Big River Grille & Brewery
Chattanooga, TN
Tues. 4/29/08, 1:30pm
[open]
Restaurant chain owned by Gordon Biersch.
House Brews:
Southern Flyer Light Lager
Vienna Lager
Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale (B)
Seven States Pilsner
Imperial 375 Pale Ale
House Brand IPA (J)
Iron House Stout
Lookout Lemon Lager
Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale: Solid dark reddish black. Thick pale brown head. Very malty aroma. Gently hopped. Nice mouthfeel and carbonation. Decent body. Both malts and hops represent in the swallow, and surprisingly the malts also stick around in the finish. It's a nice consistent taste in the mouth and down the hatch. What the beer is missing is memorability. It's a good everyday brown ale. 8.2
IPA: Medium copper color. Malty aroma. The initial taste is malty, and the hops show up in the swallow. The thick head disappears relatively quickly. There is a hoppy aftertaste. Body is pretty good. It's not a bad beer, but the tastes don't work out that well together to make it a very good beer. When it warms up, the malts weaken. 8.2
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Blackstone's Brewing, 4/28/08
Blackstone's Brewing
Nashville, TN
Mon. 4/28/08, 1:30pm
[open]
House Brews:
Chaser Pale
Nut Brown Ale
Red Springs Ale
St. Charles Porter (J)
Maibock (B)
IPA (J)
Cask-conditioned Porter (B)
Cask-conditioned Porter: Deep dark garnet red. Head on the smallish side. Aroma is a woodsy and honey smell. Served warmer than customary. Pleasant carbonation. Body just a hair on the thin side - a minor flaw. The woodsy-sweet aroma translates into the flavor. Hops are muted. Malts are well represented but the most noticeable flavor is the wood from the cask. It's very drinkable, but I'm not sure you want your serving vessel to be the sole star. John & I agree to a taste of the original award-winning porter is in order. 8.2
IPA: A very minor head. Color is a little lighter than the average IPA. Although the beer is hoppy, the initial impression is malty. One thing that's odd is that the hops don't always show up at the same time in different swallows. It's a very drinkable beer - not the most complicated or interesting beer, but enjoyable. Body is very slightly on the light side - it's a minor complaint. Not a classic, but not bad at all. 8.4
Porter (uncasked): Looks the same as the casked version. Slightly less of a head. This is a better beer without the cask The malt and hops got to show up and are not buried in the wood. The beer's personality gets to shine through. Now I see why this is a medal winner. 8.6
Maibock: Smells more Belgian than Bavarian. Very citrusy and fruity. Color, carbonation and head consistent with typical American skunk-piss beers. The flavor - thank God - is very tasty. The body is spot on. I think this beer has made acquaintance with a monkey from PA. Yummy. A tad more hops in the finish than a true Belgian. This beer was tapped within the past 2 days so it's nice and fresh. I can't really find too many flaws, other than it's probably mis-labelled as a Maibock. 20 minutes later and the carbonation is still strong. 8.8
Nashville, TN
Mon. 4/28/08, 1:30pm
[open]
House Brews:
Chaser Pale
Nut Brown Ale
Red Springs Ale
St. Charles Porter (J)
Maibock (B)
IPA (J)
Cask-conditioned Porter (B)
Cask-conditioned Porter: Deep dark garnet red. Head on the smallish side. Aroma is a woodsy and honey smell. Served warmer than customary. Pleasant carbonation. Body just a hair on the thin side - a minor flaw. The woodsy-sweet aroma translates into the flavor. Hops are muted. Malts are well represented but the most noticeable flavor is the wood from the cask. It's very drinkable, but I'm not sure you want your serving vessel to be the sole star. John & I agree to a taste of the original award-winning porter is in order. 8.2
IPA: A very minor head. Color is a little lighter than the average IPA. Although the beer is hoppy, the initial impression is malty. One thing that's odd is that the hops don't always show up at the same time in different swallows. It's a very drinkable beer - not the most complicated or interesting beer, but enjoyable. Body is very slightly on the light side - it's a minor complaint. Not a classic, but not bad at all. 8.4
Porter (uncasked): Looks the same as the casked version. Slightly less of a head. This is a better beer without the cask The malt and hops got to show up and are not buried in the wood. The beer's personality gets to shine through. Now I see why this is a medal winner. 8.6
Maibock: Smells more Belgian than Bavarian. Very citrusy and fruity. Color, carbonation and head consistent with typical American skunk-piss beers. The flavor - thank God - is very tasty. The body is spot on. I think this beer has made acquaintance with a monkey from PA. Yummy. A tad more hops in the finish than a true Belgian. This beer was tapped within the past 2 days so it's nice and fresh. I can't really find too many flaws, other than it's probably mis-labelled as a Maibock. 20 minutes later and the carbonation is still strong. 8.8
Cumberland Brews, 4/27/08
Cumberland Brews
Louisville, KY
Sun., 4/27/08, 5pm
[open]
Very crowded neighborhood. The note made at the time to reference this brewpub was that there was an accident on the corner and many emergency vehicles ("vehicles of blinkiness") were present.
House Brews:
Seasonals:
Celtic Stout
Mr. Bitters
Xerba Mate Pale Ale
Regulars:
Nitro Porter (J)
Pale Ale
Cream Ale
Nut Brown
Matt's Red (B)
Meade
Matt's Red: Unfiltered, opaque reddish color. No head to speak of. Refreshing, grassy aroma. Pleasant tany flavor. Very good body. With no head, I expected little carbonation and that isn't the case at all. The beer very nicely balances both malt and hops so you taste each all the way through the swallow, although it's the hops dominating the final flavor. This is a brassy, ballsy red that won't be ignored or forgotten. I wonder who Matt is? I might have named it Bette Midler for its attitude. 8.6
Nitro Porter: Almost black. Nitrous head that disappears after a few minutes. This is a complex beer. Malts predominate early on, but the swallow contains more hops than your average beer. The taste isn't easy to describe. It's somewhat smoky, and tends a little more to the coffee as opposed to the chocolately side. Body is good for the style. It is not my ideal porter, but I give the brewer strong credit for doing something different and brewing a complex, interesting beer. 8.5
Louisville, KY
Sun., 4/27/08, 5pm
[open]
Very crowded neighborhood. The note made at the time to reference this brewpub was that there was an accident on the corner and many emergency vehicles ("vehicles of blinkiness") were present.
House Brews:
Seasonals:
Celtic Stout
Mr. Bitters
Xerba Mate Pale Ale
Regulars:
Nitro Porter (J)
Pale Ale
Cream Ale
Nut Brown
Matt's Red (B)
Meade
Matt's Red: Unfiltered, opaque reddish color. No head to speak of. Refreshing, grassy aroma. Pleasant tany flavor. Very good body. With no head, I expected little carbonation and that isn't the case at all. The beer very nicely balances both malt and hops so you taste each all the way through the swallow, although it's the hops dominating the final flavor. This is a brassy, ballsy red that won't be ignored or forgotten. I wonder who Matt is? I might have named it Bette Midler for its attitude. 8.6
Nitro Porter: Almost black. Nitrous head that disappears after a few minutes. This is a complex beer. Malts predominate early on, but the swallow contains more hops than your average beer. The taste isn't easy to describe. It's somewhat smoky, and tends a little more to the coffee as opposed to the chocolately side. Body is good for the style. It is not my ideal porter, but I give the brewer strong credit for doing something different and brewing a complex, interesting beer. 8.5
Flat Branch Pub & Brewery, 4/25/08
Flat Branch Pub & Brewery
Columbia, MO
Fri. 4/25/08, 7:15pm
[open]
The visit to Columbia marks Becky's first time in the city since her graduation from college there 26 years prior. The city hasn't changed much at all in the interim.
House Brews:
Oil Change Stout (J)
Green Chili
Honey Wheat
Brown Ale
Ed's IPA
Katy Trail Pale Ale (J)
ESB (B)
Irish Red Ale
Bare Knuckle Bock
Anniversary Cream Ale
American Pale Ale
Abbey Ale (B)
Abbey Ale: Deep chestnut color. NO head, no apparent carbonation. Pungently sweet and malty aroma. Caramel flavor and rich mouthfeel, although body is slightly watery. Instead of hops finishing the taste, it's a different set of malts. Hops are necessary in a Belgian anyway! This isn't the best showing for an Abbey Ale, but it's a pretty good beer. 8.2
Katy Trail Pale Ale: Slightly sweet, malty aroma, but weak. Medium to dark copper color. Malts come through in the initial swallow. Hops and a slightly sweet sensation come through in the middle. It has a nice balance. Good, but not very strong, body. This beer has several interesting things going on at once. I like. 8.6
ESB: Ombre gold topped by a bodacious head of foam! Lots of carbonation in this beer. When the carbonation bubbles settle, the color is a clear rich reddish gold. Aroma is of a sour mash. It definitely has some bitters in it. The malt and hops are nicely balanced. The head won't quit. In the mouth, the flavor shifts from initial malty to finishing hops pop seamlessly. Body is correct for the style. It's a very straightforward ESB - my main complaint is that it really doesn't complement my meal, and the fault with that lies only with me. The beer is well -made. 8.4
Oil Change Stout: Thick head at first, then it disappeared. Probably nitrous poured. Dark color. Chocolate aroma. The predominant taste is chocolate. While the taste is pleasant, the beer needs something more to be interesting. Body is reather thin. 8.1
Columbia, MO
Fri. 4/25/08, 7:15pm
[open]
The visit to Columbia marks Becky's first time in the city since her graduation from college there 26 years prior. The city hasn't changed much at all in the interim.
House Brews:
Oil Change Stout (J)
Green Chili
Honey Wheat
Brown Ale
Ed's IPA
Katy Trail Pale Ale (J)
ESB (B)
Irish Red Ale
Bare Knuckle Bock
Anniversary Cream Ale
American Pale Ale
Abbey Ale (B)
Abbey Ale: Deep chestnut color. NO head, no apparent carbonation. Pungently sweet and malty aroma. Caramel flavor and rich mouthfeel, although body is slightly watery. Instead of hops finishing the taste, it's a different set of malts. Hops are necessary in a Belgian anyway! This isn't the best showing for an Abbey Ale, but it's a pretty good beer. 8.2
Katy Trail Pale Ale: Slightly sweet, malty aroma, but weak. Medium to dark copper color. Malts come through in the initial swallow. Hops and a slightly sweet sensation come through in the middle. It has a nice balance. Good, but not very strong, body. This beer has several interesting things going on at once. I like. 8.6
ESB: Ombre gold topped by a bodacious head of foam! Lots of carbonation in this beer. When the carbonation bubbles settle, the color is a clear rich reddish gold. Aroma is of a sour mash. It definitely has some bitters in it. The malt and hops are nicely balanced. The head won't quit. In the mouth, the flavor shifts from initial malty to finishing hops pop seamlessly. Body is correct for the style. It's a very straightforward ESB - my main complaint is that it really doesn't complement my meal, and the fault with that lies only with me. The beer is well -made. 8.4
Oil Change Stout: Thick head at first, then it disappeared. Probably nitrous poured. Dark color. Chocolate aroma. The predominant taste is chocolate. While the taste is pleasant, the beer needs something more to be interesting. Body is reather thin. 8.1
Bosco's, 4/24/08
Bosco's
Little Rock, AR
Thurs. 4/24/08, 6:30pm
[open]
[Brewpub previously reviewed by Becky, in February 2007]
House Brews:
Flaming Stone Beer
Bombay IPA (J)
Downtown Brown (B)
Isle of Skye Scottish Ale (J)
Cask Conditioned Ale
American Session Ale
Spring Wheat
90 Schilling Ale
St. Patrick's Day Stout
Hook Slide Ale
Downtown Brown not rated by Becky, but the note was made: The brown ale would make a quite good red ale, but falls short as a brown.
Bombay IPA: Fairly light copper color. Not much hop aroma. Very minimal head. Body is good. There isn't much of an initial taste. The hops show up in the swallow. It needs more malt to present more of an initial taste and to balance the hops in the swallow. 8.0
Isle of Skye Scottish Ale: Medium to dark brown color. No head. A pleasant malty taste. Some hop taste shows up in the finish. Body is appropriate for the style. Not a particularly memorable beer, but it is well made. Warms up fine. 8.3
90 Schilling Ale: Deep chestnut color. Thin but lasting head. Malty scotch aroma. Sweet flavor, full mouthfeel, good body for the style. Starts out cold as a decent beer, warms up much more a scotch/barleywine style, albeit quite a sweet one. It's a good winter warmer type. 8.4
Little Rock, AR
Thurs. 4/24/08, 6:30pm
[open]
[Brewpub previously reviewed by Becky, in February 2007]
House Brews:
Flaming Stone Beer
Bombay IPA (J)
Downtown Brown (B)
Isle of Skye Scottish Ale (J)
Cask Conditioned Ale
American Session Ale
Spring Wheat
90 Schilling Ale
St. Patrick's Day Stout
Hook Slide Ale
Downtown Brown not rated by Becky, but the note was made: The brown ale would make a quite good red ale, but falls short as a brown.
Bombay IPA: Fairly light copper color. Not much hop aroma. Very minimal head. Body is good. There isn't much of an initial taste. The hops show up in the swallow. It needs more malt to present more of an initial taste and to balance the hops in the swallow. 8.0
Isle of Skye Scottish Ale: Medium to dark brown color. No head. A pleasant malty taste. Some hop taste shows up in the finish. Body is appropriate for the style. Not a particularly memorable beer, but it is well made. Warms up fine. 8.3
90 Schilling Ale: Deep chestnut color. Thin but lasting head. Malty scotch aroma. Sweet flavor, full mouthfeel, good body for the style. Starts out cold as a decent beer, warms up much more a scotch/barleywine style, albeit quite a sweet one. It's a good winter warmer type. 8.4
Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery, 4/21/08
Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery
Santa Fe, NM
Mon. 4/21/08, 2pm
[open]
House Brews:
Vigilante ESB (J)
Rio Chama Amber Ale (B)
Broken Spoke Honey Wheat
Atomic Blonde Lager
High Altitude Pale Ale
End of the Trail Brown Ale
Sleeping Dog Stout ('07 Gold at GABF)
Road Runner IPA
Rio Chama Amber Ale: Clear deep amber. Medium white foamy head. Gentle malt aroma - not hoppy scented at all. Flavor is pretty basic - start with malts and finish with gentle hops. Body is crispt and mouthfeel is refreshing. Beer actually has good balance and a nice finish. It's entrance (aroma) is somewhat lacking. It's well-made but not particularly memorable. It would be a great session beer. 8.4
Vigilante ESB: According to Becky, it "smells like fire". Color is brownish-copper. No real head to speak of. The malts show up when you put the beer in your mouth, and the hops show up when you swallow. Body is good - maybe a tad on the light side. Tasty. 8.5
Santa Fe, NM
Mon. 4/21/08, 2pm
[open]
House Brews:
Vigilante ESB (J)
Rio Chama Amber Ale (B)
Broken Spoke Honey Wheat
Atomic Blonde Lager
High Altitude Pale Ale
End of the Trail Brown Ale
Sleeping Dog Stout ('07 Gold at GABF)
Road Runner IPA
Rio Chama Amber Ale: Clear deep amber. Medium white foamy head. Gentle malt aroma - not hoppy scented at all. Flavor is pretty basic - start with malts and finish with gentle hops. Body is crispt and mouthfeel is refreshing. Beer actually has good balance and a nice finish. It's entrance (aroma) is somewhat lacking. It's well-made but not particularly memorable. It would be a great session beer. 8.4
Vigilante ESB: According to Becky, it "smells like fire". Color is brownish-copper. No real head to speak of. The malts show up when you put the beer in your mouth, and the hops show up when you swallow. Body is good - maybe a tad on the light side. Tasty. 8.5
Rock Bottom Brewery, 4/20/08
Rock Bottom Brewery
Denver, CO
Sun. 4/20/08, 5pm
[open]
House Brews:
Bottoms Up Kolsch
Buffalo Gold
16th Street Wheat
Falcon Pale Ale
Red Rocks Ale (B)
Molly's Titanic Brown Ale (J)
Oatmeal Stout
Uberwit Ale (B)
Red Rocks Red: Clear bright red color with thin but lasting foamy head. Aroma is faint but balanced with both malt and minor hops present. Hops become more apparent in the mouth. Body is good. Beer is very nicely balanced - a good intermediate beer and "Hops 101". There are some, they're noticeable, but this is not a hophead's brew. I enjoy it a lot. 8.6
Molly's Titanic Brown Ale: No head to speak of. It's brown as a brown ale should be. Initial swallow has a nice malty taste with just a hint of hop finish. Very good body. Finish is disappointing - it needs something more to carry it through. Improves as it warms up - there's more taste. 8.3
Uberwit Ale: Pale, unfiltered yellowish color. Tiny, quickly dissipating head. Coriander and clove dominate the aroma, as well as the flavor. Body is correct. The beer is sweet and yeasty in true Belgian style. Nice citrusy finish. 8.6
Denver, CO
Sun. 4/20/08, 5pm
[open]
House Brews:
Bottoms Up Kolsch
Buffalo Gold
16th Street Wheat
Falcon Pale Ale
Red Rocks Ale (B)
Molly's Titanic Brown Ale (J)
Oatmeal Stout
Uberwit Ale (B)
Red Rocks Red: Clear bright red color with thin but lasting foamy head. Aroma is faint but balanced with both malt and minor hops present. Hops become more apparent in the mouth. Body is good. Beer is very nicely balanced - a good intermediate beer and "Hops 101". There are some, they're noticeable, but this is not a hophead's brew. I enjoy it a lot. 8.6
Molly's Titanic Brown Ale: No head to speak of. It's brown as a brown ale should be. Initial swallow has a nice malty taste with just a hint of hop finish. Very good body. Finish is disappointing - it needs something more to carry it through. Improves as it warms up - there's more taste. 8.3
Uberwit Ale: Pale, unfiltered yellowish color. Tiny, quickly dissipating head. Coriander and clove dominate the aroma, as well as the flavor. Body is correct. The beer is sweet and yeasty in true Belgian style. Nice citrusy finish. 8.6
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