Texas Road Trip: Day 5 - Finding Texas

 Day 5: Broussard, LA > Humble, TX

The fifth day of the trip saw us logging plenty of road miles as we made our way across Louisiana and into Texas. The reward? A few days of down time in Houston hanging with our friends Justin and Nate. While we wouldn't hit many breweries on this particular day (just two, I'm sorry to report), it was time well-spent at both. 

Nate had already given me the heads up on the sick tap list currently at Parish, our first stop of the day. Located in Broussard, LA, the heart of Cajun Country, Parish actually has origins in Pennsylvania... well, kind of. Its founder, Andrew, was inspired to open a brewery after moving from Louisiana to Pittsburgh in 2003. It was there that he dove head-first into the Steel City's thriving craft beer scene. When I think back to 2003, I'd hesitate to describe the 'burgh's beer scene as "thriving," but perhaps it was compared to Louisiana. Nevertheless, inspiration took hold and he decided to move back home and help put his home state on the craft beer map. 

Pleeps monkeying around at Parish.

I'm embarrassed to say that I hadn't been familiar with Parish prior to our visit. I may have had a beer or two in passing at bottle shares, but it wasn't a brewery on my radar, I'm afraid. Known primarily for one of its year-round IPAs, Ghost in the Machine (nice reference to my favorite Police album), Parish started out small but is now one of the largest breweries in the region, distributing its beer all throughout the south.

Since it was a little over two-and-a-half hours from New O to Broussard, by the time we arrived we were pretty hungry. I think we may have skipped breakfast. Good thing we were in Cajun Country, because the bartender at Parish recommended a great little joint just up the road called BJ's Poorboy and Plate Lunches. I decided that I needed to get some catfish while we were still in Louisiana. It turned out to be a good decision, because I really enjoyed my Cajun Catfish Etouffee with cornbread. I love visiting little hole-in-the-wall bars and restaurants when we travel, especially when they're recommended by locals. 

As for beer, I kicked off with something light. Parish Pilsner seemed like a good choice for an opening beer, especially to pair with catfish. Crisp and clean with a hint of mineral-like yeast (which I always appreciate), there was a nice balance of citrus, grass and peppery notes in the finish. And with that, I was off to a good start.

Pleeps drinks pilsners too.

As I said, Nate tipped us off to the killer tap list that awaited us at Parish. He promised a laundry list of big, chewy barrel-aged stouts and other rare, mammoth beers, and Parish dutifully delivered. I decided to go with a flight of some serious high-gravity goodness, which included a pair of barrel-aged stouts and a delicious duo of barleywines. Now we're talkin'! 

First in my flight was Decade One, a blend of double barrel-aged imperial stouts released to celebrate the culmination of ten years of the brewery. Parish seems to have quite a robust barrel-aging program, and this beer offered a hint of what was to come with my subsequent tasters. This particular beer was barrel-aged for one year, then transferred into freshly depleted spirits barrels to age for an indeterminant number of months on whole vanilla beans. 

Up next was a 2020 vintage of Royal Earth, an apple brandy barrel-aged Barleywine. This robust barleywine spent 16 months resting in apple brandy barrels for before conditioning on a bed of crushed roasted pecans. Everyone knows the south loves its pecans! The addition of Korintje cinnamon (from Indonesia) and Madagascar vanilla add a spicy sweetness with nutty undertones reminiscent of an after-dinner liqueur.

The next beer in the lineup may very well have been my favorite of the four. A collaboration with our favorite brewery from Portland, OR - Great Notion - Barrel Aged Swamp Stacks spent more than a year slumbering away in Willow Jane Double Oak + Maple Bourbon barrels. According to Parish, the beer is a "mashup" of two popular beer series: Parish's "Shades" and Great Notion’s "Stacks" series. The result is a gargantuan Imperial Stout clocking in at 13% ABV. Brown sugar and an array of specialty roasted malts create a warm, decadent base, while post-barrel additions of maple, marshmallows, graham crackers, and toasted coconut flakes push this beer over the edge. This complex beer evokes notes of marshmallow fluff, bourbon maple syrup and pure, utter awesomeness.⁣

Last but not least was another 2020 vintage barleywine. Bourbon Barrel Grand Reserve was aged for 13 months in specially selected bourbon barrels to elicit notes of English toffee, bourbon caramel, and holiday spice. Mellow yet complex, this particular version benefitted from Four Roses Bourbon Barrels, giving it - according to the folks at Parish - "a smoother, sophisticated discernment from past batches for our Decade celebration." All in all, this flight was an absolute joy to consume. Gotta love them flights of heavy hitters, right Pleeps? 

A flight tailor-made for Pleeps!

With all of the heavy hitters out of the way, I was craving some serious hops. Enter Bloom, a juicy, soft, hazy IPA loaded up to the gills with Simcoe, Citra and Nugget hops. This one delivered with a soft mouthfeel and a juicy hop profile gushing with orange creamsicle notes that provided a perfect counterpoint to the barrage of stouts and barleywines I'd just encountered. 

Pleeps in full "Bloom" at Parish.

After our lengthy visit, we made sure to pick up some to-go beer to enjoy at a later time. I snagged a 4-pack of Ghost in the Machine and Brewslut opted for a few fruited sours to add to our collection. Thinking that I might never get back to this fantastic brewery, I was sad to leave. But we had to push forward. We were getting so close to our final destination. 

A long, nearly 4-hour drive to Texas ensued, and we finally landed in Humble, just north of Houston, at our destination: Ingenious. This was the impetus of the trip, ladies and gentlemen. After watching Ingenious from the sidelines for the last three years, it's great to see how the brewery has grown to become a widely respected brewery of the southern craft beer scene. I'm really proud of Justin and company for helping put Texas on the map as far as envelope-pushing breweries go. Sure, there are plenty of great breweries stretched across the sprawling boundaries of the Lonestar State, but Ingenious not only carved out its own niche; it also brews some incredible beers. Hazy IPAs? Check. Fruited sours? Yup. Milkshake IPAs (dubbed FroYo)? Tons of 'em! Mammoth barrel-aged beers with lots of adjuncts? You bet yer sweet ass! Ingenious also has a line of unique beers inspired by breakfast cereals like Boo-Berry, Count Chocula and Frankenberry. I've had all of these "monster cereal" beers, and they are all fantastic... with my favorite being the one inspired by Yummy Mummy, although I've never had that particular cereal. Go figure!

Finally made it!

Once we landed at the brewery and greetings were out of the way, I quickly learned that Justin still spends most of his time toying with broken junk (he's a urologist, remember?) and only devotes a few hours each week to the brewery. With that said, he's very hand-on and actively involved in the QA process, and isn't afraid to put the kibosh on a beer if it isn't up to snuff. Gotta respect that, right? 

At any rate, let's get into the beers. Of course, Justin was a gracious host and pretty much gave us carte blanche. After checking out the tasting room and brewing side of the operation, we decided to just hang out at a common table in the cellar where employees sit around and chat over lunch or a few beers. As I've already mentioned, Ingenious is a pretty prolific brewery. Check out this list of beers we sampled during our inaugural visit:

Fuzzy Navel Double FroYo - New England hazy milkshake double IPA with peaches, oranges, and milk sugar. Their "FroYo" beers are some of my favorites they produce. Fun fact: Justin actually shipped a sixtel of a coconut vanilla FroYo one year to FOJ, which was my first experience with the series. Needless to say, it was a huge hit among guests at the event. 

Smarty (Tiger's Blood) - Tart Berliner conditioned on strawberries, watermelon, and coconut. Brewslut was all over this one!

Double Juicy - Juicy New England DIPA double dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy.

Camp Fires and Ghost Stories - Imperial milk stout conditioned on chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers. Nate named this one, which is perfect for a S'mores stout. 

Smarty (Grape Ape) - Tart Berliner conditioned on grapes, blueberries, and blue raspberry.

Scuba Squeeze - New England Style Double IPA double dry-hopped with Nelson, Motueka, and Citra.

Coconut Madness - Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels and conditioned on both raw and toasted coconut flakes. Like myself, Justin is a huge fan of coconut stouts (more on that later). 

Citra Pils - Classic American Pilsner dry-hopped with Citra. This one was fresh and ready to be shipped to GABF for entry in the 2021 competition. For a brewery that tends to stray from traditional styles, this one was pretty spot-on. 

BA Imperial Peanut Butter Cup - Imperial milk stout aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels and conditioned on chocolate, peanut butter, and cacao nibs. I got it topped with one of the signature "frozen beer toppers." Decadent and delicious... and a perfect way to cap off this epic tasting at the brewery! With that, we were back to Justin's house to catch up and share more beers. 

Frozen beer topper for the win!

Well folks, stick a fork into our first day in Texas. There's still plenty to see here - including more on Ingenious - so be sure to tune in next time as we lollygag around the greater Houston area and dig into its thriving craft beer scene. Until next time...

Texas Road Trip: Day 4 - Lucky 7 in The Big Easy

Day 4: New Orleans, LA

One of the reasons we'd decided to drive to Texas in lieu of flying was due to the fact that we'd be able to pass through a number of states we hadn't had the opportunity to visit yet. One such state was Louisiana, home of one of the country's most beloved cities, New Orleans. I'll be the first to admit that Mardi Gras in no way, shape or form appeals to me. Like, at all. I mean, I guess I could get down with witnessing some drunk 21-year-olds dumping out their funbags for a few strands of plastic beads, but I simply become too annoyed too quickly with large masses of young, drunken buffoons. However, I was informed that chaos of this magnitude only occurs on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras (and maybe Jazz Fest... 'cuz everyone knows how crazy jazz fans are). I'd spoken to several friends who had visited New Orleans, and all of them assured me it's the best city in the country. (Maybe it would be a close second, as I doubt any American city will ever topple my all-time favorite: San Diego.) With this in mind, I made it a point to block out an entire day on the itinerary dedicated to traipsing around this historic city. 

When we returned from our trip, several people asked us specifically about New Orleans and how we enjoyed our visit. We were asked if we hit up this music venue or that restaurant. Friends wanted to know how we liked the French Quarter and which bars we popped into on Bourbon Street. They wanted to know our favorite BBQ joint and soul food kitchen. 

In reality, we didn't do any of the usual stuff most folks do in New Orleans. We went to seven breweries, then went back to the hotel and crashed. So I suppose I squandered our time in New O, but the breweries were generally fantastic, and perhaps the only thing I regret is missing out on seeing at least one set of jazz at a small music venue or club. But you gotta do what you gotta do. 

First stop of the day: Port Orleans!

We kicked off the day at Port Orleans, arriving just around opening time. I believe we were the first patrons of the day. Since it was early and our first stop, we opted for a flight. Here's the skinny:

Dorado - Crisp, light-bodied Mexican lager with just a hint of sweetness. This beer was absolutely crushable and I didn't think twice about taking home a 6-pack.

Riverfront Lager - Inspired by the traditional beers of Munich, Germany, this golden lager is crafted with a distinct American sensibility. The aroma is fruity with a hint of peach, while the flavor is moderately sweet with a soft, malty character and crisp, clean finish.

Vice Versa - Hazy IPA featuring a malt bill of oats, malted barley, and wheat that's generously hopped with 5 pounds per barrel Citra, Mosaic, and Lotus. Lotus is one you just don't see all that often, although I've come across this variety here and there. Lotus is an experimental hop variety developed under the Hopsteiner breeding program. It's a tenacious variety that apparently outperformed thousands of siblings born of the initial cross breeding experiment. Fast forward a decade or so, and Lotus is one of the trendiest new hops out there. With exceptional aromatic characteristics, Lotus hops lend a huge smack of orange and vanilla as well as more subtle notes of candied grape and tropical fruit aromas. I'd love to try a single-hopped IPA with this variety!

Hoptical HDHC - DIPA hopped with Citra. The acronym HDHC actually stands for High-Density Hop Charge. In essence, Port Orleans uses what they describe as a "ludicrous amount" of Citra Cryo hops (remember those?) at a rate of a whopping 6 pounds per barrel to amplify the citrus fruit character of this very drinkable 8% ABV DIPA. 

 

Aside from some delicious beers, Port Orleans also hosts a killer taco stand inside the brewery. Avo Taco (a play on avocado), serves up some tasty artisanal tacos and bowls as well as signature house-made guacamole. Seriously, these were some of the best fish tacos I've had outside of San Diego, and that's saying something! I also had shrimp tacos, which were bangin' as well. I'm glad we decided to have a late breakfast/early lunch, because the tacos were legit and did not disappoint. 

As if beer and tacos weren't enough, apparently Port Orleans has some free-range neighbors strolling about the immediate area. I'm not sure if this was a "petty-pet" rooster or what, but he was struttin' around like he owned the place. Like George Carlin once said, "Chickens are decent people." Like this guy...

New Orleans LOVES the cock!

Exactly one mile east of Port Orleans on Tchoupitoulas Street (I'm thinking the first "T" is silent) along the Mississippi River our second stop of the day awaited. NOLA arrived on the scene shortly after its founder discovered there was literally no beer being brewed in New Orleans. It was presumed that Dixie (a popular southern brand) was still brewed within city limits. However, it turns out that Hurricane Katrina forced Mid-City Brewery (who produced Dixie beer) to close, prompting its owners to "contract brew" the beer at an out-of-state facility. With nary a brewery in town, NOLA rose from the ashes of Katrina and thus revitalized the city's fledgling beer industry.

View from our barstools at NOLA.

The brewery is also associated with NOLA Pizza Company, a New York-style pizzeria situated in-house. Since we were adequately stuffed from taco overload at Port Orleans, we unfortunately didn't delve into the pizza, which looked quite tasty. Plus NOLA offers some pretty sweet lunch specials (similar to Pizza Port in San Diego) where you can get a slice, a salad, and a house beer for one low price. 

Back to beer, I felt another flight was in order. Here's the deets on my spread:

Summer Lager - Munich-inspired Helles Lager brewed with honey malt for a rich, bready malt character.

Arabella - Inspired by peach lemonade on the porch after a hot summer day, Arabella is sour fermented with 100% Lactobacillus as well as peach puree.

Hoppyright Infringement - DIPA (had it a few years earlier but apparently forgot!)

Bourbon Barrel Black IPA - American IPA with a bold, roasted malt character aged in Buffalo Trace barrels.

Pleeps says, "Here's one for the calendar!"

 

Both Brewslut and I felt the quality of the beers at Port Orleans was superior to that of NOLA, but overall our beers were solid. 

Next on our itinerary was Urban South. Simply put, this place just blew us away. We weren't familiar with this brewery prior to our visit, but I'm certainly glad we included it on our agenda. Urban South opened its production facility and taproom in 2016 and immediately began pushing the boundaries of what American craft beer can be. 

While the brewery claims to combine traditional European brewing with the "brashness" (their word, not mine) of new American styles, I think its penchant for eclecticism is firmly planted on the American end of the brewing spectrum. Think hazy, hop-drenched and lactose-infused IPAs and "glip-glop" beers (our friend Justin's term for thick, heavily fruited sours) and you can paint a pretty vivid picture of the types of beers Urban South serves. With all the beers we had the opportunity to sample, the brewery definitely falls more in the realm of "brash and American" versus "traditional and European." At the end of the day, though, its beers are absolutely fantastic.  

Inside the brewery and tasting room, I felt like I was transported back to the 1980s. The decor and color scheme is vibrant and whimsical. Bright, colorful geometric shapes filled the room, and a wave of beach vibes washed over me as I glanced around upon entering. I immediately knew we were going to have fun here. Urban South is the type of brewery you'd loathe only if you were a clinically depressed sociopath. The flavors and aromas of the beers here were indicative of the playful design of the space.

I found it difficult to land on a starting point, as there were easily between 20 and 24 beers on tap. We decided to go quantity over quality and order a bunch of small sample-sized pours so we could try several different beers. 

First up was Nectar Cream Snoball Juice. Man, what an introduction to Urban South! This beer offers a twist on its popular Snoball Juice IPA, which is inspired by the classic New Orleans treat, the "Sno-ball." A snow-ball is a customizable sweet made with a mound of fluffy shaved ice, then flavored with sweet syrups and topped or stuffed with a number of mix-ins and add-ons. For its beer version of this sweet treat, Urban South adds almond and vanilla as well as a heavy dose of lactose to create a decadent yet hoppy beer. 

It's pretty difficult for me to pick a favorite beer during our visit, but if you held a crossbow to my head (everyone uses a gun... how boring!), I'd probably pick Muddled: Fuzz. Imagine that, a peach beer! Inspired by a Peach Fuzz cocktail, this sour ale is packed full of peaches and displays undertones of ripe banana and juicy orange. 

Pleeps enjoying our visit to Urban South.

Up next was Oh the Humidity (great name, by the way). "Nice!" I thought as I read the description of this beer. "Cantaloupe!" One of my favorite summer fruits is cantaloupe, and I'm continuously dumbfounded as to why more breweries don't brew more melon-based IPAs or fruited sours. Although cantaloupe and mango sounds like an odd combination, this fruited sour ale was delicious, displaying both delicate notes of ripe melon and more aggressive tropical flavors of mango. 

Back into IPA territory, it was time to try a beer called Grapefruit Holy Roller. For this beer, Urban South took its flagship NEIPA and cranked up the grapefruit to 11. Hopped with Citra and Mosiac, the addition of grapefruit pushes this beer of a cliff into an abyss of pithy citrus goodness.  

It was time to appease Pleeps, as he was champing at the bit to try a beer called Very Berry Banana. Any time we encounter a beer with banana in it, Pleeps instantly begins salivating. This particular beer is part of Urban South's Tropitoulas Series of fruited sours. The series takes its name from the street on which the brewery resides (the aforementioned Tchoupitoulas Street). This version features mixed berries and banana. Needless to say, Pleeps was on it! 

Pleeps is two-fistin'!

It doesn't end there. We were digging the fruit beers here so we continued to sample small pours of a few more beers. Up next was Building Lives, a beer brewed in collaboration with Son of a Saint, a local charitable organization. This sour boasts huge additions of guava and banana to create an intense blast of tropical fruit. Proceeds from sales of this beer benefit Son of a Saint. Not one, but two banana beers? Pleeps was in heaven!

We also tried the Lime Cucumber Gose, an unfiltered kettle sour wheat beer with kosher salt. This refreshing beer is made even more thirst-quenching thanks to the addition of key lime and juice from fresh cucumbers. This one was through-the-roof light and refreshing, and soooo drinkable! 

I couldn't leave without trying Urban South's take on a smoked beer. A collaboration with with Bhramari Brewing out of Asheville, Smoke Show begins with a base of flaked corn, flaked rice, flaked wheat and Golden Promise malt. The grain bill also features 20% of bourbon barrel-aged smoked malt from NC's Riverbend Malting. This one hinted at some mellow smokiness, but was more toasty and caramel-forward overall.  

Looks kids... it's a Three-Pleeps!

After our visit, I knew this was going to be one of our favorites of the entire trip. Pleeps had an absolute blast, and was excited to try two different beers brewed with bananas... at the same brewery! By the way, you're in for some more Urban South shenanigans once we hit Texas. We were both surprised... but you'll have to wait until Day 6 to learn more.

After an amazing experience at Urban South, it was off to Parleaux Beer Lab, which took us northeast along the Mississippi River. The brewery's name is derived from a bit of French wordplay. Since the brewery is near the river, they took the French word for "bywater" (par l'eau) and parlayed it into a unique name for the brewery. Language for the win! 

This place was right up my alley. You basically just order a beer and sit in the middle of the production space among the sacks of malted barley, fermentation tanks and other assorted implements and ingredients used in the brewing process. We parked at a small couch with a coffee table and just enjoyed the view of some kegs and stainless steel tanks what I assumed was the fermentation cellar. I was definitely "in the zone" at Parleaux, a sensation not entirely synonymous with "loaded," which oftentimes strikes at some point between breweries 3 and 4 during any given day of beer traveling. It didn't hurt that the beers here were fantastic. 

Chillaxing with my main monkey at Parleaux.

First up? Here we go again with the pilsners. This time, it's an "international style pilsner" called Truth & Consequences that's hopped with Nelson Sauvin, one of my favorite varieties from New Zealand. The white grape and citrusy zing of this hop really spruced up this pilsner, giving it a pop of crisp fruit in the finish. 

After an enjoyable first quaff, I stuck with another lager. However, this one was quite different than the one I'd just imbibed. Enter Ruby Coaster, a foeder-aged smoked Helles Lager. They had me at "smoked." Of course, they also had me at "foeder" and again with "lager," making it a trifecta of some of my personal favorite things about beer. If I'm not mistaken, this may have been my first smoked beer of the trip, and it didn't disappoint. 

Pleeps getting the hang of Parleaux.

After a few relatively tame beers (although Ruby Coaster was smoky as all hell), I tend to crave hops. If and Only If, listed on the board as a DIPA, piqued my interest. Check out its unconventional yet amusing beer description:

True or false: You can grow delicious hops if and only if you are between the 40° and 54°N parallel. FALSE! “If and Only If” was massively hopped with African Queen, a hop grown near the 34°S latitude line in South Africa. This hop, along with the Slovenian Styrian Dragon, yields a double IPA with enormous berry and stone fruit flavors and aroma. Clocking in at 8.6%, “IF and Only IF” occupies a biconditional delicious dank state if and only if enjoyed fresh.

Turns out I saved perhaps the most special beer for last. Famille: Foeder Aged House Saison was created to celebrate Parleaux's 4th anniversary. In 2019, the brewery installed a lovely oak foeder to use exclusively for aging its house saison, which is inoculated with a special house culture. The grain beer for the base saison utilizes German pilsner and Vienna malt as well as spelt, raw wheat, and flaked barley, while the hop combo features German Tettnang and Cascade. The beer is then fermented and aged in the foeder with the Brett-forward house culture. 

But that's not all that's special about this beer. According to Parleaux, Famille is a "solera inspired beer." What exactly does this mean? I didn't know either, so it's Google to the rescue! Turns out solera brewing is a beer-making process that dates back hundreds of years. Think of it as the "circle of barrel-aging." Whether beer or wine or sherry, the concept is the same. In the case of this particular beer, whenever Parleaux packages Famille, they refill the foeder with fresh wort to feed the house culture and also to blend with the aged beer already present. Pretty cool, eh? 

Pleeps holds on to his beer at Parleaux. 

Up next, it was off to Courtyard. Inside, this place came across as dark and kind of uninviting, to be honest. The tasting room was so dimly lit that I didn't even get any pictures. We felt kind of out of place at first but slowly got a little more comfortable once the beer was flowing. Inside, the brewery's mish-mash of eclectic design elements warrants its self-imposed title of "neighborhood dive brewery." Can't say I've come across that term before, but I love me a good dive bar, so kudos to Courtyard for embracing that aesthetic. 

Courtyard opened its doors back in 2014 on a 3-bbl system when New O was still fairly undeveloped with regard to its craft beer scene. The city has always been about bars, not breweries. NoLa was pretty much the only game in town. Over the years, the brewery managed to gain a following through its honesty and integrity when it came to the brewing process (i.e. they'd dump beer if it wasn't right). This is a practice I definitely embrace, especially in this day and age where breweries pretty much get one shot at impressing someone... right, all you FOMOs out there? 

Sadly, we didn't spend a lot of time at Courtyard, but after reading this amazing article by the folks at Good Beer Hunting, I'd wished we did. (It's a great story and I urge you to take a few minutes to read through it at some point.) I opted for one of its few house beers called Preach!, a DIPA hopped with Citra and Mosaic. Can't go wrong with that hop combo! It's one of the brewery's signature beers, so I'm glad I got to try something that's a favorite of the locals. 

Up next was a stop at Zony Mash Beer Project. Relatively new to the scene, Zony Mash opened its doors in September 2019. The brewery is situated in the historic Gem Theater, one of just two remaining African American movie theaters still remaining in New Orleans. Inside, the seating for the tasting room bleeds into the brewhouse and fermentation cellar, though everything is situated in a modern-looking space with an open floor plan, bright colors and zig-zagging blonde wood accents. 

But what about the brewery's name? Well, I thought Zony Mash was a quirky name for a brewery, to say the least. Turns out the brewery's moniker pays tribute to an album by the classic New Orleans funk band, The Meters (Cissy Strut or Tippi-Toes, anyone?). There's a bit of music trivia unbeknownst to me prior to going down a Google rabbit hole. 

While we were digging the space and the beers, Zony Mash turned out to be a one-and-done stop for us... and I'll tell you why. But first, let's talk about the beer. I opted for a pour of Refried Confusion, a fluffy pale ale  hopped with two of my favorite varieties: Nelson Sauvin and Citra. The beer was enjoyable enough, as was the snack we got from a local food truck. To be honest, I can't even recall what we ordered (it was probably tots), because what was about to unfold is largely what I remember about Zony Mash.

************WARNING: RANT ALERT!!!************

If you partake in or enjoy Zumba in any capacity, kindly skip over the following paragraph. 

I haven't had a good rant in a while (maybe I have, but who's counting?). At any rate, here it is. Zumba really needs to go away. Any exercise where a group of women in yoga pants prance around in a circle and occasionally clap their hands and yell "Woo!" in unison can just cease to exist... especially when it's done in a public place and there is drinking to be done. My eyes rolled so many times while we were here that I might be permanently be cross-eyed as a result. The intolerable music that blared from the speakers while Zumba takes place only compounds my utter disdain for this activity. I could see Zumba classes at the Zima factory, but not a small craft brewery, especially with customers present. I think I'm going to go on record and say this was a worse experience than a screaming child at the next table. Maybe not multiple screaming children, but certainly one loud-mouthed toddler. So to all you Zumba disciples out there... go to a real gym and actually EARN your beer. 

No Zumba for Pleeps, thank you.

With that said, our beers were enjoyable. Of course, that's in relation to the horde of ladies partaking in Zumba, which was the complete opposite of enjoyable. I would have liked to stick around for seconds, but by the time Zumba ended, the tasting room area turned to chaos, so we shuffled off to our last brewery of the day.

We arrived at Second Line just in time for trivia, and the place was packed. It was a pleasant summer evening by the time we arrived (perhaps around dinner time) and we managed to snag a tiny table in the outside beer garden area, which was more like a courtyard. I'm always down with some good old competition while I'm drinking, so this provided some entertainment while we enjoyed a beer outdoors. Unfortunately, you had to have an app on your phone to participate, and there were like 3 questions per round, which meant a lot of dead space. Oh well, at least the beer was solid. 

Pleeps is ready to hit the sack!

I was just happy to chill outside for a bit and soak in some fresh air. By this time of day, I was pretty exhausted and just wanted to kick back for a bit before heading to our hotel to retire for the evening. A sampled a pair of beers during our visit while throngs of locals competed for trivia glory. 

My first beer was Nutfluff, a porter brewed with hazelnut, coffee, marshmallow and cocoa. I followed this up with a West Cost IPA, which seem to be making a slight resurgence these days. One can only hope. Unfortunately, I was lost in a pre-evening haze during our visit to Second Line, so I'm afraid I can't speak to the overall quality of the beers here. I will say that I ordered a second beer, so they must have been pretty solid. By now, it was time to stick a fork in me. I tried to coerce Brewslut into checking out some live music at one of the city's many venues, but she was three sheets to the wind. It'll have to wait until next time. 

Well kids, that does it for our day in New Orleans. Although we didn't partake in jazz, BBQ or flashing our ta-tas, we still enjoyed our time in this historic city and really got to dig deep into its recently burgeoning craft beer scene. Stay tuned for our next installment, which continues through Louisiana and finally delivers us to our destination: Houston, Texas! Until next time...

Texas Road Trip: Day 3 - From cotton comes magnolias

 Day 3: Birmingham, AL > Hattiesburg, MS

The third day of the trip saw us cover a lot of miles but only hit a few breweries. For all intents and purposes, it was more of a travel day, which probably wasn't a bad thing since it was a Sunday and most breweries are either closed or have limited hours. Add to that the fact that we were traversing much of the south's craft beer void (Alabama and Mississippi, in this instance), we opted for quality over quantity. 

We began the day with a leisurely drive to Birmingham, AL, for our first stop of the day: Ghost Train. Having been burned many times by referring to Google for hours of operation, I always defer to a brewery's actual web site when planning our itinerary. Turns out the folks at Ghost Train failed to update their site in the wake of COVID-19 (thanks, 'Rona). I was glad to see their hours indicated an 11 a.m. open time; this meant we could get an early start and arrive right at opening time. We arrived at 10:45 a.m. only to learn that we weren't just 15 minutes early... we were an hour and fifteen minutes early. Yes, kids, they didn't open until noon. We saw some musicians unloading their gear from the previous night's festivities, and one of them mentioned that they didn't open until 12. M'wah, indeed. Since our options were limited, I figure we'd just hang around for an hour and drink coffee until they opened for business. Turns out we didn't have to do that, because once they found out we were visiting all the way from PA, they invited us in and basically let us have free reign of the place. 

Tap handles inside Birmingham's Ghost Train Brewing.

Since October 2016, Ghost Train has operated in the facility previously occupied by Cahaba Brewery, which is situated in Pepper Place Market (thought it reminded me more of an industrial park instead of a market). This makes perfect sense, as brewer/owner Taylor DeBoer had been a former co-owner of Cahaba. But the story goes back even further. Prior to occupying this space, Ghost Train brewed at Crooked Letter Brewing in Mississippi. So the name "Ghost Train" has been in the regional beer scene's lexicon for the better part of a decade. 

Since they guys on duty were still getting things opened up for the day, we decided to park ourselves at a table and hang for a bit. Brewslut and Pleeps sipped on a beer while I took a quick stroll around the brewery to snap some photos. The Ghost Train guys were super cool and gracious enough to offer us beers even though they weren't even open to the public yet. Gotta love that kind of hospitality! 

I noticed a pilsner on the tap list, so I started with that. However, I failed to recognize that this was, in fact, an Imperial Pilsner weighing in at 10% ABV. Not the best beer with which to start off my day. Regardless, Incognito is crispy and crushable with a floral hop flair and hint of herbaceous spice as well as some fleshy tree fruit. Of course, the beer is aptly named, as I doubt anyone would deduce that this sucker was in ABV stratosphere of double digits!

Pleeps says, "All aboard the Ghost Train!"

Upon finishing my pour of Incognito, I bellied up to the bar and started chatting with the staff. We enjoyed a few samples and I mentioned I worked at Troegs. None of the guys heard of my employer, which was kind of cool. I always like traveling in states where Troegs isn't available because I love sharing beers with folks who appreciate it. We proceeded to go through just about everything they had on tap, including a tasty wild berry sour called Kaleidoscope and a straight-up Kolsch called, simply, Good-Ass Kolsch. Then we started getting into the IPAs. I tried a bit of the hop-heavy Gulf Coast IPA, which was right up my alley. This one is fairy dank and laid-back with notes of pine resin and grapefruit. 

After all these, it was time to sample a few beers from its Allurium DIPA series. Numbers 3 and 5 were available, and I sampled them both! They just kept pouring... and pouring... and pouring, and who was I to stop them? The two beers I sampled were #3 and #5 in this DIPA series. Allurium 3 features a hop combo of Simcoe and Sabro to provide a blast of juicy citrus fruit with a splash of coconut and stone fruit around the edges. Allurium 5, on the other hand, is hopped with Azacca and Amarillo to produce a tropical-forward flavor profile boasting heaps of mango and citrus with subtle traces of summer melon and even peach. Both of these were in the 9% ABV range, so I kept to small sample-size pours.  

Afterwards, I shared some Troegenator with the guys, which everyone absolutely loved. I also left a few cans behind (as well as a hefty tip for the hospitality), and we were on our way to our second - and last - stop in Birmingham before heading into the uncharted waters of Mississippi. 

Inside Birmingham's TrimTab Brewing Co.

TrimTab was another brewery recommendation from Uncle Jedi. He obviously knows his turf quite well, as this place was solid any way you slice it. Founded in 2013, this Birmingham-based brewery focuses on a diverse portfolio including expressive IPAs, experimental stouts and a variety of fruited sour beers. 

But what the hell is a "trim tab"? 

A quick search on Google reveals that a trim tab is a small surface on the trailing edge of a larger control surface (i.e. a small rudder on a larger rudder... not to be confused with a Dutch rudder). For example, a trim tab on a boat or airplane can be manipulated to counteract opposing forces of resistance. In essence, trim tabs help to stabilize the vessel, which is achieved by adjusting the angle of the tab relative to the larger surface. 

OK, enough with all that scientific gibberish. 

Metaphorically speaking, it's a small, unassuming piece of equipment that seems insignificant but ultimately serves a much larger purpose. It's kind of like Ringo in the Beatles; it wouldn't be the same band without him. According to the brewery: "At the end of the day the trimtab is the actual source of how all direction and balance is achieved."

Inside TrimTab. Squiggly wins!

Like several other stops thus far, I kicked off with a lager. This one is from its experimental Gallery Series, and was notated as #041: Agave Lager. I love when breweries experiment with ingredients and processes and take risks. This beer was crisp, clean and extremely refreshing, with a pop of sweet agave nectar in the finish. 

Another line of beers the folks at TrimTab offers is "Beach Club," a rotating series of fruited sour ales inspired by tiki and island-influenced cocktails. Brewed with pink guava, tangerine, sea salt, and lactose, a beer called Floatation Device sounded quite tasty. This one turned out to be right up Brewslut's alley. 

Pleeps chillin' at TrimTab.

Brewslut loves her sours, so she also opted for a pour of Margarita Gose. Kettle soured with lactobacillus and brewed with Himalyan pink sea salt, coriander, and sweet orange peel, this tart beer also benefits from the addition of ruby red grapefruit and fresh-squeezed key lime juice. This one featured a nice blend of bright lime, pithy grapefruit and a pinch of saltiness with a refreshing finish. 

We had to end on a big note, so I thought it only fitting to share a pour of something special. Enter Language of Thunder Cumulus, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout conditioned on vanilla beans and toasted coconut. Ooofa! This one was over the top with notes of bourbon-soaked coconut, Macadamia nuts, smooth vanilla and rich cocoa. We savored this mammoth, chewy stout, which clocks in at a hefty 9.8% ABV. While it certainly wasn't teetering on the upper scale of the imperial stout spectrum, it nevertheless packed a pretty serious punch. 

After a pleasant visit to TrimTab, we set off on our three-and-a-half-hour drive to Mississippi to visit one of my most anticipated breweries of the trip. I had received reviews of Southern Prohibition from several friends in my beer circle, and all of them were quite glowing. I was pretty sure this was going to be one of the highlights of the trip, and I'm glad to say that it was!

Opened in April 2013, Southern Prohibition Brewing is located in downtown Hattiesburg, MS. Downtown Hattiesburg isn't what I'd call a metropolis. As a matter of fact, it seems as though Shamokin, PA, might have more happening on its main drag. The outside of the brewery is very industrial and somewhat akin to a warehouse or automotive store (think Auto Zone or the Pep Boys... Manny, Moe and Jack). Once inside, however, the atmosphere changes dramatically. 

Outside Mississippi's Southern Prohibition Brewing Co.

Upon entering, we were greeted by an oddly appointed Victorian-style room with a large screen TV, a fireplace and some highbrow leather armchairs and other period furniture. Even the wallpaper would have been up to snuff for Queen Victoria's library. Continuing up a narrow hallway, we arrived at the tasting room, which looked more like something you'd find in a brewery. A long bar occupies the wall on the right, and the room - with cinderblock walls and a concrete floor - is sparsely decorated with some barrels and scattered seating. The beer board above the tap handles provides the focal point of the room, which was fine by me. After all, we were here for the beer. 

Sadly, we only had about an hour and fifteen minutes to spend here. With such a small window of opportunity, we made every sip count! First off, the two bartenders (one, a young male college student and the other, a young twenty-something woman), were amazingly friendly and talkative. Oddly enough, the place was virtually empty. Perhaps folks from Mississippi don't believe in drinking on the "Lord's Day." Fine by me! We basically had free reign of the place during our visit. 

Southern Prohibition is one of those places where I want to try just about everything it had to offer. With limited time, I opted to open with a sample flight. I opened with three small pours of the following beers:

Space to Face - Hazy IPA hopped with Galaxy and Citra. Thanks to a healthy dose of lactose, this one is velvety smooth with a fruity character and crushable drinkability. That's my kind of hazy! I was quick to grab a 4-pack of this to enjoy at a later date. 

Sherbet Sherpa Banana Split - You know Pleeps wouldn't let us leave without trying this beer. Loaded with banana, coconut, strawberry, and vanilla, this beer comes across as liquid sherbet, so mission accomplished, I suppose. Pleeps was all over this one... as was I! I'm always skeptical about banana beers, but this one delivered. 

Cake Walk Chocolate Turtle Cake - Another one of Pleeps' favorites, this decadent Imperial Stout mimics a chocolate turtle cake. Part of the "Cake Walk" series, this dessert beer features plenty of adjuncts including lactose, caramel, cocoa nibs, and roasted walnuts. Yum, yum, gimme some!

Everything in my flight was pretty amazing, so we continued sampling beer until we had to leave. Again, I'm not sure if or when we'll ever be in Mississippi again, so I figured we might as well take advantage while the taking was good. 

I followed my stellar sampler flight with something called Double Fluff. This time around, the inspiration was another famous southern dessert - blueberry apricot crumble. Packed with a laundry list of scrumptious ingredients including blueberry, apricot, pecans, marshmallows, honey granola, and a pinch a cinnamon, this beer is southern hospitality in a glass!

We ended our stellar visit at Southern Prohibition with a pour of Crowd Control, a dry-hopped DIPA showcasing Mosaic hops. Sticky and fruity with a solid malt backbone, this was a flavorable yet well-balanced DIPA with plenty of citrus, tropical, and berry-like fruit notes. What a way to stick a fork in our visit to this fantastic brewery!

Pleeps enjoying our flight at Southern Prohibition.

While we were at Southern Prohibition, we caught wind of another small brewery in Hattiesburg called Colludium. We hadn't planned on hitting another brewery, but we figured we might as well. I mean, when is the next time we'll be in Mississippi? 

Colludium is about board games as much as it is about beer. Boasting more than 100 games of all kinds, this place provides a really inviting atmosphere perfect for friends to gather and spend a few hours kicking back some beers. With a hodgepodge of mix-and-match tables and chairs, shelves of games, and other assorted knick-knacks, I felt like I was hanging out in my grandparents' attic, or perhaps Auntie Wainwright's bric-à-brac. However, the main difference here was the addition of beer. 

A wall of games awaits at Colludium.

Turns out the actual name of the brewery was also inspired by the two owners' love of games. With origins in Latin, the word "colludium" refers to sporting or playing together and is also linked to the word "collusion". 

The tap list was light, as expected for a tiny brewery, so we opted for a one-and-done visit. As hard as it was to abstain from getting knee-deep into a game of Scrabble or Hangman, we decided to stick with beer and conversation. With that said, I opted for Wizards of the West Coast, a West Coast IPA, while Brewslut went with Peach Sour Up. I couldn't really find any details on either of these beers, but I do remember the IPA being a little off with a tinge of diacetyl, an off-flavor reminiscent of buttered popcorn to which I'm extremely sensitive. Otherwise, it tasted like an old-school IPA with the classic "C" hops for a mix of citrus fruit and some pine. One the other hand, Peach Sour Up was quite pleasant. If I had to guess, the base beer was likely a kettle sour (perhaps a gose or Berliner base beer). In the end, this refreshing beer offered a subtle peach flavor paired with some mild acidity and tartness. 

Inside Colludium's bric-à-brac... I mean brewery!

Well folks, that's a wrap on Day 3. We had another hefty travel day in store for us on Monday (not a great day for visiting breweries), followed by a brief respite in New Orleans, our first-ever visit to this historic city. Tune in for Part 4 as we continue onward to our destination: Houston, TX! Until next time...

Texas Road Trip: Day 2 - Sweet Home Chattanooga and other tales from the Deep South

Day 2: Knoxville, TN > Chattanooga, TN > Trussville, AL

We didn't have a very far drive to get to Knoxville on Saturday, so we had the luxury of sleeping in a bit. There are apparently a ton of breweries in Knoxville, and I'm glad we had the luxury of splitting them up over two visits. (We'd be hitting Knoxville again at the tail end of the trip.) First on the agenda was a visit to Balter Beerworks. I scoped out its web site prior to organizing our itinerary, and discovered that they opened earlier than most breweries and also served food. This is something I often tend to overlook when planning our trips. A man's gotta eat, Julian! So this seemed like a good place to start for our afternoon in Knoxville, TN. 

Like many breweries, the impetus of Balter started with homebrewing in a garage. The hobby quickly turned into a passion and eventually a career choice. After rehabilitating an old service station in downtown Knoxville, Balter opened its doors in February 2016. Balter prides itself on crafting all its foods daily from scratch, using the freshest ingredients available. The brewery itself preserves the history of the service station while still managing to create a comfortable and inviting modern space for its customers to enjoy fresh beer and scratch-made food. 

Pleeps doin' his thang!

Since this was our first stop, why not begin the day with a coffee porter? That's just what I did with Bear Blend, an Oatmeal Porter brewed with local coffee from Three Bears Coffee Company. I mean, does any brewery use Folgers or Maxwell House in its coffee beers? God, I hope not. I guess Bud or Miller might, if they ever decided to brew a coffee beer. 

I followed up the coffee porter with Firebelly, described as a Classic IPA. This feisty IPA boasted moderate bitterness with lots of grapefruity character courtesy of Cascade hops. Even though it drank more like a classic northwest pale ale, I ain't complainin'. 

While we were at Balter, I discovered a bit of unfortunate news: I'd been given back the wrong credit card from our server at Elderbrew the night before. Once I discovered this, I racked my brain as to how this possibly could have happened. I quickly recalled that he asked me my name two or three times while he was looking through his carousel of cards. After a minute or two, he held up a card that looked exactly like one of mine and asked if it was mine. Since he was about 10 feet away, I said yes. He handed it back to me, I placed it firmly inside my wallet and didn't think twice about it. Eighteen hours and 120-odd miles later, I'd realized that I'd been handed the wrong credit card. To say I was irate is a bit of an understatement. I ended up spending about 30 minutes on the phone with my credit card company trying to cancel the card in the event that mine was given to some jackoff who might go on a spending spree. So unfortunately I didn't get to fully enjoy our time at Balter. It really is a cool place and, if I recall, the food was very good. From now on, I'm definitely going to make sure I get the right card back from bartenders when I close out a tab. Live and learn. 

Outside Knoxville's Pretentious Beer Co.

Our next stop was Pretentious Beer Co. With a name like "Pretentious," I must admit that I though this place was going to be pretty high on the douchebag spectrum. Like not even a little bit douchy; more like metric shit-tons of douchbaggery raining down upon me as I ordered my beer. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. This was easily one of the most memorable breweries of the entire trip. 

Why is that, you ask? Survey says? Number one answer on the board... Pretentious Beer is actually the sister company of Pretentious Glass. Founded in 2018, Pretentious Glass Co. started with owner Matthew Cummings selling handcrafted glassware on Etsy to pay for his studio space as a side hustle. Eventually, the company blossomed into a full time gig. Surprisingly, he was able to open the glass company with no additional owners, investors, or bank loans. I must say that this was the first time I'd come across something so novel as a brewery that creates its own glassware by hand in an adjacent facility. It really added a sophisticated flair to the presentation and made for a totally unique, elevated experience. They even offer tours of the glass facility, which sadly we could not enjoy during our visit. If you'd like to go down a quick rabbit hole, you can read all about the intriguing process of glass blowing here. 

Curio of glassware at Pretentious Beer Co.

On the brewing side, Pretentious crafts one-off experimental brews served exclusively in its tap room, which - like its artisan glassware - was built by hand. Actually, pretty much everything at Pretentious is made by hand; not only the exquisite hand-blown glasses, but also the hardwood bar, the chairs, tap handles, etc. It's no wonder why this place has created a haven for fellow local community artisans. 

Our view from the bar at Pretentious.

So, let's move on to the beer, shall we? I started off with Good Times, a pilsner brewed with rye Crystal hops. I honestly can't recall if I'd ever encountered a pilsner brewed with rye before. It stands to reason that I must have, at some point, at one of the countless breweries we'd visited, somewhere, came across a pilsner with rye. However, I was drawing a blank. So let's say this was the first time. (I'm sure if I referred to my Untappd check-ins, I'd likely find that I had one about three months prior to this.) This beer came across as crisp and clean with a hint of dry spiciness, courtesy of the addition of rye to the grain bill. I enjoyed this beer quite a bit, and the glass in which it was served heighted the experience. 

Pleeps loves him some Good Times!

I decided to keep things light and opted for a pour of the humorously named Glassholes. This Pale Ale is smooth and fruity with a wash of peach and orange thanks to hopping with Galaxy, one of my favorite varieties. Like Good Times, this was served in a unique glass created by Pretentious Glass Co. and made for an enjoyable quaff. Overall, this was a great stop and I'm glad we had time to hit Knoxville twice on the trip. This town definitely has a lot to offer beer-wise. I'd love to take a tour of the glass facility next time we're in this neck of the woods.

Pleeps says: "Only Glassholes fling poop!"

I had high hopes for our next stop. Xül, the new kid on the block in Knoxville, came with much praise from the bartender we'd just encountered the previous night at the Cascade Taproom in Bristol. It turns out that our visit to Cascade was a pivotal moment in our trip, because Xül was one of those rare places that completely blew me away on every level. 

When we pulled into the parking lot, the first thing that struck me was the odd building in which the brewery is situated. It had a very "retro modern" look that reminded me of a car dealership you might have seen on an episode of The Jetsons. Turns out my assumption was correct, as the building used to house a Volkswagen dealership. 

Outside Knoxville's Xül Beer Co.

As a child of the 80's, this place was right up my alley. I immediately felt at home here. Given her vast - almost labyrinthine - depth of movie, TV and pop culture trivia knowledge, Brewslut called out the fact that Xül (pronounced like and actually spelled Zuul) was in fact the gatekeeper in the movie 

Ghostbusters. While the beer is forward-thinking and of-the-moment, its tasting room hearkens back to the decade of my youth. Its merchandise dons iconic logos and characters from the era such as G.I. Joe and Robocop (I bought the Robocop T-shirt), and some of its beer names are steeped in nostalgia as well. (Side note: I later learned that Xül's quartz bar was inspired by a similar one found at Brooklyn's Tørst, a bar we'd visited several years ago with our beer bud, Nate, who we'd also be hanging out with in a few days in Texas.) 

Out seat for the duration of our (first) visit.

The bartender at Cascade mentioned that Xül had been "killing it" and were making world-class IPAs. Man, to think that I wouldn't have discovered this brewery had we not stopped into Cascade for a quick one makes me think that perhaps spontaneity yields the best results when traveling. 

So with that in mind, I decided to make my first beer at Xül an IPA. After all, I owed it to the guy from Cascade, right? Enter If Lost, Please Return, a hazy IPA hopped with Citra, Citra Cryo and Mosaic. By now, you know about my love/hate relationship with hazies. Part of me just wishes that the style would disappear into oblivion, while the other part stumbles on an amazing one every once in a while, reaffirming my faith that perhaps hazies are here to stay. This was one of those times. The aroma, flavor, texture, mouthfeel, and finish were all spot-on. After a few sips, I began to understand the enthusiasm of my new friend from Cascade. Yes, kids... this brewery ain't fuckin' around. 

If lost, please return... to my gullet!

After an enjoyable IPA, it was time to travel to the opposite end of the spectrum and enter the dark side of Xül. The next beer I tried elicited one of those reactions for which I yearn with each and every brewery visit we make on a given trip. Beyond the Lines of Reason stirred my loins. Conditioned on mounds of fresh and toasted coconut across multiple additions, this decadent stout has the distinction of perhaps the greatest texture I've ever encountered with a stout. The mouthfeel was the stuff of legends. I didn't want to swallow this beer; I just wanted to swish and swirl it around my mouth and across my tastebuds until the end of time. I was excited to see bottles of this world-class beer available for take-out, and I bought one without hesitation (although I wish I'd bought more) because it was that good!

After an amazing experience at Xul, it was off to Chattanooga, TN, to hit a few places before landing in Alabama for the evening. First up was Hutton & Smith. I'd assumed this brewery was named after its two owners, but a quick perusal of its web site debunked that theory. Rather than paraphrasing, I'll simply provide a direct quote from the brewery's web site:

 James Hutton and William "Strata" Smith are considered the fathers of modern geology, and rightly so. In "The Theory of the Earth", Hutton, a Scot from Edinburgh, illustrates the concept of deep time - the immense expanses of time over which geological changes occur. The Englishman Smith produced the first geological map of the earth, a revolutionary feat, detailing regional geology. Scots and Brits had been drinking beer for ages before any of these revelations came to mind, and it is rumored that our two friends sometimes strayed to focus on their love for tasty brews. Though we can only speculate, it is almost certain that at some point they imagined what it might be like to brew their own beer. We pay meager homage to these two beer drinking pioneers of their field by opening Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. in their names.

 

Plenty of beer to be had at Hutton & Smith.

I rarely order a Doppelbock at a brewery - much less lead with one! - but I decided to give this one a shot. The beer itself, Taylor Doppelbock, gets its name from our server who helped brew it. Her name, obviously, is Taylor. Assuming she had brewed it, I inquired with her about the beer and asked if she was a brewer. Turns out that the brewers at Hutton & Smith let each employee come up with a concept for a new beer or a style they'd like the brewery to release, and they work with the employee to make it happen. So I suppose it's kind of like job shadowing. Pretty cool, eh? This beer in question is a classic interpretation of the German-style strong lager. Working at Troegs, I know all about doppelbocks ('Nator, anyone?) or the "double bock" as we call it. Malty with hints of toasted bread and crackers, Taylor finishes smooth with a subtle sweet, slightly fruity finish and hint of booze. Turns out I had some 'Nator in tow, and gave her a can since she was such a fan of the style. I hope she enjoyed it! 

Pleeps looking picture perfect at Hutton & Smith.

The other two beers weren't as memorable, but not because they were inferior; they just didn't have a story attached to either of them the way Taylor did. I opted for a pair of hoppy offerings after the doppelbock: Igneous IPA, a dry-hopped IPA with citrus and pine notes; and Elvis Legs, a DDH Double featuring Citra, Talus and Simcoe. This was the first of four different beer releases for the brewery's 6th anniversary. How could I not try a beer called Elvis Legs? Perhaps the next one would be named Elvis' Pelvis. 

After Hutton & Smith, we had one more stop to make in Chattanooga. OddStory firmly believes that beer and storytelling go hand in hand, and this small brewery strives to embrace that notion by encouraging folks to gather together, share stories and make new ones over a beer. Oddly enough, this was the least memorable brewery of the day. While I don't recall its beers being flawed, I just don't have much of a recollection of the place itself or the two beers I sampled during our visit. Upon browsing through some photos on Google, I quickly remembered the tasting room being extremely packed. We managed to grab two vacant bar seats after sitting at a barrel-turned-table for about 15 minutes or so. Even the line for the food truck out back was ridiculous. I mean, good for OddStory for packing in the peeps. After all, it was late afternoon on a Saturday, which is prime time for any brewery worth anything. With so many people occupying the place, it was difficult to get a snapshot of the room or pick up on a particular vibe. Consequently, we spent much of our time people-watching while we sipped our beers. 

Pleeps has got the Monkey's Heart.

First up was yet another pilsner for me called Forgotten Fortress. This one is a classic German-style Pils brewed with 100% Pilsner Malts and Noble hops. Traditional to the "T". I followed up with a West Coast IPA called Monkey's Heart. Boasting seven varieties of hops, it's a bold, slightly bitter IPA reminiscent of the kind of IPAs we'd encounter 10 years ago while driving around San Diego. Pleeps made sure to get his share of this one, too. He's got a lot of heart already, our little Pleeps! 

After a quick stop in Chattanooga, it was off to Alabama, another first state for us on this trip. On our way to our first stop in Trussville, which happened to actually be Ferus (more on them shortly), we noticed a brewery called Slag Heap on the opposite end of the sprawling parking lot as we pulled in to Ferus. Might as well stop in for one beer, right? I mean, who knows when we'll be back in Alabama.

Opened during Labor Day weekend 2018, Slag Heap is part of Trussville’s “Quad One” downtown center, which is part of the town's revitalization plans. One of its attractions is its large outdoor concert stage, which was in use when we arrived... by a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band. I kid you not, folks. There's nothing like rolling into Alabama for the first time and hearing some good ol' Confederate flag-waiving, rifle-totin' southern rock blaring as you get out of the car. 

Pubbin' it up with Pleeps!

I decided to keep things traditional, so I opted for a nitro pour of Q's Moneypenny, an English-style pub ale (similar to Boddington's). The style itself is antiquated and therefore a pretty rare sight at craft breweries where everyone is trying to be the new Tree House. Malt forward with low hop bitterness and a light ABV, this nitrogen-poured ale was exceptionally smooth and delicious. I easily could have tossed another one of these down, but alas we had to get to our final destination of the evening, as we'd put on quite a few miles - somewhere around 350 - already. 

Artwork inside Ferus Artisan Ales

Our final stop of the day, Ferus Artisan Ales (also in Trussville), was one of a few breweries Uncle Jedi recommended. We'd try to meet up with UJ and his better half, Joan, as they live in Alabama, but they were also on the road doing some of their own beer traveling. (You think we go to a lot of breweries? These two should write their own beer travel blog!) With the Slag Heap audible we'd just called, I was hoping we'd get to Ferus before the band finished its set, as I assumed the majority of them would descent upon the brewery and we'd get shut out or have to wait a ridiculous amount of time to get seated or even served. Turns out we beat the crowd to the punch and were able to secure seats at the ample wrap-around bar that occupied the center of the fairly large tasting room. 

Although its name implies beer that is "untamed, uncivilized, and rough," I found this place and its beers to be anything but. With that said, the term "ferus" also applies to the brewery's passion for adventure and all things wild and avante garde. I can certainly embrace that philosophy. From this sense of adventure stems everything from wild and sour beers, crisp pilsners, hop-forward IPAs, full-flavored stouts, and a variety of barrel-aged beers.

Pleeps says, "Enough with the pilsners. Gimme a stout!"

I apparently neglected to check in my first beer, which was a delicious pilsner aptly named Pilsner. This one was a straight-up German-style pils brewed using 100% Pilsner malt and hopped with spicy Noble hop varietals. As I said before, this was the trip of the pilsner. I think I drank more pilsners and lagers on this trip than during any previous trip we'd taken. I enjoyed this one quite a bit and made sure I grabbed a 4-pack to enjoy at home.

Speaking of appropriate albeit unimaginative names for beers, I followed up with the IPA, an India Pale Ale showcasing big citrus hop aromas with subtle bitterness and a soft mouthfeel thanks to the use of oats and wheat in the malt bill. 

We finished with a shared pour of a big Imperial Stout called Ursa Rex. After reading the laundry list of ingredients in this sucker - coffee, coconut, cocao nibs, roasted pecans, Tahitian vanilla beans, and lactose - I knew this was going to be the beer to cap off the evening. This was quite tasty, although I couldn't help comparing it to Beyond the Lines of Reason, the stout I'd had earlier at Xül. All in all, it was a fine visit and the perfect beer with which to end our second day.

Pleeps aka the Stout Whisperer.

We're just getting started, kids! Aside from my credit card misfortune, it was a fantastic day, with Knoxville really knocking our socks off. Tune in next time as we head into to Birmingham, AL, and make our way into yet another new-to-us state, Mississippi. Until next time...