Belated East Nashville Beer Fest/Craft Beer Week post
March 29, 2012
Y’all. I’m slackin’ this week. I fail at blogging. So sue me. I should have mentioned on Monday or even over the weekend that this week is craft beer week in Nashville, and it all leads up to the 2nd annual East Nashville Beer Festival in East Park on Saturday. I went last year and got soused on some amazing beer, and I’m VERY much looking forward to it this year, mostly because I now live a couple blocks from the location and can casually stroll down to it with my girlfriend. They’ve expanded everything this year, and I’m very excited about some of the specialty brews- rare/limited run beers from well-known names that you’ll probably never see anywhere other than at beer festivals such as this. The festival tickets sold out in only 2 hours when they went onsale Feb. 10th, but I’ll be you can find some on craigslist if you try really hard.
While the ENBF is the main event, there have been other fun things going on around town this week as part of Nashville craft beer week. I stopped by the Brooklyn Brewery tasting session at Woodland Wine Merchant yesterday and had their Local #1, Local #2, East India Pale Ale, and Monster Ale Barleywine. All fantastic in their own way. Tonight from 5-7 they’ll be having a Green Flash free tasting session, and Friday New Belgium will be in the store for some free tasting. There are other tastings and events going on elsewhere, so check the schedule for today and tomorrow’s festivities.
I must also take this opportunity to mention how pleased I am that we have several new local breweries popping up here in Nashville. TN’s laws are literally some the WORST in the nation for small-scale craft breweries, but it’s very encouraging to see the huge success of Yazoo and the emerging breweries such as Fat Bottom, Black Abbey, Broacast, Nashvillion, Jackalope, and Jubilee. (All of which will have beers at the ENBF.) Bosco’s and Blackstone will be there as well, but they are in a class of their own in my head- they are restaurants with breweries inside them. Their beers are a force to be reckoned with, however small-scale they may be! And Blackstone has just recently expanded their brewing to a separate facility and are bottling/distributing regionally now. I highly recommend their Chaser Pale- a Kolsch-style ale which is very light and refreshing. You don’t see Kolsch as a flagship beer from many craftbrewers, so I applaud them for doing it!
Ok, off my beer soapbox. Hopefully you have tix to this awesome event- if not, get some to the much bigger Music City Brewer’s fest in July.
A quick history of beer in America
February 14, 2012
I haven’t posted anything about beer on here in a while. If you know me or have read this blog for a while, you know that I’m a homebrewer. I also love to evangelize craft beer as much as possible, because the typical American palate for beer is pitifully narrow and ignorant of all the amazing styles the world has to offer. The mass-produced, cheap style known to most Americans is known as “American adjunct lager.” The style uses a lot of corn and rice to cut down on the amount of barley used, and very minimal hopping. (Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors Light, etc…) It’s way too fizzy, watered down and bland for anyone who’s been introduced to the world of craft beer to enjoy. Once you taste REAL beer, you’ll never go back. So my message is this: go forth and find craft beer. It’s everywhere, even in convenience stores. It’s WELL worth the money. Here’s a quick, well-illustrated video that gives you a rundown of the history of brewing in America.
A Few Good Shows: 8/26/11
August 26, 2011
After last weekend’s insanity, this weekend is a little more chill in the show department, but there’s still plenty of good music to be seen this weekend in Nashville.
FRIDAY:
Natural Child, Liquor Store, and Thelma & the Sleaze @ Springwater. 10pm 21+ $5 UPDATE: apparently Diarrhea Planet and Denny & the Jets are also on this bill.
SATURDAY:
The Features album release show w/ PUJOL and Seth Timbs Thing @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $10 (In addition to the awesome lineup, former Feature guitarist Don Sergio’s new craftbrewery Calfkiller will have a special Features brew on tap. AND local chocolatiers Olive & Sinclair have made a special chocolate bar that will be sold as well. BEER AND CHOCOLATE=YES x 1,000!)
Sex Cult, Dirty Dreams, U-Nix, New Pleasure @ The End. $5 9pm
Canon Blue, Action!, Tyler James @ The Basement 9pm 21+ $10
SUNDAY:
Hate Life hosted by Ben Swank @ The Basement. I can’t find a lineup for this anywhere but whatever it is, it’ll be good and you should check it out. The past lineups have featured some good bands and good DJs spinning boogie-jams.
Have a great weekend!
Homebrew kegging setup fundraising campaign
July 9, 2011
So I decided to do something slightly crazy. I’m starting a campaign on chipin.com to raise about $500 to get a kegging system/build a kegerator for my homebrewed beer. If this already sounds great to you, just go ahead and do at this link. But you probably want a little more explanation, so here goes:
- “What do I get out of this as a donor?”
First of all, you WILL get something out of this. Sometime shortly after the end of this little fundraising campaign I will throw a party at a TBD location. At this party, there will be at least one keg, if not a couple kegs of my homebrew- kegged by the kegging system that you helped me buy. As a donor, you will receive a free cup and get to drink as much of this homebrew as you wish. I promise it will be good beer. And if I can pull it off, there will be bands and/or DJs at this party as well. Of course, anyone can come to this party, but if they were not a donor they will have to pay something like $3 for their cup. - “Why do you even need a homebrew kegging system? You’ve been bottling your brews for a couple years now!”
True, I have been bottling so far. But bottling is a royal pain in the ass and takes forever. You have to rinse and sanitize about 45 bottles. One. At. A. Time. Then you have to fill and cap said bottles. One. At. A. Time. Plus, kegging is a lot greener, is much more party-friendly, and everyone is much happier. - “What exactly am I helping you pay for here?”
The complete homebrew kegging kit from Rebel Brewer, one Sanyo 4912 mini-fridge, and a tap kit. The mini-fridge and tap are to build a kegerator: simply put, a mini-fridge with a tap installed, which is connected to one or two 5 gallon kegs full of beer inside. - “How much should I donate to this?”
Well, it’s up to you, but if you give $10-$20 you’ll easily get that much in beer at the party. But if you give a whole lot more… thanks, but I can’t promise you’ll be able to drink that much beer at the party! Of course, you’re always welcome to just come over to my house and have a pint. 🙂 - “Why can’t you just save up/put it on your credit card or something?”
I’ve had a few unexpected expenses hit me (read: my credit card) recently, mostly involving my Jeep, and any big purchases of this magnitude are just out of the question till that shit’s paid off. Which may be a while.
This may seem silly to you, and if it does you don’t have to participate! I’m not going to be offended, I promise. I agree this whole idea does seem a little ridiculous, but I’m not one to take myself too seriously. But if you’ve gotten this far you’re probably a friend of mine and at least like me, just a little bit. And if none of you care enough to get me to my goal- again, I won’t be offended. I’ll just keep slaving away at those bottles.
If you’ve gotten this far and are totally into it, go right ahead.
Rock shows/etc… this 4th of July weekend
July 1, 2011
It’s that time of year again- when we use our nation’s birthdate as an excuse to drink in excess, eat lots of unhealthy food, and blow shit up. What could possibly be more American than that? In addition to all your weekend plans that my involve any combination of those activities, here are some good shows you might consider checking in out if you’re around Nashville.
FRIDAY:
We Were the States, Heartbeater, Mom & Dad, The Grayces @ The End. 9pm $5
My So-Called Band: The Ultimate 90’s Summer Jam @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $10 ($12 DOS)
SATURDAY:
Hanni El Khatib w/ Sex Bombs and Rebel Surfers @ The End. 9pm $8
SUNDAY:
The Coathangers, Feral Beat, Denny & The Jets @ The Basement. 9pm 21+ $5 (It’s the Basement’s pre July 4th weenie roast with FREE hotdogs till they run out!)
JULY FUCKING 4TH!
Brandon Jazz presents: 8 off 8th, AMERICA STYLE ft. BJ & His Armed Forces, Bravo Max, Tesla Rossa, The Billy Goats, Dungeon Honey, Tex Rambunctious, Uncle Sam @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm FREE 21+ (This will be the debut of Brandon Jazz’s new music video for “Deal With It.”
That’s it. Have a great weekend, blow some stuff up (not yourself!), party hard, and don’t get arrested.
Yelp’s “Band of Boozers” this week
May 10, 2011
If you haven’t heard about The Daily Beast’s preposterous proclamation that Nashville is the nation’s most sober city, then you must be utterly disconnected from the internet, as it’s gotten a lot of local blog/media coverage. So much that Yelp, along with the Nashville Scene and many local alcohol-serving establishments have teamed up to dispel such a hideous myth. (BTW, I highly recommend their iPhone/Android app if you’re the type to “check-in” to local hotspots.) There are tons of bars with tons of drink specials all week long, but the main event called “Band of Boozers” is tonight, starting at the Yazoo taproom. Show up at Yazoo at 5pm, drink some of the finest local suds around, then join the 1/2 mile march (gotta burn off those beer calories!) to Mercy Lounge for even more drink deals and entertainment from BETA and the Neon Panthers, plus DJ sets by my pal Vitalic Noise and Wild Cub. I, along with Yelp and everyone actually involved with this, encourage passionate but responsible drinking. Let’s prove these Daily Beasts wrong! If you need more encrouragement, just watch this expert commercial filmed and produced by my pal Seth Graves:
New band: Anchor Theives/what to do this weekend
February 4, 2011
Nashville has some newcomers worth taking note of: Anchor Thieves. Their debut album Prerequisite is available for free download at bandcamp. They are tagged with “alternative indie minimalist lo-fi rock pop” and I’d say that’s a decent approximation.
You probably could care less about this, but I made a mash tun out of a cooler last weekend, and this weekend I will be brewing my first all-grain batch of beer. Let’s hope everything works out.
Now, here’s what I think you should be doing this weekend:
FRIDAY:
Deerhoof, Ben Butler, Mousepad, Nervous Cop *update* Ben Butler & Mousepad, R. Stevie Moore @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm. Why this is a 4-band bill is beyond me. When you have a well-established touring band headlining, there’s really no need to have more than 2 openers, IMO. Turns out Nervous Cop didn’t play, Ben Butler & Mousepad are 1 band, and R. Stevie Moore opened, which was a pleasant surprise!
Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, Buffalo Clover, and Young Hines @ the 5 Spot. 9pm $5
SATURDAY:
Dr. Dog, Head & The Heart, Buried Beds @ The Cannery. 9pm $18 adv/$20 DOS.
Tokyo Police Club, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin @ Exit/In. 9pm $15.
Twin Tigers, Diarrhea Planet, Kingston Springs, Weakness @ The End. 10pm $5
Have a great weekend!
Weekend shows/Ben Franklin beer quote
August 6, 2010
You’ve probably heard the Ben Franklin quote, “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Sadly, I did a little research today and found out that quote is actually not accurate. It’s a derivation of a quote from a letter Franklin wrote to Andre Morellet in 1779. The real quote is:
Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.
As a beer lover, it was kind of saddening to learn this, but oh well. (Via this about.com article)
Now for some shows to catch this weekend.
Before we get to the individual days, I’ll mention that Little Hamilton is throwing YES FEST all weekend. There’s a shit ton of bands, and you can also get special weekend passes. There’s too much for me to mention here, so if you want to know more about YES FEST, check out Nashville’s Dead.
FRIDAY:
The Protomen, Makeup & Vanity Set, and Magic Hammer @ 12th & Porter. 9pm
Andrew Combs CD release show with Caitlin Rose, Rayland Baxter, and Giving Tree @ The Basement. 9pm
SATURDAY:
Unknown Hinson @ Exit/In. 9pm
Powerload (AC/DC tribute) w/ Magnet School, Alcohol Stuntband, and Dirtbot @ FooBar. 9pm
Black 13 Tattoo parlor’s 2-year bday party w/ Autovaughn, Hillbilly Casino, Madi Diaz, and Plumb.
Megan and I will also be at the Arcade Fire show at the Ryman on Monday. (I’m taking pics for the Scene.)
Have a great weekend!
Some random weather tidbits
July 26, 2010
I find it interesting that while this July is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record (duh, just walk outside), just 1 year ago we were experiencing one of the coolest Julys on record. More on that at the National Weather Service.
That cool summer was followed by a cool winter as well, and though it’s hard to even think about snow right now, it was also one of the snowiest winters on record for most of the eastern US. I mentioned this once before, but a new study confirms the findings that last winter’s brutality was due to the convergence of 2 things- El Nino and a negative North Atlantic Oscillation. The former usually brings more precipitation to the southeastern US, and the latter usually brings colder air to the southeastern US. (Via EurekAlert)
I haven’t mentioned beer on this blog in a while… so here’s whats up with my homebrewing endeavors: I currently have a batch of northern English brown ale in the bottles carbonating. Haven’t tasted it yet but they should be ready to drink this coming friday. I’m about to start another batch of the ESB/Pale Ale hybrid that I made in May. That was by far the best batch of beer I’ve made, and it will be the first one I’ve repeated. I’m still not to the point of all-grain brewing yet, as I haven’t built a mash tun. It’ll happen soon though.
Burgers Summer 2010 Mixxxx
June 21, 2010
It’s here, it’s hotttt. The official Burgers Summer 2010 Mixxxx. I’ve started using soundcloud, so just use the widget below to listen and/or download! (If the widget isn’t working click here to go to the soundcloud page.)
Summer2010Mixxxx by IamBurgers
Here’s the tracklisting:
Kamei-Computer Malfunction
Uffie Ft. Pharrel-ADD SUV (Armand Van Helden RMX)
Aston Shuffle-Don’t Wanna See You (DCUP RMX)
Treasure Fingers-What Am I Supposed To Do
Florrie-Panic Attack (Bit Funk RMX)
Ocelot-Beating Hearts (Blende Extended Mix)
Light Year-Motor Booty
Donna Summer-Bad Girls (Sonicc RMX)
Hazel & Entyce-In Da Club (Fukkk Offf RMX)
Bag Raiders Ft. Donnis-All The Girls
Holy Ghost!-Say My Name (U Tern RMX)
Hussle Club-Loose Tights (HS or Beat RMX)
steve cross loves music and science 
