The Market in Maryville – Beer Tastings

Hello fellow beer snobs! We had been hearing rumblings for a while that The Market in Maryville does some frequent beer tastings so last night we decided to check it out. Some of you may have seen my guest blog on jasonsmunchies.com regarding this fine establishment. If you haven’t, give it a read through as what I’m about to focus on doesn’t do justice to what all The Market has to offer.

The way this works:

1: Call ahead and reserve your spot. The indoor seating area isn’t huge and these guys also feed you – so they need an adequate head count. The number is 865-977-8462 if you want to go ahead and add it to speed dial. I can wait while you do that if you need me to…….

2: Show up at 7pm sharp and be thirsty and hungry. Bring $15 for one person or $25 per couple. What does that get you?

• Dinner – and who doesn’t love that? Last night we had shrimp and grits (see that pic? Yep, it was as good as it looked if not better). Mike, The Market’s GM is also a very talented chef and it showed in this dish.
• 2 beers of your choice from the coolers in the back – and there’s plenty to choose from.
• 4-5 beer samplings that Todd, The Market’s very own beer snob, has selected. Todd is a very knowledgeable guy that wants to hear what you think about the beer. He also seems to like a wide variety of beers and bases his selection for the evening on the season, availability, and even stuff he’s curious about and hasn’t tried. The picture to the right shows what he selected for last night – Anchor Brewing’s Liberty Ale, Kapuziner  Hefeweizen, Rogue Chocolate Stout, and Terrapin’s Moo-Hoo (subsequent opinion blog to follow). He also pulled out a six pack of Big Flats Lager and a Kapuziner’s Black Wheat Ale for us to try.

Subsequently in the course of an evening, you can get a pretty good selection of brews across your palate. It’s also kind of fun to hear what everyone else thinks about the beer, what they taste and smell as well since all of us can pick up on different things. Todd and Mike are great to talk to as well and really keep the group engaged.

This is a well kept beer-lover’s secret that if you pride yourself as a lover of beer and live in the surrounding areas (we do support the designated driver program – just saying), then you must check this out. They try to do this twice a month and post announcements on their webpage. They also have a mailing list you can sign up for at the bottom of their homepage. Oh, also, during these events, 10% off on anything in the store and they may even try to move a little beer with some bigger discounts. Last night it was the holiday beer and what little of the Oktoberfest brews they had left – 25% off.

We had a great time and are looking forward to the next one. Mark your calendars for January 28th and give them a shout a few days ahead to let them know you’re coming,  you’ll be glad you did.