Tonight, after doing lawn work, my husband and I did what we are slowly turning into a tradition: grilled out. Steaks, potato salad, beans, corn on the cob and a mix-your-own six pack.

One of my beer choices was Redd’s Apple Ale.

 

After I popped the bottle open and took a drink, my exact quote was, “Oh my hell that’s good.” I didn’t care that it is 5% ABV, I practically chugged it down it was so yummy. (I had to stop myself to take the above photo.)

Described on their Facebook page as, “Crisp like an apple, but brewed like an ale, Redd’s® Apple Ale is an apple flavored golden ale with low malt and bitterness cues. With a crisp clean finish that allows the natural apple flavor to come through, this ale is for those times when you are looking to branch out and try something different.”

Frankly, it drinks like really good apple cider. Red delicious apple, to be honest. There’s no bitterness to it whatsoever. No tart taste of many of the popular ciders today. It’s just… smooth. Sweet. Yummy goodness.  Absolutely perfect after a day of lawn work. I was sad I only had one to drink! But it was probably for the best… I’d have easily downed a six pack. So. Very. Yum.

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In keeping with the CMA Fest theme this week, I thought I’d feature a brew straight from Music City.

Nashville has several local breweries, but the best known one is probably Yazoo Brewery. They make a wide range of beers, many of which have as many fans as many of the country artists that fans are here to see this week.

I just the other day discovered a new favorite Yazoo brew:

 

Last week, my husband and I ended up at the Flying Saucer, where they had certain beers available that they were donating all sales to Oklahoma tornado relief. Yazoo Rye Saison was one of those beers.

I had never tried it, so I ordered one both out of curiosity as well as for a good cause. I knew nothing of what a “rye saison” was… but I discovered a beer I REALLY liked. (Enough to buy some a few days later when we grilled out at our house!)

The Yazoo Rye Saison is their spring seasonal, which features “Belgian saison yeast, to be pitched into a sweet concoction of pale, vienna, wheat, and rye malts. There, it will ferment at unbelieveably high temperatures (95 F instead of our usual 68 F) until the beer is infused with peppery aromas and a wonderful juicy-fruit tartness.” source

It has SO much going on as you drink it, and yet its definitely a beer for days that are getting warmer. Fruity, peppery, smooth… I thoroughly enjoyed it for our backyard barbecue. Yummy goodness indeed.

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