Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year and I've been eagerly anticipating the traditions it brings for the entirity of October. As it's unfortunately falling on a Monday this year, I'm not sure if I'll be as involved in the fesitivities as I have been in the past, but there's no way I was going to miss the time-honored tradition of hollowing out a large, orange squash and letting the creative juices flow as I slice and dice into it. Now, in the spirit of full transparency, I know this isn't really an "adventure," but I've been meaning to post for a while now (read: Jessica threatened to eliminate my page if I didn't participate...I promise I've had other adventures since July!) So, I figured this would be a qualifying event relative to any other normal night. Here we go...
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| A couple of perfectly round pumpkins. Blank slates, ripe for the carving. What to make of these? |
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| First cut...it's like the first run on a powder day. So smooth! |
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| Jessica had one request - a pumpkin with our monogram. I thought that a pretty simple request, but it ended up taking a lot longer than I thought. |
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| It's no masterpiece, but I think it turned out pretty nice... Jessica, Whit, & Lollie Gorham (Lollie is the little "L" up top) |
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| Honestly, I was fading fast...and a new Parks & Recreation was on, so I cranked out this little guy. I call it "Odd & Uninspired" |
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| The "perfect pair" that will grace our front porch for the next week! |
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| The aftermath of a great night of carving! |
Adventure 1 - Summer, Sun, & Suds ~ July 30, 2011
Two weekends ago, swarms of people from all over the Southeast descended upon Music City Walk of Fame Park to take part in, what I consider to be, one of the best annual events offered in Nashville...Music City Brewer's Fest. This was the 10th year running and it, once again, exceeded all expectations. When you combine great beer, great food*, great music, great weather, and great people all in a great city while benefiting a great cause (Second Harvest), it's pretty much a foolproof recipe for success.
*12 South Taproom was cranking out some phenomenal tacos!
Being the philanthropic spirit that I am, I decided to volunteer at the morning session, which took place from 12pm-4pm. I was stationed at one of the four entrances and was in charge of checking IDs and applying wristbands to the thirsty masses, which turned out to be an optimal people-watching/witty-banter-ing opportunity. By 2pm, the last of the stragglers were making their way in and I had jeopardized enough arm hair to consider my work a success, which essentially relieved me of my duty until about 3:45pm, at which point I would be commissioned to police the exits and make sure nobody was leaving the premises with concealed beer...an adventure all of it's own.
Having essentially facilitated the good times for about 1/4 of the folks there, I thought it was about time to facilitate some good times of my own and proceeded to make my rounds. Although there were too many options to possibly sample in such a short period of time (roughly 60 breweries each averaging 2.5 different styles), I broke my usual modus operandi and decided to be intentional and efficient.
The usual suspects were all there: New Belgium, Terrapin, and Sweetwater - my top 3!Although it's tough to pass up something you know you love on a hot summer day, something tried and true like an ice cold New Belgium Ranger or a Sweetwater 420, I know the likelihood of any of these losing a spot in my rotation is close to nil and thus I opted out of their samples. I digress, my goal each year is to expose myself to the not-so-well-known (at least to me) beers out there and hopefully find something new and fresh that can find a comfortable spot in my rotation. This year, due to the time crunch, I only found a few that really knocked me out so...in no particular order, here we go:
Blackstone Brewery - St. Charles Porter
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| Brewed right here in downtown Nashville, Blackstone has an impressive lineup anchored by the multi-award-winning, British-style, St. Charles Porter. It's a brown porter that's heavy on the malt, has a slight hint of chocolate, and far as darker beers go, is as smooth as Stevie Wonder. A definite must-try! |
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| From the heady Mecca of Asheville, NC comes this equally heady Rye Ale. The Rye Hopper is French Broad's malty/earthy Ale that pours with a nice tan head. It's creamy and if it's not obvious enough, has a fair amount of bitter hops to complement the maltiness of the rye. Great session beer! |
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Part of the "Brick Mason Series" this America Brown Ale from Red Brick Brewing (which I think is the same or is in partnership with the Atlanta Brewing Company) was a pleasant surprise onto which I was turned by one of the Blackstone reps. This Imperial Brown Ale is aged for 6 months in an old barrel of Jack Daniels which makes for a heavy bourbon nose and more subdued bourbon taste. At 11.00% ABV, 1 or 2 of this medium body brown ale will do you right! |
Left Hand Brewing Company - Sawtooth ESB
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Amber in color, this ESB from one of the premier breweries out of Colorado (the town of Longmont to be exact) is nowhere near as bitter as the Extra Special Bitter stamp it caries would imply. It has an aromatic nose, the hops are slightly reminiscent of an IPA. Along with a hint fruitiness and a simple malt flavor, this beer is "proof that a beer can be both complex and balanced!" |
Schlafly Beer - Dry Hopped APA Ale
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That day, this American Pale Ale took the cake in my opinion. 100% Cascade & Chinook Hops (read: American Hops) make this a little hoppier than your average Pale Ales. It's golden in color, has a great nose, and is a simple, yet increasingly impressive creation. 10/10! |
As I tend to be a little long winded, I will work on trimming down the size of these entries in the future, but if you happened to hang in this long, I sincerely hope you enjoyed it! Have a great day!
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