Racers, Pacers and Beer

May 25 - 27: 

I returned to the Indy 500 this year with my friend, Mike, who hadn't been before. 

We had a great time and found some good beer along the way. 



Our first stop Saturday, May 25, on the drive up to Indianapolis was for lunch (and beer) in New Albany, Indiana, just across the Ohio River from Louisville, KY. One of my favorite regional microbreweries is located there, New Albanian Brewing, and their food is outstanding as well. I tried a half-pint of their new Naughty Girl Blonde IPA and it was great. I followed that with my favorite of theirs, a half-pint of the Hoptimus Imperial IPA. As you can see from the label above, NABC continues with their stunning artwork on their products as well. Get some T-shirts already, folks!!!

Once we got to Indy and settled in to our hotel in the northeast suburb of Carmel, we found a new, small microbrewery nearby called Union Brewing.  These guys have only been open since December 2012, but they know what they are doing.  They only serve cask-conditioned beer and I tried a half-pint of their Sassy Pants Porter which was infused with sassafras.  Interesting and tasty.  Next I got a half-pint of one of their guest taps, the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale from Lexington Brewing, which is one of my regional favorites.


  Sunday, May 26 - RACE DAY and GAME DAY!!



We opted for infield general admission tickets for the race, and they were fine.  We saw plenty of racing action from several different aspects.  The weather held out perfectly for us.



Yep, that's him! The one and only Mario Andretti who nearly ran over my foot in his golf cart, but was kind enough to let us take a few pictures as he waited for traffic to clear after the race.

What a great sporting day it was in Indy today!  First the Indy 500 won by Tony Kanann (under caution..boo!!) and then Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals as the Pacers took on the Heat.  It turned into a blow-out for the Heat, but our last-minute StubHub.com seats were nice and it was a great experience.



Hey, it's Stephen A. Smith!  It was cool that the security folks let us mingle around near the hardwood before the game.



I am not his biggest fan, but there is no denying he's one of the best to ever play the game and to see "King James" in person was a treat.



Great seats!  And not overly priced.

NBA on TNT filmed live after the game out in the lobby of Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  It was another treat to see legends like Shaq, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley up close and personal.

Monday, May 26:  The drive home on Memorial Day was easy and smooth and we made good enough time to stop in Nashville for a late lunch at Drifter's BBQ where I had a Fat Bottom IPA with my meal.  The beer is from a new East Nashville brewery just around the corner from this eatery.