Historic beer brand returning to Louisville

Louisville, Ky. – Sterling Brewing, which started in Louisville in 1893, is returning to Derby City.

Louisville Sterling, LLC and Louisville Metro have entered into an agreement for the purchase and sale of the real property and improvements located at 1300-1306 Bardstown Road, two historic buildings located in the Highlands neighborhood’s commercial district. The buildings most recently were used as offices for the Communications division of Louisville Metro’s Emergency Management Administration.

Louisville Sterling acquired the Sterling Brand in 2012, after the brand had changed hands many times and moved from Louisville to Evansville and ultimately the Pittsburg Brewing Company.

Sterling Brewing started in Louisville in 1863 as one of several small breweries and grew to become a regional brand referred to by many as the “Beer of the South.” Now brewed in Stevens Point, Wisconsin by the award-winning Stevens Point Brewery, Louisville Sterling’s goal is to restore the historical structures for the purpose of establishing a craft house and tasting room and to move local production back to Sterling’s original home of Louisville.

Built in 1900, both buildings will be fully restored by Louisville Sterling, returning approximately 15,000 square feet of commercial space into newly designed and productive use. Plans for the buildings include Sterling’s offices, a tasting room and gathering house, event space and small brewing operation.

Under the agreement, Louisville Sterling will perform the environmental assessments to determine the extent of clean-up necessary for redeveloping the buildings. The final purchase price will be based on fair market value, taking into account the findings of the assessment.

The City of Louisville purchased 1300 Bardstown from the Louisville Ballet in 1995 for $235,000. The building was originally built as a telephone exchange for BellSouth. 1306 Bardstown Road was built as a police station by the city, and has remained under city ownership. The MetroSafe communications offices were moved from the buildings to MetroSafe’s Newburg Road facility in late 2012.

Construction is expected to be underway in Fall 2016.