Schafly Brewery

So I decided to post. It's been awhile guys. This doesn't mean that I have not been drinking beer it just means I am not slowing down enough to compose my thoughts and write them down.
  We took a short weekend in St Louis and stopped by Schafly Brewery for a taste. As you enter the tap room you'll notice two areas to enjoy a brew. We took the one to the right. There are twelve taps to choose from and since I would be driving later that day I decided on a white lager. This beer was not the average lager that you normally buy from St Louis, if you know what I mean. It provided that smooth lager taste light and airy with a subtle hint of citris and tartness that is reminiscent of a sour.
Matt gives the Schafly white a 3.5 of 5

Here's some pics of our visit.

Kayaking and Beer: The Dynamic Duo.

What better way to spend a lovely end of summer Saturday than with good beer and a kayak on the river? I honestly can't think of much! That's just how I intended on enjoying two excellent craft brews, one even being a Nashville, TN native. We started our relaxing river excursion at the Narrows of the Harpeth in Pegram, TN. A beautiful and easy 3 hour paddle from point A to point B with no worry to be had......

 Brew Numero Uno: Terrapin Maggie's Peach Farmhouse Ale

 

This was such a refreshing ale, while not entering the realm of "wine-cooler status" with its peachy flavor. The seasonal ale from Terrapin has a delicate balance of hops with peaches and spices that give it delicious and noticeably fruity flavor and aroma, yet the Golding hops used in the brew keep that sweetness from becoming undesirable for my preferences. Albeit I probably would not grab this brew anytime other than summer activities, but hey... that's is probably why the Georgian Brewmasters dubbed it a seasonal. If you have any more activities to be had for the remainder of the summer, grab yourself a case of these and enjoy! 

Taylor gives this brew a 3 out of 5

Check out that Tennessee Sunset on the Harpeth River.

As the evening wound down to the end, we sat and enjoyed the sunset, and yet another delicious beer from our local Blackberry Farm Brewery.

Blackberry Farm puts out some good beer. This Screaming Cock Pale Ale is no exception. I myself prefer a pale ale or its distant cousin the IPA, so obviously I have high recommendations for such. I was quite surprised to find such a fruity first impression with this, that I just couldn't place my finger on. Upon research I couldn't really find much info on it, other than the questionable source that mentioned fruity tones of raisins and dried plums. Honestly, I can concur with that. Whether it be the power of suggestion, or the uncertain facts that may exist, I do not know. Despite not knowing anything about this brew, (Hops used, potential dried fruits, etc.) I honestly don't give a flying feather. Its a darn good pale ale and you'd be slightly crazed to pass this one up.

I, Taylor, drop a whopping 4 out of 5 for this angry chicken.

Narrows of the Harpeth time lapse

     

The Great Smoky Mountains and Good Beer

As a marriage approaches, a bachelor's trip is usually planned. Mine took place in Gatlinburg,TN this past weekend with some very good friends of mine! The Appalachians showed us a good time, and obviously good craft beer was consumed....

                                                                            Day 1

After the long 5 hour drive to the cabin, it was time to unwind and relax as we awaited the remainder of the crew to arrive. Yazoo's SUE was the brew of choice. This Imperial Smoked Porter is quite magnificent. Yazoo claims it to be a "big, rich, smoky malt bomb of a beer" and that it is. By smoking the barley malts over cherry wood, they achieve that immediate smoky flavor. It almost reminds me of delicious smoked bacon, and come on... who doesn't love that? It has a nice hoppy finish that come from the Galena and Perle hops used in this brew as well. Overall a good beer.
                                            I, Taylor, give Yazoo a 3.5 out of 5 on this porter.

Day 2

Up next was Delirium's Deliria Blond Belgium Ale. This beer was a bit ironic to have on this trip. After a day of hiking, spirited driving on mountain switchbacks, and seeing a black bear, this was a great ending adventure for my palette. The irony lies in the fact that this ale is brewed once a year to mark International Women's Day, and a group of sweaty, testosterone filled men enjoyed it. ( I honestly could've taken that bear on had it been necessary. ) Despite minuscule ironies, this is one good Blond Belgium. The pale blond color is exactly what you'd expect in this style of ale. ( Yet more irony. ) The aroma has a pleasant fruity background, almost mimicking a white wine with some hops thrown in for good measure. The flavor is similar, with fruity apple tones and a mild bitter finish. In the words of Ferris Bueller, "It's so choice, that if you have the means I highly recommend picking one up".

4 out of 5 for this Ale.

Please enjoy these sights from Day 2.

Cades Cove

 Black Bear

 Abrams Falls

Day 3

Ah, the final leg of our sojourn. Before we packed up and headed home, we stopped in to Smoky Mountain Brewery for some darn good beer. If you're ever in Gatlinburg, you have to make a stop here and try some beer. I did a 5 beer sampler and had choices between the Brew-master's specials, which included a citrus IPA and a rosemary infused Wit Wheat Ale, as well as the appropriately named Black Bear Ale and Smoky Mountain Honey Saison, all recommended by our waiter Joe. However, their Dark Ale Porter was what I found myself continually sipping. This desire became fertile, and gave birth to a growler...

5 out of 5 for great pricing, outstanding service, and wonderful brews. 

Thank you Smoky Mountain Brewery!

All said and done, Gatlinburg, TN is a great place for anyone wanting to get away to the eastern mountains. And good beer can easily be found there awaiting a glass to fill. Arrivederci my fellow craft beer enthusiasts and adventurers.

Smoky Mountain Brewery Facebook

Some images provided by : capture615

Oskar Blues' Pinner Throwback IPA

I came across this brew by total random happenstance. Due to my mountain climbing, outdoors-man background, the label drew me in with phrases such as "Pack it in, Pack it out" and "infinitely recyclable".
...But enough hippie mumbo-jumbo! This is an impressive IPA indeed! I'm not one to consider an IPA "refreshing" per say, but this is just that. This is due to the wonderful variety of hops that Oskar Blues has concocted, inciting flavors and aromas of tropical and citrus fruits, pineapple being a dominate flavor.Yet, the finish is smooth and nutty, a common aftertaste among IPA's. Fruitiness aside, this beer maintains that bold IPA "hop" that we know and love. All things considered, an IPA isn't my first, or heck...even third choice to end activities such as a good 5.11 climb or long hike, or even simply mowing my lawn. However, I feel as though this beauty would easily fill the beer void on such occasions.

So I applaud you Oskar Blues Brewery, for giving me a change of heart on when I feel an IPA is appropriate.
Henceforth, I, Taylor, give this beer a confident 3.5 out of 5. A worthy rating for any brew of this stature.

Evil Twin Brewing + Blackberry Farm Brewery's From Tennessee with Smoke Smoked Farmhouse Ale

So first of all, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Taylor, Son of Matt, and I am putting my metaphorical "2 cents" into this blog. I feel like some life needs to be brought back into the fun we have here, even if it be some years later. So let's start with a brief rundown of my day, only then to be followed by a review of the aforementioned brew. Let us begin...
My day was filled with a hard day at work, topped off with building stresses from my upcoming wedding, only to be followed by the realization of my bank account hitting an all time low. All up until the moment i popped the cork on this delicious Smoked Farmhouse Ale by Evil Twin Brewing and Blackberry Farm Brewery. All my troubles were drowned away in the smokey aroma that filled my sniffer. As a Tennessee native, I can confidently say that the nail on this brew was hit directly on the head. Aside from the sensation of smelling a slow smoked rack of ribs come from a bottle, the flavor profile was just as exquisite. Not in a "Holy crap what am i drinking" kinda way. Rather, It was a sensation that was thoroughly enjoyed. As mentioned, this ale has a intoxicating smokiness that only seems to be compared to the BBQ from the state it was created in. A full bodied flavor was to follow, finished off with a smooth aftertaste.

My knowledge on beer is at present limited, but i give this beer a 3 out of 5 stars by itself. However, should you choose to accept, pair this Ale with a perfectly seared steak, and that 3 jumps up a grade to a 4.

Steak anyone?

Rappell, Beer, in that order.

So Zech tells me a couple years back that he enjoys lead climbing and rappelling. I'm thinking to myself that would be great fun, but having no equipment and too many irons in the fire already, I figure its a dream never to be realized. While in Utah we do a little rope work up to a cave in the side of the cliffs surrounding the little glacier lake we packed up to for a couple days, this really gets me thinking. For Zech its all in a days work as a master rope tech and firefighter.
Flash forward a year. We go camping to Fall Creek Falls State Park in TN, Zech brings his gear and we do some rappelling and climbing. Drink some good beers around the campfire. One of these was Porkslap Pale Ale.

 This Pale Ale is brought to you by Butternuts Beer and Ale and is a refreshing A.P.A.. Since we were camping I drank it straight from the red cup. It had a distinct Pale Ale flavor with a bite of something else. After checking Butternuts website I found that this was fresh ginger.I truly enjoyed this paired with the Brats on a stick over the fire. Matts rating? 3.5 out of 5.

Spring another year forward we find ourselves back at Fall Creek Falls. this time taking on a 135' rappell. check out my view from halfway down the rope.

 It was a blast! After that a good refreshing beer was in order and so I went for...

It was just that. A refreshing Wheat Ale with a nice soft infusion of blueberry. I am still not a sweets fan so this beer was a pleasant taste of beer and blueberry without pushing itself to wine cooler status. I would not drink this everyday but my preference still leans toward a dark hoppy beer, with that being said, this would define what a blueberry wheat should taste like. Thanks Sea Dog you've made a believer. Matt rates it a 3 out of 5.