Beer Gnoshing in Nashville

Back in December, a field trip to Blackstone Brewery in Nashville to help with a special brewpub batch was proposed to us (Yard Dog Brewing & Beat 12). Once schedules and spouses were consulted, permission slips were signed, and arrangements were made. We traveled North on the weekend of Feb 21-23 to learn and experience how to brew on a commercial scale. I even danced with the notion of what it might be like to become a professional brewer myself. With the stars aligned in the 12th House of  Carcer (The House of Self-Undoing), we stared back, defiantly, into Pisces's cold glass eyes, and ventured forth through the ominous horizon. As the black night closed in, it wasn't long into our journey that we faced our first test. We knew there was a rain storm headed our way, but that wasn't going to stop us. In fact, we were awed by the brilliant flashes of lightning that illuminated the landscape at he Al-TN border. It felt like we were being chased by the papparazzi, desperate to get an expose on the hottest new brewers in the biz. But when the buzz of my cell phone alerted us with a WEA (Wireless Emergency Alert) of a tornado warning in the area, we contracted the glutes a little tighter. With the threat of an EF-2 tornado looming, we did what any person would have done with visions of hop pellets dancing in their heads. We drove on. Aeolus's gusts did their best to sway us off path, but thanks to the expertise and white knuckle driving of Beat 12 at the helm, our determination and course remained true. After only fifteen minutes of the heavy stuff, we passed through harm's way and cruised into port. With Junk's abode acting as home base for our weekend brewing extravaganza, we set our coordinates to his house. But, due to a dinner date gone well, Junk was indisposed at the time. So, we changed course for the nearest watering hole to wait for our gracious host to make his escape. Cool Springs Brewery provided safe harbor from our travels, and a good setting to get our mind right for the brewing and beer gnoshing about to take place in the Music City. The coconut porter was first up. The coconut oil flavor seemed more akin to a mixed drink on a beach, rather than to a hulking courier I expected. Not for my palate. After only one round, Junk was able to free himself from Calypso's captivity, and guided us to his place. When we arrived, Junk opened up his beer stash, to welcome us. We graciously slurped down a few into a peaceful apathy, when he delivered the news. Due to a procedural hiccup, that led to a change in the brewing schedule, we would not be able to brew that special batch at Blackstone's Brew Pub. We shrugged off any disappointment, and were happy to be sharing a cold one amongst friends. The next day, we set out to the production and bottling facility of Blackstone Brewery, and received the tour. Thanks Arto! We witnessed the bevy of activity of a commercial brewery. I fully expected to spot Laverne and Shirley pop up behind the bottling line. And even though we were not able to get a steam facial from the boil, or stuffed sinuses with hoppy goodness, Head-Brewer, Red, was able to pull off a QC sample for us.

Mmm, tasty. Can't get much fresher than that. Truly the VIP treatment. Thirsty to taste more, we headed to Bosco's for dinner. Immediately, I opted for the Poor Richard's Ale, a recreation of a revolutionary era, Benny Frank quaff. The smooth malty body went exceptionally well with the molasses, and minimal hop flavor. So smooth, in fact, I would have gladly volunteered for the Minutemen militia if they offered a case as compensation to fight those bloody Redcoats. Beat 12 may have blogged about this particular tasting before, but it's worth mentioning again. So with the tap room tasting trail on tap for tomorrow, we headed home to rest up. The next day, once our driver to arrived, we headed out. First up was Yazoo. When we walked in, the tap room was filled with a buzz of people. I felt like I was back in my college years. Was that Bluto over there next to the taps? Even the logo shaped flight board reminded me of some new beer pong game. Moved with the energy of the place, I started in full gusto, and out of the six beers, the Sly Rye Porter came out on top for me. Although, within our group, the much hyped Dos Perros was too light in body and mouthfeel for me. With the first tasting under our belts, we hoisted our sails for the next stop, Jackalope Brewing Company. Actually, we walked. It was right around the corner (0.2 miles to be Goggle Maps exact). Right away, the framed oil paintings, and taxidermed jackalope heads on the wall, toned down the feel. The T-shirt selection had a soft cotton underbelly of vintage chic. If I could liken our first stop to my undergraduate years, this space was more like grad school. A bit more quiet and cerebral to get some serious thinking (tasting) done. I ordered the flight again. I appreciated the minimalist presentation of a board with only burrowed out notches for the tasting glasses, but was disappointed that there was only four. I did enjoy the Bear Walker Maple Brown. The flavor was not too sweet, and gave me a yearning for flapjacks. The Leghorn Rye IPA was nice, but even for this Non-Hop-Head, Malt-Mouth, I felt the aroma and bitterness were too delicate. I was lured back to the aesthetically pleasing apparel line, but my cohorts tied me to the mast, and reminded me that this trip was all about the beer. We moved on. The next stop was a relative new player in the Nashville brewing scene, Tennessee Brew Works. Right away, the well designed tap room gave many options for seating. We of course took our mash paddle flights, and plopped down inside the brewery, at one of the tables next to the vats. I felt like I wasn't in a bar, and for this homebrew geek, that felt cool. I highly enjoyed the Cutaway IPA, in my opinion, the best IPA of the day. I could of had more, but with one more brewery to visit, and the troops on the prowl for the sacred cattle to feed their hunger, we quickly piled into the van. We made our way to Black Abbey Brewing Company. Once again, we found ourselves immersed in a brewery setting, rather than a bar. The enormous space had the fermentors and tuns tucked away on one side, and us corralled in another corner. The wide open spaces I assumed were for expansion. I was blown away by the largest flight selection of the trip, and immediately focused in on the Potus 44. A robust coffee infused beer created in honor of the Commander in Chief himself. Quite delicious. With my own hunger pangs creeping in, and time running short on our driver, this abbey visit was cut all too short. So, regardfully, we made our way home, and slayed our hunger, and more good beer. Thanks, and Peace Nashville.