The new, improved and expanded Parthenon on Church Street hosted the latest Lipman Brothers tasting event where Sir Eric Bates shared more of his vast knowledge. First up and fitting, Mythos Lager is the number one Greek-exported beer. This beer is blonde in color and not too golden to still remain refreshing. Mythos and Yazoo are the only two beers available at The Parthenon. Mythos is complimentary to the menu at the restaurant.
Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen followed and was delightfully lighter than I expected. Despite the unfiltered cloudiness, it felt clean-crisp and citrusy. In German, hefe translates to “yeast” and weizen to “wheat.” UFO seems trendy but it DOES carry it’s weight in quality and flavor.
Yazoo (from Nashville) is certainly making its way into the market. The Parthenon offers the pale ale featured in this tasting. It has 55 IBU’s (international bitter unit), which gives it a complexity in dimension while still retaining simplicity in taste. I felt honey, butterscotch and caramel in this rich ale.
My favorite, though, was the Hazed and Infused dry-hopped ale. It’s “hazed” in it’s natural unfiltered state and “infused” (dry-hopped) during fermentation for a “big, bold, unique taste.” I thought it was a little skunky, but not in a bad way. I tasted young, green hops, which lent to its extreme smoothness. Dry-hopping is the process of using uncooked hops and explains the fresh flavor. Brewed and bottled in Colorado, the building is considered a landmark.
The last beer was Atwater Vanilla Java Porter from Detroit, Mich. It’s a dark beer with coffee and cola aromas. Again, it was light for a porter and slightly piney, but the vanilla this beer supposedly possesses was lost to me. It finished immediately, void of aftertaste.
The tasting was held on one of the two outdoor seating areas of The Parthenon. The brand new restaurant is just across the street from the old one. They are open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lunch and dinner specials are featured daily, as well as happy hour (4 p.m.-7 p.m.) and drinks du jour. They plan on hosting a tasting event monthly, so make reservations for dinner early because they fill up fast! Call (615) 895-2665 to reserve your spot for a lovely drinking and dining experience. The (NEW) Parthenon is another fantastic place for us to gather to eat, drink and be merry!
Eric Bates’ next tasting is Sept. 23 at 5 Senses and that is a five-course wine dinner. Cost is $65 per person.
