More updates and a shocking discovery in terms of light beer...

Here's a few more updates including a trip down to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where an actual use for light beer was discovered by me and my wife, Ashlee. 

By the way, can you take me to the airport?


Never mind...I got a ride.

3/2/13: Before a Pink concert in downtown Nashville tonight, I had a draught of Turtle Anarchy (love the name) Stout from nearby Franklin, TN, with dinner at Puckett's Grocery.   I have been wanting to try it for some time and it's been sold out at two other places I asked for it.  It was pretty darn good. 
I would like to give them a visit someone soon at their taproom over in Williamson County.

3/5/13:  On another jaunt into downtown Nashville I had a bottle of Barrel Trolley Nut Brown Ale (World Brews out of California) with dinner at Music City Flats in Nashville.  Not too bad, but nothing to crow about.  This World Brews place sounds kind of like a mass-producer/faux micro-brewer.



3/16/13:  I started St. Patty's Day off right with this lovely pint of Malacai Irish Red Ale  (beautiful color!) from The Terminal Brewhouse in Chattanooga out on their patio with a bad case of spring fever.

3/16/13: Tradition was not forgotten on St. Patty's Day as I made sure to have a shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey and a Guinness before lunch at the fancy burger shop called Urban Stack in Chattanooga.

3/16/13:  We finished up St. Patrick's Day in Chattanooga with a show at The Tivoli to see our favorite comedian, Jim Gaffigan, who we also met backstage.  After the show we headed back to The Terminal and I had a Dead Sexy Scottish Ale.  While we were there, who should show up?  None other than Jim Gaffigan (per our suggestion by the way!)



3/17/13: It was hair-of-the-dog time the day after St. Patty's Day with a lovely draught of Highland Brewing's (Asheville, NC) Devil's Britches IPA draught at The Brewhaus in Chattanooga.

Some other newbies (to me) over the past couple months include:

-  New Albion Ale (special from Sam Adams) bottle, this was the last one from the Mt. Juliet Beer Company (MJBC) variety four-pack I mentioned in the previous blog entry.

- Blackheart IPA at Bosco's in Hillsboro Village in Nashville, their seasonal special draught.  Lovely.

- A couple Third-Shift Amber Lager bottles.  They were complimentary with our VIP tickets to the  Better Than Ezra show at The Cannery in Nashville.  It was pretty good beer, but the band was better!  After a little research I found out that this beer is a faux-micro produced by Coors.  Figures.

- Got a half a liter (half a growler) of Calfkiller Brewing's (Sparta, TN) Scorched Hooker (Black IPA) draught from MJBC to watch Duke play in the Sweet 16 on  3/29/13.  While I was at MJBC, I picked up another variety 4-pack to take to a new monthly poker game here in Lebanon that I started attending in April.  All of these were good.

Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout in a bottle
Southern Tier (Lakewood, NY) Eurotrash Pils(ner) in a bottle
Harpoon (Boston) Chocolate Stout
Rogue (Oregon) Dry-Hopped St. Rogue Red Ale

At the second poker game in May I had:

Good People (Huntsville, AL) IPA in a can
Good People Pale Ale in a can
Red Hook (Washington and NH) Audible Ale in a bottle
Kona (Hawaii) KoKo Brown in a bottle

Again, all were worth drinking.

4/20/13: I had a Jai Alai IPA draught from the local Cigar City Brewing during a layover in Tampa, Florida, on my birthday on the way to Puerto Rico.  Also had a Goose Island (Chicago) IPA draught.

OK, and now for the big news regarding LIGHT BEER.....I have actually found a decent use for it!!!

It can actually be used in a cocktail called "The Shandy" that I discovered while in Puerto Rico at our hotel restaurant...on the breakfast menu nonetheless.  Basically, it's a "redneck mimosa."  The simple recipe is light beer, citrus soda, ice and a lemon wedge.  Since the only Puerto Rican beer I could find was Medalla Light, a local pilsner, I ordered The Shandy with low expectations.  It was actually pleasantly refreshing.  For more on The Shandy see the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shandy



My wife and I made our own Shandies to take to the beach in Puerto Rico thanks to a Wal-Greens right around the corner that sold everything we needed including a 12-pack of Medalla Light in cans. The perfect beach drink.