Chattanooga Beer Weekend

Just over a week ago the DSBC had an outing in Chattanooga. We rented a cabin just north of town where we spent Friday and Saturday night. We also made it out into town to sample the local brewery's offerings.

On the way up to Chattanooga we stopped off on the north side of the river to sample the city's finest hot dogs at Good Dog. They offer a variety of hot dogs including one topped with frites. I (vargo) opted for the Chicago Dog and a separate order of frites. For dipping they offer the traditional Heinz ketchup, as well as a wasabi and a curry ketchup, a spiced mustard, and mayonnaise. We got a second dinner down the road at Greenlife: the grocery store nobody doesn't love.

Upon arriving to our dear slightly suburban abode, we were quite impressed by the extensive variety of styles featured in decor. But the house became more and more special the more full it became as DSBC members trickled in. As we cranked the Lady Gaga and commenced a low-key beer tasting, we all sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed. We sampled the delicious (but unbalanced, as Ben says) Rogue Yellow Snow IPA, Anchor Christmas (many people enjoyed the spiciness--Katy thought it to be mediocre), Mt Carmel IPA from Cincinnati (Lauren enjoyed, some found it too malty and not hoppy much), Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, and perennial favorite Dale Pale Ale. Among others.

Saturday activities were kicked off with a fabulous breakfast and a lunch buffet to pack--so we could get on and do our thang. At that point, we split--one group went hiking up in the Chickamuga river bluffs, one to climb at Little Rock City, and one to urban hike in Chattanooga.

Fun was had.

Returning to our 'Nooga home was made sweeter by a quick dip in the hottub. Well, not exactly, as Katy started cooking her body in that hot whirly pool of hell. But eventually it cooled down and we dipped before spiffying up to check out BEA'S! Bea's is a great southern diner with circular tables and a simple menu. You pay one price and it is all you can eat. Servers constantly bring out plates of fried chicker, okra, peach cobbler, chicken and dumplings, pulled pork, and mashed potatoes, which are placed on a lazy susan and shared by everyone at the table. There is almost no waiting for food; you sit down and eat.

After dinner we headed over to the Terminal Brewhouse. This is a new local brewery in Chattanooga next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo. We battled the big crowd to find spots at the bar and stayed for a drink before heading back to the Sudworth residence. There we drank more beers like the Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale, Avery's DuganA, and the new Georgia favorite Bell's Two Hearted Ale. We also played games and talked about Jersey Shore and The Situation, but ironically we did not get in the hot tub that night.

Sunday morning was a busy one, as our check out time was 10:00. The kitchen was buzzing as Sam and Amelia prepared a bintl of latkes for us. We ate more breakfast and took our time cleaning up, and then headed in to town with packed lunches. We landed on the south side of Chattanooga's Riverfont in the Bluff View Arts District. We strolled around in the misty rain and took some pictures before getting back in to the cars and rolling down to Atlanta. All in all a successful DSBC outing.