Norway, Denmark and a tiny bit of Finland - BEEuRope!

Took another trip to Europe with my baby and notched three more countries on the old "Visited" Belt.  That goes the same for having at least one beer in each of them too!

At the Amundsen Bryggeri (Brewery) in Oslo, Norway, I had their Oceans IPA (photo above) and their Pale Ale

On the train heading west from Oslo I had the Hoppy Joe Amber Red from Lervig Aktiebryggeri (Norway).  I followed that up with an OK pilsner from Ringes Bryggeri (Norway)

At the lovely AEgir Bryggeri in lovelier Flam, Norway, I had their Revival Whiskey Barrel Stout and their Summer Cherry Wheat (photo below)

The inside of the AEgir microbrewery in Flam is set up like a large Viking lodge.  Very cool.

I take great pride in earning this badge for two reasons involving my friend, Nate.  He's way ahead of me in UNTAPPD badges, but he doesn't have this one! (yet) and, secondly, he loves all things viking so I know he was jealous when he saw this pop up on my Facebook and Twitter feeds.  Sorry, Nate.  Start planning your trip soon, bud.

I had this German hefeweizen from Erdinger Weissbrau with dinner at a little restaurant called Ruccola in Bergen, our favorite city we visited in Norway

I had a couple more Norse beers with lunch in Bergen after a morning of Segwaying around the city.  Above is the Kjuagutt American red ale from 7 Fjell Bryggeri.  I followed that with a Kniksen Indian Red Ale also from 7 Fjell.

Next stop: Copenhagen, Denmark!  I have had some Hoegaarden beer before, but never this big and never in as cool a city as this.  This Belgium-based brewery is a world-wide distributor and this big ol' glass of Blanche Witbier went down good on a sunny day by the lake after riding paddle boats shaped like swans (hey, you had to be there).

While in Copenhagen we visited the world-renown Carlsberg Brewery and I have to say I was pretty impressed.  Not since visiting the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland, have I enjoyed visiting a "big" brewery so much.  It also helps that it's steeped in history, of course.  

They have a great collection of historic delivery vehicles at Carlsberg.

So awesome!

Love the kegs hanging from the bottom of the wagon.

While there I had the Tuborg Classic, Carls Special, classic Carlsberg and the Brewmasters Collection IPA (obviously my favorite of the bunch).

For lunch while in Copenhagen at The Standard, I had a very good (and interesting)  Arctic Sunstone Pale Ale, a collaboration between Amager Bryghus (Denmark) and one of my favorite American microbreweries, Three Floyds Brewing Company in Indiana.  

We weren't in Finland long, but I was able to grab a beer while we were there with my weird lunch at Gasthaus Haltinmaa of basically chopped wieners and crinkle-cut fries (photo below).  I had a Karjala IV, a fairly unimpressive pale lager from Hartwall Brewing here in Finland.

Man, you gotta like any town that has hops just growing along the streets on the walls of buildings that aren't even breweries and also have the Northern Lights!  Welcome to Tromso, Norway!

Look, it's cool enough that the Mack Bryggeri  established itself as the northernmost brewery when it began way back when, as well as one of the very few breweries above the Arctic Circle, but it also got a damn nice brewpub called Olhallen.  They have a tremendous selection.  with friendly and knowledgeable staff and roomy, yet cozy, place to have a brew or two (or eight)!  Ashlee and I went with samplers since we were on foot and could imbibe safely.  I had the Get It On (Version 8) IPA from Mack Brggeri,  the Tre Gamie Damer pale ale from Austmann Bryggeri, the Keller Ale Pale Ale (Mack), the Svarthumie black IPA from Kinn Bryggeri, the saison from Mack, the Vic Secret IPA from Nogne as well as their imperial stout, and finally the smoke stout from Mack.

Having fun inside the Olhallen Brewpub

Bringing Tennessee beer everywhere I can...

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	duke fan 3333   @decadeofduke Sep 12 @TNBrewWorks u made to the Arctic Circle! granted, it's in a brewpub crapper in north Norway, but still representin'! pic.twitter.com/lCQmJanA1b

Tennessee Brew Works @TNBrewWorks Sep 15 @decadeofduke that's one of the coolest tags yet!!! Arctic circle!!!

On our last day in Tromso I had a Mack Bayer lager at a little pub called Jennebanestasjon.  At the Tromso airport before flying back to Olso to eventually head home I had a bottle of Leffe Blonde from the Abbaye de Leffe in Belgium.  I was able to snag one last Mack Brewing product on the flight home on Norwegian when I had a Arctic Beer (pale lager).

Great trip, great beer.  Enough said.

Finally, A Return to Asheville!! (and more Summer Fun)

I finally got a chance to get back to one of my favorite (and closest in proximity) beer towns in the U.S. - beautiful Asheville, NC, this summer.  Ashlee and I and some friends rented a beautiful house in the mountains just outside of town for a fun long weekend of music, outdoor fun and, of course, good beer!

Several selections from Asheville's own, Catawba Brewing, was our main focus in terms of beer this weekend.  Here's a White Zombie wit-bier (white ale) with our stunning view from the rental house in the background.

I finally got to do one of the very-popular pub-cycle tours and what better place to do that than in downtown Asheville.  Here's some of the gang gearing up for the fun run.  We chose a short-time format which was BYOB and my drink of choice was the Hooligan Scotch Ale also from Catawba Brewing.  It was a hoot.  Can't wait to do another one somewhere.

After our pub cycle ride we ambled over to the new Asheville Pinball Museum which actually has tons of old pinball machines and arcade games to play in unlimited fashion for one set nominal price.  They also have a killer bar and I had a Rocket Girl Golden Lager from Asheville Brewing Company while I was there.

Another major reason for coming back to Asheville was to see one of our favorite bands, Michael Franti and Spearhead,  play in a new downtown outdoor amphitheater called New Mountain.  The show was great and the Blonde Ale from Appalachian Mountain Brewery in nearby Boone, NC, was delicious.

A fun weekend of dead soldiers including King Coconut Porter (Catawba), Farmer Ted's Cream Ale (Catawba). Mother Trucker Pale Ale (Catawba). Great American Red White and Blueberry from Stout Brewing (some mass-produced swill).  It was some malted crap bought on a whim and it was God-awful.  And finally, some Wee Heavy-Er Scotch Ale from French Broad Brewing here in Asheville

When I got back home...

I had a Strawberry Picnic from Blackstone in Nashville at Jonathan's Grille in Mt. Juliet with my friends, Chris and Tarryn, as we watched the USWNT take on Germany.  I also had a Snapshot pale wheat ale from New Belgium Brewing (CO) that was kinda blah.

 I went by The Hop Stop in East Nashville tonight before seeing Terminator Genisys (over the top, but not awful).   I had a Habit IPA from Bearded Iris Brewing out of Nashville.  Next I had a half pint of The Brown Note brown ale from Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville, KY.  I finished with a half pint of the Fire Roasted Coffee Stout from Calfkiller Brewing over in Sparta, TN.

Summer Lovin'

It's been a summer of fun...and beer

USMNT game vs. Guatemala  with an attendance of 44,000+ this soccer game breaks a new TN attendance record.  I was at the last one too which ticked in at 29,000+.  It was a convincing 4-0 win in a friendly game and warm-up for the upcoming Gold Cup.

Had a Hennepin Farmhouse Saison with dinner at Suzy Wong's House of Yum

Had a Dead Horse porter from Calfkiller at The Pour House and then a Celebrator dopplebock from Brauerei Aying in Germany.

Had a Nashweizen white IPA from Tennessee Brew Works here in Nashville at the cool chicken restaurant, Party Fowl

Had a Secret Stache Stout from Finch's Brewing (Chicago) with dinner at The Slider House after getting a book signed by former President Jimmy Carter!

Had a Candy Bar Pinstripe stout from Blue Pants Brewing (Madison AL) with some great gumbo for dinner at TENN16 Restaurant in East Nashville.

Had a Summer Wheat from Good People Brewing (Birmingham, AL) with dinner at Puckett's Grocery before seeing Dolly Parton at The Ryman!

Before  seeing Ant-Man on IMAX (which was great) Ashlee and I ate dinner at The Hop Stop where they were having a Stone Brewing (CA) celebration which happens to be my favorite brewery of them all!!  Here's what I had:

the RuinTen IPA, the Ruination 2.0 with American Oak, and Drew and Steve's Imperial Mutt Brown Ale

We continued a week later with more Stone Brewing love at The Hop Stop (before Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation in IMAX.  I give it a B-) with the Ruination Double IPA 2.0 and the Delicious IPA

Had another variety six-pack with another water slide rental to close out the summer

Pumpkinhead Ale (bottle) - Shipyard Brewing (Portland, ME)
Handy's Gold Ale (can) - Singin' River Brewing (Florence, AL)
Sand Island Lighthouse kolsch (can) - Straight to Ale Brewing (Huntsville, AL)
Waterkeeper hefeweizen (bottle) - Sweetwater Brewing (Atlanta)
Nomad de Weisse Evil Twin Brew
Pub Ale from Tallgrass Brewing

With my sister-in-law, Paige, who is not a beer drinker but does love root beer we found Not Your Father's Root Beer - Small Town Brewing (Wauconda, IL)

Stopped by the new Tailgate Brewing in Nashville with Ashlee and I had their PB and J stout and their chili-infused HOT IPA which was great.  These guys are coming on strong since my last visit!

Had this tasty and hoppy 8-Bit Pale Ale from Tallgrass Brewing (KS) from a Mt. Juliet Brewing variety pack while at an empty-house party for our friends, Chris and Tarryn, who have moved back north.    I followed that with Trooper English Bitter from Robinsons Brewing out of Manchester, England that was OK.  It's can was cooler since it had an Iron Maiden moniker on it.  Next was an Icelandic Pale Ale from the great Icelandic brewery, Einstok Olgerd.  I finished with the 16-bit Double Pale Ale from Tallgrass which was dreamy, hoppy stuff as well.

I had a Sixty-One IPA from Dogfish Head (Delaware) while at lunch at Tony's Pasta in Chattanooga.

At dinner at Pomodoro East in East Nashville I had a # 21 Moe's Backroom Pale Ale out of Winery Exchange (huh?) in California.  The flavor wasn't as long as the lame name.

I took a trip to West TN to see my best friend, Craig, who lives in  Paris and to check out his town's newest craft brewery, Perrylodgic.  While at the tasting room I had their Screaming Eagle IPA and their Poseidon's Steed golden ale.  Both were excellent.  This place has some real potential!  Congrats, Craig, on having such a great craft brewery so close to home!

I headed on over to Tunica after my visit with Craig and got in the Saturday poker tournament at The Horseshoe and made the final table with a 7th place finish!!  I traveled back Sunday via the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway from Tupelo, MS all the way back to Nashville.  This was my favorite mile-marker since it's my favorite poker hand.

This was my sweet rental ride for my trip to Tunica and back.  Really enjoyed it and couldn't definitely see a convertible version in my future!

I will finish up the this report by logging in that during a fantasy football draft I had a Hipster Repellent IPA from Falls City Brewing in Louisville, KY. It was in a bottle unfortunately and not a "draft".  I am so funny... Loved the beer name and really liked the beer.

from Tommorrowland to Kansas City and Back Again

On our way to see the new IMAX film, Tomorrowland, I stopped at Hop Stop over in East Nashville with Ashlee.  I have been here several times, but this was her first visit.  I had the Wet Hot American Wheat from Finch's (Chicago), then Damascene Apricot Sour Ale from Tin Man Brewing (Evansville, IN) and a sip of Ashlee's Pear Harvest Smokey Treat from Calfkiller Brewing (Sparta, TN)

By the way, the food at The Hop Stop is as outstanding as their beer selections.
This is their Chicago Dog

Speaking of finally taking someone somewhere, after several trips on her own with work, I finally got to go to Kansas City with Ashlee,  That makes it down to only four states I haven't visited with Kansas now crossed off.  Of course, there's a lot of beer in KC as well!!

Lunch was at a gas station/BBQ joint called Joe's where I had the "burnt-ends"  daily special along with red beans and rice and a Pop-Up IPA from KC's own Boulevard Brewing.  Hey, I wasn't on the clock!

After work, we stopped by Boulevard Brewing for a couple of flights - I had the Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, the 80-acre Hoppy Wheat, the Tasting Room Red IPA, the Heavy Lifting IPA and sips of Ashlee's Pale Ale and KC Pils(ner).  All were tasty.

Next stop was McCoy's Public House where I had pony half-pints of their Hogpound Brown and Newcom's IPA, plus a sip of Ashlee's Raspberry Wheat and a final pony of their Oatmeal Stout. All were very solid.

The next day we headed east to Columbia, Missouri and had dinner at the Flat Branch Pub and Brewing in Columbia.  The generous flight of six of their own  beers included the Sorachi Ace Pale Ale, the Katy Trail Pale Ale, Ed's IPA, the Green Chili Beer (my fav of the trip),the  Oil Change Oatmeal Stout and their Vanilla Bean Ale.  Food was good too.  Great place and a very cool little college town.

We closed the evening after a great concert by Butch Walker nearby, up on The Roof of the Doubletree Hotel where we were staying and I had the Double Rye IPA from the local Broadway Brewery on a beautiful Missouri full-moon night.

Ashlee surprised me with an awesome ice-cream cake from Baskin-Robbins.
The design was fabulous and made me thirsty, so I cut the sweetness with a Crabbie's Ginger Beer.

Back in Nashville the introducing each other to new stuff continued as I took Ashlee to Butchertown Hall  for dinner and a Sounds baseball game in their new stadium.  I had the Golden Ale from my favorite local brewery, Cool Springs. Then I had the wonderfully-hoppy Soul Style American IPA from Green Flash Brewing (San Diego, CA).



I had a variety six-pack at home from the always-great Mt. Juliet Beer Company. This group included the Bearded Lady witbier from Good People Brewing (Birmingham, AL), the Suzy B blonde ale from Southern Prohibition Brewing (Hattiesburg, MS), the Shiner (TX) Prickly Pear fruit beer, the Rambler pale ale from Green Man Brewery (Asheville, NC), the Introvert IPA from Left Hand Brewing (Longmont, CO) and finally the Melonhead fruit (watermelon) beer from Shipyard Brewing (Portland, ME). I liked it, but Ashlee loved it, and has proclaimed it her "beer of Summer 2015." We bought a case of it to prove it...




Cool cat - cold beer - good times.

Goes great with fish on the patio!!

We made it back to Bonnaroo this year for a one-day VIP visit, but the only new beer I had there was a  Jibe Session IPA from Green Flash (San Diego). 

That same week we attended a Rolling Stones concert at LP Field/Nissan Stadium in Nashville. We did some tailgating beforehand and I brought along some Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale from Back Forty Beer Company (Gadsden, AL) and the Hop Dang Diggity American IPA from Jekyll Brewing (Alpharetta, GA). Both were excellent, as were Mick and the boys despite their ages.

It's only beer and rock-and-roll, but I like it...