Something Old and Something New for Nashville Brew

SOMETHING NEW

I was recently able to check out the new Cool Springs Brewery over in Williamson County in the Cool Springs Mall perimeter a bit southwest of Nashville. These guys had really impressed me recently at the Franklin Beer Fest (see previous blog) and I was anxious to see their new digs. My best friend (and previous blog guest), Craig, and his wife, Alison, and their boys, Ryan and Colin, were coming back through town from spring break and gave me a call to meet them for dinner. Albeit a litte out of the way, Craig and I as beer lovers both wanted to give it a try.

The place was easy to find and was really jumping for a Wednesday night. After a brief wait, we were able to get a table. I immediately ordered a pint of their hilariously-named Pecker Wrecker IPA. Yum-a-dum-dum!! Smooth and hoppy to the last drop. Craig had their oatmeal stout and was impressed with it (photo above). I had a sample of the stout at the beer festival, but Craig's opinion is probably more true since stouts are his beer of choice usually.

We ordered New York style pizza for dinner which was enjoyed by all. The pesto and shrimp combo that Alison and I shared was unusual and tasty. My second beer was their Franklin's First. Per the name it has the distinction of being the first microbrew commercially produced in Williamson County whose seat is the city of Franklin. While I am not the biggest fan of the German kolsch-style beer, this stuff isn't bad at all and went down smooth and light.

Unlike some microbreweries, their craft at CSB is actually produced on site. The tanks are visible as you walk in the establishment. They are a bit limited (for now) on production --I wanted to try their Scotch ale (another great name, the Kilt Lifter) but it won't be ready until next week -- but they are off to a great start and I wish them all the success possible. I will definitely be back whenever the opportunity arises. Here's a link for more info:

http://www.coolspringsbrewery.com/


SOMETHING OLD

The other night before a concert at The Ryman, the wife and I and our friend, Nate, met at The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in downtown Nashville to knock back a few brews. Amazingly, I have never been to The Flying Saucer despite their long-time reputation for having dozens of beer on tap and even more to choose from in bottles. I can't really say why I have not other than lack of purpose on my part. That...is going to have to change. What a great place! We sat out on the open-air patio (the only real bummer is that smoking is allowed inside) and poured over their expansive beer menu. They were running a Sunday special on some of my favorite regional microbrews (Sweetwater, Terrapin, Highland and Yazoo) and par the course I went ahead and picked one from Terrapin right off the bat that they were out of (this seems to happen to me all the time....CARRY MORE HOPPY BEER, PEOPLE!!! IT'S VERY POPULAR!!). So much for the good deal since I had already tried everything else they carried from these particular brands. I settled for the Victory Hop Devil in a bottle for my alternate choice. It was nice and hoppy, but not as extreme as the name might imply, Victory's Hop Wallop remains my favorite from these Pennsylvania brewers. Next I went a little weird and tried Lost Coast Brewing's Tangerine. Not bad for a fruit-infused wheat beer, but now that I have it on my growing list of beers I have tried, I don't see me getting it again. I finished with something I had tried a sample of at a recent beer festival, Rogue's Hazlenut Brown Nectar - this nut brown ale is extremely good and made a great finale for my first, but definitely not last, visit to this regional chain. Here's a link for more info including their 14 locations:
http://www.beerknurd.com/