Last Friday night, “Big Natural” Stoney Keeley, Cadbury Pringlebatch, and Brandon Vick had a wonderful opportunity to head over to Clinton Street in Nashville to tour the Corsair brew-stillery. Each man has since contributed a review of the place and offered their thoughts on the overall experience.
“Big Natural” Stoney Keeley
We got there approximately 20 minutes early, as is customary before a tour of the facilities. Spend some time getting a frosty beverage…don’t be late and make the entire group wait on you. Don’t be that person.
Nonetheless, as soon as we walked in and Brandon mistook a patron for an employee, we got a good vibe from the place. It’s located down in Marathon Village. So, the old brick buildings felt like they were alive with character. Just kind of felt like an old, gritty place – the perfect birthplace for badass booze. Many Walking Dead jokes were made, as it almost felt like we were roaming through Terminus.
Cadbury was already at the bar enjoying a nice smoked black pepper saison. I took a sip, and as I write this, I’m wishing I had one. It was a very complex tasting beer. I immediately loved it….I need that kind of excitement in my life and on my tongue again.
But, since I had been drinking IPAs all afternoon already, I went with the juniper IPA. Nature Boy asked our bartender for milk, for some reason. But, that’s on him for trying to be healthy and not an alcoholic like the rest of us. I’m just happy no one threw us out before the tour even began.
Alright, we’re good. Time for the tour to begin – we met our tour guide, Carter. The man knew his shit, or at the very least, pretended to know his shit in such an authoritative way that I was immediately brainwashed. He took us back into the room where the whiskey is made, and explained how they turn all of the individual ingredients into a single flowing masterpiece. Unfortunately for you, I’m not going to regurgitate that information, because you should just…not be a cheap ass and go pay for the tour yourself.
After a brief history lesson on the company, how it got its name and iconic image, and plenty of sweat, it was time to hit the cocktail room and sample some of Corsair’s handiwork. Ryemageddon is the gold standard, and makes a damn good Old Fashioned. My personal favorite was Oatrage for its smooth finish and nodes of coffee flavor. I was happy to try some of their Red Absinthe, but a bit disappointed that my brain didn’t literally float out of my skull. Turns out, it’s like moonshine….the real deal ain’t legal and they can’t just serve it up in nice cocktail rooms.
Did we overstay our welcome? Maybe. The staff was great, though. Carter and Zach took good care of us. We chatted about the establishment, about giving tours, and had a couple round of Old Fashioneds that I’m still talking about. Seriously, no one’s even here to listen to me, and I’m still talking about it. But, all in all, not only did we enjoy a great atmosphere, but we had some damn good drinks, enjoyed some good company, and left a little more learned than we arrived. Great spot. 10/10.
Cadbury Pringlebatch
It was the Friday of a long work week, heading directly to Corsair’s original Nashville location in Marathon Motor Works building. Couldn’t wait to get the tour started, but first I had some time to kill waiting on Big Natural and Nature Boy to show up.
I ordered a quite interesting smoked-pepper beer, which was delicious, and was soon joined by the boys. Big Natural and myself enjoyed a quick pint, while Nature Boy ordered a milk. The cheerful bartender quickly informed him that she didn’t have any milk, but appreciated the wit.
6:30 rolled around and we joined the others in our group for the distillery tour. Our tour guide, Carter, took us through the building, showing us their unique process of distilling whiskey and brewing small batches of craft beer.
A couple of fun facts I took away from this is that their malt & barley is local, and so was our tour guide, Carter. Turns out us SoBros weren’t the only Nashville Unicorns in the distillery that night, and we quickly made a great connection with Carter, as well as other staff.
Towards the end of the tour, Carter had us sample a few of their staple products. The Grainiac was definitely my favorite. As a nine-grain bourbon, this delicious brown-water was smoother than Salma Hayek’s thighs on a crisp autumn night in the hot tub. You’re welcome.
I’m pretty sure we tasted nearly everything we could talk the staff into, including their Red absinthe, which brought the party out of everyone in our group.
Eventually, our tour ended and the patrons drifted off. Except for us three, who continued to annoy the shit out of our new best friends, Carter and Zach (he had a beautiful red beard).
We forced Carter into a debate regarding my most recent Top-10 War Movie article, then Zach and I gingerly touched beard tips (pun intended). You could say it was a great evening, but that’d be an understatement.
Honestly, the atmosphere at this business & building is somewhere I’d return to in a heartbeat. This appears to be a very quiet, chill spot to hang out after work downtown. And the products Corsair provide are top notch, trust me, they have the medals to prove it.
Two Thumbs up, go visit.
Brandon Vick
As soon as I stepped into the joint, I was so excited that I said hi to a random stranger coming down the stairs. Truth is I thought he worked there, but with his confused, wtf look I knew I was mistaken. Our tour guide, Carter, not only knew his shit but was so thankful for our group not being a bachelor/bachelorette party, his eyes got a little moist. Then once I heard him and Zach, the best damn Old Fashion creator around, duet—I knew this trip was well worth it.
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