Our third stop in downtown Chattanooga was at Hutton & Smith Brewing, just a walk across the street from Oddstory Brewing Co (see work#29). As luck would have it, we arrived on a release night for their newly canned Promenda, a New England style IPA (6.7% ABV). It was a juicy combination of raspberry and 4 different hops. The place was decked out like it was prom night complete with disco ball and 80's music. We grabbed 2 seats at the bar and struck up a conversation with a local who happened to have his girlfriend working the tap behind the bar. They had a well rounded offering with 23 varieties on tap and in cans. We started with a flight. The Porterledge (5.6 ABV) was a yummy coffee porter with just a hint of hoppiness. The Wee Heavy Metal (8.7% ABV), a Strong Scoth Ale with complex infusions of fruitiness, carmel, and malt. Crux Mas Ale (5.8% ABV), a cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon winter ale that was fantastic. Bivouac Black IPA (8.9% ABV), a dark malt IPA with coffee, hints of orange, grapefruit and a pine resin undertone. If you haven't tried this yourself, try mixing a medium bitter IPA with a dark coffee stout. The mixture can really be a pleasant surprise for your pallet. We finished off wiht a pint of the Rope Gun Rye (6.0% ABV), a hop forward ale with enough rye to taste the spiciness yet crisp with a citrus aroma.
The beers were yummy, there was a wide variety and very reasonabley priced. As with all breweries we visit, the atmosphere and experience is as important as the beer they pour. The head brewers stopped by to chat which we always like. The crowd kept coming and going in this tiny place. The bar seats about 12 people and while your seated you can reach behind you and touch the fermentors. The tap room was fully incorporated into the brew house. The crowd seemed to be very familiar with craft brew, anxious to talk about brewing and they all were big fans of Hutton & Smith. BTW, James Hutton was a founding father of modern Geology. The two hammer logo pays homage to field of geology so it's fair to say Hutton & Smith rocks! And in their own words, "they're gneiss people who give a schist", that's geology humor, look it up.
Hutton & Smith Brewing
431 E M L King Blvd
Chattanooga, TN