Detouring from Cincy...
captain_phil and I decided to take a detour through Lexington on our way home from Cincy. Speedway for a top off of the old gas tank at $2.65 per gallon with 10 cents off that and a fountain soda of course. :-) Next stop: Starbucks so Phil could get his fix and a cool Starbucks/Cincy coffee mug. Hunger pains took over and found us looking for some fast food...ahhhh...Popeye's Chicken! Yum!
Off to Dry Ridge to the outlet mall...disappointing...not many stores left since I've been there. The outlet mall in Georgetown was a little better but Carolina Pottery has been turned into a Crafts/Antique's Mall. Now I could have spent some money there! It's a good thing we didn't have the blazer or I'd be broke...lol
Next stop: Lexington Brewery. It was 2pm and the tour started at 3pm. In our hour to kill, we stumbled upon a Kentucky Wildcat outlet store and I found a cool ball cap for me with a "buy any hat, get a tee free" bargain. Woooo!
Back at the Brewery, we had a chance to read the history of the Lexington Brewery and its various locations, triumphs and failures throughout the 1800/1900s. Tour Guide Adam met us in the lobby and took us into the bar. We sampled Kentucky Ale Light, Dark and Bourbon Aged Beer. I think we both liked the light the best...mmm, mmm, good! Adam was a rather interesting tour guide who didn't care what he said, or how he said it. I got to see the different grains and the brewing process from start to finish. The Lexington Brewery followed the German Purity Laws of brewing beer using four ingredients only...no additives, etc. Bottling days are Fridays and there were about 8 employees working in the bottling area as cold beer crossed overhead through a narrow pipe into the bottling room. The bottles were filled, capped, labeled and boxed in an area about the size of my adjoining living/dining room. 4 or 5 cases had labels put on the bottles upside down...would have been nice to have taken those home with us. I was amazed at how small the brewing area actually was. It had 5 or 6 fermenters so that there was a new batch ready for bottling every Friday. You can buy cold beer by the case right at the Brewery for the same price as retail. The other two couples on the tour inquired if the brewery would ever ship Kentucky Ale to Chicago stores. Adam's response was that he could barely keep up with the Kentucky demand. They may expand to Louisville but no farther.
An hour later, Phil and I went to Sam's to search for the cool director type folding chairs sharkbait had used at tailgating. They still had about 6 boxes full so we got two and were off again to Ted's Montana Grill. Billy the waiter was one of the best we've every had. He knew what we needed before we did and it would appear before us without a word from Billy. He was fantastic! Naturally, I opted for the Beef for a Philly Cheese burger while Phil had a New Mexico Bison burger. I tried a bite of his and it was ok. You know it's okay if I don't give any face. If you get the yuk beer face then you know your food/drink is safe from disappearing. If you get mmm...or yum then you might want to guard the goods...lol. I couldn't eat all of mine so Billy brought us a nice to go container and large gift bag like bag. I felt all special & stuff.
Another 1/4 tank of gas from the Winchester Road Speedway at $2.59/gal. and an additional 10 cents off of that...couldn't pass up that deal either.
Tried for dessert at Cracker Barrell in Mt. Sterling but the place was packed...all the rockers on the front porch were full if that tells ya anything! Back in Ashland, we stopped at Crisp's Dairy Treat just as it started to thunder & lightning. Soft serve Chocolate Cone for me & a chocolate covered cherry flurry for Phil.
Home at last and unloading the car...seems we had as much stuff to unload as we loaded just a few days ago...hmmm.
Virgin experiences: Brewery tour & Ted's Montana Grill
Off to Dry Ridge to the outlet mall...disappointing...not many stores left since I've been there. The outlet mall in Georgetown was a little better but Carolina Pottery has been turned into a Crafts/Antique's Mall. Now I could have spent some money there! It's a good thing we didn't have the blazer or I'd be broke...lol
Next stop: Lexington Brewery. It was 2pm and the tour started at 3pm. In our hour to kill, we stumbled upon a Kentucky Wildcat outlet store and I found a cool ball cap for me with a "buy any hat, get a tee free" bargain. Woooo!
Back at the Brewery, we had a chance to read the history of the Lexington Brewery and its various locations, triumphs and failures throughout the 1800/1900s. Tour Guide Adam met us in the lobby and took us into the bar. We sampled Kentucky Ale Light, Dark and Bourbon Aged Beer. I think we both liked the light the best...mmm, mmm, good! Adam was a rather interesting tour guide who didn't care what he said, or how he said it. I got to see the different grains and the brewing process from start to finish. The Lexington Brewery followed the German Purity Laws of brewing beer using four ingredients only...no additives, etc. Bottling days are Fridays and there were about 8 employees working in the bottling area as cold beer crossed overhead through a narrow pipe into the bottling room. The bottles were filled, capped, labeled and boxed in an area about the size of my adjoining living/dining room. 4 or 5 cases had labels put on the bottles upside down...would have been nice to have taken those home with us. I was amazed at how small the brewing area actually was. It had 5 or 6 fermenters so that there was a new batch ready for bottling every Friday. You can buy cold beer by the case right at the Brewery for the same price as retail. The other two couples on the tour inquired if the brewery would ever ship Kentucky Ale to Chicago stores. Adam's response was that he could barely keep up with the Kentucky demand. They may expand to Louisville but no farther.
An hour later, Phil and I went to Sam's to search for the cool director type folding chairs sharkbait had used at tailgating. They still had about 6 boxes full so we got two and were off again to Ted's Montana Grill. Billy the waiter was one of the best we've every had. He knew what we needed before we did and it would appear before us without a word from Billy. He was fantastic! Naturally, I opted for the Beef for a Philly Cheese burger while Phil had a New Mexico Bison burger. I tried a bite of his and it was ok. You know it's okay if I don't give any face. If you get the yuk beer face then you know your food/drink is safe from disappearing. If you get mmm...or yum then you might want to guard the goods...lol. I couldn't eat all of mine so Billy brought us a nice to go container and large gift bag like bag. I felt all special & stuff.
Another 1/4 tank of gas from the Winchester Road Speedway at $2.59/gal. and an additional 10 cents off of that...couldn't pass up that deal either.
Tried for dessert at Cracker Barrell in Mt. Sterling but the place was packed...all the rockers on the front porch were full if that tells ya anything! Back in Ashland, we stopped at Crisp's Dairy Treat just as it started to thunder & lightning. Soft serve Chocolate Cone for me & a chocolate covered cherry flurry for Phil.
Home at last and unloading the car...seems we had as much stuff to unload as we loaded just a few days ago...hmmm.
Virgin experiences: Brewery tour & Ted's Montana Grill