Beverage review - 2016 Road trip

Stopped of at Milan in Charlottesville, VA for dinner. Milan is actually an Indian cuisine restaurant. Tasty food & good portion sizes. But this is all about the liquids.

Our server suggested trying the Taj Mahal. They have a few other Indian beers. After I tasted Vrai's beer I also ordered 1. I'm not much of a beer snob, but I do know what tastes good for me. This was a very enjoyable beer. Not heavy nor light where you went wanting for taste.

It's not Ruddy Duck homebrew good, just a great beer to enjoy with a spicy meal.

As with all my reviews YMMV.

The beer was quite crisp and perfect with spicy Indian food.

About the food:

Yum yum yum. Yum yum yum yum yum.

I had tandoori chicken and Monello had the butter chicken. Both were far and away better than any I've had before. The butter chicken in particular had a really deep creamy flavor. We also had an app of spicy lamb and two kinds of grilled chicken that was super good. My dinner came with grilled veggies and spicy curry sauce, then we had basmati rice and garlic butter naan to sop everything up. Because it was Mother's Day, they brought me a dish of mango pudding and fresh strawberries that we split, and it was better than most Indian desserts I've had.

Big fatty portions, so plenty leftover for breakfast tomorrow.

I'm in Charlottesville often, but wasn't aware of Milan. Have to try it next time.

Bold Rock Draft Cider

I had a bottle to accompany my BBQ at the BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville, VA. Good cue & worth the drive. We took a scenic ride along what appeared to be horse farms.

A hearty cider that is quite tasty. It complemented my meal well. It wasn't overly aggressive nor lacking in taste/flavor. Earlier in the day I tried 2 different draft ciders and both were weak tasting. I pawned 1 off on Vrai as it was more suited to her liking.

Had the Dos XX draft with dinner of Mexican food tonight. A frosty, glass pitcher of ice cold beer served in frozen mugs. It's quite a dark colored beer but it doesn't have that dark beer taste that I don't care for. It came with a bowl of lime wedges. I didn't bother with them. That beer went down easy. As it should.

Goodwood Brandy Barrel Honey Ale

Stopped in at the Troll Pub Under the Bridge. It's in a part of town called Whiskey Row. I really appreciate when cities keep their classic look. This area was run down then some smart person decided to renovate the area. It's full of charm & character. It's within walking distance of a lot of the cool, downtown stuff.

Here's a description of the drink from their menu:

Brewed with locally sourced honey and aged several times longer than our other barreled beers. Aged in local brandy barrels from some of our distilling friends nearby.

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The pour is 12 ounces. Other drafts are 16 ounces. The drink was OK. I was more interested in the bar decor. I ended up chatting with the bar tender about life in Kentucky. He migrated there from a different part of the state. He likes it there and a lot of the other workers I ran into said the same. The place is very livable.

But back to the drink. The bar in in the basement. The walls are exposed red bricks. Plenty of TVs with sports on. There's a dining area. I just had the 1 drink. If I was staying this would have been a good beer to drink several.

Luna de Miel: Raspberry Meade

We had lunch at the BBC - Bluegrass Brewing Company, in downtown Louisville. We almost headed for a pizzeria. We made the right choice as far as food goes.

On the drink menu it mentioned that the owner preferred hoppy beers and the draft selections backed that up. When I ask someone that is either serving me a beer or pouring me a beer I often defer to their judgement if something is appealing. Now if only everyone had my same taste. Looking over my choices I decided to go with a fruit beer since they are rarely overly heavy.

This beer is served as a 6 ounce portion. It's sweet, it's fruity and that's about it. No need to order more than 1. After that I switched over to water. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Here's their take on the beer:

Historically a meade was made to celebrate the union of a couple and given to them for celebration of their marriage. Truly defined as a braggot, BBC Luna De Miel is a fermented honey ale flavored with a blend of raspberries and blackberries. Luna De Miel is a refreshing change from standard BBC offerings. Luna De Miel is effervescent, fruity, and light, yet warming from its moderate strength.
• ABV: 7.8% • IBU: 0.00

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We did dine at 1 of the side street tables. The food was excellent. We got to chat and people watch. Louisville is a great tourist town. It's not starchy and uptight like some major cities. It's easy to get around and have a great vibe to it.



The restaurant is the bottom 2 floors of the building on the right.

My Troll Pub beer was a Shotgun Wedding, made by Country Boy Brewing out of Lexington, KY. It's a vanilla brown ale described on their website thus:

A malty brown ale conditioned with real vanilla beans. This beer was made for a friend's wedding, with no intention of ever making it again. The folks at the reception had other plans. The use of real vanilla beans is costly and time consuming, but one sip and you will understand why.

It was on tap, served in an icy cold glass, and delicious. I was so full from lunch otherwise I'd have had a second one. And possibly a third. It's weird the way that works.

ACE Pineapple cider

Some beverages are more appropriate for certain occasions. Often times the location you enjoy a drink helps magnified the pleasureability of said liquid. I'd have to say that sipping this potion, I was caught up in the moment. Allow me to elaborate.

We headed to the trendy part of Nashville. The District area is where it's all happening. It's the part of the city that butts up to the Cumberland river. Driving down Broadway, the city unfolds in front of you. Each block that passes the city becomes more vibrant. Until you are close to the river and the entire area is awash in humanity. You hear music coming out of all the drinking establishments. Folks that have been holed up due to the unseasonably wet spring weather are out & about on a gorgeous day.

So we parked and started our trek to take in as many sights as possible. There are a bunch of horse carriages and also pedal bars tooling around. The pedal bars are hooting & hollerin as the driver whips his charges up in an inebric frenzy. The street are alive with lots of people, many with drink in hand. A few street performers show up, plying their talents and exacting a few dollars from passing tourists.

So it is in this atmosphere that we arrive, thoroughly entranced, at the Broadway Brewhouse & Mojo Grill. We spy a window table and quickly scurry to get it before it vanishes. There is no glass in the window and we instantly become 1 with the street crowd. The grill is quite charming. It's mostly vintage brick walls with lots of open space. The place is bustling for a mid Sunday afternoon. A gaggle of guys, from Ireland of all places, are noisily celebrating their mates impending leap into matrimony. They delight the bar with their off tune songs & chants.

I order a pineapple cider because, why not. I've never seen this offered anywhere else. I like to try new & different things. This cider meets both of those criterions. Vrai orders a local brown ale. We glance at the food menu and decide on the grills version of an egg roll appetizer that is stuffed with pulled pork and served with a pepper jack cheese sauce. Our server comes back to our table with 4 large glasses and proceeds to put 2 down in front of each of us. With puzzled looks on our faces we inform her that we only ordered 1 drink each. We are told that it just so happens to be 2 for 1 Sunday. Bonus.

So that is the back story to my cider selection. Needless to say the cider was very pleasing. Not too sweet and with a crisp taste. The eggroll was awesome as well.

Here's the brewer's take on the drink:

Inspired by the House Family’s annual visit to the beautiful Hawaiian Islands our Pineapple cider is an ideal drink for tropical hot and humid climates. Our signature drink the Hawaii 5-0 is a mix of Ace Pineapple cider, coconut rum, ice and a garnish of fresh pineapple. This original cider is perfect for a backyard BBQ, or Bacon dishes.

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Another review:

Ace's Pineapple Cider is a balanced, crisp, natural offering made with fresh pineapple and no added sugars.

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I don't care for ciders, as a general rule, but this pineapple was quite tasty. Tart and sweet, nice and fizzy, with a distinct pineapple flavor. Winner.