ENTERTAINMENT

New bourbon bar coming to MainStrasse

Shauna Steigerwald
ssteigerwald@enquirer.com
Bourbon House 1841 is set to open this spring in Covington's Mainstrasse neighborhood.

More bourbon is coming to MainStrasse.

A new bar called Bourbon House 1841 will soon open at 522 Main St. in the Covington neighborhood. That space was most recently Main Bite, the small plates restaurant that closed in November.

Dave Brumfield won't be serving food at his new bar, which he hopes to open by late March or early April. But he will have plenty of bourbons, probably about 150 of them, with a considerable flight list. He'll also serve both classic and original bourbon cocktails, plus wines and bottled beers.

Brumfield is currently giving the space a revamp and said it will be about twice as large without kitchen used in the previous incarnation. The building is 175 years old – the "1841" in the bar's name is a nod to the year it was built – so Brumfield is integrating historic features with more modern touches. For example, removing drywall revealed exposed brick and a fireplace that he didn't know was there.

"It had a lot of character that probably hasn't been visible for decades," he said.

One new but vintage addition will be a dark oak bar that Brumfield thinks is about 150 years old and "looks like it goes with the house."

Other than the seats at the bar, the rest of the seating will be more lounge style, with couches and leather chairs. There will be room for approximately 90 people between the inside space and the front patio. Brumfield said he'll play classic rock, "good whiskey drinking music," all day long.

"It'll have a nice vibe to it," he said. "You're going to feel like you're in your living room."

When Bourbon House 1841 opens, Mainstrasse will be home to three bourbon-centric bars: Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar and Wiseguy Lounge both put a heavy emphasis on Kentucky's prized spirit.

Hours at Bourbon House 1841 will be 2 p.m.-midnight Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday and 2 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday (closed Mondays).

Information: www.facebook.com/BourbonHouse1841