last time i drove to chicago, i visited the abraham lincoln birthplace national historic park in hodgenville, kentucky. this 100-year-old memorial is actually the original lincoln memorial; the washington d.c. memorial came later. the cabin where lincoln was born is on display, as is sinking spring, the lincoln family’s water source. the park recently celebrated lincoln’s bicentennial with various events and festivities.

the memorial was really great, especially when splitting up the drive from chicago to atlanta. i am also a sucker for kitchy souveniers and had a blast at the nancy lincoln inn. i found all sorts of old timey lincoln products i could not resist buying. if you are ever looking for a fun excursion while driving through kentucky, keep your eyes out for abraham lincoln’s birthplace.

– ryan

abraham lincoln birthplace

7120 bardstown road
hodgenville, ky 42748
270-358-3137

i recently tried the brew free or die ipa by 21st amendment brewery. this beer is great! it’s a golden ipa, so it’s extra hoppy but also light bodied. it’s the perfect summertime beer for hop lovers, especially if you enjoy cascade hops. and at 7% abv, you really can’t go wrong with this beer.

check out our write-up on the hell or high watermelon for reasons why craft beer in a can is a good thing.

– ryan

21st amendment brewery

563 2nd street
san francisco, ca 94107
415-369-0900

have you ever noticed the statue at the corner of monument avenue and mcpherson avenue in east atlanta? intrigue got the better of me this morning and i pulled over to see what it was.

i found a little park with an upturned cannon marking the spot where general james b. mcpherson was killed in the battle of atlanta on july 22, 1864, exactly 146 years ago today. mcpherson was the highest ranking union officer killed during the american civil war. according to the wiki, “the spot is marked by a union cannon once placed at glenwood road and flat shoals road to protect the flank of the front line and return fire against the defensive positions built by lemuel p. grant.”

i had no idea the statue i see on the way to east atlanta village had such historical significance. i will definitely pull over more often when i see these historical markers.

check out this old photo of the monument from the atlanta history center album archives.

– ryan

mcpherson monument

corner of monument avenue & mcpherson avenue
atlanta, ga 30316

whenever in maine, we try to visit the moxie soda shop in lisbon falls. moxie was the first mass produced soda in america and is still popular in the new england area. lisbon falls is known as the moxie capital of the world and is home to the annual moxie festival.

the old timey soda shop in lisbon falls is where you’ll find all things moxie, including shirts, stickers, pencils, frisbees and more. they also have sodas, candy and ice cream (even moxie flavored ice cream). not much has changed over the years, i can remember going to this same little shop as a kid and it looks exactly like my memories of it. plus it’s the same guy behind the counter, frank. we have a good amount of moxie gear from many visits and wear them quite a bit.

people generally love or hate moxie. i like it, but i only like it every few years when in maine. i’m not sure if i’d love it as an everyday soda. it tastes sort of like cream soda meets dr. pepper, but a little more medicinal. there is a mixed drink called a new englander made with moxie, the recipe can be found below.

when in maine, keep your eye out for the bright orange soda cans. you’re in for a true new england experience.

– ryan

new englander recipe:

1 part gin
2-3 parts moxie
a large slice of lime
a dash of worcestershire sauce

21st amendment brewery recently started selling their hell or high watermelon wheat beer in georgia. willy and i tried this tasty beer at the 21st amendment brew pub in san francisco many years ago. we enjoyed the unique flavor so much, it actually inspired us to start bottle rocket brewing. over the years we brewed many similar wheat beers with fresh puréed watermelon and they were always great.

the hell or high watermelon is a perfect summer beer. it is fairly light with a crisp fresh watermelon flavor that’s not too sweet. it’s perfect for grilling, drinking by the poolside or taking to the beach or a park.

like oskar blues, 21st amendment sells their craft beers in cans. for those who are still hesitant about drinking canned beer, be sure to read the message on the bottom of the packaging:

six good reasons to open a can of beer:
– cans keep beer fresher because the beer never sees light
– cans are lined so they don’t affect the flavor of the beer inside
– cans weigh less than glass and chill faster
– cans are easier to recycle and more often recycled than glass
– cans use less energy to prduce and transport than glass
– cans go where no glass dares: beaches, parks, stadiums, boats, pools, golf courses…

– ryan

21st amendment brewery

563 2nd street
san francisco, ca 94107
415-369-0900

we went to see sleigh bells last night at vinyl in atlanta. their live show definitely lived up to the hype; it was insanely loud with lots of strobe lights and arms/iphones up in the air. to say the least, we had a lot of fun! alexis, the female lead singer, sang from the audience at times and had the crowd singing along on other hits. there was lots of dancing and everyone seemed to know all of the lyrics. highlights were rill rill, crown on the ground and a/b machines.

i picked up sleigh bells debut album treats on picture disc vinyl at the show. it is really awesome!

– ryan

according to nasa, there will be a lunar eclipse tomorrow morning and it should be a big one for most of america. npr said it would be visible in atlanta from around 6:15 am until after 9 am. you’ll need to get up early though if you want to catch the eclipse, our sunrise is around 6:30 am. tomorrow also brings a full moon.

– ryan

it’s been a little while since i’ve brewed beer but i am still a big fan, especially of hoppy IPAs. i love when fall approaches and breweries begin to release their fresh/wet hop ales. these tasty treats are brewed with wet hops that are delivered to the brewery the same day they are harvested. the brewers are waiting on hand to add the wet hops to the kettle while at the peak of their freshness. the result is one of the hoppiest, most flavorful beers around. it’s the equivalent of cooking with fresh herbs rather then dried ones.

one of my favorite wet hop ales during the fall is sierra nevada’s northern hemisphere harvest. this was actually the first beer brewed with fresh hops back in 1996. since then, wet hop ales have swept the american craft brewing movement by storm. there is an annual fresh hop ale festival held in washington state and even the brick store pub in atlanta started hosting a fall hop harvest festival with many fresh hop ales on tap.

there are various options for wet hop ales in the fall. i’ve never had a bad one, so don’t be afraid to try different breweries. keep your eye out for local brewery options as well, i know sweetwater started brewing one in atlanta last year.

sierra nevada also brews a tasty summertime fresh hop ale called southern hemisphere harvest. you can find this delicious treat in stores right now, i’m actually drinking one as i write this article! to brew such a style during the summertime, sierra nevada overnights fresh hops from new zealand during their fall harvest, which happens to be america’s springtime. thanks to their efforts, we can enjoy a fresh hoppy beer during our wet hot american summers.

– ryan

sierra nevada

1075 east 20th street
chico, ca 95928
530-893-3520

ps…this is our 50th blog post!!!

i recently visited oak grove plantation & gardens, which is about 45 minutes south of atlanta. it’s this beautiful 1830s plantation home nestled on 20 acres of land, 4 of which have themed gardens. the plantation features a bed & breakfast as well as acres of gardens for touring. if you’re looking for an atlanta getaway, oak grove plantation & gardens is a relaxing option for an afternoon visit or an overnight stay.

– ryan

oak grove plantation & gardens

4537 north highway 29
newnan, georgia 30265

have you seen the pbr murals around atlanta?

we just started noticing them and we like the old-fashioned feel of this new advertising campaign. so far, we’ve spotted them in east atlanta, little 5 points, and in the highlands on the back of manuel’s tavern. each painting is unique and features the artist’s name and city. most of them appear to be georgia artists, although we’ve seen out of state artists as well.

– ryan & gub