Kauai, Hawaii - Kauai Beer Company

When my husband and I decided to spend our anniversary in Kauai, Hawaii, we didn't go for the beer. We went for the glorious weather, spectacular snorkeling and panoramic scenery.  Surprise, surprise! We actually found some pretty decent craft beer.

The brewery and brew pub is located in downtown Lihue,Kauai.

The Kauai Beer Company is not located in the most picturesque area on the island.  Housed on a busy main street, the unassuming storefront does not impress.  Once we stepped inside, we were transferred into a lively pub, filled with a mix of locals and tourists enjoying pints of colorful beer and having a very good time.

Bright, modern, comfortable pub. 

With eight choices brewed right on premise, I chose a flight of six.  Visually, I was impressed with the depth of colors when the flight arrived.

Such pretty colors.  But how about the taste?

Pretty beer is one thing, but how did it match up with craft beer on the mainland.  Okay, so the beer did not have the complexity of flavors offered in many Pacific NW brews (think Deschutes), but for a brewery opened for only two years, off the beaten path in Kauai, I have to say, it was pretty darn good. I especially liked the Tropical Armadillo, an oatmeal pale ale with a hint of tropical flavoring. It was refreshing after a day at the beach.  The Austrian Chicken, a Vienna lager, was my husband's favorite. I thought the IPA was lacking, but the Black Limousine, a dark Bavarian beer was very flavorful.

Food choices were limited, mostly typical pub grub. The night to go, if you don't mind a crowd is Thursdays, when two popular food trucks park out front.  Patrons are welcome to purchase locally grown and prepared favorites from the trucks and enjoy them in the pub with their beer.  Although we weren't there to experience it, we were told that an empty chair is hard to find on Thursdays.

So, if you're in Kauai and you're craving a cold craft beer, you're not likely be disappointed with a visit to the Kauai Beer Company.

The beer is brewed on premise.  

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. 

Dahlonega, GA - Montaluce Winery

Montaluce Wine

For the last few years I've heard quite a buzz about the new wineries sprouting up in the mountains of North Georgia.  Last month I decided it was time that I go check one or two out.  On a gorgeous fall Sunday, my husband Bruce and I rolled down the top of my Mustang and took the one and half hour drive to Dahlonega, a quaint historic gold-rush town that has become the heart of Georgia wine country.  After doing some online research I decided our first visit will be to Montaluce Winery. 

The beautiful entrance to the Montaluce Winery. 

The experience was delightful.  The tasting room and restaurant were esthetically beautiful, the views were lovely, and the wine tasting was very enjoyable. On that Sunday afternoon, Montaluce was comfortably filled with wine lovers mingling in the tasting room, on the back veranda, and in La Vigne, their popular restaurant.  Since we’d been sitting for several hours on the drive up and decided to stand at the tasting bar and enjoy our wine there.  You can select five wines to sample for $16. There are 10 choices total (not including their reserve selections) and between the two of us, we had it covered.

Some very tasty wines at Montaluce

After sampling them all we definitely had our favorites.  One of the whites that we enjoyed most was the Primaluce, a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and the Pinot Gris, made from grapes grown on the estate. The other, my favorite white, was the Viognier, produced from Oregon grown grapes.  Our favorite overall wine was a glorious red, aptly named Super Georgian, a remarkable blend of Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, created from estate grown grapes.  We were not the only fans, as we noticed numerous people ordering bottles to take home with them.

The aesthetic Montaluce tasting room. 

After tasting our wine we wandered around to take a few photos and found the back veranda an especially pleasant place to hang out.  They had a couple of guitar players strumming some easily accessible music, perfect to complement the wine tasting experience.

Enjoying wine and music on the back veranda.

Montaluce has only been producing wine for five years and can already be proud of their product.  The buzz is correct.  North Georgia wine is pretty darn good.  I’ll be back to taste more soon.

The view from the back patio. 

Hull, Massachusetts - The Sea Dog Brewpub

A portrait of the Sea Dog. 

My husband and I picked the perfect sunny September Sunday to visit his cousin and her husband in the seaside town of Hull, Massachusetts. After exploring the town and taking a long walk on the beach, we were ready for a frosty beer. So we made our way to their local tavern, the Sea Dog Brew Pub. 

Located on the third floor, the Sea Dog offers amazing views of the bay.

Located on the upper floor of a three story building, we found a table on the back deck and took in the panoramic views of the bay.  What a gorgeous setting to enjoy a nice cold beer!

The view from the Sea Dog deck.

Technically the Sea Dog in Hull is not a brew pub.  All the beer is produced at their sister establishment in Maine.  We started with a few appetizers, standard pub fare – nachos, fried calamari and coconut shrimp – all well enough prepared.  They feature eight of their own brews and two guest beers on tap.  It was a warm day and I was tempted to try their blueberry wheat.  When I saw they had Shipyard pumpkin ale as a guest selection, I had to try it.  It came in an iced glass with a sugar cinnamon rim.  So delicious! 

My husband chose the Old Gollywobbler Brown, a rich malty ale with only a hint of hops. It was quite enjoyable.  Since his cousin and her husband are regulars, they are members of the Mug Club and their beers arrived in large blue ceramic mugs, a few ounces larger than the standard pint. One of the perks of being a member of the club! Other choices included a blonde ale, a pale ale, a porter and a stout.  The IPA selection was also from Shipyard.

The Sea Dog bar features eight of their drafts and two guest selections.

There were plenty of folks there enjoying a leisurely Sunday afternoon, gazing out at the sailboats and sipping a beer or two.  The service was excellent. The beer was tasty. The company was great.The ambiance was
welcoming and the entire experience was fun.  

A gallery of patron's sea dogs.