The Adventure Begins! Brews and Beasts

[Yankee Dog]

So after much crying and gnashing of teeth the missus and I decided to take the mighty Beast on our tour of Southeastern breweries. And for all you out there who advised us to do so. Please stay by the phone with your trailers, tool kits and tow ropes at the ready.  Thank you very much.


 
Anyway, the first bit of road was straighter than I would like to admit. But we didn’t get started until after work so we had some ground to cover. However in a effort to avoid the middle of Chattanooga I discovered hwy 27 over Signal Mountain.  Wowzer! I am coming  back to this on a real motorcycle some day. Great curves, great pavement and very little traffic.          



So on to the reason for our tour.  First stop McHale’s Pub and Brewery.  A little dive on the North side of Chattanooga with some great beers.   http://www.mchalesbrewhouse.com/



Next stop is the Nantahala Brewery in Bryson City, NC

[Yankee Dog]

.     

More McHale loveliness

[Yankee Dog]

Tellico plains.    Half way

[Justin]

Now this is my kind of ride report    

[bamarider]

I've been across hwy 27 myself, it is a great road. I was on my K1200Lt at the time, so like you I want to run it with a differant bike. Don't get to hot and keep to reports coming.

[coho]

[sagerat]

Rolling, rolling, rolling...  

My better half prefers the hack without the windshield as she feels less confined and gets better air circulation.  I get a skoosh better mpg without the windshield on the hack (last tank was 30 mpg with the two of us) and I don't bang my right elbow when hanging off of the right handers.  Just something for you to mull over your next pint of microbrew goodness.

Enjoy the trek; I'm envious.    

[Justin]

My better half prefers the hack without the windshield as she feels less confined and gets better air circulation.  I get a skoosh better mpg without the windshield on the hack (last tank was 30 mpg with the two of us) and I don't bang my right elbow when hanging off of the right handers.  

I'm thinking of taking mine off as well. I think it'll make a big difference in wind drag and mileage. Those head winds really kill performance  

[olderigetfasteriam]

Beer. Subscribed.

[Yankee Dog]

Nantahala brewing company, Bryson city.   





I think I have some road photos around here some where but those will have wait until we find some wifi and I can crank up the computer.   This tapatalk thing is a pia

More later need food now

[Yankee Dog]

performance 

I don't think the word performance should be used in the same
Conversation as a Ural.

[Justin]

 

I don't think the word performance should be used in the same
Conversation as a Ural.

 

Well, my hack is a r75/6 with a neck snapping 50 HP ...

[Cricket1]

Beer- yuuuummmmm! And a Ural with hack!  

[R Doug]

Will ride for beer.  

 


Are you going to make it up to Virginia?  If so, my friend's brother owns Devil's Backbone Brewery.  It's located not far off the BRP near Charlottesville.  

[sagerat]

Well, my hack is a r75/6 with a neck snapping 50 HP ...

Yes, you'd slowly disappear over the horizon as my Ural's 42 hp couldn't keep up unless we were going backwards.  As we like Foilheads like to say, the Ural is the world's fastest production motorcycle...in reverse.  

So YD how's the Ural performing and when do the microbrew reviews begin?  

[R Doug]

PS... the wife and I will be staying in Blowing Rock on Friday the 6th to get away for our anniversary.  If you're going to be near by, let me know.  I'd like to say hello.  We'll be in the BRP tomorrow between Asheville and Blowing Rock in her black Audi convertable.  If you hear a black topless Audi honking at you, it's most likely me.  Of course, I'm assuming you would be the only camo Ural I'd see.  

[dan88z]

my wife and her friends have been hanging around Bryson City and were there yesterday. I'll ask if she saw your sidecar rig.

[sammyseaman]

Now this is my kind of ride report    

 

[Yankee Dog]

We are settled into the HoJo in Asheville for the night. With at least passable wifi. So I take the opportunity to go into a little more detail.
Back to McHales Brewery and Pub.  Or maybe it was pup and brewery.  Things are getting a bit fuzzy already….  McHales is a small bar and grill, mostly bar. Ok, OK, it was a smoky little dive with a couple of pool tables. You have already seen their beer. This is a look at their production facility.

It mostly if into a room the size of a large closet. But the results were excellent. So far I think I like the beer at McHales best. Not that the others were bad. But McHales brews were just chock full of flavor. The food was OK. The missus has the fish and chips, I had a jalapeno burger. Both were excellent. The burger was not my first choice though. They were out of the Irish stew and Cornish Pie.  Oh well, maybe next time.
The 4th of July found us heading towards Bryson City, via Tellico Plains and the Cherohala.  On the way we stopped into Tellico Motorcycle Outfitters. This guy has everything you could ask for, at pretty good prices as well.

Also it has been said that man cannot lead by  beer alone.  He also needs ice cream.


The Nantahala Brewery Company in Bryson City was next. More yummy beer. But no stout with was very sad. The proprietor said they just didn’t sell enough of it in the summer. Shades of coors light, how sad.
You have seen the outside and the beer. Here is what we could see of the production facility.  It was behind the  bar section with windows behind. The tasting room was large. About the size of a basket ball court. They also had a bluegrass band that night. The  band was really good. The acoustics in the place not so much. But I had about five pints so you might not want to take my word for it.



In Bryson City we stayed down town at the Calhoun Country Inn. A B&B  built back in 1904. Interesting place with a huge front porch. Not a Hilton by any stretch, but the bottom line is we liked it and would stay again. I didn’t hurt that it was a short walk to the brewery.




Oh and did I mention they we so happy to have us stay that they arranged a firework show for us.

[Yankee Dog]

A word about the Beast. She has run like a top on the open road. Not a hicup. But a couple of time we have been caught in heavy traffic and the  ole girl has not enjoyed that, not even a little bit. She starts to idle a bit rough and feels like she will stall. I cant blame her too much, I am not to happy in that situation either.

[Rincewind]

Beautiful shot.  Thanks for the report.  Great theme for your ride.   

[Yankee Dog]

Opps. forgot the pic from McHales "production facility"

[Yankee Dog]

Pic from the gravel from the missis' iPhone while she is not looking

[Yankee Dog]

Sawworks brewing company. Knoxville. Good beer but only two flavors on the menu. I thin I'm getting spoiled

[sagerat]

Least the road had shade.  

[Yankee Dog]

We move on from Sawworks. I had a hankering for a stout. So we walked over to a local pizza joint. Barleys

The front one is a me Belgium 1554. The back is a rogue chocolate stout.

Life is good

[Yankee Dog]

I think this may be a long night. Next stop is the downtown grill and brewery. This is happening place. A little crowded for my liking loud as well. 

[Yankee Dog]

The next stop on the list was the French Broad Brewer. But we decided to make an unscheduled stop along the way. at the highland brewing company.



They are getting a bit big for their britches and are no longer considered a “micorbewery”. But they did give a nice tour of the facility. And they also gave away free samples.

[Yankee Dog]

Oh, I almost forgot, near Bryson City is this thing called the road to nowhere. It seems that back during WWII the government wanted to build a dam for a power plant. The promised the locals they would build a new road so they could access their family cemeteries. Well surprise, surprise. The road never got finished. They did get it about half done however along with a really niftly tunnel.  The road done to the tunnel is quite nice, good pavement and lots of curves. Its and out and back sort of thing being that it ends at the tunnel. But it might be a nice ride, especially since I believe traffic enforcement along it might be very light.  Google it to find directions.  Or just ask in Bryson City.

The disgrunteled local sign just outside the  road. Plus a couple of pics of the tunnel.

[Yankee Dog]

After the Highland tour we continued on to the aforementioned HoJo. Nothing to talk about or take a picture of. But it was clean, cheap and within walking distance of our final destination.
The French Broad Brewery. A very small place, which is good since that is what we were looking for mostly. They had a little three piece bluegrass band going.  A good time was had by all.

[BlueRidgeKat]

Love the Highland Gaelic Ale. Did not know they were growing so large though. Great report, keep it coming.

[Justin]

Beer and Bluegrass  

[Yankee Dog]

Oops.   Woke up this morning to this



See those now tight bolt holding the tub drive shaft to the final.   They were all lose. 



Those forest roads must have been rougher than I though.  No big deal however. I got them tightened back up in a jiffy.



I did have to top it off with 10w40 rather than 75w but that is a subject for an oil thread

[Yankee Dog]

Nashville.   Details to follow. 

[sagerat]

Glad the Ural mantra of "What Would Ivan Do" has served you well.  

[Yankee Dog]

Just for fun.  This the Breast going through a tunnel on the BRP.

http://youtu.be/2Ct4Mf1aSf8

[Yankee Dog]

I notice that some of these posts are a bit out of sequence. A result of some being posted on the spot from an iPhone and others uploaded later. Apologies, but such is life on the road.     

So on to Knoxville. We took Hwy 63 out of Asheville. Very nice road with lots of twisties and good pavement. If you can help it, don’t stop in Leicester. Neither of the two gas stations there will let you use their bathrooms. Which I did not find out until AFTER  I had pumped my gas. And which can be somewhat uncomfortable after you have just had breakfast along with a basic load of coffee.  




Anyway. Shortly after we turned north on 209 we turned west again. I have no idea the names of all the  roads, but they turned to gravel after a while and stayed gravel all the way to the freeway and past to the other side. If fact, we were on gravel from there until we reached Hwy 32 at the Tennessee line.





32 beginning at the TN line was a really fine road. Very twisty and brand new pavement. However, be prepared to turn around at the state line unless you are on a dual sport (or a Ural) and don’t mind gravel.

[BlueRidgeKat]

Shhhhhhh, dont tell em about Hwy 32, thats our secret race track up in these parts. I just discovered it last year. Its better than that overrated "dragon". Only problem is, as you said, when the pavement ends it ENDS !

[coho]

Just for fun.  This the Breast going through a tunnel on the BRP.

http://youtu.be/2Ct4Mf1aSf8

False advertising is wrong, YD, I call shenannigans.

[Yankee Dog]

False advertising is wrong, YD, I call shenannigans.

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[coho]

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Just for fun.  This the Breast going through a tunnel on the BRP.

http://youtu.be/2Ct4Mf1aSf8

[Yankee Dog]

Just for fun.  This the Breast going through a tunnel on the BRP.

http://youtu.be/2Ct4Mf1aSf8

opps.  my typing is maybe not so good.  

[Yankee Dog]

More on Nashville. Nashville is our last stop on the tour. And I have to admit as much as I like beer, I am about beered out. I think I will stick to wine or rum or scotch or something for the next month or two. But that is now, and this is about yesterday.




The Jackalope Brewing Company is fairly new on the scene in Nashville. But they have already started to draw a crowd. This is their tasting room about 6:00pm. It is only open from 4 to 8:00pm.




Oh and they have some interesting graffiti on the tables.




We had planned to head to a restaurant after Jackalopes. But it turned out that Yazoo Brewery was only a short walk from Jackalop. So off we went.




Their tasting room was also a happening place. They also gave tours although we didn’t have the time just now.




So we ordered up a tray of samples and got down to business.




After that we proceeded to Blackstone’s. This is a restaurant and brewpub. Great beer and great food. Nice relaxed atmosphere. I highly recommend it. I believe there is a photo of it up above someplace.

I am sorry to say that I have lost track of all the delicious beer I drank on this trip. So I cant give descriptions. Some were better than others but none were bad. Of special note however was a beet beer at Jackalope. Yes, you heard it right. This beer had BEETS in it. You know those red things your mother made you eat. Anyway, it was really good. I had to try hard to recognize the beet flavor but it was there and really added something.

 Oh, did I mention that we met the missus’ sister and bro in law in Nashville. So after we ate they dragged us down town. Here is what I remember of it.

[DogBoy]

Many, if not all, future ride reports are destined to pale in comparison.  

[Yankee Dog]

One other thing. I posted this over on the heat exhaustion thread, but I though I would post it here as well. These two pieces of equipment were a hugh help.



Some folks have criticized the cooling vest, but I really like it. Yes, it didnt last forever, and yes it felt clammy at times. But it made a big difference in my comfort level. I would rather feel cool and clammy than hot and dry. And folks this was in the Southeast under conditions of high humidity. If you plan to ride when the temps are in or approaching the triple digets as we did, they I highly suggest you try this thing.

Oh and one thing about the camel back. We filled them with ice water, but the water in the hose had a tendency to heat up between drinks. This forces you to drink hot water until the cool waters works its way from the bladder to the mouthpiece.  I took to blowing back into the hose to clear it of water after every drink. This worked very well so every drink was clear and cold.

[sagerat]

Yep, blowing the water back into the bladder from the tube is SOP for me when using Camelbak either riding or snowshoeing.  Other nice add-on is they sell a foam sleeve to insulate the drinking tube.

Glad the trip went well and that the GU did its assigned tasks.  

[R Doug]

Oh and one thing about the camel back. We filled them with ice water, but the water in the hose had a tendency to heat up between drinks. This forces you to drink hot water until the cool waters works its way from the bladder to the mouthpiece.  I took to blowing back into the hose to clear it of water after every drink. This worked very well so every drink was clear and cold.

Good idea.  I used my modular helmet by lifting it up everytime I wanted a drink.  That way I could suck in the warm water and spit it out to get to the good cold stuff.  I did't think of blowing the warm water back in the pack to mix it with the cold.  

[Virginian]

  thread!

[Andrew]

 

[BIWOZ]

Oh great. It's 8.47 am, I'm in my office at work, just finished reading this ... and I want a beer!  

Thanks for the report; top stuff.

Bruce

[bluefz1]

Great report.....Thanks.  Next time you head out 27 over signal mountain, try to go on a Friday,  that's when they have Chattanooga Night Fall.  They rope  off several blocks downtown, If you are on a motorcycle they let you pass the barricades and park in the street, it's basically a huge bike night with live music.  Big River Brewery and restaurant, a micro brewery, is there with a lot of other food and drink vendors.  Eat, drink beer and look at motorcycles.  Excellent way to spend a Friday night.  Used to get a room and spend the night, but lately been riding back after it was over with, the 3 hour ride back home  at night is kind of relaxing.

[st2sam]

My two favorite things, beer and motorcycles.  
On a one to five ride report beer rating scale I give it a solid   ..............

Thanks for sharing.  

[Darkbluexplorer]

MAN i wish i had known you were in Chattanooga! I live here! I know all of the stops you made here

[Oilhed]

Great idea.  I was eve thinking about replicating the concept in the northeast.  Until I remember the tastings I went to and left seriously hammered.  Think I'll stick to the cage.

[Yankee Dog]

Great idea.  I was eve thinking about replicating the concept in the northeast.  Until I remember the tastings I went to and left seriously hammered.  Think I'll stick to the cage.

Just takes a bit of extra planning. With a couple of exceptions, these breweries were chosen with lodging within walking distance. There are so many to choose from its not really that hard. I took extra care to limit myself to tasting only when visiting the exceptions.

[Oilhed]

Would be great if there was a park within walking distance I could snooze at for a couple hours then move on. Brewpub + Lodging is a great idea!

[Breaker19]

opps.  my typing is maybe not so good.  

Yea, I got all excited there! lol

[Breaker19]

Tellico plains.    Half way

That guy's prices are like crazy! Stopped by in June while dual-sporting up that way. I examined that KLR250 Super Sherpa (right side of your pic) carefully when I was there, I had a 1991 250 standard, hated that kick-start! lol

[Yankee Dog]

We are on a different beast this trip. But some how we keep ending up at micro breweries.

This is me after the GPS crapped out and I had to resort to paper maps.




The first place we found in Marionette, WI. 14 different beer.   Yummy


More to come later

[Yankee Dog]

Sorry for the delay  coverage can be a bit spotty up here.

Here is the Wisconsin collection




Next stop was Copper Harbor in Michigan's Kewenaw peninsula. They have a new place up there called the Brickside Brewery. Four tasty treats they had





By the way the roads in and out of Copper Harbor are much fun

[Yankee Dog]

There has been some talk about the newly paved forest road into our next destination. Grand Marais. The road on was much fun curvy way above average for these parts. 

But on to the good stuff. The Lake Superior Brewing Company

[Yankee Dog]

You know a really good thing about Michigan?  They have breweries in their state parks

Presenting the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery located in the state park of the same name

[Yankee Dog]

On to the Soo.  Sault Marie that is. And the Soo Brewing Company. They don't have samplers but here is a shot of the format two we tried. A red and a stout. A fun place

[Yankee Dog]

I will post some photos of the roads and such later. Because after all this is about sport touring not just beer drinking. But I have to get to a place with more reliable Internet first