Colorado PLUS

A quick trip out to the craft-beer mecca of Colorado, 

plus some other good beer encounters

8/22/14 - I split a Circumsaison from my favorite local craft brewery, Cool Springs, with my friend, Danny, and my wife, Ashlee, at Watermark Restaurant in Nashville.  Yep, it was a $25 bottle of beer, albeit a bomber in size.

8/24/14 - Today, Ashlee and I had a Sunday, Fun-day that included a few new beers and a few new local watering holes.

I started with a Man-mosa at brunch at M.L. Rose Craft Burger House in Nashville made with Miller High Life.  Not bad.  I moved on then to a draught of a Son of a Peach from RJ Rockers Brewing (South Carolina) and a sip of Ashlee's Sofie (saison) by Goose Island (despite my personal protest of them because of their purchase by "The Empire" aka InBev.

I had a Guinness at this dive bar  called the MT Bottle in Murfreesboro that has been on the "Bar Rescue" TV show and then an Evil Octopus (black ale) from the local Mayday Brewing.

While still in Murfreesboro we moved on to the wonderful O'Possum's Irish Bar for dinner where I had a great dark IPA made by them called the Hop Swami.  We ended Sunday Fun-day at Brew U also in Murfreesboro which despite being sort of a dump had a great beer selection and good prices.  Here I had a Whiplash White IPA by Sweetwater

8/27 - I won season tickets to the Tennessee Titans earlier this year.  Too bad they suck out loud this season.  I sold several of my games for a tidy profit and one of the first was to a nice family out of Canada that had never been to an NFL game.  I met them at the airport to sell the Craigslist posted tickets and then offered them a ride to their hotel (this sounds like a bad movie plot, doesn't it?).  Well, I didn't murder them and afterwards went over to The Hop Stop in East Nashville for a 1/2 pint of  Spare Pair APA by Blue Pants Brewing (Alabama) and another half-pint of Helles Lager from Rivertown Brewing (Ohio).  I finished with the wild and woolly Casper the Friendly Gose (2014) by Jackalope Brewing here in Nashville which is made with coriander and sea salt...very interesting.

8/31 - I had a Hill City IPA from Chattanooga Brewing at Taco Mamacita with dinner

I had this pint can from Nashville's own Fat Bottom Brewing at Drifters BBQ in East Nashville on 9/4/14

9/6/14 - We attended a couple days of Live on the Green in downtown Nashville and I had a few cold Kolsches by Schafly and Harvest Pumpkin Ales by Blue Moon which were included along with good food with our VIP tickets.

Our long weekend trip to Denver, Colorado (9/19 - 9/22) to catch a show by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at the beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheater was great.  And despite traveling with a couple of non-beer-drinkers, they indulged me in a few stops for craft beer (and good food).

9/20 - My first beer stop was at Colorado Plus Brew Pub in Denver.  I had a great flight including Papa Smash - Caution Brewing, Alpha Maiden by Renegade, Modus Hoperandi by Ska, the Tempter IPA (Nitro Infused) from Telluride Brewing and finally a Big Shot Espresso Stout by Twisted Pine.  They had a very unique way of doing flights where you write what you want on the tray from their huge list of Colorado beers plus some other select ones.  Also had a sip of  some of Ashlee's flight that included a Spiced Apple Pie made by this brewpub,  a Little Mo Porter by Elevation Brewing, a Big Ben Brown by the Bull and Bush Pub located here in Denver, the Punktoberfest by Big Choice Brewing and a Ginger by Black Bottle Brewing over in Ft. Collins, CO.

I had to have one of my Colorado-made favorites while at the show at Red Rocks.

9/21 - Before our late afternoon flight, we did an early-morning 5+-mile hike at Eldorado State Park that was great.  Afterwards we stopped at Southern Sun Brewing in Boulder, CO for lunch and some beer, of course.

Lovely half-pints of the Illusion Dweller IPA (left) and Resinous Rye by Mountain Sun Brewery in Boulder, CO.

I saw a couple of good movies in IMAX as well during this time.  Nothing to do with beer, but what the heck...
                        

9/27 - I had a can of Vanilla Java Porter by Atwater Brewing (Michigan) at a party thrown by our friends, the DeGroffs.