KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE

In the heart of Knoxville on Gay Street, DOWNTOWN GRILL & BREWERY served fair-to-good beers, August ’08. Located in the Woodruff building, its green neon sign and green awning welcome visitors. A midsize front deck, wood tabled exterior, beautiful oak bar, and cattycornered TV’s are initially noticed.

Large bronze brew tanks near the open kitchen served Woodruff Brewing’s offerings to go along with southwestern fare plus pizza and burgers. On the light side were glutinous yellow-orange-fruited, grapefruit rind-embittered, honey-grained, Kolsch-styled Downtown Blonde; efficient honey-roasted chestnut-fronted caramel-malted phenol-hopped coffee-beaned Downtown Brown; and moderate black tea-dried, juniper-embittered, raw-honeyed German-styled Alt.

Medium-bodied bids included spicy orange-grapefruit-centered, green tea-snipped, rye-malted White Mule ESB and dry hop-charred, black cherry-teased, anise-daubed State Street Stout. Piney grapefruit-peach-apple-consumed Woodruff IPA and black coffee-deepened, bark-dried New World Porter were finer fuller-bodied choices.

www.downtownbrewery.com

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE

A busy industrial city that’s home to University of Tennessee, Knoxville serves as a gateway to the west in similar fashion as St. Louis. Along the Tennessee River, CALHOUN’S bustling freestanding green-wooded roadhouse (next to Women’s Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame) overlooks the riverfront. Red booths surround stain-glassed central bar and large outdoor deck with red metal patio furnishings provides relaxing ambience. Inexpensive food and blue-collar beers supplied by nearby Pigeon Forge’s Smoky Mountain Brewery adorn the menu.

www.calhouns.com