I-P-A RIVER: Brewdogs and Five Stripes

Some choices in life are easy....

6/27 - I took a kind of last minute day off from work today to take a day trip to Atlanta to catch a TV show taping of "Brew Dogs" at Scofflaw Brewing with my friend, Nate. My friend, Rex, who lives in Atlanta also met us there to check it out.

After three successful seasons on the now-defunct Esquire Network, the BrewDog folks have created their own network to continue their popular series into its fourth season. They were in Nashville for season three, but Nate and I missed that one, so when they announced Atlanta was on the slate next, we decided to make the mini-pilgrimage.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare, so we might as well drink! I started with their Drop Kick IPA which was excellent. Next up I had a pint of their Interrogation Stout which was pretty good. I ended my bought-beer night at the brewery with a nice half-pint of Haole Hoppy Pilsner which UNTAPPD actually lists as an IPA.

The stars of the show, Martin Dickie (left) and James Watt, and the founders of the ultra-successful Brew Dog Brewing in Scotland, took to the stage with a beautiful sunset backdrop after some icky afternoon storms. They handed out the beer they created here in Atlanta in cooperation with Scofflaw Brewing. Like an illegal rolling casino, they brewed the beer in the back of truck going down I-285 (also technically illegal,evidently) and then destroyed the evidence by taking the truck immediately to the demo yard and having us consume all the beer they produced in about an hour tonight. It was a rather tasty bourbon-infused peaches IPA that was much lighter than I expected. We all got a couple free samples to try and voted as a group that we would "Drink It!!" Nate and I took turns driving the long trek home and he took the first shift, so I could sip on a can of Scofflaw's Double Basement imperial IPA that was a tasty way to cap off a long, but very fun day.

6/29 - I had the day off today and met my long-time best friend, Craig, at Homegrown Taproom this afternoon for lunch and the start of a Nashville beer crawl before attending the Predators Future Stars Game tonight at the Bridgstone Arena. I started with a tasty pint of Hurricane Saison from NOLA Brewing (LA) and even got a free glass with the purchase. Like I need another beer glass, but, hey, thanks Homegrown and NOLA Brewing! I finished with a decent Hop Bursted IPA from Blue Pants Brewery (AL) that I thought could have been bursting with a few more hops. The most interesting beer I had was just a sip of Craig's half-pint of Plum Sour ale from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville. The color (photo above) was stunning and it was actually more tart than sour, so not too bad on my palette.

We Ubered downtown next with our first stop being Alley Taps in famous Printer's Alley. I haven't been here before and wanted to check it out. The place was a little dead when we got there, but packed by the time we left. They have a decent line-up of craft beers on tap albeit a little pricey. The 2-for-1 special going on helped out. My friend, Nate, joined us here also and was going to the game with us tonight using Ashlee's ticket who decided to skip in lieu of hanging out at home. I ordered a Mixed Media ale from Dogfish Head Brewery (DE) first and was not impressed with how close it tasted to a wine spritzer. Craig and I traded beers since he got a SMASH - Mosaic IPA from Good People Brewing (AL) that was over-hoppy to him and perfect for me! We both chose the tasty Hollow Pointe Dunkel as our BOGO pints from Hollow Pointe Brewing here in Nashville. We walked to our next destination which was the rooftop bar of City Tap. It had some great views (photo above) but the hot temps kept us inside to drink. Their beer menu was a little limited upstairs, so I chose a Sculpin IPA which I know I have had before, but never checked into UNTAPPD for some reason.

We moved on to Bridgestone for the game next which was fast-paced and enjoyable. Craig and I held off from any more beer during the game since we had to both drive to my house afterwards.

With general admission seating and not a huge crowd in attendance, we were able to get choice seats for the inter-squad game where the Gold Team outlasted the Blue Team 5-2. Keep an eye out for center Zach Magwood, the 20-year-old who had a hat trick for the Gold Team.

After the game and back at the house we cracked open a couple of Bourbon Barrel Stouts (awesome custom label in photo above) from Craig's hometown brewery, Perrylodgic, in Paris, TN. It was boozy and excellent and made a great night-cap. Thanks for the tasty brew, Craig!

6/30 - We continued our weekend of sports with another trip (for me) back to The ATL for an Atlanta United MLS game vs. the Orlando City FC. We were also going to do an Atlanta beer crawl before and after the game as well which started at STATS Brewpub where I had the (what else?) Atlanta Brewnited Pale Ale which is made here and was pretty good. My friend, Rex, joined us for our second round where I had an OK Shooter McGavin Wit also made here. This lively sports bar and brew pub was just a short walk from our very nice Hotel Indigo and the new Mercedes-Benz Dome where the ATL UTD play.

Our next stop was just a couple doors down at Der Biergarten which sits atop a Waffle House (can you say Nirvana!). We would be visiting downstairs after the game.

I had a nice "small" glass of Warsteiner Premium Dunkel (Munich, Germany) which was ice cold and very smooth.

It was on to the game next. Wow, what a scene! Awesome new domed stadium, 70K-plus fans streaming in, pep squads going loud and raucous, hot but beautiful weather, and a hot first-place team. What else can you ask for??

Man, what a night! My first ATL UTD game in person with two good friends. Great seats and a RESOUNDING 4-0 win with my favorite player, Miguel Almiron, scoring two of them right in front of us. And they also had a great beer right near our seats with a Wicked Weed Brewing (Asheville, NC) stand. I had their smooth and new-to-me Lunatic Blonde ale and another of their always-great Pernicious IPAs during the match.
(Editor's Note: I am proud to say we saw the eventual 2018 MLS Cup Champs tonight as The Five Stripes took it all on December 8, 2018!)

We got a bite at the aforementioned Waffle House after the game and then strolled back to the hotel to turn in after a long day. A lot of people give Atlanta shit, but in reality it's a real "peach" of a city in my opinion. I can't wait to come back for another ATL adventure!!

So proud to be a part of this historic night!!

7/1 - We had a lazy morning watching some World Cup from our beds in the hotel, but before heading back from Atlanta. We got one more chance for some good beer before leaving with a noon brunch on the rooftop at 9 Mile Station. Rex met us again and we were all impressed with the amazing view, the delicious food and top-notch beer list.

There were so many unique beers on the 9 Mile Station beer menu, that I opted for a flight that formed quite the pretty pattern. I drank the lightest two first starting with the second from the bottom brew, The Keeper's Veil Honey Saison from Burial Beer Company in Asheville, NC, that was terrific. Next was the light and super-citrusy Tiki Time IPA from Creature Comforts Brewing here in Atlanta. My first dark beer was the excellent jet-black bottom brew, the Ulfberht Baltic Porter also from Burial Brewing. I thought it tasted more like a lager which is what the 9 Mile Station menu called it, but UNTAPPD does not. I finished with a delectable nitro Pog Mo Thoin dry Irish stout from Hourglass Brewing (FL). I also had a taste of Rex's interesting Bug Zapper sour ale from Avery Brewing (CO) which I thought was pretty good because it was actually more minty to my palette than sour. Again, the 9 Mile Station folks know their beer because they did not list it as a "sour" on their menu which would drive some people (like me) away from it without trying it.
After lunch we also stopped downstairs at a great beer tap (try 150 of them!) store where I got something to take home and share with the wife. More on that later in this post.

Thank you Atlanta for some great times, some great beer and a desire to return as soon as possible!

7/2 - I went and saw the Sicario, Day of the Soldaro, tonight at the Roxy Theaters here in town. It was pretty decent for a sequel. Hey, Upgrade marketing team, now THIS is how you do a good movie poster!

Since the 4th of July fell in the middle of the week this year, we had a pretty quiet day at home...but that doesn't mean I didn't crack a couple new-to-me beers!

First up was a crowler of the excellent Allagash Tripel from Allagash Brewing (ME) that I shared with my wife, Ashlee. I got this on my recent trip to Atlanta at The Tap on Ponce which has about 150 taps for beer on the go. Next up was a bomber bottle of Moo-tella 2017 stout from Terrapin Brewing (GA). This was a 2017 Reserve made with Olive and Sinclair chocolate from here in Nashville. Thanks to Ashlee for this great Christmas present that we finally found occasion to consume it and it was the worth the wait...delicious! I also had a couple sips of Ashlee's Framboise Rose Gose from Anderson Valley Brewing (CA). It was a little tart, but not overly sour as I was fearing.