Look out Nashville...

[swenocha]

What was the other local brewery IPA, if I might ask? The only other bottled IPAs I can think of in the area would be Blackstone and Mantra. I think most everything else is canned these days. Hmm....

[Kealia]

The other one was Blackstone as a matter of fact.
So, I tried a bottle of their IPA @ The Stage.
I tried a Yazoo Pale Ale at Rippy's, then the Hop Perfect IPA at Famous Saloon.
Fortunately, I've had their beers before so I know what they should have tasted like - and I can pick out when something is just 'off'. Your average beer drinker might not though and if this was their first experience it could sour them to the brand/beer forever. That's why if I don't care for a beer, I'll generally try it twice (different times/places) to be sure - unless it's style I know I don't care for and I'm being adventurous.

All that being said:
1) I do count myself as more than an average taster, so hopefully I don't come across that way
2) Share with whomever you can if it will help

Recently I bought a 6-pack from my local Nob Hill that was from a brewery in New Zealand. I was excited to try it because it was a Nelson Sauvin Pale Ale. When I opened it, the bottle gushed and tasted infected. The remaining 5 bottles were the same. I reached out to the brewery directly to let them know and it started a dialogue with them about their distribution, etc. They thanked me profusely for letting them know, reached out to their distributor to address it, gave me the contact info for the distributor to find out when they would be replacing the stock, etc.
Then they sent me a $25.00 gift card for my trouble.

So yeah, feedback can help. If it were MY beer and weren't being handled correctly I would certainly want to know.

[swenocha]

Yeah, the Yazoo folks were definitely interested and thanked you for passing it along. The Blackstone is usually solid if unspectacular, so that's unfortunate as well.

As a result of this discussion, I remembered I still had some World Beer Cup Yazoo bottles hanging in the fridge from April, so I better get drinking... this one held up great, though it's been handled properly...



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[Kealia]

Cheers to you. I can't believe I actually got Swen'd while I was out here [emoji38]

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[John Sand]

[LouieMacGoo]

As for Nashville, just let me know... I can recommend any number of things both beer and non-beer related...

Swen, It was a crazy week at work and rally didn't have time to get back on here to check messages. Then yesterday our 9 hour drive turned into a 15 hr day because of a flat tire and lack of a proper spare tire. Finally made it to our place near Gatlinburg at about 11pm. Once we know what we're doing here I will let you know. Thanks for the info for Gatlinburg Greatly appreciated.

[LouieMacGoo]

Swen & I finally met! We had a few beers and talked about brewing and it was great to finally meet.

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[swenocha]

So fun to meet louiemacgoo. Thanks for coming out to meet! Good comvo... and fun to visit a new place as well


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[Beer-lord]

Great to see another meet up. Looks like Yazoo to me.
Wonder what stories you guys shared about the rest of us that's met up before. Shhhhh, state secrets!

[swenocha]

Not Yazoo... Sanders ferry pizza and pub. New place for me at the lake with 20 local taps...

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[swenocha]

Leigh, I forgot to mention that after you left, Scott decided he didnt want to do more trivia. He instead gave me the tour and tasting for 2 at East Nashville Beer Works, which of course I don't need, but he asked that I give it to someone who would use it. Then, as I'm leaving, he gave me two metal signs (pictured, with ruler for reference)...



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[LouieMacGoo]

Leigh, I forgot to mention that after you left, Scott decided he didnt want to do more trivia. He instead gave me the tour and tasting for 2 at East Nashville Beer Works, which of course I don't need, but he asked that I give it to someone who would use it. Then, as I'm leaving, he gave me two metal signs (pictured, with ruler for reference)...



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Wow that's Sweet. I know you really wanted that Jackalope sign. I'm sure you'll find someone deserving of the tour and tasting. I wish I could have spent a few more days there just checking out the breweries and distilleries. Maybe the next time the Borg meets up in Nashville I can go.

BTW this is what I brought home with me!

[swenocha]

Your pic isn't showing up...

[swenocha]

I think I told this story there, but I'll relay it here as well. Scott and I go back probably 14 or so years. He was the bartender at Bosco's (one of the early modern breweries in Nashville) when we went to the Thursday cask nights. Then, when Bosco's opened a new location in Franklin, he moved there for a bit. Bosco's closed up their Nashville locations abruptly a few years ago to focus on their Memphis production brewery (Ghost River) and the remaining Bosco's location there. I really got to know him when he moved on to Battleground Brewery (which never was a brewery... they served "their" beer at festivals and labelled it as such at the brewpub, but it was Sweetwater beer (and PBR for their light lager)... what a fiasco. After this came out, they said they intended to brew, but couldn't get approvals to rebuild the historic jail that they moved into, so were never able to brew. Still pretty shady to label another brewery's beer as your own regardless). My daughter had music lessons next door, so one day when I was really early, I decided to visit the "brewery", and there was Scott. Had no idea he had moved there. So every week I got there early, and usually I was either the only one there or one of just a few, so we spent a lot of time talking beer, and eventually I started bringing him beers from my travels. He became my go-to for sampling and giving truthful critiques of my homebrew. He has at times credited me for introducing him to the world of craft beer which eventually led him to his discovering his ultimate career path, but I don't know if I'd go that far. What I do know is that once Battleground imploded, he landed at Friday's for a bit (where I followed him, even though Sam taps were all they offered), but he really was looking for a new role in the craft beer world. He pretty quickly landed a role at the local distributor (his role until this weekend), and now is moving back to Oklahoma to be a beer seller for a brewery there (Anthem). Friday night was a going away party for him of sorts, and I'm glad Leigh was glad to meet me out there. These kind of stories are what makes me appreciate the craft beer and homebrew communities. The friendships are much more important than the beer...

[Beer-lord]

Leigh, did you visit Wiseacre in Memphis? We did last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed their noon Coffee and brewery tour. Great little place and a seriously overlooked brewery.