Guide to Beer Gardens and Local Breweries Near Major Horse Racing Tracks

What do you think is the main drink at horse racing events? Most of you would probably say champagne or some of the signature cocktails. But in reality, beer still holds one of the top places for the biggest consumption at horse racing events. After all, nothing beats the feeling of wrapping up a day at the races with a great craft beer, right?  

The good thing is that breweries know this, and they specifically target horse racing venues to open up new locations. This implies that major horse racing tracks have many beer gardens and local breweries that produce some of the best-tasting beers. 

Therefore, in case someone is a lover of beer and intends to attend a large horse racing event this year, the following are some of the places that one must consider.

Churchill Downs (Louisville, KY) 

We can look forward to many breweries, and they are all around Churchill Downs, right? It is one of the most popular places for horse racing enthusiasts. Kentucky is a Bourbon state, but at the same time, most of these places offer numerous beer gardens. The idea here is simple: you’ve watched the race, probably placed a bet using TwinSpires for insights and predictions, and there is no better way to celebrate your win than visiting a local brewery.

The Against the Grain Brewery is one of the most popular local breweries; the building is located just a short drive away from Churchill Downs. It is an absolute attraction place for every racing fan and lover of beer. This brewery was founded in 2011 and has created some incredible flavors that became so popular that they now target international markets. Then there is Citra Ass Down brewery, a strange name, though. This is the appropriate brewery to visit if you wish to experience a different flavor of beer. They specialize in citrus IPAs that are locally flavored. Some of their most popular choice is the Brown Note, which packs a deep punch.

Del Mar (CA)

Beer goes perfectly with some ocean breeze and sunny summer days. When that is what you desire, then grab your bags and fly to Southern California, to the Del Mar Racetrack. It is a place where you will have elite races and some amazing craft beer flavors. They even have a beer-oriented event known as the Del Mar Beer Fest (sometimes), that combines live racing with tunes of beer.

However, in case you wish to go to a local beer house, we recommend that you cross Jimmy Durante Boulevard to the Viewpoint Brewing Company, which is the most popular local beer house. It has over 1,000 Google reviews and an exceptional 4.5 rating for a good reason. The food and beer flavors are incredible. What to pick? Well, there are many flavors, from traditional light and dark beer to some unique IPAs. As we have been told, their Del Martian Red Ale, as well as some fish tacos, is an awesome pairing.

Saratoga Springs (NY) 

Now we are heading to New York, to one of America’s oldest tracks: the Saratoga Racecourse. No, this is not in the center of New York with all the skyscrapers; this is a lovely place called Saratoga Springs, where you can find some incredible breweries. You can go to Artisanal Brew Works, which is a local brewery with a 4.7-star rating on Google. They have some unique flavors, such as plenty of IPAs like Go Dank or Go Home, Belgian Ales, Fruited Ales, Traditional Ales, and what shocked us most was their sour ales collection (which, for me, was undrinkable, but still worth the try).

It is also possible to visit the Dancing Grain Farm Brewery to have a more picturesque site, which, in fact, is a farm-based craft brewery, 15 minutes north of Saratoga Springs. Their approach is somewhat different, as they are based on a local farming idea, with the only beers made out of the products they cultivate on their premises. They have some amazing flavors, that’s for sure. A wonderful, relaxing place where you and your friends can talk about how to bet on the horse racing before the race.

Belmont Park (Elmont, NY)

We are already here, so we might as well stop at Belmont Park, NY, which is the third point of the Triple Crown. This implies that there should be great breweries around because they are almost always present at big horse racing events. The standout spot here is the Barrier Brewing Company, and their incredible comic theme that they have on everything (the place and the beer design). They possess a great variety of specialties (inspired by the places in the world), a seasonal lineup, and their core lineup.

Keeneland (Lexington, KY)

And the final destination is at the place where we began our beer trip in Kentucky, which is at Keeneland. The craft beer place that I would recommend visiting in this area is West Sixth Brewing, which is more relaxed in the atmosphere of the Lexington craft beer scene, for certain. It is situated in a former bread factory (yes, carbs on carbs), which is popular among locals and foreigners. 

The first time I visited West Sixth, I can remember the talk moving beyond race times to other areas about how the brewery gives back to the community; they donate a portion of profits to local causes. The generosity of spirit is almost like the drink itself, you could say, the West Sixth IPA. Which of these places then do you intend to see first? No correct or wrong answers here. All of the breweries we covered in this article have their own uniqueness. Maybe it’s time for a horse racing & beer tour across the U.S, what do you say?