Beer Tasting – The Market @ Washington & High – 9/16/2011

Hello fellow snobs!

If you follow our blog then you’re well aware that I often frequent the tastings that The Market @ Washington & High so awesomely put together. The one held this past Friday was nothing short of a blast – good food, good beer and good times! My apologies for my tardy post but on Saturday morning I went to Beer City USA (Asheville, NC) for the Brewgrass Festival and just made it back a short time ago. This tasting on Friday night was a great way to kick off a weekend of great friends and great beer.

First off, what you’re seeing here on the right was what we had for dinner – pot roast, green beans w/ a roll. The pot roast was pretty awesome, especially with a little Gunshot Sauce which is a local sauce that added a  nice sweet taste to the meat – loved it. However, I will say that the green beans were out of this world. They not only had bacon in ’em but Benton’s bacon which gave them an awesome smokey flavor – magnifique!

This tasting primarily focused on fall seasonal beer. Seems like we’ve hopped right into fall and when the weather starts getting cooler in the evenings, the fall seasonals come out.

First up, Shocktop – Pumpkin Wheat Ale: I’ve got to admit, I’m not a huge pumpkin beer guy but the two we enjoyed during this tasting are making me think otherwise. This Shocktop brew pours cloudy with an orange hue to it. On the nose you can smell the yeast but I didn’t get much else. On the tongue you get some sweetness, spices – esp nutmeg and while I didn’t get too much pumpkin it really wasn’t too bad.

Secondly, Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale: When this beer began to be poured I was a bit hesitant as I had received some feedback from another snob that this beer wasn’t all that great. However, I respectfully disagree. This beer, unlike the first, is filtered and is very clear. There is more of a yellowish-orange hue to this brew and on the nose you get scents of orange and honey. On the tongue the spices are very complex – clove, nutmeg and perhaps some cinnamon. This beer seemed more complex than our first one. During the course of discussing this brew, one of the fellow tasters, Bryan, coined the term “cloveer” to describe how prevalent the cloves were in this brew – and he’s dead on, cloveer it is.

Third on deck was Abita Pecan Harvest: Really my only other exposure to a pecan beer is Lazy Magnolia’s Southern Pecan which I enjoy but not something I gravitate towards. However, I do love pecans – especially when they are in a pie – but Abita’s Pecan Harvest is definitely a great beer. This beer has a orange/amber hue to it and while it is filtered it does seem a bit cloudy. On the nose you get some hints of honey and pecan. On the tongue you definitely taste the pecans but the beer itself is very smooth, clean, and crisp – much like a fall evening. I also found that on the back there was a touch of cocoa. This is a very easy beer to drink, enjoyed it.

Fourth we had Sierra Nevada Tumbler Nut Brown Ale: Nut browns, to me, are a beer that it seems just about everyone will drink whether you’re a hop head, big on the dark brews, or really like lagers – seems everyone will drink a good nut brown. Sierra Nevada’s Tumbler Nut Brown Ale is a full-bodied, heavy, complex brew. It poured a bit amber/red and while I didn’t get much on the nose there is a heavy nut profile to the taste and the bitterness of this brew really comes through. This to me, was a traditional nut brown perhaps amped up a bit.

Finally we rounded out the evening with Knoxville’s own Marble City Brewing Company Rox Stout: The Rox Stout makes Marble City’s third brew on the market and was just released last week. This beer has a very rich, dark color and you immediately pick up on the scents of coffee and roasted malt on the nose. On the tongue, you get a sweetness as the coffee carries through and the lightest hint of cocoa. This is a very nice stout and another great beer out of Knoxville’s Marble City Brewing Company!

Overall another excellent evening at The Market @ Washington & High. If you haven’t gone to one of these tastings I highly encourage you to catch one! I know the one scheduled for October 14th is already full but there will be another in November so keep your eyes peeled and I hope to see you there!