I-P-A RIVER: June 2014

Several small trips over the past couple months led to a host of new beer encounters and a few home-grown brews as well:

NASHVILLE:

3/27/14 - I had the afternoon off today and did a little bar-hopping around Music City which has become one helluva a beer town:

at M.L. Rose Craft Beer and Burgers I had a late lunch that consisted of their delicious Smashy Melt, a huge double-paddy melt. This was my first time at this establishment which has two locations in Nashville (I checked out the one on Franklin Pike near downtown). Their tap selection was as impressive as their food and I had 16 oz. draughts of the Gangway IPA from Red Hare Brewing down in Marietta, GA, and the Ten Year IPA from Yazoo here in Nashville that was outstanding! Super hoppy with a nice citrus finish.

Next I moved on to the 12 South Taproom which always has a great beer selection. I had the Old School IPA from Czann Brewing, a relatively new microbrewery here in Nashville. Their IPA was solid in taste and body. They are soon to have their own tasting room and will join the new "Nashville Brewery District" that I mentioned in the last blog entry. I finished my visit here with a Rivertown Brewing Wit from Ohio with a fresh slice of orange in it. Pretty good stuff.

great logo!

Then it was on back toward downtown in The Gulch for a quick stop at Hop and Crafts, a new (and one of my personal favorite) beer bars in Nashville. I only had time (and tolerance since I was driving) for one here so I chose the New Holland Mad Hatter IPA from Michigan. Good beer! And I thought they only made tractors??

I ended the afternoon at Pub 5 down by Bridgestone Arena where I was meeting my friend, Danny, for a Nashville Predators game. Here I had an Upstream, a California-style lager from yet another Nashville-based micro-brewer, Little Harpeth Brewing. Look out Asheville, NC, we are gunning for you for best beer town in The South. Lagers are not my favorite beer type but it was nice with a light finish to the day...until I had a Black Forest Black Kolsch from Blackstone Brewing which is located...well, just guess...what the heck, I would sitting for a few hours before I had drive and this kolsch wasn't too bad.

4-0 after 20 minutes. Now that's one hell of a period of hockey! The Preds went on to cruise to a 6-1 victory over the (worse than us) Buffalo Sabers. If you are gonna be out of the playoff hunt in late March, you might as well beat up on whoever you can I guess. Thanks to my friend, Danny, for going with me to this enjoyable, yet fairly meaningless, game and for snapping this pic (since my phone was dead) which I promptly stole from him.

3/28/14: In IMAX with my friend, Wayne. Beforehand, I had a Shotgun Wedding Vanilla Brown Ale from Country Boy Brewing in Lexington, KY, plus a Dark Earth Stout from Calfkiller Brewing over in Sparta, TN, at The Village Pub and Beer Garden in East Nashville. A week later Wayne and I took in Captain America: The Winter Soldier again at the IMAX Theater.

BIRTHDAY BEERS!!

From my friend, Wayne: Truth IPA (Cincy, OH), Founders Brewing (Michigan) Imperial Stout (10%+ ABV!), Chillwave Double IPA from Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland, OH

from my wife, Ashlee: Snow Wit White IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing (CA)

Ladies against Prohibition (1932)

April 5 - Went to Boscos for a free birthday dinner before a concert. Had the medal-winning Isle of Skye Scottish Ale and the KPA (Karen's Pale Ale). Both were solid.

April 11 - back to M.L. Rose and back to Yazoo's 10 Year IPA, then a can of Caldera (Oregon) Lawnmower Lager. Then over to 12 South Taproom again for Crossroads Cream Ale from The Black Abbey (Nashville) Brewing Company and the delicious 7 Hop IPA from Rogue (Oregon) Brewing. Dinner at Urban Grub down the street with my friends, Danny and Brenda. Had the last "taste" of the keg of Taste of Honey Belgian Dubbel from Starr Hill Brewing in Virginia, then the Cuvee La Boite from Brooklyn Brewery.

After dinner we three went over to The Belcourt Theater to catch the Nashville premier of "Finding Vivian Maier" with Skyped Q and A from director, Charlie Siskel (the nephew of the great film critic, Gene Siskel). It was an excellent documentary and a fascinating story.

April 12 - Flew down to Panama City, Florida to meet the family for a bit of beach time - had a bottle of the locally-brewed Grayton Beer Company's Pale Ale while waiting on my rental car (small airport problems).

Got a six-pack at "Florida's Largest Beer Cave" in Destin, Florida for the long weekend.

Summer Solstice - can - (Anderson Valley - California) (photo)
Night Cat Witbier -can - (Two Brothers Brewing - Illinois)
Spring IPA (Abita Brewing - Louisiana)
Head Hunter IPA (Fat Head' Brewing - Ohio)
Hop Nosh IPA (Uinta Brewing - SLC, Utah)
Freckle Belly IPA (Back Forty Beer Co., Alabama)

The beach and weather were pretty close to perfect.

April 14 - Props Brewery - Ft. Walton, FL - lunch with the whole gang minus Mollie (Sam bought my beer and lunch - thanks, dude!) at this new brewpub. Flying Coffin IPA (pint), half pint of Rye of the Tiger, taste of Ashlee's Brown, Sam's Blonde and Andy's Porter - all were good as was the food

It was off to South Dakota for my birthday weekend to check a few sites of my Bucket List including Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower and the Badlands.

April 18 - Firehouse Brewing - Rapid City, SD - Chukkar Ale, shared a huge sampler with Ashlee, good food as well.

Burning Skye Scottish Ale - Empyrean Brewing at the Wobbly Bobby (great name) English Pub in Rapid City. Just a taste of Ashlee's Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout

April 19 - Crow Peak Brewing Company - Spearfish, SD - 11th hour IPA - Had a can in the car on the way to Devils Tower, also had a sip of Ashlee's Pile O' Dirt Porter.

Stopped at actual the brewery later on for a 5.2 Decade Imperial IPA and a sip of Ashlee's bRYEdal Veil Brown

At dinner in the surprisingly boring town of Deadwood, SD, I had a draught of Red Water Irish Red Ale also from Crow Peak.

April 26: Back at home I opened another birthday bottle from Ashlee of Blackberry Farm Brewery's Classic Saison in preparation for our upcoming trip to Belgium, next was the Le Freak bomber from Green Flash Brewing and concluded with a Lost and Found Abbey Ale from The Lost Abbey Brewing Company in California

April 29 - While in in Louisville on the Cincinnati Belle before a charity poker tournament during Derby Week I had a canned IPA from West Sixth Brewing from over in Lexington, KY.

May 3 - Finally got to visit nearby Mayday Brewing in nearby Murfreesboro, TN. Ashlee and I had 4 free samplers (thanks to Groupon) including the Boro Blonde.

May 4 - Another birthday bomber from Ashlee: the Bracia English Strong Ale from Thornbridge Brewery in England and the Joey Pepper Beglian Blonde from Evil Twin Brewing in Denmark.

May 5 - I just had to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a Dos Equis Special Lager followed by an Amber.

May 10 - We took a quick trip up to Chicago for a concert and stopped back at Piece Brewery and Pizzeria where I had a draught of the Marketing Ploy, a pale ale collaboration with 3 Floyds Brewing just down the road. It was fantastic! I followed that up with their Dark-N-Curvy dunkelweizen (dark wheat).

May 11 - Had the Fixed Gear Ale, a kinda hoppy for a red ale by Lakefront Brewing in Milwaukee, WI, with lunch at Spritz Burger in Chicago where I had an awesome poutine burger.

After lunch, my friend Wayne and I stumbled upon the fact that when the Cubs aren't in town, the do insider tours of Wrigley Field that include visits inside the press-box, the locker rooms, the dugouts and even on the field!