US Road Trip - Advice Wanted: IL, MO, KY, TN, AL, MS, LA, TX (+CA)

Reads 3458 • Replies 54 • Started Sunday, April 10, 2016 11:25:31 AM CT

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Message ContemplateBeer beers 2092 º places 154 º 17:01 Sun 4/10/2016 Originally posted by drfabulous For Kentucky, Louisville is fine, but you want to come to Lexington, an hour down the road. We have the breweries: Country Boy, Ethereal, Blue Stallion and West Sixth. Send me a message if you decide to come this way, and I’ll show you around. You can easily get to Nashville from here. Not a bad option by any means! Definitely would pick Lexington for breweries, no doubt.
Message GodOfThunder P beers 1364 º places 65 º 19:02 Sun 4/10/2016 Why all the stops in AL/MS? That area is the bunghole of America. Skip the Birmingham stop. Nothing to see there. Spend a night in Houston or another in NOLA instead. NOLA to Austin isn’t that bad of a drive, but cutting through Houston is terrible. In NOLA don’t miss D.B.A. at night for the music, not just the beer. WW2 museum in NOLA is great, and Cochon Bakery is just a block or two away for lunch.
Message Brigadier P beers 4930 º places 334 º 19:25 Sun 4/10/2016 Originally posted by Travlr Contact Sam Cruz or Jerry Gnagy at ATG in advance, as well as Lorrie & Tyler from Holy Grale and they will show you everything you need in Louisville. I loved Alabama - B-ham and Huntsville - but I’ll have to check my notes to give you decent advice. Fir NOLA, Avenue Pub is the obvious choice. There are a few small hotels a few blocks west of the pub, in the Garden District. Beautiful antebellum buildings, walking distance from Steins Deli (breakfast; beer shop) and NOLA brewery. Everything Gene said. There’s also a new place just down the street from AtG if you want to get a few scoops called Ashaka (or Akasha?). Avenue Pub destroys anything else in the area; you might not ever want to leave once you enter. I always liked Square One when I was in StL but the locals will have to chime in on what it is like now. Too bad you aren’t swinging through Ohio or I’d give the red carpet tour of the CLE scene.

Message ContemplateBeer beers 2092 º places 154 º 19:29 Sun 4/10/2016 Originally posted by Brigadier Originally posted by Travlr Contact Sam Cruz or Jerry Gnagy at ATG in advance, as well as Lorrie & Tyler from Holy Grale and they will show you everything you need in Louisville. I loved Alabama - B-ham and Huntsville - but I’ll have to check my notes to give you decent advice. Fir NOLA, Avenue Pub is the obvious choice. There are a few small hotels a few blocks west of the pub, in the Garden District. Beautiful antebellum buildings, walking distance from Steins Deli (breakfast; beer shop) and NOLA brewery. Everything Gene said. There’s also a new place just down the street from AtG if you want to get a few scoops called Ashaka (or Akasha?). Avenue Pub destroys anything else in the area; you might not ever want to leave once you enter. I always liked Square One when I was in StL but the locals will have to chime in on what it is like now. Too bad you aren’t swinging through Ohio or I’d give the red carpet tour of the CLE scene. Loved Square One as well during my first StL visit; their patio/courtyard area is an ideal place to pass an afternoon when the weather is nice. It rained every day during my last StL visit
Message gregwilsonstl beers 2979 º places 37 º 19:30 Sun 4/10/2016 Square One in STL is fine, but there are many better options. I always forget they exist, but when I go there, I’ve enjoyed it each time. Picture casual dining (decent food) and nice good beers...none are bad, none are whales. Greg
Message fly P beers 1490 º places 271 º 00:12 Mon 4/11/2016 If you do not mind a bit of a drive and spending a bit when in Austin, I highly recommend Hudson’s on the Bend. The original owner just retired, but his staff is said to be committed to following his blueprint. Good/great wined available, but unless it has changed, not beer.
Message chriso P beers 7540 º places 736 º 09:07 Mon 4/11/2016 Originally posted by Leighton 19 Nashville => Birmingham, AL In Birmingham we stayed in a nice B&B, which was cheaper than any of the central hotel options and closer to where we wanted to be beer-wise. They only served breakfast at some ungodly early hour though because the owners ran the place entirely themselves on a part time basis and had to get to their day jobs. http://www.cobblanebandb.com/ It’s just a stone’s throw from J Clyde, which was the best bar we found in Birmingham, albeit we were a bit squiffy by the time we got there. There are several other worthwhile spots nearby in the Five Points area - a fair few "Southern" beers at World of Beer from what I recall. Good People is a slight walk but was well worth a visit and they were indeed good people. We didn’t find much of note in the main downtown area north of the railroad tracks. A visit to Avondale on the way in to town netted me upwards of a dozen of their beers. I think there was something about varous flights being available but I just said I wanted to try everything and they had no problem sorting that out. Didn’t get to visit Trim Tab or Cahaba, which are close to each other and to Avondale - I think they weren’t open on the day we were in town.

Message Leighton P beers 33717 º places 1204 º 13:31 Mon 4/11/2016 Originally posted by GodOfThunder Why all the stops in AL/MS? That area is the bunghole of America. Skip the Birmingham stop. Nothing to see there. Spend a night in Houston or another in NOLA instead. NOLA to Austin isn’t that bad of a drive, but cutting through Houston is terrible. In NOLA don’t miss D.B.A. at night for the music, not just the beer. WW2 museum in NOLA is great, and Cochon Bakery is just a block or two away for lunch. Never been to AL or MS, so would like to check them out. As the plan stands, we’d only be spending a night in each place.
Message drowland P beers 11069 º places 430 º 14:25 Mon 4/11/2016 Originally posted by Leighton Originally posted by GodOfThunder Why all the stops in AL/MS? That area is the bunghole of America. Skip the Birmingham stop. Nothing to see there. Spend a night in Houston or another in NOLA instead. NOLA to Austin isn’t that bad of a drive, but cutting through Houston is terrible. In NOLA don’t miss D.B.A. at night for the music, not just the beer. WW2 museum in NOLA is great, and Cochon Bakery is just a block or two away for lunch. Never been to AL or MS, so would like to check them out. As the plan stands, we’d only be spending a night in each place. Like Georgia, Mississippi is the other state where you can’t drink at breweries, so plan for that. You have to go on a day that they have "tours" or "samples" and you pay for a tour or a glass and get "free" beer. Often times it’s only on Saturdays or whatever random day they choose. I stayed in Jackson, MS recently passing through town and had good luck at The Bulldog, but I was only there one night. It was a Sunday or a weeknight, I believe, so it was one of my only good beer options.
Message Leighton P beers 33717 º places 1204 º 14:32 Mon 4/11/2016 Originally posted by drowland Originally posted by Leighton Originally posted by GodOfThunder Why all the stops in AL/MS? That area is the bunghole of America. Skip the Birmingham stop. Nothing to see there. Spend a night in Houston or another in NOLA instead. NOLA to Austin isn’t that bad of a drive, but cutting through Houston is terrible. In NOLA don’t miss D.B.A. at night for the music, not just the beer. WW2 museum in NOLA is great, and Cochon Bakery is just a block or two away for lunch. Never been to AL or MS, so would like to check them out. As the plan stands, we’d only be spending a night in each place. Like Georgia, Mississippi is the other state where you can’t drink at breweries, so plan for that. You have to go on a day that they have "tours" or "samples" and you pay for a tour or a glass and get "free" beer. Often times it’s only on Saturdays or whatever random day they choose. I stayed in Jackson, MS recently passing through town and had good luck at The Bulldog, but I was only there one night. It was a Sunday or a weeknight, I believe, so it was one of my only good beer options. Yeah, honestly, I think AL/MS would be good places for me to build up some political capital with the missus. I know there will be tons of beer places I want to check out in other cities, so I have no problem going easy on the beer in a few stops. So long as I can take in a couple decent places and hopefully drink some good/interesting/new local beer, I’ll be happy.