Stealing that line from Elton John seems suitable for another example of whats wrong with Tennessee and the strict beer laws we choose to enforce. I heard this rumor last week while visiting with the owner of a small brewery in western North Carolina. Apparently the rumor is real and we loose again. When will our legislators realize that Georgia, North Carolina and other surrounding states have left Tennessee in their dust?
I found out this summer when registering for the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp contest that we trailed behind the rest of the nation. Only Tennessee and Alabama residents were ineligible for this nation wide contest. I'll follow up on that in a future post. So Volunteer State residents cue up Elton and sing along as the all the new construction cranks up just 90 miles to the east.
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20111014/NEWS01/310140030/Big-brewer-could-bring-140-jobs-Asheville-area?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Frontpage|s
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Knoxville Brewfest 2011
This past Saturday we enjoyed a hot summer night at the 1st KBF at Southern Railway Depot. Great event at a historic venue with lots of crafts brews to sample for a $35 entry fee. There were so many different beers to try we've had a hard time remembering them all.
Some that stood out were Smoky Mtn. Brewery's Scottish Ale. Marty Velas, why are you holding out on us? Put that one on your taps! Bluegrass Brewing's Bourbon Barrel Ales were a treat. Wolf Hills Amber Ale was a nice surprise from a newcomer to our area. Hope they come again, or better yet go visit them in Abingdon, VA. Highland Brewing's 'Cattail Peak Wheat' is a true summer refresher.We'll be sure to bring some home with us here to 'Beertown'. Lazy Magnolia Brewing's 'Reb Ale' was enjoyed since we personally love the Kolsch/Golden Ale style and speaking of Kolsch, the one from Chattanooga Brewing Co. was quite tasty. Almost as good as their seasonals we've enjoyed at the brewery. We always head for Sweetwater 'Georgia Brown Ale' when available, and we're glad they were. We had our first Boulders Beers' 'Hazed and Infused' with surprisingly pleasant hoppy results. We were glad Yazoo was there with Hop Project and Dos Perros, but we had to wait the entire festival until 'Sue' was tapped near the end. If you haven't tried one yet you are in for an indescribable experience.
Another pleasant surprise was 'Kilt Lifter' Scottish Ale from Moylan. Never heard of it before this event but we'll be sure to look for it again. Also, don't feel too bad for Woodruff Brewing being left of the guest list. We had their great IPA at the Dead End BBQ tent. Marble City's Amber Ale was good from Knoxville's newest brewer.
One final mention is to our friends and hopefully new neighbors with Sierra Nevada Brewing. The whole crew at their tent could not have been more fun and friendly to talk beer with. We tried all they brought and enjoyed them all, especially 'Bigfoot' We've always wanted to try a barley wine and that one was worth the wait. Excellent!
Job well done Bearden Beer Market! With very few complaints and lots of great sampling, we'll be looking forward to next year and the next and yes, 'jammers' Knoxville can and should host more than one successful Beer Festival, maybe more.
Some that stood out were Smoky Mtn. Brewery's Scottish Ale. Marty Velas, why are you holding out on us? Put that one on your taps! Bluegrass Brewing's Bourbon Barrel Ales were a treat. Wolf Hills Amber Ale was a nice surprise from a newcomer to our area. Hope they come again, or better yet go visit them in Abingdon, VA. Highland Brewing's 'Cattail Peak Wheat' is a true summer refresher.We'll be sure to bring some home with us here to 'Beertown'. Lazy Magnolia Brewing's 'Reb Ale' was enjoyed since we personally love the Kolsch/Golden Ale style and speaking of Kolsch, the one from Chattanooga Brewing Co. was quite tasty. Almost as good as their seasonals we've enjoyed at the brewery. We always head for Sweetwater 'Georgia Brown Ale' when available, and we're glad they were. We had our first Boulders Beers' 'Hazed and Infused' with surprisingly pleasant hoppy results. We were glad Yazoo was there with Hop Project and Dos Perros, but we had to wait the entire festival until 'Sue' was tapped near the end. If you haven't tried one yet you are in for an indescribable experience.
Another pleasant surprise was 'Kilt Lifter' Scottish Ale from Moylan. Never heard of it before this event but we'll be sure to look for it again. Also, don't feel too bad for Woodruff Brewing being left of the guest list. We had their great IPA at the Dead End BBQ tent. Marble City's Amber Ale was good from Knoxville's newest brewer.
One final mention is to our friends and hopefully new neighbors with Sierra Nevada Brewing. The whole crew at their tent could not have been more fun and friendly to talk beer with. We tried all they brought and enjoyed them all, especially 'Bigfoot' We've always wanted to try a barley wine and that one was worth the wait. Excellent!
Job well done Bearden Beer Market! With very few complaints and lots of great sampling, we'll be looking forward to next year and the next and yes, 'jammers' Knoxville can and should host more than one successful Beer Festival, maybe more.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Getting started!
First of I all I need to credit the title of this blog to avoid any legal issues. A high school classmate of mine, thanks Paul Googe, used that phrase and I sort of adopted it. It says all that needs be said. My other favorite quote is 'When all's been said and done, more ha usually been said than done'.
Moving on, I want to mention whats going on with the craft beer industry. There's a lot of whining about the movement of some craft breweries withdrawing from certain retail markets. They say they can't meet the demand in their home markets so they are pulling out of areas outside of their demographic region. Great move! In the early days of brewing, local breweries were just that. LOCAL. Only the residents and travelers enjoyed the local brew. If you liked something you couldn't enjoy back home you took some with you or returned for more. What a great impact on the local economy. It will work even better today. I love traveling to other cities and bringing back what I can't get here at home and believe me here in Tennessee, our selections are slim. I call the south the beer drought zone although things in North Carolina are getting better.
I remember visiting my Father's family farm in Westmoreland County Pennsylvania, when I was young. I was amazed at the presence of the local brews I had never heard of. Stoneys, Iron City, Duquesne, Rolling Rock and others were alien to me. I was in awe of the local dedication to these brands. I brought back some of each every summer to the amazement of my friends. They referred to my stash as 'weird beers'. I wonder what they think now when they see the selections from Yazoo and Sweetwater in the coolers of local stores. Soon they can enjoy fresh offerings from Marble City and Chattanooga Brewing Co. I hope they do.
Cheers and let us hear from you!
Moving on, I want to mention whats going on with the craft beer industry. There's a lot of whining about the movement of some craft breweries withdrawing from certain retail markets. They say they can't meet the demand in their home markets so they are pulling out of areas outside of their demographic region. Great move! In the early days of brewing, local breweries were just that. LOCAL. Only the residents and travelers enjoyed the local brew. If you liked something you couldn't enjoy back home you took some with you or returned for more. What a great impact on the local economy. It will work even better today. I love traveling to other cities and bringing back what I can't get here at home and believe me here in Tennessee, our selections are slim. I call the south the beer drought zone although things in North Carolina are getting better.
I remember visiting my Father's family farm in Westmoreland County Pennsylvania, when I was young. I was amazed at the presence of the local brews I had never heard of. Stoneys, Iron City, Duquesne, Rolling Rock and others were alien to me. I was in awe of the local dedication to these brands. I brought back some of each every summer to the amazement of my friends. They referred to my stash as 'weird beers'. I wonder what they think now when they see the selections from Yazoo and Sweetwater in the coolers of local stores. Soon they can enjoy fresh offerings from Marble City and Chattanooga Brewing Co. I hope they do.
Cheers and let us hear from you!
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