wife

Business Cards Are Here! Or, I’m Officially Official!

These came out absolutely SEXY! And YOU ALREADY KNOOOOOW I went glossy, because you want that amazing looking brew to “Shine like the top o’ tha Chryslaah Building!” (Yup, I just referenced Ms. Hannigan from Broadway’s Annie in a Blog Post.)

So, now YOU can spread the word as well! If you read this and want some to distribute, send me an email at patrickbenedict@benedictbeerblog.com and I can give you a stack for your business, home, or just to give out to friends, etc. Let me know! Thank you all for your support!

And as always, thanks to Holly Kay for motivating, encouraging, and inspiring me! These wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her!

😉

Until next time!

Cheers!

Irish Whiskey Experience, or The Events That Lead Patrick and Holly Kay to a Denjoe’s at Nearly Midnight

Another from my Sexy Posing in Front of Breweries, Pubs, and Historic Sites series… Kilkenny Castle.

After spending our afternoon exploring Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle, we drove nearly 3 hours to check into our first B&B in Killarney, the quaint Windway House.

It was a 7 minute walk to the Downtown area of Killarney, which, even when not decorated for Christmas, looks and feels like it. We were exhausted, and starving, but we wanted to relax for a few minutes, and had a cup of tea in the shared lobby area, and our host Frank greeted us warmly and recanted stories about his daughter who had moved to New York. He was the sweetest man, and had exactly the Irish hospitality we were hoping for when we chose to do a B&B heavy vacation.

We took the quick walk into the city, and had read about a restaurant called the Irish Whiskey Experience and Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder in our research on Trip Advisor.

The entryway to Irish Whiskey Experience, adorned with barrel bottoms!

Irish Whiskey Experience has 5 stars on Trip Advisor, and all the reviews we read said that even without the whiskey, the food is incredible. So… Good food? Check. Good Whiskey? Check. And oh yeah, this is a blog about Beer. Good craft beer. Check.

My dear sweet Lord… Am I in heaven?

We sat at a table for two, with a large collection of Irish Whiskeys behind a glass partition lining one side of the restaurant, across from the bar. We were told by our server that the Whiskey behind that glass wasn’t for sale, but more of a collection, and there were some pretty rare bottles. We were handed menus, and greeted by some delicious looking Gastropub style food, and an extensive drinks list.

Holly Kay in front of a drinkable (well, not for us) museum!

Holly had the Dubliner Cocktail, with Powers Three Swallow Whiskey, Carpano Antica, Thyme-infused Grand Marnier (holy lord) and Orange Bitters. It was out of this world!

I knew that Holly would be ordering Whiskey (because she’s amazing) so I ordered a fantastic India Pale Lager (a massively hopped lager) called Remix, from Trouble Brewing in Kill (yup, real place), Ireland.

India Pale Lagers are growing in popularity here in the US, so I was surprised to see one in Ireland, and this stands up to some of the Northeast style, hopped up beers I’m so lucky to have here in NY (I compared it to an IPL I had recently tried from Singlecut Beersmiths in Astoria). The fact that it’s a lager makes it a bit smoother around the edges, the sweetness from the malt balances out the amazing citrus (grapefruit, mango, pineapple) from the hops.

Let’s talk food. First, we shared the Artisinal Cheese Board (because OF COURSE WE DID!). Didn’t get a picture of this. We’d been driving for several hours before this and basically inhaled it.

You’re not seeing things. Pork Belly, garlic-roasted spinach, baked potatoes, apple sauce, and brown gravy.

Holly had an 8oz Fillet Steak (because, I failed to mention, I married a beautiful, female version of Ron Swanson, and I couldn’t be happier), with green beans in a whiskey cream sauce, and frites (that’s french fries. Eat ’em.)

I was too busy inhaling my pork belly to get a picture of the steak, but it melted in my mouth when I bit into it. We were told by several people before we left that the food isn’t great in Ireland. Restaurants like the Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder are changing this stereotype. So, get here.

I DID take a picture of the beer I had with my meal… So, hold up whilst I insert this amazingness into your mind grapes…

Brouwerij Boon Oude Geuze Boon (2013-2014). See here for the description, but this is a blend of young and aged sour ales, creating a funky, tart, sour with notes of red wine, citrus, and wood. This is the closest I’ve ever been to Belgium (hopefully not for long), but it was a perfect compliment to the salty pork belly. (And you can see Holly’s steak!)

Also, please refer to my post about Sour Beers and pucker up for more fun!

After dinner, we decided to explore more of Killarney, and ended up in a Dunnes, which is like a hybrid Target and Macy’s, with a grocery store. And, surprise, surprise, Patrick found the beer section!

Ireland is stepping up its craft beer game!

After galavanting around Dunnes, we went to Sheehan’s Bar, on the recommendation from Frank, as they have live traditional Irish Music, followed by Danny Mann’s, which had modern Folk music playing.

Because we couldn’t stay away, we finished off our evening in gorgeous Killarney with a nightcap back at the Irish Whiskey Experience!

Our legs were jelly at this point (you know, Irish Whiskey….), and we hadn’t eaten in a few hours, so, like real adults, we found ourselves at a DenJoes, which is a hybrid pizza and fried chicken joint, and ordered a two piece fried chicken meal with chips, and enjoyed seeing all the late-night locals who had probably more than we’d had to drink, especially the one lad who was sitting at a table and kept gesturing to us and saying “These are reservvvvvved,” and giggling. He must have said it five times. When his friends joined him, one of them took one bite of chicken and promptly fell asleep. We walked the short block back to our awesome B&B and had one hell of a night’s sleep.

YO, IRELAND IS AMAZING. IF YOU HAVEN’T, Y’ALL SHOULD GO.

And if you go, go to Killarney, and go to Irish Whiskey Experience and Celtic Whiskey Bar and Larder.

Christmas in Killarney. Irish Whiskey. Craft Beer. AMAZING Food. Adventure. Love. This was absolutely the trip of a lifetime.

Until next time, I love you all!

Cheers!

Brewery Corner, or, This Was the First Time We Ate Pizza in Ireland, and it Wouldn’t be the Last…

Holly Kay and I arrived at the Aspect Hotel in Kilkenny after barely sleeping on the overnight flight into Dublin, and spending the whole day in Dublin City, followed by an hour and 30 minute drive. We were basically zombies, but decided to go to a place we had looked at on Trip Advisor called Brewery Corner. It seemed fitting. Winky face.

Irish Craft Beer in the heart of Kilkenny!
We were hoping to find somewhere that wasn’t too loud or crowded, and were relieved when it was relatively quiet, with a young Irish lassie, called Bad Poster Girl, singing folk covers near the fireplace in the front of the Pub.

Holly and I were warmly greeted by the bartender, who pointed out the food menu (three or four different types of pizza) and explained the Irish Craft Beer-heavy menu. There were about 5 or 6 O’Hara’s (brewed by Carlow Brewing Company, who also own the pub), and a handful of other brews… I remember seeing a Pumpkin Brew from Trouble Brewing, located in Kill, Ireland (yup, that’s a real place), and a few others.

I ordered from their extensive bottle menu, featuring craft beer from all over the world.

First up for myself was YellowBelly Beer Gose to Leipzig, a salty sour ale from this Wexford, Ireland Brewery.

When I ordered it, the bartender responded, “The Gose? Braaaave man. I think it’s the only beer that makes a man thirstier!”

It was pale golden in color, 4.5% alcohol, and actually a lot saltier than most Gose’s I’ve had. After a wave of salt, beautiful orange and lemon zest citrus came through, leaving you wanting another sip! Great stuff!

Holly had an O’Hara’s Irish Stout, which had a heartier mouthfeel and more defined chocolate and coffee than, you know, that other beer I wrote about here…

Holly Kay and I shared a 12″ pizza, which was just enough to satisfy us after the long day. It was a fine pizza, but we’re spoiled New Yorkers, but also, we’ll eat any junky food if we’re hungry enough, and also also, we love all pizza no matter what. So it was perfect for where we were at that very moment in time, listening to covers of Death Cab For Cutie and The Decemberists.

Next up was Brown Paper Bag Project Aul Bruin Bagger, a 6.4% Sour Brown Ale. It hits you with delicious berry and apple, makes you pucker just a little bit, with enough malt backbone to balance out the tartness. Great stuff, and, while both this and the Gose are sour, they’re two wildly different brews, and delicious in their own right.
If you ever find yourself in Kilkenny (and you should and I’ll tell you why… Two Words. Butter Slip.) you need to head over to Brewery Corner and tell them Benedict Beer Blog sent ya!

It’s quite like something out of Harry Potter. And look how cute Holly Kay is!

Butter Slip is, as advertised, VERY slippy.
And remember to love one another. Let’s love each other harder through the difficult times. That’s all I’ll say.

Until next time, Cheers!

Guinness Storehouse, or, How Holly Kay and Patrick Showed Off Their Former Bartending Skills (And Received the Certificates to Prove It!)

From my Sexy Posing in Front of Breweries series…

Hi all! Update #1 from beautiful, sunny then suddenly rainy Ireland! We are safely in Kilkenny, about to have our second breakfast on this unbelievably green island, and today, we’re going Full Irish (get your mind outta the gutter…)! I wanted to share some photos from our trip to the Guinness Storehouse yesterday!

Holly and I opted to pour our own Perfect Pints, as the Gravity Bar (with a 360 degree view of the city of Dublin) was filled with loud, obnoxious Americans, “I’M FINE ON THE STAIAHS (stairs)! I DON’T NEED TO WAIT FAH (for) YEW (you)!!” A grandmother yelled to her family members.

This was the only photo I could get without a bunch of strangers in it. But check out the top of that guy’s head!

There’s a lot of money in the Guinness Storehouse, its kind of like Walt Disney World, (it’s even got a whole section dedicated to how important water is to beer, and the waterfall smells like Disney water!).

Don’t go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the barley and hops that you’re used to…

A lot of the different videos were outdated, and whatever was supposed to be projected inside the simulated mash tun wasn’t working.

We saw some great exhibits, though, specifically the advertising section, and the shop was beautifully decorated for Christmas (WE LOVE CHRISTMAS, FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA!)
Anyway, I won’t blather on. Here’s some pictures from our experience! Enjoy!

My gorgeous wife!

Here’s a normal pose!

My lovely!

2 Zombies in Dublin! (I slept a total of 2.32 hours on the overnight flight…)

Looking up into the barrel!

God’s flower…
For the love of barrels!

Someone left the remains of their Perfect Pint in the bathroom!

My Goodness!

My Guinness!

Holly’s feeling Hoppy!

🙂

This guy looks like all the exit signs in Ireland…

Hiding…

Sipping off the shell of a turtle!

Holly Kay befriending a horse!

The store! All decorated for Christmas! (FA LA LA LA LA…)

Our Perfect Pints! Poured ourselves, and with the Certificates to prove it!

A Love Letter to Holly Kay, My Sweet Partner in Adventure, or, Here’s a Bunch of Gorgeous Pictures of my Wife!

This is a blog about beer…

But first, Birthday!

My dear sweet Holly Kay celebrated her birthday yesterday, so I figured this would be an appropriate place to gush and fawn over how special she is to me.

Without her, I never would have started this blog, and, since starting this blog, we’ve gone on so many different adventures and short trips, which provide some much needed relaxation and a chance to get away and simply be together and enjoy our time together.

We’re heading to Ireland in 3 weeks to celebrate our 5th (and a half-ish) Anniversary, and each getaway we’ve taken since staring this blog in April, and since booking our trip in late June, has only emphasized how amazing our 8-day, 6-night vacation will be.

So, I would like to celebrate my love, Holly Kay, by showing off how stunningly beautiful she is, with a ton of pictures, some from our adventures, some from our nights out on the town here in NYC. She’s a special gal, y’all, and you all should let her know how beautiful she is! I don’t know where I’d be without here!

So, without further ado, let’s get to some pictures…

Holly won this pint glass from Long Ireland Beer Company at a meeting for the Long Island Beer and Malt Enthusiasts, and, why yes, that is Matthew Spitz from Moustache Brewing Co. lurking behind her… Spooky.

When one flies on a plane, one drinks Woodford Reserve… It’s just plane delicious! This is Holly’s go to drink when we’re 30,000 feet in the air.

This is from one of our first visits to Moustache Brewing Co., on July 4th, 2014, before we went to Chris and Caroline’s Wedding!

Our favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant, Happy Kitchen, has hot sake. In tiny cups. Who wouldn’t want to drink out of a tiny cup?

I’m so sorry for the flash on this picture. But HK looks super cute, and we’re at another neighborhood favorite, Unidentified Flying Chickens, a wonderful Korean Fried Chicken and Craft Beer Bar in gorgeous Jackson Heights.

If you’re in Midtown Manhattan for a show, and you’re in a rush, don’t go to Bareburger on Restaurant Row. If you’re not in a rush, go to Bareburger on Restaurant Row. Have a mimosa.

Holly loves drinking things out of tiny glassware (see: earlier picture of Holly drinking Sake at Happy Kitchen)… Anyway, here’s a full sized beer mug and a giant.

Sometimes, in the dead of winter, you take a date night to Il Bambino in Astoria, and enjoy paninis, crostinis, beer and wine, and bask in the glow of Holly Kay’s smile.

My stunning wife with a slightly less stunning nitro pour of Keith SW4 Pale Ale from Singlecut Beersmiths… Go to this brewery!!

Butterbeer! Frozen is far superior to non-frozen. Universal Studios, August 2015.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA at Pony Bar in Hell’s Kitchen. This is one of Holly’s favorite beers.

Black and White, because we’re artsy. We began our New Year (’15-’16) at Astoria Bier and Cheese on Ditmars.

Black & Tan, Singlecut 19-33 Pilsner and Singlecut Heavy Boots of Lead Imperial Stout. Also, ;-).

Love, Love, Love (Love, Love)

Knee Deep Brewing Ole Molé Stout at Bondurants, NYC. Sweet chocolate with some dry and spicy pepper notes. Awesome!

Holly Kay rocking a Boat Beer by Carton Brewing Company in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. That hair!!!

Tommy’s Tap and Tavern, Sea Bright, NJ.
Bahr’s Landing, Highlands, NJ

Two Roads Brewing, Stamford, CT.

Fat 10-er #37 at New England Brewing Co., a delicious, floral saison from this hop-forward brewery.

Two Roads Brewing Co. was the most massive brewery we’ve ever seen. HK took home a growler of Espressway Stout and a sweet bandana.

Super cool VW Bus decked out in front of Two Roads! A fantastic way to begin Autumn 2016!
Share the love, y’all! Let Holly Kay know how beautiful she is! Happy Birthday Holly!

Cheers!

Highlands, Sea Bright, and Carton Brewing Company, or “Everything is Legal in New Jersey”

Holly Kay and I got a very rare two days off together this past week, so we decided to take a little mini-vacation to tide us over until our BIG Vacation in November to celebrate a (belated) 5 Year Anniversary! (5 years is the Shillelagh Anniversary, right? No? It’s Wooden? That’s fine, I’m pretty sure there’s wood somewhere in Ireland…)

We booked a room on AirB&B in Highlands, NJ. I figured it was just far enough away from the city to be a getaway, but close enough that we wouldn’t have to stress about traveling. (It took about an hour and 40 minutes to get there in rush hour traffic, which wasn’t terrible.). Holly and I read nearly all of the 93 five-star reviews on the app, so we figured the place was a safe bet.

We arrived at our AirB&B, a charming, 100-or-so-year-old house about a half mile from the water, with views of Sandy Hook Bay from the window in our room.

The room was prettier than most hotel rooms we’ve stayed in. It was impeccably clean, bright, cozy and beachy. We had access to the common areas of the house as well, including a balcony down the hall from our room which offered peaceful seclusion and gorgeous views of NYC and Long Island.

So beachy!

If that’s not impetus enough for you to book this room right now, our hosts, Robin and Robert, were lovely, gracious, and attentive. They treat their home like a true B&B, offering us a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and fresh fruit upon arrival, and the most delicious breakfasts each morning. For under $100 a night, and the way that R & R cater to their guests, we plan on making annual trips back here. We loved every second.

Also, this is their French Bulldog Finny and how could you not fall in love?

Wait, this is a beer blog?

Our first meal of the trip was at Yumi in Sea Bright, a 5 minute drive from the AirB&B. (Apparently most of the restaurants in Sea Bright are BYOB, and we didn’t B any B, sad face emoji) The food was amazing. We shared a fried soft-shell crab (because when you dine 40 feet from the Atlantic Ocean, you eat crab, for crying out loud), a spicy white tuna roll (with tempura flakes, of course), two unbelievable pork buns, and a gosh darn extra side of spicy aioli that you bet your behind we smothered on our crispy fried soft shell crab, because we’re grown adults.

Holly Kay and a pile of fried, soft shell crab

Spicy White Tuna and a red headed fool!

Soft shell from above!

In the Uber on the way back from the restaurant, we chatted with our driver, who had lived in the area for many years. We told him our plans to visit Carton Brewing the next evening, and he said, “Oh yeah, I know the whole family!”

I wasn’t surprised. One of my favorite things about craft beer is the focus on community. Small breweries form relationships with the people around them (local businesses, restaurants and bars) so it’s not surprising that owner Augie Carton is so well known around town.

We went to sleep early that night, after a little singalong (Holly Kay brought her ukulele) and some wine on the balcony!

After breakfast the next morning (vegetable quiche and fresh fruit!!) we took our coffee onto the front porch to plan out our day.

Front porch sittin’ is one of Holly Kay’s favorite things to do.

It was a little chilly, and we were going to go to the beach, but it was cloudy, and that crisp, fall breeze was a’peckin’ and a’pricklin’ the little red hairs on my sexy legs, so we both decided to change into pants and forego the beach for some apple picking (AUTUMN THINGS!).

We first drove down the stunning, mansion-lined coast to Asbury Park, where we walked around the shops on the Boardwalk.

At this point, it still felt like Fall…

Paramount Theater in Asbury Park!

By the time we got to the Eastmont Orchards, it was over 80 degrees and summery again! But we’re stubborn… We committed to picking apples, and pick apples we did! We got all up in those trees bizness, (neither of us are the tallest of humans, so we had to get creative) and filled up a bag o’ apples, and also bought a jar of blackberry peach jam, which is delicious.

We still had some time to kill before Carton opened, and Holly Kay found some outlets (she has a sort of Spidey-sense when we’re nearby outlet malls and was mapping out our route from the orchard even before we began our apple picking excursion).

After a few hours (new sneakers for me, new leggings for Holly Kay, and two orders of Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Nugs with cheese dip and a large Diet Coke) we were on our way to Carton!

This is a blog about beer, remember?? Sometimes I forget…

Carton Brewing is located in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. They’re just a few miles (UPDATE FROM THE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT: AUGIE CARTON READ THE BLOG AND THEY ARE ACTUALLY ONLY 6 BLOCKS AWAY) from Sandy Hook Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Their beer is everywhere in Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, and Sea Bright (from what I saw). They have a huge presence in that area. The brewery, on the other hand, if you’re not looking for it, you may just drive right on by. They took up space in an old abandoned warehouse that was used by Methodists (who came into town only for summer) to store their tents (Praise the Lord!).

Carton Brewing(?)

I’ve been a fan of Carton since my first taste of Boat Beer (their flagship, low ABV session ale/session double ipa/whatever). I listen to Augie’s podcast, Steal This Beer, on the regular (or, as the kids say, “on the regz”… Right, kids?), and seek out Carton beer on tap around NYC (their distribution of cans doesn’t go outside of New Jersey, so they’re hard to come by). Most recently, Holly Kay and I fell in love with Sakura (on tap at Barcade NYC), a sour ale made with sushi rice and cherry blossom, which, in concept, is so weird but worked so well. It was tart, refreshing, salty, low ABV, a perfect beer to drink on a hot day in summer with a good book (preferably in a hammock, but those are hard to come by in NYC, which is poopy. Maybe I’ll open a bar that has hammocks. I come up with so many good ideas writing this blog!!)

We step inside the brewery, and I’d heard that tours of the brew house were mandatory, which I think is a cool concept, to see where and how your beer is made before drinking it, to get a glimpse of the hard work and love that goes into beer. However, it was just Holly Kay and I, and the young lady who facilitated the (less than two minute) tour, talked so fast when describing all the different iterations of the building, and how beer is made, we barely understood a word she said. I was genuinely excited to spend time in the brew house, having listened to Augie talk about it on his podcast, and to learn about the Tippy (the small experimental brew system they keep to test out new flavors and ideas), and how they go about brewing beer. It seemed like, once she had finished her speech, and had walked us from the front of the building to the rear, she was done. No question and answer session, just an explanation of how the tasting room works, and pointed us up the stairs. I was a bit disappointed, to be honest. I was hoping to be able to snap a few pictures of the brew house, but was ushered up the stairs before I had a chance to.

Holly and I were chatting about it later in the evening, that perhaps, they get a lot of people who want nothing to do with a tour of the brew house and just want to get upstairs and start drinking beer. I don’t think it was the young lady’s fault, I just had an expectation of what the tour was going to look like, and it didn’t turn out that way. But lets move on to the beer!

On the stairs to the tasting room…

The way the tasting room works is, you can pay $5 for a flight of 6 4oz tasters. Everyone starts off with Boat Beer, a hoppy session ale, with aromas and flavors of grapefruit citrus, orange rind, and pine, balanced with a crisp, bready malt sweetness. Again, this beer is the reason I fell in love with Carton, and it didn’t disappoint.

My gorgeous wife holding a Boat Beer and some poker chips!

The next beer we tried was the B.D.G. (Brunch, Dinner, Grub). Augie wanted to make a Table Beer, meaning this would be a beer that will play well with any food you make (or order). This was a brown ale with flavors of toast, roasted coffee, a little spice, and lemon peel citrus from the Aramis hops. I like this beer a lot, Holly Kay thought it was more bitter than she likes in a brown ale (it’s sitting at 45 IBUs), and we both wished we had some food to go alongside it (no food at Carton, so make sure to eat something before, or, like we did, go out for dinner afterwards!). Next time I see a draught pop up in NYC, I’ll pick up a growler of this stuff and drink it alongside dinner.

Next in our flight was the Carton Canyon, their take on an American Adjunct Lager (UGH GROSS BUD BUD LIGHT MILLER LIGHT COORS LIGHT DAMN THE MAN), brewed with blue agave, to accompany the food at the nearby Southwestern-style restaurant Copper Canyon. An adjunct is anything put in beer in addition to the malt bill, most of the time used for cutting costs, but in this case, to alter the flavor profile of a style all beer drinkers are familiar with. It was bready sweet, with some floral, fruity, herbal sweetness (I tasted eucalyptus). I would definitely go for this if I saw it on tap ‘round these parts.

Carton Canyon!

I had checked out Carton’s Facebook page earlier in the day (because I’m a stalker) and saw they had their HopPun, a hoppy pale ale, that they were Randalling (infusing) through candy fruit slices… The device they use to infuse the beer is called a Randall and was invented by Dogfish Head’s insane CEO Sam Calagione (check out the link for more info!).

I was told that the Hop Pun was not part of the flight (I misread the Facebook page and thought it was), so I ordered Holly Kay and I the Wit Whale, which I’ll go into in Part II of this post (oh yeah, Part II…), but the amazing bartender (I wasn’t able to get his name) brought over a shareable pour for Holly and I to taste… AND IT WAS AMAZING!! Infusing the beer with candy fruit slices is nothing short of crazy, but it added a really nice candy sweetness to the citrusy hops in the beer. The flavor was new, fresh, and bright, but invoked nostalgia, as only artificially flavored chewy fruit candy can do. I’m pretty sure I have one more cavity than I had before I got there, but I ain’t mad…

Cheers to the amazing bartenders! HopPun Randalled through candy fruit slices!

We forewent our last two tastes in the flight, as we were absolutely starving, because the aforementioned two orders of Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Nugs had long since worn off, and we were ready for dinner.

I picked up way too many cans, thanked our awesome bartenders for their hospitality, and we headed off to eat!

#haul

NEXT TIME, ON BENEDICT BEER BLOG…

Tommy’s Tavern + Tap, Twin Lights, Sea Bright Beach, Tommy’s Tavern + Tap, and Bahr’s (OMG BAHR’S…) Just you wait….

This Post Sucks! Or, Does It?

Do you have a beer that constantly surprises you?

Do you have a beer that, with each taste, a smile creeps across that sweet mug of yours, and you chuckle to yourself about how damn good that last sip was?

Do you have a beer that inspires you?

I took a sip of beer a few nights ago and stopped in my tracks. I was overwhelmed with thoughts of my (in retrospect, very short) craft beer journey.

This was the first IPA that blew me away. Holly Kay and I were at Tap and Barrel in Smithtown to see our dear friend Matthew Spitz (from the absolutely unbelievable Moustache Brewing Co.) and his band Royal City Riot, whose sole mission was to groove our mind, body and spirit with their reggae/ska/dancehall jamz, and groove our mind, body and spirit they did. My goodness. (Please refer to my Love Letter to Moustache Brewing Co. to learn more about Matt and Lauri Spitz, their baby, Moustache, and how amazing they are.).

I saw they had Lagunitas Sucks IPA on tap, and I was drawn to it, of course, because of the name. I was still naive about IPAs at that point (please refer to This Blog Post in which I have my brother Chris, who’s new to beer, try 3 >100 IBU IPAs, and the results are as expected!), and wanted to try something new.

I took one sip, and thought “THIS is the reason I got into craft beer.” I was overwhelmed with brown sugar (which is interesting when you hear the story about this beer), plum sweetness, and toasted caramel from the malts, balanced with a blast of lemon and orange zest citrus from the hops. One of the most flavorful, balanced IPAs I had ever drank.

Lagunitas Sucks! Also, my foot!

We could talk about how Heinekin purchased a 50% stake in Lagunitas, which would lead us down the wormhole to AB InBev and their acquisition of multiple Craft Breweries in an attempt to conquer the Craft Beer market.

But we’re not here to talk about that.

I want to talk about the time I didn’t get that promotion I had been working so hard for, and Holly came and picked me up from work (because she’s amazing) and surprised me with a 32oz bottle of Lagunitas Sucks (because she’s incredible. Also, beautiful. She has unbelievable brown eyes. Have you seen those eyes? My goodness.). She handed it to me, gave me a big old bear hug, and said “Honey, that sucks.” I drew myself a hot bath, popped open that bad boy, enjoyed the sweet, citrusy blend of magic, went to work the next day as cheery and chipper as ever, and got the promotion a week later. Boom.

Ok, so, the beer name. Here’s the story. Lagunitas has a beer called Brown Shugga. Due to their capacity issues in 2010, that particular beer, a strong ale with tons and tons of, you guessed it, brown sugar, took a long time to make. They were trying to expand, but the giant lauter tun (the vessel used to separate the liquid wort from the grain) they were going to used got damaged, so they couldn’t brew Brown Shugga. They called the IPA they brewed instead Lagunitas Sucks, as a consolation to all the Brown Shugga fans, and a comical, self-deprecating nod to staying humble in the face of success, even when something goes wrong. It used to be brewed only around Christmastime, but it’s become a year round brew for them, and for good reason.

Every time I come back to this beer, I’m blown away. Periods of time will go by, and it will disappear from my grocery store, and will show up again months later, and remind me again why I love craft beer so much. It reminds me of Spitzy, and Holly Kay, and all the adventures we’ve been on since I started getting into craft beer over 5 years ago.

My Dad’s go-to, Founders Breakfast Stout, and mineD Lagunitas Sucks.

It’s all about love, friendship, and great beer. And this is a great beer.

Until next time!

Cheers!

P.S. Huge shout out to my dude Brandon (@itsb_ran on the Instagramz) for helping me come up with the second half of my title this week! Thanks, buddy!

The Perfect Storm, or Weird Surprise After Weird Surprise

Today is a special day. It just so happens to be both National IPA Day, and, according to Facebook, #NationalGirlfriendDay, (The Perfect Storm) so I’d love to share a quick story that involves both IPA, my brother, and my ex-girlfriend who I married, Holly Kay Benedict, aka @hkbenny aka HBK The Heartbreak Kid aka The Little Negotiator aka The Holly aka My Love!

I adore my wife. We fell in love in a whirlwind romance involving Karaoke, our friend Jeff, Jefferson Starship, Central Park in the middle of the night, and a wild raccoon that we named Stanford. She’s smart, funny, talented, and strong willed. Plus, she’s gorgeous (which is the icing on the cake). She takes my breath away on a daily basis.

Holly Kay enjoying a Youngs Double Chocolate Stout at the Souveneer show (see earlier blog post BEER, I mean… Here.)

Here we are, over 7 years later (5 and a half years married) and we’re preparing for a trip to Ireland in November to celebrate a belated 5 year Anniversary (we were at a wedding in Houston on our actual Anniversary, March 5th). This will be a celebration of our love, and Holly intends on writing handwritten letters to each of the owners of the 5 B&Bs we’re staying in to tell them how excited we are to spend our anniversary with them.

On Saturday, Holly called me on her lunch break as she was out on a walk through Soho. We were chatting, and she suddenly said “I’ll be right back.” She came back on the line about 30 seconds later, and I asked if everything was alright, and she said “Yes, I was just picking up your surprise! You’re going to be very excited about it!” I told her she didn’t have to get me anything, but she insisted that this was going to be amazing, and she had gotten a tip. That was all she told me.

So I spent the day trying to figure out what it could be. I had a feeling it was beer related, but wasn’t too sure. She’s a wily one, that Holly, so you never know what she could bring home (One time, she was dared to convince me she had bought a turtle. I fell for it, hard).

On her subway ride home, she was texting me, and she asked me about Other Half Brewing Company. She said “are they the ones who do the can releases where people wait for hours in line to get them?” I said “Yup! They had one this morning!” And described the three cans that were released that day. She responded, “Cool, we should go do that sometime!” I will refer you back to this post in which she says something similar and you can find out what our friend Kevin’s reaction was(!!!)

So I go to pick her up from the train station, and we’re walking home and chatting, and she says the surprise is something I’ll love, and would only get a few uses out of. I’m figuring it’s beer related (I don’t know if you guys know this, but I write a Beer Blog. You should totally check it out), but can’t think for the life of me what it would be. We get home, she unpacks her bag and says “The surprise is in my lunch bag.” At this moment, as I unzipped the lunch bag, I knew exactly what she had gotten me, but couldn’t for the life of me figure out how on earth she had pulled it off…

I pull out three 16oz. cans of fresh (we’re talking canned yesterday) Other Half IPAs. Hop Showers, All Green Everything, and another IPA simply called ! . I was a little in shock, because I swore she was at work, and she could have gotten up at 5am, drove to Gowanus (where the brewery is located) and then just stayed out all day and pretended to ride the subway home (she didn’t do that).

I asked her how on earth she pulled this off, and we’ll leave it at this… It’s a secret. She bragged “People waited in line all morning for this. I didn’t have to wait in line.” With a huge smile across her face. How did I get so lucky?

From Left to Right: Hop Showers, !, and All Green Everything

Earlier this week, I found out that my brother Christopher had tried a Guinness in Ireland, his first drink he’s ever had, ever (also, he hated it). This was weird for me. It still is. He texted me earlier in the day, “do you want to drink beer and watch baseball later?” Readers, I don’t know if you understand the magnitude of how weird that text message looked in a thread under his name. Anyway, I thought this would be a good opportunity for him to try some beers that are the exact opposite of Guinness. Other Half is making world class IPAs, maybe he’ll like those. Also, all three are presumably over 100 IBUs (International Bitterness Units). Needless to say, these are not beginner beers, but maybe it was wishful thinking that we would immediately be brothers in hops.

I cracked open the Hop Showers and poured some for myself, Holly Kay, and Chris. Immediately we were all walloped upside the head with hops (which I love), dank, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon. Not a ton of sweetness in the malt, but enough to sweeten that bitterness and let those hops dance (or in this case, punch.)

The next was ! , 8.5%, another dank, hoppy monster. This time, on top of light citrusy grapefruit and pineapple, were flavors of herbs, green bell pepper, garlic and onion. It was wild. Chris liked this one better, Holly Kay was more of a fan of the Hop Showers. This was my favorite of the 3, lots of flavor but still super drinkable, I picture crushing this at a beach (although at 8.5%, it would be nap time after just one or two).

All Green Everything was next on the docket. I was hoping that the sweetness of the alcohol and malts (it’s a hefty 10.5%) would balance out the hops, but this is another hop bomb. Craft a house out of hops and put me inside and I will live there until someone evicts me. This was a balanced, well crafted, triple IPA with sweet, sugary citrus. Also, not for beginners.

I love insane beers like this one, but Holly’s favorite was still Hop Showers, and Chris preferred ! .

What a week full of beer surprises. Chris surprises me with a photo of his Guinness in Ireland, Holly surprises me with three freshly canned IPAs, and I surprise Chris by destroying his palate with hops so he can’t taste anything else for the rest of the night.

Chris shared all three mega hopped, insanely bitter IPAs, which is brave, and I vowed to find him a beer he would like. I believe, with time, we can become hop friends, (Holly, do you have any advice for him as a person who was forced to love hops because of your weirdo husband?)

For now, the search continues…

Until next time! Cheers!

Beer Plus Music Vol. II, or How Singlecut Saved Us From Our Ceiling Collapsing on Our Heads…

“Hey you! Out there in the cold, getting lonely, getting old, can you feel me?

Hey you! Standing in the aisles, with itchy feet and fading smiles, can you feel me?”

If you can’t feel Pink Floyd, you can’t feel feelings.

So last week, I put together some beer and music pairings. A few days ago, I thought to myself, “How did I make a beer and music post and not mention one of my favorite (and literally the closest to my apartment) breweries, that is as obsessed with music as they are with beer?”

Singlecut Beersmiths. 37th Avenue, Astoria, Queens. This is a place you should go, definitely.

This is their entrance!

As far as beer and music collaborations are concerned, these guys are the (ZZ) tops!

They’ve taken a warehouse and made it home.

When you walk through the door of the giant warehouse, you’re welcomed in with large wooden tables, a gorgeous bar, complete with a record player and some unbelievable vinyl, beautiful, dark wood paneling, and gorgeous guitars hanging from the wall. Lining the walls are framed bags of malt, tying in their passion for beer with their passion for music.

The tap handles? All designed to look like guitar heads. The beers? Mostly named after the brewers’ favorite musicians, or song lyrics.

A video of me mouthing the line that Robert Plant shouted in the middle of “Stairway to Heaven” during a live recording for the 1976 concert movie The Song Remains the Same, which, apparently, still makes him cringe and inspired Singlecut’s IIPA of the same name.

Does Anybody Remember Laughter? IPA clocks in at 7.2% ABV, with aromas and flavors of dank, piney resin and citrus, tropical fruit (mango, pineapple) and pine. The forests truly do echo with laughter.

If you’ll excuse me… My hedgegrow is bustled, and frankly, I’m a little alarmed. I’ll be right back…

…

Ok, much better. Back to the beer.

Mo’Shuggie Soulbender IPA, found at Little Tibet, an unassuming, fun restaurant in our neighborhood of Jackson Heights, features Singlecut and other Queens breweries like Transmitter Brewing.

Mo’Shuggie weighs in at 7.4% ABV, and is brewed with both New Zealand and Australian hop varietals, and has aromas of tropical mango, pineapple, and orange citrus. The taste follows, with flavors of grapefruit zest, and white peach, leaving it with a dry finish. Simply, a world class IPA. Bright, fruity, aromatic, picks you up and drops you on the beach, the ocean lapping at your toes. Juice, juice, juice.

Singlecut helped Holly and I kick off our 2016. We were undecided on where we wanted to go to celebrate New Years Eve, but we discussed it with some friends, and decided to spend our evening there (not before a quick stop at the Ditmars location of Astoria Bier and Cheese)!

HK Benny looking super cute and wintery…

Holly started out with an Eric More Cowbell! Milk Stout. This is a creamy, smooth stout at 6% ABV with bitter bakers cocoa and coffee notes with some sugary sweetness. Great way to kick off the evening.

I had the Bon TNT Pale Ale, which is a hazy, unfiltered Pale Ale (see glass of orange juice in the picture above), a 5% ABV, juicy, citrus refresher and another great beer to kick off our evening.

Singlecut also has the Bon Bon 2XTNT IIPA, which, in my opinion, is as good as and easier to find than all the “New England Style” IPAs that are sought after and waited in line for. It’s another juicy, citrus bomb that drinks super easy for its 8.2% ABV. It’s packed with amazing New Zealand and Australian hops (which is appropriate, as Bon is a reference to the late Bon Scott, frontman for AC/DC). OI! OI! OI! OI! OI! OI! He’s dynamite, and he will win the fight.

Boom!

We continued the evening as our friends trickled in, Ryan (manager of Il Bambino, see my love letter to Il Bambino from a few months ago) and Erica, Rafa, and Alex and Shelbie all came by to spend a relatively quiet New Years Eve chatting and celebrating. The staff at Singlecut are always so welcoming and friendly, and they threw New Years confetti all over the tables, while we all listened to whatever records were spinning that night (I can’t remember exactly, but I think Rolling Stones and T-Rex were both a part of the night). It was an awesome evening ( aside from getting home at 1am to find our ceiling collapsed in our kitchen, but you’ve probably already read that post. If you haven’t, check it out here.)

Beer Plus Music Equals Love

Ryan and Erica. So happy to have these two in our lives!

Alex and Shelbie having a blast!

A grainy picture of Holly, Rafa and I. It’s grainy because of all the fun we were having. Also, you know, artsy. Beer is art. Grainy selfies are art, too.

Holly and I decided we were going to start the new year with our favorite beer from Singlecut, a MONSTER Imperial Stout called Heavy Boots of Lead.

Is he live or dead? Has he thoughts within his head?

Named after a lyric from Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”, this is a heavy hitter, at 11.2% ABV. It tastes like liquid dark chocolate, with hints of vanilla and coffee. One of my favorite non-barrel aged Imperial Stouts, whenever I see this around, I have to get it. I could drink this in the middle of summer.

The moral of the story here is, you should absolutely make the trek up to Northern Astoria (don’t go too far, or you’ll end up on Riker’s Island). They have amazing sour lagers (ahem, lagrrrs), also, try all of their Billy series IPAs, they range from about 5% ABV to 10%, and are all juicy and delicious. Their newest juice bomb IPA that I love is…

Breathe… Breathe in the air…

These guys are making absolute world class beers, and have only been around a few years, so I look forward to seeing what these mad scientists will put out next. Right on the bottle, it says “Mastery knows no shortcut”. And they’re not taking any. You know Holly and I will be there, and you should be too. Although, their traffic might explode after getting the Benedict Beer Blog Bump! 😉

Thanks for reading. Don’t sleep on Singlecut!

Cheers!

Smooth as Tennessee Whiskey…

“Of emotions, of love, of breakup, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a lot of territory, country music does.” -Johnny Cash

Holly and I took a quick trip down to Nashville, TN to attend the wedding of our dear friend, and Holly’s former roommate, Sara, and her fiancé JP.

We hadn’t seen Sara in a few years, as she moved to Nashville shortly after we got married (March of 2011), and then down to Dallas, TX. I had met JP only once (I believe), but when we first got to chatting, it was like we were old friends.

Reflecting back on our short time there, it seems the city of Nashville is like that, as well. Everyone we met, from our AirB&B hosts, to boot store salespeople (you bet Holly got a pair of boots!), to Sara and JP’s friends, and even friends we haven’t seen in several years, welcomed us with open arms.

Mister Hat’s Boots!

Look at those cute little boots!

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, and took a Lyft ($5 off coupon, babaaaaaay!) to our AirB&B in East Nashville. We met Kat, one of the owners of the house, who was lovely, and got us acquainted with the space. As we unpacked, and realized that our idea of Lyfting around town all weekend was going to be way more expensive than we realized (it was $20 to get from the airport to the B&B, even with the coupon), we looked into renting a car, and found a deal for a compact car for $35. So, we Lyfted right back to the airport, and still spent less money than we would have if we relied on Uber and Lyft. I don’t regret our rides to and fro the airport, though, as our drivers were very knowledgeable and friendly, offering advice on where to go and specifically, where to eat. We did NOT starve.

First thing we did once we got our car (which, by the way, they upgraded to a pretty SWEET SUV. Holly kept referring to it as her “Truck”, which is super cute), was head over to Centennial Park, in Downtown Nashville, to meet up with Sara and catch some free music. We found a parking spot, got out of the Truck (That’s what I’m gonna call it from now on, too) and were taken aback by this massive stone building in the middle of the park.

WHAT EVEN IS THIS THING???

I texted my coworker, David (who grew up in Nashville and had sent me a number of recommendations of things to do there). He said “The Parthenon! I love that place!” Living in Queens, we have a lot of old buildings/structures that have been abandoned since the World’s Fair, so I thought this was similar.

We walked up the large steps in the front of the building, and the large brass doors were locked, so we shrugged, and continued our walk around the park. It was beautiful from the outside, and Sara and Jenna (one of Holly’s classmates from AMDA, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy here in NYC) were meeting us shortly, so we decided to move on.

A smart man once said, “Good things are often stumbled upon, when in search of the nearest restroom…” And I am that smart man.

There were restrooms underneath The Parthenon, and nature was calling, so we both stepped inside, only to find that the restrooms were at the entrance to the MUSEUM(!!!)! We love museums! We answered nature’s call, paid our admission fee, and stepped into the museum. As it turns out, The Parthenon in Nashville is a full-scale replica of The Parthenon in Athens, and was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Inside are paintings from 19th and 20th Century Artists, as well as photographs from the Exposition, the building of The Parthenon, etc. This is why Nashville is called “The Athens of The South”, but you probably already knew that.

Oh yeah, also inside the museum? AN UNBELIEVABLY HUGE REPLICA OF THE STATUE OF ATHENA HOLDING A TINY STATUE OF NIKE (god of Victory, also, I’m legally obliged to write “Just Do It” each time I write the word Nike “Just Do It”) AND HOLDING A GIANT SHIELD WITH A WACKY FACE ON IT AND ALSO A GIANT SERPENT. It’s WILD. And I’m sorry for all the caps. But just look at this thing.

Athena and Nike “Just Do It”
A massive shield with a wacky face

A normal-sized Holly for scale.

It was WILD.

After our walk through the park and the museum, we had built up a powerful thirst. And, this is a Beer Blog, lest ye forget (and by “lest ye forget” I mean “I should probably write about beer…”), so the only provision that could quench our thirst was a fine local ale! David had told me about Yazoo Brewery, located right in Downtown Nashville. They had a booth set up outside the free concert, so we grabbed two of their Hop Perfect IPAs, and sat down at a picnic table just off the side of the stage. A band called The Mowglis was playing (I think I had heard one or two of their songs), and we weren’t terribly interested in them, but wanted to just relax and enjoy the warm weather and cool beers.

Yazoo Brewing Hop Perfect IPA, 5.7% ABV, malt forward, with some citrus from the hops. I gave it 3.5/5 on Untapped. Totally refreshing!

We ended up meeting and chatting with a local retired couple who usually walk to Centennial Park for the music, beer and wine, and the food trucks. They were so excited to talk about their city, and find out where we were from and what we were doing. We chatted with them for about 15 minutes before Sara and Jenna joined us. We decided to drive over to The Pharmacy, a burger and craft beer bar in East Nashville (just a mile or 2 from our AirB&B). As we waited for our table, I enjoyed an Against The Grain 35k Milk Stout. At 7%, this is a higher ABV milk stout (they usually hit between 4 and 5%), and I got notes of chocolate and coffee, with a sweetness from the milk.

An artsy photograph of my Against The Grain 35k Milk Stout

Against the Grain is from Louisville, KY, but are distributed in New York, and I’d had their fantastic Citra Ass Down (amazing name) IPA. These guys are making great beer and don’t take themselves seriously. Check them out!

We met JP’s sister Emily and her daughter (and flower girl) Kayleigh, and sat down for dinner. This is what I ate.

Heart attack? More like fart attack! Holy moly, the bathroom didn’t know what it had coming! Gross.

This was a beef stroganoff burger with tots. It was out of control. David had warned me that he didn’t like the bun, as it is doughy, and it didn’t bother me much, but it was quite soggy from all the juice and the sour cream. Real messy, but real good. The tots were ok, I’m totally spoiled with the amazing Tetris Tots at Barcade in Chelsea, NYC, so these don’t compare. The beer! Founders Brewing Company Rubaeus, a tart, sweet, low ABV raspberry ale, which was a lovely complement to the heavy, creamy, meatburger. We definitely didn’t starve.

We headed over to 3 Crow Bar, one of the 3 bars in Nashville that still allow smoking indoors. I had a Coffee IPA from New Heights Brewing Company, which was tasty (like an espresso with lemon peel twist), but it was really hard to enjoy in a cloud of cigarette smoke. On a side note, the bouncer looked like a young Marc Maron, so it had that going for it!

After an amazing night’s sleep on the soft AirB&B bed, Holly and I decided on Breakfast at Barista Parlor! This is a small coffee chain around Nashville that David touted as having one of the best biscuit sandwiches in Nashville, also amazing coffee! I had El Eden, which had flavors of dried pineapple and plums. It was fantastic. The biscuit sandwiches were absolutely unreal (we didn’t starve), and Holly said it was the best biscuit sandwich she’s ever eaten.

Dat biscuit tho.
Gorgeous, warehouse-like open space with cool table markers!
Delicious coffee.

After breakfast, it was off to Broadway, which, as my Mom described it, consists of bar, bar, boot store. Bar, bar, boot store. She wasn’t kidding.

Bar, bar, boot store!

It was time to get Holly some boots! As some of you know, Holly Kay used to be a DJ on a Country Music Radio Station on Long Island. She was laid off, as they told her the station was moving in a different direction. (They now have all male DJs.). Holly was 100% the best thing about that radio station. She had a huge following of listeners who would come to her live events just to spend time with her. (You should see her line dance!). Anyway, Holly had a few pairs of boots, and threw them away out of spite (which she regrets now, and I regret not stopping her), but if there’s any place to get boots, it’s gotta be in Nashville! (See above picture of those cute boots!)

We stopped at a bar (because bar, bar, boot store!) called Rippy’s for some live country music, and a beer, before heading back to get ready for the wedding.

I drank a Falls City Beer Hipster Repellant IPA, outta Louisville, KY. Another easy drinking, malt forward IPA. I’m spoiled with the hop forward IPAs from New York and New England, but it says something about your beer if you can make a nicely balanced IPA, because not everyone loves being punched in the face with every sip.

Holly had a Yazoo Brewing Hefeweizen, which was outrageously refreshing, with flavors of citrus, banana, and clove, and went down “smooth as Tennessee Whiskey”, which, coincidentally, was being sung as she drank it.

Tennessee Whiskey…

We headed back to the AirB&B, got ready, and headed to Sara and JP’s wedding, at the Buchanan Log House, a gorgeous, outdoor location just a few miles from the airport. It was an absolutely gorgeous, intimate, celebration of their love for one another. We had a great time seeing Raj again (after about 7 years), and meeting Glenna, Tripp and Amy, and Alan and Jolinda. It was a small wedding, so to be able to meet and share stories about Sara and JP, how everybody knew each other, made the evening even more special.

And the icing on the cake? JP’s Groomsman Nate works for Fanatic Brewing Company, in Knoxville, TN. He provided the beer for the reception! The first I tried was the Tennessee Blonde.

Definitely a warm weather brew, 5% ABV, light, with grassy and citrus hops with a sugary sweet malt backbone. You got a lawn to mow? Peep this ish.
I also got to try the Fanatic Pale Ale. This was a classic pale, malt forward with some orange citrus from the hops, another crushable, outdoor drinking brew, that paired perfectly with the food, provided by Edley’s BBQ, and the dance floor grooves from Sara and JP’s wedding playlist (Which ranged from Queen Bey to Luke Bryan).

If you ever find yourself in Knoxville (and we certainly will now that Sara and JP are moving there!), stop by Fanatic Brewing Company!

We stayed until the bitter end of the wedding, chatting with our new friends and helping with clean-up, and we decided to join Raj and Glenna at The Basement East, a music venue in East Nashville (read: Brooklyn) where Raj’s friend Emma was hanging out after performing. We walked into the venue to the sweet, sweet sounds of a drone metal band, so we ordered our beer and headed outside. Both Raj and I had let our bow ties down (as one does not have a full range of dance moves if one’s bow tie is still tied), and Holly and Glenna wanted to wear them, so Emma snapped this amazing shot…

Those damn hipsters.

I enjoyed a Mayday Brewery Old Salem, a kettle sour. 5.4% ABV, made with rye, which gave it a sweet, spicy flavor in addition to the tart sour. Hopped with Falconer’s Flight. Funky as hell, and I loved it!

We had all decided on Brunch the next morning at AMOT – A Matter of Taste, a completely gluten free spot that had KILLER food, and a great, local beer list, and also, our new friend Tripp works there! I had chicken with cornbread waffles, and a jalapeño maple syrup (you heard that right).

We didn’t starve.
I paired this amazing brunch with Southern Prohibition Brewing Co. Soul Glo Saison, fresh on draft from their brewery in Hattiesburg, MS. This is a delicious, 8.4%ABV (well masked), saison, with notes of fresh squeezed lemon and orange juice, banana, and spices. Great substitute for a Mimosa! (Although, they did have 3 dollar Mimosas… You should go there.)

From there, we walked around some shops with Sara and JP, and Raj and Glenna, and headed back to the airport.

I would love to come back to this city and explore some more, and I used that Johnny Cash quote in the beginning of this post, because, like Country music, I felt that Nashville also covers a lot of territory, and we only just scratched the surface. This city had such personality, and the folks we met (or reconnected with) treated us with such love and hospitality, I won’t think twice before going back. Thanks so much to Sara and JP for allowing us the opportunity to share in your love, we truly appreciated it.

Until next time!

Cheers!