I have to admit something to you. I set this past weekend up on purpose. My beautiful bride is an alumnus of Mercer University in Macon (Go Bears!) I chose the Mercer-ETSU game for this week’s post in a very thinly veiled attempt to have the opportunity to highlight the breweries and beer in Macon. And then the Buccaneers tore off and ruined my plans by winning a close one 21-18. And so I will keep my promises and highlight the beer scene in Johnson City, Tennessee … right after I give Macon a little love first.

Macon – 90x more cherry trees than DC!

The reason I was so excited to highlight Macon is because there are three breweries right in the heart of downtown, and not too far from each other. I’ve personally been to all three of them and can vouch for the quality of beer from each. The Ocmulgee Brewpub is known every bit as much for their food as they are for their beer … and that’s a compliment to both sides of the house. Do yourself a favor and get the Float Daze Amber and Oxbow Stout. And then bring me some too.  Piedmont Brewery has a pretty solid vibe going on (upstairs and down) and, just like Ocmulgee, has a stellar food menu. What’s really noteworthy about their beer is the wide variety they have. They usually have about a dozen beers on tap, and across a very wide spectrum of flavors. I would happily drive way out of my way to get back and have their Nocturne Oatmeal Stout! Delish …

Greatest name for a sports franchise. Ever

And finally, a visit to Macon isn’t complete without hitting the Macon Beer Company. Nintendo 64 + cornhole tournaments + live music + fantastic beer = yes, please. With a name like Macon, the naming conventions are virtually endless:

• Macon Money. Super hoppy IPA
• Macon Progress. their flagship pale ale
• Macon Out. A blonde that’s very crisp and light
• Macon History. Coffee + chocolate + yum
• Macon Love. An homage to the city’s awesome Cherry Blossom Festival (way better than the one in DC), it’s a light and sweet rye that’s brewed with, you guessed it, cherries.

Not big fans of each other, apparently

Well, it’s a good thing that rivalries aren’t dead. It started with some not-so-good-natured pushing and shoving, followed by a nice logo stomp at midfield … really not much more than some “mine is bigger than yours” testosterone-induced garbage. And then Michigan State decided that positive yardage was WAY overrated. Michigan only allowed 94 total yards on the day, and cruised to a relatively simple 21-7 win. Off to Ann Arbor we go!

Michigan has a stupid good beer scene. Seriously. Michigan currently boasts nearly 500 breweries across the mitten, good for 4th most in the nation. With unbelievable places like Bell’s and Founders, Michigan is absolutely a great place for planning your next beer-cation. With that many breweries, it’s no surprise that many of them are located in a city with a huge university. You can read a lot about the Ann Arbor beer scene in this post from The Full Pint. Here’s an excerpt …

“Ann Arbor’s downtown is about as charming as it gets. But perhaps the best thing about this little craft beer hub, is that just about everything is within walking distance. Stumble out of one brewery, and you’ll pretty much land at the doorstep of the next.”

Today, we’ll focus on a lesser-known stop on that stumble trip through downtown: Pileated Brewing Company. Pronounced EITHER Pie-lee-ate-ed or Pill-ee-ate-ed, the brewery just asks you to not say ‘pleated,’ noting that they “are not pants.” 👖

I will admit that I chose this brewery because of a striking similarity that I have with their leadership. Pileated, if you don’t already know, means red-capped. The About Us section of this website states that the two owners “are both former redheads. We say former because time and genetics have not been kind to our once pileated heads.” Ummmm, I won’t hashtag it, but I will say Me, too! This place was meant for me! But enough about that … on to the beer!

With almost any brewery these days, they offer some standard fare: NE IPAs, IPAs, pale, stout, saison, etc. But what I think sets them apart from so many places are the details that go into making these three:

• Belgian Tripel – they import the Hallertau Mittelfruh hops directly from Germany; and the yeast strain is from the Achouffe region in Belgium. They’re using the legit ingredients to make this one the real deal.
• Kettle-Soured Red Bearded Father (Belgian Single) – Again using the Achouffe region yeast, Pileated makes this oft-overlooked style (that really was the original Abbey-style beer.) Also known as an Enkel, or Patersbier, this style is known as the lawnmower beer of the monk world. Delicious and very light.
• Octoberfest Steam Pilsner – the concept of a steam beer first gained popularity in the US in the mid-1800s. Without getting too technical, it’s basically a lager that is brewed like an ale. What results is a very light beer that is super fresh and effervescent. Pileated again brings in the German hops to give it a pilsner-y feel and taste.

Well, that was exhilarating! The ‘Horns jumped out to a massive lead, OU brought it a bit closer, but still found themselves in a 21-point hole in the 4th quarter. A furious comeback left the game tied with almost no time left. Texas hurried down the field, setting the stage for a freshman kicker named Dicker (can’t make this stuff up) to step in and drill a 40-yard field goal to win the game. This was an awesome game … and now means that we turn our attention to Austin, Texas for the #TuesdayBresday feature of the week.

In the first #TuesdayBrewsday feature, we hinted that we could feature a ‘beer, brewery, or pub’ near the campus of each week’s victorious team. So far, we have featured nothing but breweries. That streak ends today. I’ve had the great pleasure to travel to Austin on several occasions. Literally every single trip has included a trip to one of my favorite beer bars … The Ginger Man. ***Note: I’m glad I’m not there anytime soon. Due to lots of changes in Austin, they’re moving to a new location that won’t be ready until 2019.  So sad!

Actual image of me walking through Austin

The Austin location is the 3rd location in the franchise (after Houston and Dallas) but is certainly my favorite. Combine equal parts next-level beer selection with the “Keep Austin Weird” vibe to create a vibrant and intoxicating (see what I did there?) atmosphere that draws me in like cheap metal to the world’s strongest magnet.

Here are some highlights from the menu in the Bee Cave location, just about 20 minutes from Austin (Oh, Bee Cave … said in your best Austin Powers voice):

Draught

• Kasteel Cuvee du Chateau
• Chimay White
• Maredsous #8 Brune
• Gulden Draak 9000
• And tons of rotators … so there’s always something new.

Yeah … they have swag, too

Bottle

Ohio State – Four String Brewing Company. (About a dozen breweries just south of campus.)

Penn State jumped out to a huge lead. And then OSU fought back to take a lead. And then Penn State surged to another big lead. And then OSU came back again. This was a phenomenal matchup between two heavyweights, and the Buckeyes eventually came out on top. And that means that we’re heading to Columbus, Ohio to highlight a brewery for this week’s #TuesdayBrewsday.

Now, to be fair, I can only highlight one place. And it’s easier to find one highlight in some cities than it is in Columbus. There are about a dozen breweries just south of the OSU campus. (Insert joke here about needing to drink to survive living near Cleveland.) Out of all the choices, we’ve decided to focus on a place that advertises a rock ‘n’ roll vibe. World, I introduce you to Four String Brewing Company.

Some places may advertise that they have a certain vibe or feel, but they don’t deliver on what they espouse. And then there’s Four String … and there is so much to this name. Pop quiz: how many strings are on a bass guitar? If you said four, gold star for you. Pop quiz, part 2: how many ingredients are the bass of every beer? Again, gold stars if you said four (water, hops, barley, yeast.) The owner/founder has been a bass guitarist for several Columbus-area bands. Bass guitarist … four ingredients … four strings on a bass … Four Strings Brewing Company. I love it!

And oh yeah, they have beer too. A pilsner, a few versions of IPAs, a wheat, a vanilla porter (yes sweet taproom, and yeah – their tap handles look like the neck of a bass guitar. This place has coolness oozing out of every corner. Kudos to you, Four String. (And they do contract brewing too. Is it time to create a BabyGot-Beer???)
please). Variety, quality, rock-star mentality, close to campus,

For next week, we’re kinda required to go to the Red River Rivalry, right? #19 Texas visits #7 Oklahoma Saturday at noon on Fox. We’ll be back next week in either Austin or Norman! Let us know which game we should highlight for week 7.

Back again for our 4th installment, this time highlighting a great game from the FCS’ Southern Conference. The Chattanooga Mocs (I guess they’re not the Moccasins anymore?) jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead and held on for dear life, escaping with a 27-20 conference win over the Samford Bulldogs.

That win means we head just across the border into Tennessee for this week’s Tuesday Brewsday feature. OddStory Brewing Company is a relatively new brewery, begun by a man and his father who share a love of beer. They admittedly began this new venture with essentially no knowledge of how to brew beer … but they certainly have learned. Brewery school + internship at Harpoon + experimentation + a love for the craft = really good beer and in a very wide variety. They also have the intro to what sounds like a very cool story about the history of the city which led to the name of the brewery.

“Under the streets of Chattanooga lies the odd level of a city long ago claimed by the wild and untamed waters of the Tennessee River. Inspired by this mysterious piece of Chattanooga’s history, along with a love for the conversational aspect of beer drinking, OBC came to life and planted its roots on MLK Blvd.”

… and that’s it. I can’t find out more about the story. I’d LOVE to know more though. I guess that means I need to take a trip soon. And while there, I can enjoy some of these (pay attention to the super wide variety):

• Flagship beers:
• Golden Blackbird Belgian Blonde
• Cloud Walker Pale Ale
• Woven Stone Vienna Lager
• Monkey’s Heart IPA
• Seasonals currently on tap:
• Silent Siren Berliner Weisse
• Boysenberry Cobbler Sour
• Steel Jungle Imperial Cherry Limeade Gose (especially notable for having the lowest IBU I’ve ever seen … 2)
• Barrel-Aged Madman’s Modern Old Ale
• Ancient Grain Saison
• Dream Fever Tripel
• Godfather Death Quadrupel. I love this name.

Intrigue … really cool space downtown … massive variety in the lineup. Color me there.
For next week, we have a titanic matchup coming from the Big-10+1+1+2. An Ohio State University will travel to Happy Valley for what will likely be a White Out game against the Penn State Nittany Lions.  Tune in next Tuesday for our fifth weekly adventure!