Although leaving behind the pittance paid by my journalism jobs was easy, the job sometimes overflowed with perks - free tickets, charity luncheons with famous speakers, and sometimes meet-and-greets (I still get a laugh when someone asked if the woman in the picture - Madeline Albright - was my mother).
Thursday, my night job provided a new perk. I gto a glimpse of what perks might come at the Horizon Wine & Spirits spring showcase, but this was different. With the Jason, our store manager, I attended the preview night for the Music City Brewers Festival, an event I normally would not touch without ample supply of hand sanitizer (I never use it, but would make an exception for the festival). Through an afternoon and evening session in late July, one downtown park descends into pure bacchanalia, leaving not swath of ground free from spilt beer. But when Jason asked me to join in the preview, I could not refuse. Hell, I'm the store's beer guy, even if I only put in 10-15 hours a week.
A dozen brewers from the festival offered a single brew for visitors, with a fair mix of high gravity and low-alcohol beers. Jackpot.
Better yet, we got to chat with the brewery reps. Dogfish Head's man confirmed it has not intention of widening its line of spirits beyond their small batches because of the investment involved (an easy seven figures). He also said the 2010 delivery of Chateau Jiahu (awesome ancient Chinese beer) had been delayed because the quality didn't hit their high standards, so they switched it with Theobrama (awesome ancient Aztec beer - chili peppers and chocolate can co-exist in one brew). They poured their Palo Santo brown ale, a sublime and dangerously smooth ale at 11 percent ABM; vanilla, chocolate, tobacco and molasses all asserted a presence, plus many others.
Drink some of Yazoo's Lift Up Nashville Summer Ale now. It benefits flood recovery, and its a snapping example of what summer ale should be. Crisp and dry, with a fistful of spices and some biscuit textures, it will ease the thickness of another humid evening.
Jubilee Brewing entered the market with just one beer, an unusual choice with a nut brown ale. Mark, their representive, told me that opted for that British style partly because of market saturation with pale ales and India pale ales (albeit highly Americanized versions). Contract-brewed by the Bluegrass Brewing Company in Louisville, it was the best surprise of the evening.
Boulder Brewing poured Kinda Blue, an American wheat ale made unique with dry-hopping and blueberries. A perfect brew for summer, it came on with a little fruit, no trace of tartness, and all kinds of drinkability. Since the last two stocked at Midtown Wine & Spirits ended up in my fridge tonight, it was a fortunate final taste, since I only wanted more.
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