Downtown Wine + Spirits FREE Tasting 10/28/11. 2011 Knoxville Brewers Jam

I had to repost this email for DTWS. Sure, it's another lazy post, copied and pasted straigt from an email. So what. It's about booze, no, FREE booze, and it has profanity - two of my favorite things. I took liberty with their PC-friendly censoring and spelled out what they really wanted to say, you're welcome. Plus I just wanted a reason to include a picture of Mr. Popcorn Sutton for some street cred. Look, he hates you!

I've made unfulfilled promises about getting back to a regular schedule, or at least semi-frequent blog entries, but work has been keeping me down and it just hasn't happened. Only a few readers have noticed so it's not like there are death treats coming my way. Anyway I may have some updates forthcoming. Maybe. Here, I'll even set a tentative list of possible reviews/visits the rest of the year:

• Boyd's Jig & Reel
• Darwin's Den
• The Casual Pint
• and maybe a follow up the the half-assed Public House Pub snippet which was basically an excuse to post an image of a naked lady behind the bar

One more thing: Brewers Jam 2011 is this weekend, Saturday 10/22/11. It sold out again and I will not be going for reasons better left unmentioned. Enjoy drunkards!

And check out the folks at DTWS next time you're downtown!

Popcorn Says F*** You  (Fuck You)



Popcorn Sutton was a legendary moonshiner who achieved folk hero status from various profiles in print and documentaries including some highly entertaining (albeit not intended for general audiences) interviews with Johnny Knoxville. His homemade elixers are still considered among the best, provoking wistful memories from those fortunate enough to have sampled his craftmanship. Tragically he took his own life rather than serve out the sentence he was charged for illicit distilling. His "spirit" lives on however thanks to his authentic recipe being passed on to an apprentice and now reproduced for all to enjoy. This white whiskey is remarkably elegant and complex, perfect for sipping straight. Join us Friday evening here at our free tasting from 5:30 to 7:30 to sample a little of Popcorn's "likker". Wear your overalls.

Downtown Wine + Spirits FREE Tastings

Good new from Downtown Wine + Spirits: Free wine tasting, sort of.

According to their newsletter a new law now allows sampling events on site so you can try before you buy. This is pretty cool and makes perfect sense. If you haven't signed up for thier newsletter yet, you should. The weekly specials offer a variety of spirits or wine to choose from and they're often pretty good deals. I'm guessing other package stores will be offering similar events from now on so I say it's a win-win for everybody.

From DTWS newsletter:

Try Before You Buy



Fact: everyone loves free samples. Now thanks to a change in Tennessee's laws we can have in-store tastings. Like shoes, bikes, and used cars, you can now try out some wine before you purchase it. Stop by this Friday from 5 - 7 to try out a nice viognier from the Rhone region, a dry rose from Ventoux, and a juicy California red blend. We will have cheese and assorted goodies on hand to complement the libations, so come in and do a little sipping.


Free Tasting Friday 5 - 7pm

Is Bud Done?

Probably not but it’s been dead to me for years. The dissolution of Budweiser as an American institution just a couple of years ago is now grasping at bar straws for customers. So much that they’re giving it away for free, at least in some areas. I’m not sure if they are begging at Knoxville bars but I wouldn’t be surprised at all. If so the only person I know who would be interested (besides the bums) is DK washout KRTI who has been supporting that brand recently. Whatever. So there you go InBev and Budweiser, cling to your pathetic fable as King of Beer.

And just to be clear, yes, I would drink some of that free beer!

$38.27

That is the dollar amount of booze I intend to purchase. Or maybe the amount of a bar tab I’m going to run up later tonight. Either way I guarantee that it will be spent on booze of some sort - this I can assure you!

Have you ever found money when you weren’t expecting it? A crumpled $20 bill found in an old pair of jeans can totally make your day. It’s like the money faerie slipped you a little something extra for no damn reason at all. I just received a check in the mail for exactly $38.27, and like any unexpected “free” money I plan to blow it on whatever the hell I feel like. Right now I feel like booze. Fuck any “responsible or smart” spending, what fun would that be? I’m looking forward to possibly buying a high-end bourbon to ring in the new season. A bottle of Hendricks’s gin or even a couple bottles of wine could do the trick, we’ll see.

I had no idea why I received a check for that amount, and was hesitant about depositing it into my checking account fearing it may be one of those bank scams you hear about so often. But after clearing it with the bank teller who safely identified the source I went ahead and cashed that sucker. Turns out it was payment from a class action lawsuit I was part of several years ago. Hell, I’d forgotten about that many, many brain cells ago. So naturally this comes as a surprise, the good kind of surprise. The only down side of my good fortune is that by self-reporting this news I have alerted a few cadging, drunk friends that will be more than happy to assist me with my endeavors. I may have to hole up at a tavern in deep east Knox County. I may hide in my urban bunker with the phone turned off and refuse to answer the door - a la this. Actually, this is a farce of shit. A huge lie. There was no free money-check. Prank call, Prank call!!

Pick Your Poison

One of the benefits (risks) of being a fervent drunkard is that people rightfully assume you will drink anything. Case in point: today I was brought 2 quarts of moonshine purely out of the blue. I wasn't expecting them. I've never even touched on the subject with my acquaintance. Nevertheless I have 2 jars o 'shine - one is strawberry flavored, the other one is peach. The catch is that I can only keep one with the other going to a mutual friend. So I have dibs, but which one should I pick?

This is a real dilemma since I actually don't care for moonshine that much but am forced to make a choice. For those of you who have never tasted this party liquor (where have you been - this is East TN!) it almost always has a overwhelming odor and taste of paint thinner.

In this case, either strawberry jolly rancher paint thinner or peach jolly rancher paint thinner. There isn't a wrong choice because either one will F you the F up. I think I'll make my decision based on which one I think will be more fun to torture my drinking buddies with, 'cause there ain't no way I'm drinking this shit alone. Yeah, yeah. Careful if you are coming my way this weekend or to Tag's party on Sunday 'cause I've got a little sump'n for ya!

Just a Quick Note....

...to say how much I love free booze! We all know how much we love the booze, but the sweet, sweet taste of gratis booze is so much better - especially in times of financial woe! Sure the economy is in the tank, but as long as hooch is around there is reason to keep on truckin. I've been working out of the office the past few days and luckily entertaining some clients from out of town. And the easiest way to entertain folks you don't know is to get 'em liquored up. And of course that works for people you know too, but usually you have to pay for those situations.

I've been fortunate to have some drinks on the company dollar, not to mention some fine meals to boot. Oh you don't say! You want me to mention them? Surely you wouldn't care to know about the FREE fillet and crab-stuffed shrimp dinner with whisky, wine, vodka and beer the other night. Or a fine game hen dinner with pre-dinner brewery beer, more wine, vodka and such. No, no. Never mind. Forget I brought it up. I'll just (gulps beer) be heading back to our HQ and send these guests on their way.