicken fingers with fries ($6) or a mini pizza ($6) and includes a child’s drink.

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If you must, you can get an UnHitched smashburger with fries ($15) or one of the specialty pizzas, including pepperoni with honey ($16), three cheese ($15), or a white pizza ($16), all available with a cauliflower crust and vegan cheese for a small upcharge.

It’s worth noting that the menu labels dietary items (vegetarian, vegetarian option, gluten free ingredients, vegan option or contains nuts) and the food isn’t held under heatlamps ? when it’s ready, it’s brought to your table.

Truthfully, when you have such a skilled brewmaster, the bar food needs to be anything but typical. Horn rises to the occasion.

I chatted with first-time patrons Chris and Vickie Moeglin from Bolivar. Chris had just ordered a flight. “I’m a pilsner and lager guy,” he told me, “so I can’t wait to try these.”

Vickie admittedly isn’t much of a beer gal, so she was thinking of ordering the Brambleberry hard cider from Bent Ladder. We chatted about food recommendations. “We decided to make the trip here because we have several friends who just rave about this place,” Moeglin added.

The taproom is the former Ten Pin Alley, a repurposed eight-lane bowling alley. The lanes were used to make the tabletops and the original lane five is the bar's 40-foot top.

Reach Bev at [email protected] or 330-580-8318.

If you go

WHAT – UnHitched Brewing Co.

WHERE – 115 S. Mill St., Louisville

PHONE – 330-871-8021

HOURS – 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: UnHitched Brewing in Louisville delivers elevated bar food