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Scott’s Top “10” (sorta) Favorite Breweries Visited in 2024 (Thru 5/30/24)

Steve’s Top 10 Favorite New Breweries Visited in 2024

I know it says Top 10, but as usual I don’t care about the rules, even when they’re our own. Some of these may surprise you, but I have different criteria for why each are my favorites. Sometimes it’s the beer, sometimes it’s the experience, sometimes it’s because of the people you’re with and sometimes you just feel good when you leave a place. I didn’t put these in any particular order because that’s just getting too hard to do and again – they’re all on this list for different reasons that I’ve stated below.

1. 16 Lots Brewing Company – Southern Outpost – Newport, KY. This place was great on a couple of levels. First, the location overlooking the river is amazing, especially at night. The Cincinnati Skyline is beautiful and you’re able to sit out front of 16 Lots and enjoy the view. Secondly, both the beer and food are very good. They have a full food menu that includes tacos, burgers and salads. The beer is fantastic with multiple styles. Their current taplist on their website shows 18 of their beers, 1 non-alcoholic beer and 5 different wines. They have trivia, live music, weekly specials and other events. Check their website out at the link above for all activities they’re currently doing.
2. Rhinegeist Brewery – Cincinnati, OH. Rhinegeist should always be on my list. Between the excellent beer, the amazing variety of styles and the enormous taproom, I don’t know how you can get much better. Oh Wait! Throw a fantastic rooftop into the mix and see what happens. This is a brewery experience at its finest.
3. Braxton Brewing Company – Covington, KY. I could duplicate what I said about Rhinegeist but where is the creativity in that? Braxton’s rooftop is amazing. We usually get there early in the day as they’re just opening up, and when you have the rooftop to yourself, you find it peaceful and relaxing. I swear I could take a nap up there. Always great beer and great variety. The slow pour Pils I got last time was perfect to start the day with. Another fantastic taproom and a brewery that should be carved in stone onto this list.
4. Nashville Brewing Company – Nashville, TN.
5. Blackstone Brewing Company – Nashville, TN.
6. Half Batch Brewing Company – Hendersonville, TN.
7. Crazy Gnome Brewery – Nashville, TN.
8. Black Abbey Brewing Company – Nashville, TN.
9. Tailgate Brewery – Nashville, TN.
10. Fait La Force Brewing Company – Nashville, TN.
11. Honeytree Meadery – Nashville, TN.
12. Tennfold Brewing – Nashville, TN.
13. Panther Creek Brews – Murfreesboro, TN.

1. Barrique Brewing & Blending |Nashville, TN. Here’s a place I look forward returning. Scott has the 411 on everything about this place. I think if you live in Nashville or plan to visit. Stop here!
2. Common John Brewing Co | Brewery in Manchester, TN (commonjohnbc.com) – Manchester TN. I cannot wait to come back one day. For anyone living in the area, Common John is the place to be for craft beer. It’s a bit of a road trip from Nashville. But you can also find their beer in other locations at places around Middle Tennessee.
3. Living Waters Brewing – Nashville, TN. The east side of Nashville has a lot of great breweries. Living Waters ranks right up there. It’s not a large location. But go in, enjoy the local craft beer. Oh yeah, take along someone too if they like coffee. Living waters does that as well.
4. Tennfold – Donelson, TN. I cannot say enough good things about Tennfold. Not only do they have great craft beer, but the food menu is expansive. Check them out! You will not be disappointed.
5. Home | Middle Ground Brewing – Murfreesboro, TN. People living in Middle Tennessee know how much Murfreesboro has grown over the years, Middle Ground is fairly new to the area. But they seem to be doing well. Check out some of their local beers!
6. Urban Artifact – Urban Artifact (artifactbeer.com) – Cincinnati, Ohio. How many breweries just do sours? Urban Artifact has perfected it. Located in a Church on the west side of Cincinnati.
7. Blackstone/Nashville Brewing – Nashville, TN – I love both of them! Two of Nashville’s oldest breweries under one roof. Stop on by and tell them the guys from The Brewery Underground Podcast say hello.
8. Streetside Brewery – Streetside Brewery – Cincinnati, Ohio. Streetside has become one of the more popular stops for craft beer lovers in the area. They host a different variety of craft beer. They are on my list to return
9. Brewery | Mt. Carmel Brewing Company | United States (mtcarmelbrewing.com) Cincinnati, Ohio. The east side of Cincinnati is filled with a lot of great breweries. Mt Carmel is fantastic. Go get a beer, sit outside by the pond. Then head back in for some great local brew and food.
10. Home (humblemonkbrewing.com) – Cincinnati, Ohio. I finally got to Humble Monk on the west side. Their location was about to close. They are in the process of opening a new location. Great place with tremendous craft beer.

Scott’s Top 10 Favorite Breweries Visited in 2023

Steve’s Top 10 Favorite New Breweries Visited in 2024

Before I started this list I had to go back and see what breweries I had actually been to in 2023, then I had to start adding them to a spreadsheet based on the ones I could remember and had to look back through Untappd. I was surprised by how many I visited and how many I had either forgotten about or didn’t realize they were actually in 2023.

My first instinct was to only add breweries that I visited for the first time in 2023, but quickly realized I had been to some great breweries more than once both in and out of TN and if they’re among my favorites – they’re going to be on my list no matter how many times I’ve been.

I chose to put these in reverse order from #10-#1 – with #1 being my favorite – just to change it up a bit. I could have made a case for other breweries as well as these, but the list had to stop somewhere, and I couldn’t spend the rest of the year on this. My criteria for picking these breweries as my favorites are: the quality and selection of the beer, the uniqueness and atmosphere of the physical brewery, the experience I had at the brewery, along with some intangibles – like the overall feeling I had while I was there, the memories I have among other things.

10. BARRIQUE BREWING & BLENDING – NASHVILLE, TN. I think Barrique is everything that is right and great about the Nashville beer scene. Their sours are REAL Sours and Wild Ales with the majority of them (if not all) have been barrel aged. They use grapes, melons, plums, nectarines, nectarine pits, peaches and more in brewing their beers. Even though they are known for their sours, they do a lot of other styles too including Helles, Pilsners, English Bitters, a Whiskey Barrel Black Lager, DDH Black IPA and several more. They’ve got a long spacious tap room with a lot of tables and a lot of seating at the bar, plus they have a “slow pour” tap that they use for certain beers that is an “Old World” style of pouring draft beers. Their building is huge and what isn’t occupied by the taproom and bar, is occupied by barrels full of various beers. They have them stacked to the ceiling – literally. In addition to all of the drafts they have, they also can and bottle with the bottles being mostly 500ml which you can purchase and drink there and can also find them in just about every liquor store in Nashville. If anyone knows anything about good beer in Nashville, they certainly know about Barrique.
11. WELDWERKS BREWING COMPANY – GREELEY, CO. This brewery wasn’t necessarily on our list to visit while we were in CO this year but someone from another brewery mentioned that Greeley was infamously known for how the city smells (I’ll leave that for another time). Anyway, we freakin’ loved this place. It’s huge and their beer selection is nuts. They had one called Greeley Gremlin: Mutinee’s Matcha Milk, which is a fruited sour and it’s GREEN! My description in Untappd was “It’s good, yet weird. But in a good way.” I also had a Strawberry Cheesecake Sour, a Blueberry Cobbler Sour, a Hefeweizen, a Marzen, a Cream Cheese Rangoon Gose and IPA’s. They also have a variety of food on their menu, that looks pretty good. We were in town for the Great American Beer Fest and ran into Fox Friday Craft Brewery from Australia, that we spoke to in the taproom, and they gave us one of their beers that they were picking up from Weldwerks that they had collaborated on. The name of the beer was Fox Factory and it was very good and very cool of them to share. (This is one of those intangibles I mentioned above) If you happen to see Calvin Tate, ask him about the smell.
12. BASSLINE BREWING COMPANY – NASHVILLE, TN. Bassline is always going to be special to me because Chris Dolan, who is the Head Brewer there, was our first guest on our podcast, and he was terrific. But that isn’t the only reason they’re on here. I thoroughly enjoyed the (9) different beers I’ve had from Bassline with the ‘Run To the Pils’ German Lager being my favorite but also had their Oktoberfest, Pumpkin, IPA’s and a Fruit beer. Their taproom is huge with a lot of tables and bar seating, and they have their own large patio which is as big as the taproom. They have just added a food menu that I have not had the chance to experience yet but plan to soon. I wrote a post about Bassline that you can read here: Bassline Brewing Company – Sullivan & Touron Brewery Adventures . You can listen to our podcast with Chris Dolan here: Brewery Underground Podcast – Sullivan & Touron Brewery Adventures. Please check these guys out and support them and tell them we sent you. 🙂
13. MARBLE FOX BREWING COMPANY – NASHVILLE, TN. This is one of the newest breweries in Nashville and it immediately became one of my favorites after my first visit and drinking their beer. They had great beer right out of the gate and so far, I’ve had 14 different pours (not to mention the ones I’ve had multiple times). My favorite so far has been the Pirouette, which is a NEIPA (no surprise) which checks in at 7.1% and is juicy and the mouthfeel is “velvety” (just came across that word). Like many of my favorite breweries, I love places that brew a lot of different styles and Marble Fox does that too. I’ve had a Brown Ale, a Pumpkin, a Festbier, a Sour, a Pilsner and multiple IPA’s. Not only is the beer excellent but I really like their brewery, it was the original Jackalope location, and they’ve renovated it which has opened it up and is bigger on the inside. It’s also brighter and they’ve redone the outside patio area that looks really nice. They’re located in The Gulch and are within walking distance of Hi-Wire Brewing and Peg Leg Porker. Steve and I collaborated on a post about them here: Marble Fox Brewing Company – Sullivan & Touron Brewery Adventures
14. BAD TOM SMITH BREWERY – CINCINNATI, OH. Their name and story alone should get you to want to visit them, but they are much more than that. Their taproom is quite long that seats 100 people with another 20 seats at the bar. They have 18 taps and also serve bourbon (including their own) vodka and tequila cocktails. The place feels like a local neighborhood bar and the location does too. They’ve got live music, TV’s, a beer garden and my favorite thing – a 120-year-old bank vault that they’ve turned into a room with a TV, couches and it houses their aging Bad Tom Smith barrels of bourbon. They also have a pretty vast food menu that includes pizza, tacos, soups and multiple appetizers. One of their beers (Jackie Blue – a blueberry ale) made my top 10 list of beers of 2023 so that alone should tell you something about the beers they make.
15. XUL BEER COMPANY – KNOXVILLE, TN. It’s no accident that XUL and Southern Grist are this close together on this list – as there are a lot of similarities in their beers. When I say this, I’m thinking mostly of their fruited sours and pastries that are just that – sour and dessert-like. You can tell they are using real and quality ingredients in everything they make by the flavors you get out of them. Another thing I love, and is fun, are the colors and textures of some of these beers. I’ve had bright greens and yellows and pinks, and they look awesome on a flight not to mention some are so thick you almost need a spoon to drink them. Their space is really large with plenty of bar seating and tables as well as a large patio area. They don’t have their own food, but they do have food trucks. Geezers Brewery was right next door, but they have closed but I think XUL might be taking over that spot.
16. SOUTHERN GRIST BREWING COMPANY – NASHVILLE, TN. There are 2 locations in Nashville, and both are equally as good, and both have food. Their layouts are both very nice with outdoor seating at both. I just love their beer and all of the different styles they brew. Do you know what a grist is? I do! I had to look it up though 🙂 – according to Merriam-Webster, it is a grain or batch of grain used for grinding. Per their website, their beers are small batch and experimental and they don’t actually have a traditional “flagship” beer, but they do have series that are recurring like Mixed Greens, Hill, Pity, Cobbler and their Crisp series and many more. Within each of those series there are multiple flavors of beers like DDH New England IPA, Double Fruited 100K, Pity Snickers, Peach Cobbler and Southern Crisp. There are a ton more that they have and are ever changing. Their uniqueness is what I love about them and believe me when I tell you – what it says on the can or in the description – is exactly what it tastes like. I have had more Southern Grist beer than I have had from any other brewery.
17. HI-WIRE BREWING CINCINNATI AND HI-WIRE BREWING NASHVILLE. NORWOOD, OH AND NASHVILLE, TN. Technically there are 11 breweries on my list since I have 2 breweries at this spot but it’s my list, so I’ll do what I want. The reason I have these tied is because they are both brand new breweries with great vibes and completely different spaces. I couldn’t put one on without putting on the other. Anyway, the Cincinnati location has a great rooftop that looks over a public courtyard with a satellite bar and music venue outside. It also has 24 taps on the ground floor and 12 more taps on the rooftop bar. The Nashville location has a giant space that’s colorful and decorative and has 20 tap handles with a cool patio area in the Gulch. Hi-Wire’s beer is excellent, and I always like the fact that they have multiples styles.
18. BLUE MOON BREWING COMPANY– DENVER, CO. I’ve been twice and this place is just cool as hell. From the giant Blue Moon that hangs over the bar to the booths that are in giant round concrete cylinders – this place is beautiful and top shelf! They have a full food menu including burgers, shrimp bisque, wings, salads, beer mac & cheese and a ton of other things including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. I think I counted 28 tap handles, and they have excellent beer! Some styles include barrel aged barleywine, lagers, ambers, hefeweizen and fruit beers. These are beers you won’t find outside of the brewery. You have to check out their website, on the link above, to see some of the pictures of the place, It’s truly amazing.
19. SWEETWATER BREWING COMPANY – FORT COLLINS, CO. When I say going to this brewery for the first time this year was a pleasant surprise – that is a complete understatement! I had no idea Sweetwater had a brewery outside of Atlanta and when we showed up here, while in town for GABF, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s not just a taproom it’s a full brewery that brews a lot of different beers to serve the Western part of the country. Not only do they brew the Sweetwater brand, but they brew for a couple of their sister companies too like Alpine Beer Company and Green Flash Brewing Company, both of which they have on draft at this location. The place is huge on the inside and outside as they have a very large outdoor patio area that seems to extend forever. They also have a full food menu that includes salads, burgers, a Baja shrimp sandwich, etc. This is many levels up from your typical bar food and stands to reason since the entire place is classy. I would put this Sweetwater location in the “upper echelon” of breweries that I’ve been to – like Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Mills River, NC, and Blue Moon Brewing Company in Denver, CO.

1. Barrique Brewing & Blending |Nashville, TN. Here’s a place I look forward returning. Scott has the 411 on everything about this place. I think if you live in Nashville or plan to visit. Stop here!
2. Common John Brewing Co | Brewery in Manchester, TN (commonjohnbc.com) – Manchester TN. I cannot wait to come back one day. For anyone living in the area, Common John is the place to be for craft beer. It’s a bit of a road trip from Nashville. But you can also find their beer in other locations at places around Middle Tennessee.
3. Living Waters Brewing – Nashville, TN. The east side of Nashville has a lot of great breweries. Living Waters ranks right up there. It’s not a large location. But go in, enjoy the local craft beer. Oh yeah, take along someone too if they like coffee. Living waters does that as well.
4. Tennfold – Donelson, TN. I cannot say enough good things about Tennfold. Not only do they have great craft beer, but the food menu is expansive. Check them out! You will not be disappointed.
5. Home | Middle Ground Brewing – Murfreesboro, TN. People living in Middle Tennessee know how much Murfreesboro has grown over the years, Middle Ground is fairly new to the area. But they seem to be doing well. Check out some of their local beers!
6. Urban Artifact – Urban Artifact (artifactbeer.com) – Cincinnati, Ohio. How many breweries just do sours? Urban Artifact has perfected it. Located in a Church on the west side of Cincinnati.
7. Blackstone/Nashville Brewing – Nashville, TN – I love both of them! Two of Nashville’s oldest breweries under one roof. Stop on by and tell them the guys from The Brewery Underground Podcast say hello.
8. Streetside Brewery – Streetside Brewery – Cincinnati, Ohio. Streetside has become one of the more popular stops for craft beer lovers in the area. They host a different variety of craft beer. They are on my list to return
9. Brewery | Mt. Carmel Brewing Company | United States (mtcarmelbrewing.com) Cincinnati, Ohio. The east side of Cincinnati is filled with a lot of great breweries. Mt Carmel is fantastic. Go get a beer, sit outside by the pond. Then head back in for some great local brew and food.
10. Home (humblemonkbrewing.com) – Cincinnati, Ohio. I finally got to Humble Monk on the west side. Their location was about to close. They are in the process of opening a new location. Great place with tremendous craft beer.

Scott’s Top 10 Reasons for Going to (or Returning to) a Brewery.

Steve’s Top 10 Reasons for Going to (or Returning to) a Brewery.

Steve came up this idea and I think it’s a good one. I’m sure we’ll have some similar reasons but some different ones as well. Be on the lookout for a list of reasons NOT to go back to a brewery as well. I already have some ideas for that one. My list isn’t in any particular order.

1. The Beer. Obviously the most important reason. If the beer is good – they will come. If it’s NOT good – they won’t come back. I want flights of new beers any time I can, in order to be able to try as many as possible between the different varieties and styles.
2. Unique Beers. I put this into a different category than the one above because it deserved to be broken out. You can go to almost any brewery and find beers there that you won’t find anywhere else. Most of the time these are small batch beers that the brewery doesn’t make a lot of, and therefore they are only at a brewery, since there isn’t enough to distribute. It’s so cool to find a beer you’ve never seen before and may never see again outside of the brewery.
3. Rooftop / Outdoor Areas. Not all breweries have rooftops and it’s not a requirement – but if they have one – it’s an added bonus. Looking at you Braxton Covington and Hi-Wire Cincinnati. Other places have awesome outdoor spaces. I’ve been to many that have been on rivers or lakes or just huge outdoor areas that are beautiful to look at. Drinking beer outdoors in any capacity is a plus, regardless of where it is.
4. Kid and dog friendly. I enjoy seeing entire families out at a brewery. I always look at it like the parents wouldn’t be able to go if kids weren’t allowed so it’s a win-win. Dogs are always great at breweries because they love all of the people there and get a lot of attention plus there are usually dog treats and water bowls for them.
5. Atmosphere. This one covers a lot of ground but things like having TV’s to watch games, an environment where you can talk to each other and it’s not too loud, outdoor seating if the weather allows, maybe even having music or entertainment that isn’t too loud.
6. New Brewery. Not many things excite me as much as a brand-new brewery opening in my area – for the new beer and look of the new space. Marble Fox Brewing is a perfect example of this as their beer is fantastic, as well as Hi-Wire Nashville who has a brand new location in the Gulch. I’ve been to multiple Hi-Wire’s and each location is different.
7. Food. Another thing that is not required, but usually on our brewery travels we look for at least one brewery that has food. If we’re drinking all day we definitely have to eat and I’d prefer it to be at a brewery as opposed to some other place. I’ve been to several breweries that offer very good food. Southern Grist and Fat Bottom come to mind right off the bat as local breweries that have good food.
8. Stickers. This might sound a little odd but I collect a brewery sticker from every brewery I go to and put them on my beer fridge at home. It’s a great way of seeing and showing off all of the breweries you’ve been to. I actually keep a list of the ones I still need for the places that didn’t have one while I was there.
9. Events. Sometimes breweries have events like trivia or Oktoberfest celebrations or celebrating their own birthdays with beer specials and / or special releases for the patrons.
10. Brewery Adventures! If it wasn’t for visiting breweries, this site wouldn’t exist. Steve and I travel FOR breweries and in doing so we incorporate other things, like going to baseball games and finding new places to eat. If I go to a city for ANY reason, I’m looking for local breweries and local beer to add to our adventures.

1. Never been! With new breweries constantly opening. It’s always fun to visit a new one and check out what they have.
2. Variety! Whether you’re a craft beer lover or just enjoy trying something new. A brewery with a decent sized tap list is going to drive people in
3. Flights and Pints – I think any brewery that does flights is keeping up with the consistent trend for beer lovers.
4. Beer and food – Is there a better combination?
5. Knowledge is power – How often have you been to a brewery where the person serving you is not only friendly, but will recommend certain beers based on what you like? This is a big winner!
6. Location, location, location. If you own a brewery in a part of town that’s tough getting to. Traffic, construction, lack of parking. Those obstacles might be difficult to overcome
7. Ambience – have you walked into a brewery, knowing right away, this place is for you. Everything is based on personal preference. But plenty of seating, outdoor patio, tv’s to watch sports. Just a few examples of what makes a good brewery
8.  What time do they open and close? A brewery that opens early and stays open late is always a plus
9. Locally owned – I am all about supporting small business. I’ve been to many brewery locations that started out small. Always great to see their success
10. Brewery Adventures! I echo was Scott has said on this one!
    

Scott’s Top 10 Beers From Breweries in 2023

I derived this list from the beers I’ve personally drank, checked in and rated in Untappd, so far in 2023. These are my own personal preferences from breweries that I chose to visit because I wanted to drink their beer. I’ve listed the name of the beer, the style of beer and the brewery name of each one. Click on the link for each style to find out its definition and the link to each brewery to learn more about them. You gotta love craft beer for its endless diversity of styles, flavors, ingredients, and the people that drink it. Speaking of something you gotta love, check out my man Steve’s Top 10 list to the right and see how our styles and breweries differ.

1. Freefall – NE DIPA (Southern Grist Brewing Co.) This one topped the list because of its uniqueness in flavor and texture. It’s juicy but not sweet and I love a NE DIPA, especially at 8.1% ABV. It’s the perfect ABV for this beer. It’s very ‘Burial’ like in my opinion. 4.20
2. They Tell You To Live Forever – NE DIPA (Burial Beer Co.) This one was a late addition to this list but only because I just had it at Thanksgiving. As soon as I drank it, I knew it would be on added on here. My favorite style is a Double IPA and this comes in at 8%, which is just about perfect. It has a subtle sweetness to it and although not extremely hoppy (36 IBU’s) – the various hops of Lotus, Sabro and Amarillo Cryo come through on the pallet and are so delicious. I would love a side by side comparison of this one and Freefall and I’m sure I’d have a hard time picking my favorite. 4.20
3. Prophetmaker – PALE ALE (Burial Beer Co.) This brewery does no wrong, they are my absolute favorite. I just haven’t had enough of their beer this year and Freefall barely edged this one out. A light Pale Ale with low IBU’s at only 35. The ABV is 5.3% which is a nice ABV but if it were in the 7%+ range it would have been #1 – that’s my own personal preference though. 4.0
4. Always Something – NE DIPA (Southern Grist Brewing Co.) The 2nd of 3 Southern Grists on this list and that’s no accident. I’ve had more beer from this brewery than any other and for good reason. I could just about repeat what I wrote for Freefall (above) but as you can see I love NE DIPA’s and this one again is up in ABV at 8.3%. 4.0
5. Jackie Blue – BLUEBERRY ALE (Bad Tom Smith Brewing) This one deviates quite a bit from the 3 previous ones since it’s a fruit beer, but it was really good. The blueberry wasn’t too much nor was it too sweet and at 5.5% the ABV is just right. It had a bit of creaminess to it, and it was just downright delicious. You have to check this brewery out if you’re in Cincinnati and read their backstory on their website. They also have whiskey. 4.0
6. Barrel Aged Navel Gazer – – IMPERIAL STOUT (Wheeler’s Raid – New Heights Brewing Co.) Speaking of Barrel-Aged, this is the first one on this list. It’s aged in a Wheeler’s Raid whiskey barrel for 36 months and damn is it good! At 13.18% that alone tells you that it was in the barrel for a long time and soaked up that good whiskey. This isn’t for the faint of heart but if you like Barrel Aged Stouts – you’ll love this one. 4.0
7. Bespoke Dreams – WEST COAST IPA (Fait la Force Brewing) I want another one of these right now! Another higher ABV beer at 7.4%, which is ideal for me. This is a fruity, juicy, well-balanced beer that isn’t hoppy at all for an IPA. It has a ton of flavor that is nice and clean and delicious. If you see this beer anywhere, make sure you get one. I hope they keep making this one. 4.0
8. Barrel Aged Gobsmacked – AMERICAN BARLEYWINE (Ross & Squibb – New Heights Brewing Company) This beer is barrel aged in a Ross & Squibb bourbon barrel for 9 months. At 11.7%, it’s a bit boozy and sweet and very unique. It smells fruity and you definitely pick up the alcohol on the nose. I like Gobsmacked anyway, but the fact that this one is barrel aged makes it even better and earned its place on this list. 4.0
9. HYFER – Citrus + Mosaic – DOUBLE IPA (XUL Beer Co.) This one is pretty similar to ‘Always Something’ above in both ABV and taste. This one comes in at 8.2% and is just as juicy and flavorful. This is a beer I could drink multiple of in a row. You might be seeing a pattern here as I prefer the higher ABV’s in most beers on this list and a lot of IPA’s. 4.0
10. Chocolate Maple Marshmallow Copra Kai – STOUT SWEET/MILK (Southern Grist Brewing Co.) Sweet certainly describes this one. You taste all of the ingredients that are in the description, but not one overpowers any other. Whatever Southern Grist’s descriptions are on any of their beers – they’re always dead on. A nice ABV at 7.8% which probably knocks down some of the sweetness. One of these is probably plenty as I don’t think I’d drink multiple in a row but it’s very good and worth having, you might even call it a dessert beer. 4.0

Steve’s Top 10 Beers of 2023

1. Peanut Butter Strawberry Jelly Hill – Southern Grist Brewing Co– I purchased this in a can and haven’t had at either Southern Grist Location. But the taste is out of this world. I like peanut butter anyway. This a smooth tasting, enjoyable beer where the peanut butter and strawberry are just right as it does down. I could easily drink this all day long. 4.50 on Untapped. 5.4 % fruited Sour

2. Octoberfest  – Octoberfest | Beers | Samuel Adams– 5.3 Percent Marzen. Rated 4.50 on Untappd. Whether I purchase in a bottle (which I do a lot) or on tap. This is def one of my most favorite Oktoberfest. Unless they change the recipe, I’m rating It high every year.
3. Homestyle IPA – Homestyle | Bearded Iris Brewing This is a new England IPA. It’s crisp and smooth tasting. I’ve been able to find it not only at their Brewery, but on tap around Nashville. I could drink all day 6 percent beer. I give it a 4.25 rating.

4. Whole Lotsa Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie Sour –16lots.com. 6% Percent Smoothie – Rated 4.25 on Untappd. Really a great tasting beer with amazing texture to it. Impressive!

5. Clawhammer Octoberfest – Clawhammer Oktoberfest – Highland Brewing – 5% Marzen – Had it on tap from ML Rose in East Nashville. Rated 4.25 on Untappd. Great tasting Octoberfest

6. Amburana Aged Vintage Foeder Ale –Craft Beer Brewery in Nashville | Hi-Wire Brewing (hiwirebrewing.com) – This is a 6.7% Sour. I gave it a 4.25 rating. This beer consists of caramel malt, toasted marshmallows and orange blossoms. Fantastic combination. I look forward to having it again.

7. Belgian Style Witbier –Braxton Brewing Company | Store. One of my favorite Breweries, really like this beer. 6.5 % percent rated 4.25 on Untappd

8. Rye Barrell Aged Ink  Barrel Aged Ink – Rhinegeist Brewery This has become one of my favorite’s year after year. It restored my faith in really dark beers. Ink is a powerful beer. 13 percent Imperial Double Stout. It will get you there quick. I’ve rated 4 on Untappd

9. 70 K. Against the Grain Brewery – 70K | Against the Grain (atgbrewery.com). I purchased a can this year in what has become one of my favorite breweries based out of Louisville. I had this on July 4^th. It’s a 13.1 percent Imperial Double Stout. Rated 4 on Untappd.
10. Lemon Pound Cake –Listermann Brewing Company | Cincinnati, OH. Second time I had this from their brewery. Love it! Will return for more. 4.5 percent blonde ale. Rated 4 on untapped