Blowing Rock, NC - Blowing Rock Alehouse and Inn

Blowing Rock Alehouse - definitely blog-worthy,

I have to be honest.  In the last year I have visited a number of brew pubs that I simply felt weren't blog-worthy.  This blog is all about places that offer quality beer, wine and chocolate in a fun or unique venue. Recently there have been too many new craft beer joints that produce mediocre product, offer the same old food, in an uninspired venue. They've just left me flat. That's why I was so happy to discover the Blowing Rock Ale House and Inn. This place has only been brewing beer for a year, and the product is excellent.  The ale house was originally an old lodge and has a warm intimate feeling inside. It still offers rooms on the upper floors. Since we visited with our pooch, we sat one of their outside tables on the front lawn, surrounded by colorful gardens.  That early Saturday evening there was a lively crowd both inside and out.

This happy couple was enjoying the beautiful evening.

We sampled a number of the artisan beers brewed at the ale house as well as the three brewed at their facility in Hickory, NC. They varied from a summer ale to a seasonal farmhouse peach to a hearty imperial stout, and I honestly liked them all. The brewmaster clearly knows what he's doing.

Great beer, great food and dog friendly!

In addition, the food was as good as we've ever had at a brew pub.  We started with mussels steamed in pilsner and followed with a ahi tuna and fried green tomato sandwich, accompanied with hand cut fries and marinated seasonal veggies. Perfectly prepared and presented, and so delicious.

The servers were friendly and kept us supplied with plenty of beer.  It was a memorable night in charming downtown Blowing Rock and a pleasure to finally find a new brew pub that is worth writing about.

Asheville, NC - Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar

A glass of bubbly!

Nirvana.  I didn't think I'd ever find it.  But I did find it in Asheville, NC, when I walked into the Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar.  It's a beautiful and eclectic book store with thousands of old and new books, a chic champagne bar, that's dog friendly!  I simply love this place.  It's compiled of a maze of rooms filled with walls of books, and intimate seating arrangements for individuals or small groups to sip a beverage, browse through books, or work on a lap top.  It simply has something for everyone.  If you have a four footed furry companion, he or she is welcome as well.

Dog friendly!

My husband, my dog Belle, and I stopped by for a celebratory glass of champagne and a tasty cheese board on the first stop of our cross-country trip to our new home in Bend, Oregon. Now that I've left my day job I'll be able to travel more and visit fun places that serve beer, wine and chocolate.  What an amazing way to start this journey.

Next time, the chocolate cake.

The champagne and wine list is extensive with something for everyone's taste and budget, from very expensive, to our sparkling wine of choice, a very reasonable $7 glass of Italian Prossecco. If we had visited later in the evening we probably would have chosen the dessert special,a glass of champagne and generous slice of chocolate cake for $10. They also offered local craft bottle beer and a full coffee bar.  Did I mention water bowls and special treats for the pups? The folks who work at Battery Park love dogs and provide special attention to every visitor.

This establishment has it all.

If you are ever in Asheville, do yourself a favor and stop by Battery Park. Perhaps it will be your nirvana, too. 

Chattanooga, TN - Terminal Brewhouse

The Terminal Brewhouse all lit up at night. 

If you're looking for a place to go in Chattanooga for quality craft beer, a lively crowd and a tasty meal, look no further than the The Terminal Brewhouse . It's located on the south side of the city, across from the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo train station now transformed into an elegant hotel.  If you go on a Saturday night, just be prepared for a wait, since this place is popular. We arrived early hoping to beat the crowd, but no such luck. Even at 5 pm, we had to wait. Fortunately, two seats at the bar opened up before a table, so we grabbed them and had a prime spot to observe the ambiance. The bar service was excellent and it was only a minute or two before a flight of all their craft beer appeared before us. 

A beautiful flight of Terminal craft beer.

The beer tasted as good as it looked. It was hard to choose a favorite from the Belgian Wit, the Maibock, India Pale Ale, Stout, Copper and Nut Brown Ale. They were all well crafted and each had something a little special. 

The list of The Terminal's craft beers. 

The food was a notch above most brew pubs. You can get everything from pot roast nachos, bison burgers to five cheese pizza topped with mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, provolone and feta. My husband and I choose to share the salmon cakes drizzled with a jalepeno, cilantro, onion and bbq aioli. We could pick two sides, and we chose the fresh green beans and squash casserole which were especially tasty.

  

The food paired well with all the beer. 

By the time we left it was dark outside, the crowd had grown, and the wait was a little longer.  I smiled and told the folks waiting to stick it out.  The Terminal was well worth it. 

Chattanooga, TN - Big River Grille and Brewing Works

The welcoming exterior of Big River Grille and Brewing Works

During a quick getaway to Chattanooga, Tennessee, my husband and I discovered two blog-worthy brew pubs, and an amazing chocolatier. Since our planned afternoon activities included a trip to the famous aquarium, we decided to stop for lunch at a nearby brew pub, the Big River Grille and Brewing Works .  Because of its location, I was a little worried that it might be big on tourist appeal, and short on quality beer.  Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Obviously popular with tourists, the place was filled, but the service was excellent, the food was tasty and their craft beer – very drinkable. 

The taps at Big River.

The beer is brewed on premise and we ordered a flight of six of their standard brews and one seasonal.  Their handcrafted lagers and ales included a light lager, Vienna lager, pilsner, IPA, American brown ale and very smooth stout.  The seasonal ale was Irish red.  I liked all their offerings, especially the Sweet Magnolia American Brown Ale and the Iron Horse Stout.  Their beers are of the easy drinking variety.  Not too complex, not too bitter, very smooth, very enjoyable.

Big River handcrafted beer and ale. 

The menu features regional cuisine and offered a variety of choices, from light appetizers to full entrees. We ordered the lobster and shrimp tacos to share.  They were tasty enough and took care of our hunger for the afternoon.  Our server was very friendly and attentive, even with the bustling crowd.  If we didn’t have a busy afternoon planned we could have easily stayed and enjoyed another pint of two.  I might have even liked to play a game of pool on one of the tables in the back room.  Fun place, good beer, great service! There is a lot to like at Big River Grille.