This week I got to go to an event in Knoxville, TN named Codestock which, btw, was (“is” since I am writing this on a break in sessions) awesome.  Having lived in Knoxville for 2 years, I have enjoyed a beer or 3 from the Downtown Grille and Brewery on a couple of occasions, but I hadn’t really thought about it as far as taste and style adherence because I was in very social settings.  Last night, while being social, I was able to try a couple of their brews and pay a little more attention to what I was consuming and the food I was pairing with it.

The beers themselves are actually brewed under the moniker of the Woodruff Brewing Co. Head brewer Al Krusen works to deliver some solid “olde world” styled beers. The company’s standby selections include the White Mule Pale Ale, The Woodruff IPA, a Stout, Nut Brown, Porter and one of my favorite styles, an Alt.  Thursday night, at the conference pre-party, I enjoyed a pint of the Alt. Their version of the alt is a fine specimen. It is a nice balance of bitterness and malt and fits the style right on. Being that this style of beer is much like the English Bitter in a few ways, it would make a great session beer.

Friday night, since I didn’t stay very long Thursday night, I and some friends walked up from the keynote location to the restaurant and got dinner. Because there was a 25 minute wait for a seat, I headed to the bar to choose a pale ale. It was happy hour, so for $2 I got a pint of the White Mule pale ale. Perfectly hoppy and with a strong malt base, this beer was a revelation. I love pale ales and this one hit the top of the list after 1 taste. I would put it right up with Great Lakes Brewing Burning River and Olde Hickory Tablerock as favorites that I will look for any chance I can.

With dinner, I decided to go with the Woodruff IPA. I had thought I would be stepping up in intensity, but the beer, while darker and a little more alcohol, was not hoppier than the White Mule. At first, I felt a little down because of this, but once my ribeye arrived and the beer was paired with the seasoning on the meat and the delicious cow I was devouring, it came alive. The website says that the Woodruff IPA is reminiscent of Knoxville IPA’s. I was not aware there was a historical element to the beer I was sampling, but I salute the history that influences the making of this beer.

It is clear to me, after spending some real time at the restaurant, that the brewers take an honest historical approach to the crafting of their beers. It is also severely evident that they take into consideration the food that will be paired with their brews. The White Mule Pale Ale was so good, I bought the shirt. Literally. I look forward to many return visits to the restaurant to see what else these guys can do!

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 26th, 2010 at 7:43 am and is filed under beer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.