Tag Archives: beer

#DrinkUpLinkUp — Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale

I am generally a wheat beer girl. My husband is a dark beer guy. However, we both mix it up occasionally and drift over to what the other likes. Last night, I went to the dark side.

075: Magnolia Brown AleWe went to eat at Big River Grille & Brewing Works in downtown Nashville last night. A friend works there, and we like to pop in and support her when we can. Plus, its a brewery… double points!

Big River has four locations — two in Chattanooga, TN, one in Nashville, TN, and one in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The Nashville location has six beers on top at all time, with a seasonal that rotates out with the… well… season. (Duh.)

Last night, we had their Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale. From the restaurant’s website:

“Award Winning”
Sweet Magnolia American Brown Ale

British Crystal and Chocolate malts give this ale a medium body and rich, sweet aroma. Mount Hood hops add a spicy and floral nose. This smooth, malty brew was a Gold Medal winner in the American Brown Ale category at the 1998 Great American Beer Festival.

Original gravity: 12.5° Plato
Alcohol by volume: 5.2%
Bitterness Units: 24

I liked it! It was a bit hoppier than I like in general, but somehow the malts helped off-set that to the point I didn’t mind. It was a smooth beer that went well with dinner. (And definitely worked for this not-usually-a-dark-beer-girl.)

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#DrinkUpLinkUp — Rivertown Pumpkin Ale

I’m doing my entry for #DrinkUpLinkUp a day late, because of Thanksgiving here in the US. My husband and I went to celebrate and eat a feast with friends yesterday. As we made our way through to say hello to everyone, a friend said, “Hey I brought some beers… they’re out on the deck. Help yourself!”

Beer? Help yourself? Uhm. OK!

So I went, opened the cooler and right on top, I knew I’d found my week’s review:

 Pumpkin Ale

 

I’d never heard of Rivertown Brewing Company, but I know I love pumpkin ales. So I grabbed it, popped the top and enjoyed. Nothing says Thanksgiving to me like pumpkin goodness!

Now, I drank it straight out of the bottle, so I can’t say anything about color, etc. I can say that I am certain it would have tasted more balanced had I grabbed a glass.

I liked it! It was actually perfect for what I had it as: a pre-dinner drink. It didn’t overwhelm my palette with spices, and at 5% ABV it had a little more kick than the beers I noticed others sipping (Michelob Ultra, Coors Light, etc.). It was certainly a pumpkin ale, which fit the mood of the day, but it wasn’t overtly so… which, as I said, it fit what I was drinking it as. If I’d been drinking it strictly for the beer angle, I’d have probably said, “Average.” But every beer has its place, and I think I had this beer at its perfect place and time.

As I said, I wish I’d grabbed a glass. As I got to the bottom of the bottle, the spices got stronger and I found myself swirling the bottle between drinks to help mix it all up. (Think like you’d pour a hefeweizen to get more of the yeast out of the bottom of the bottle.) Had I poured it into a glass, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

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