Chattanooga TN

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WBishop

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Hopedale
I'm going to be down there for a week at the end of July. Are there any good brew pubs or any good local brews that I should check out while I am there?

Thanks for any suggestions.:mug:
 
Check out Big River down by the Aquarium and then try Terminal Brewhouse down by the Choo Choo. Both are great. Terminal has been around for about 2 years now and I think they are a really strong competitor to Big Rivers's 15-20yr dominance of the Scenic City.

There is another brewpub in Hixson, TN about 10 minutes from Downtown, but I have never been there.
-Jefe-
 
I've been to Terminal and had a very enjoyable experience. Easy to find, great food and great beer.
 
the terminal is really good, I have been to McHales in Hixson, the one Jefe is probably talking about, and I will say I was not impressed with their beer (everything had the same burned flavor, I hope it was a bad series of batches and would try them again if I ever go back) but their food is fantastic, Moccasin Bend Brewery is an interesting place, very hard to find sense the entrance is around back on an unmarked building (at least it was fairly unmarked last time I went) pretty good beer too, Chattanooga Brewing Company is very friendly and has good beer (Last time I went they had a Pale ale, IPA, Imperial Pilsner, and kolsch. They had a scotch ale, I think that's what it was, fermenting last time I was in so that will probably be on tap when you're in town.

Websites for everywhere I talked about:

http://www.bendbrewingbeer.com/
http://www.chattabrew.com/
http://www.terminalbrewhouse.com/
http://www.mchalesbrewhouse.com/

I have not been to big river so I cant speak for them.
 
Excellent, thanks for the scounting report. Here's hoping my schedule works out so that I can visit a couple. on the trip.
 
My favorites (based solely on beer) in order.

1. McHales - Good beers (Apollo Pale Ale was voted best APA in Chattanooga - the stout is also well done and he rotates in new styles on the regular). They also cater to the local homebrew club each month which makes me a bit biased and the brewmaster is a HBT member and all around good guy (Budzu).

The cons: It's a smoking establishment, food is below average IMO (standard bar food - chicken fingers, etc) but not bad. They must have some deal with a karaoke / Guitar Hero company as there is always a shifty looking fellow queuing up his fav Guitar Hero songs...

2. Big River Grille - Solid brew line up and the only one in town making both lagers and ales. Seven States Pils FTW. Great food at moderate prices, upscale atmosphere - smoke free etc.

3. Terminal Brewhouse - Best food of the bunch IMO (most original / local anyway) and the beers are OK IMO. The Terminally Pale Ale is probably the best of them, but when they try to make a hop forward beer (IPA, India Brown, etc) they have yet to hit the mark, like they are forced to rush beers out early...

4. Chattanooga Brewing Company: nice guy, but the beers I've tried thus far have yet to impress. I tried the IPA and Imperial Pils back when he was 1st starting out (may have improved since) and then tried what I'm guessing was a pepper beer he made for a local Mexican food place and couldn't finish it. YMMV.

5. Moccasin Bend Brewing: They recently won an ward for best wheat beer in Chattanooga. The owner fancies himself a performance artist of brewing or something along those lines and kind of tries to play the Dogfish role (different fruit, spice, flavored brews) , but most of them just aren't for me.
 
Thanks Stubbornman. Great reviews. A couple I can hit if I get guy time, a couple I can hit with the family for 'dinner'.
 
I was just in Chattanooga. Won't add anything to the suggestions above, but will add that a trip to the Mellow Mushroom would not suck. Some of the best pizza I've ever had and about 40 - 50 beers on tap with many of the local/regional options available. I'll be going back there again when I make it back down.
 
Nice, pizza is usually an easy sell for the kids, the tremendous number of taps is an easy sell for the coaches. Win/Win. Great suggestion it's on the list.
 
Taco Mac on market street also has a pretty good beer lineup, as does Hair of the Dog across the street. Out of all the suggestions, the best overall experience is probably the Terminal. Good food and varied beer selection that is of decent quality.
 
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