Tennessee Brewery Is Selling Moon Pie Beer
What will they think of next? A Chattanooga, Tennessee, brewery has pulled out all the stops and taken one of the souths most iconic childhood treats and turned it into an adult beverage.
In 1917, a Kentucky coal miner asked a traveling salesman for a snack as big as the moon. The salesman obliged and returned later with the first Moon Pie, a chocolate covered marshmallow snack layered with flaky graham crackers. The rest is history! We doubt either of those men ever predicted that the snack would become beloved world-wide, or that the treat would eventually be transformed into a beer.
The beer that hung the moon was created by the brilliant minds at Naked River Brewing Company and is made with 100% fresh-baked Moon Pies from Chattanoogas own Moon Pie factory. MoonPie became famous as the Workingmans Lunch, Now our MoonPie Stout is the Workingmans Reward,’ the website reads.
If your love for Moon Pies run deep, you can drop by the Brewery for Moon Pie Mondays. Guests can not only enjoy a Moon Pie stout, but they can pair it with a perfectly deep fried Moon Pie.
Its Moonpie Monday at Naked River! We open at 4pm today, so swing in for a $4 Moonpie Stout and $2 deep fried Moonpies! Also keep an eye out for our monthly newsletter going out this afternoon!
Posted by The Naked River Brewing Company on Monday, June 3, 2019
Saint Luna Charcoal Filtered Moonshine
- Country of Origin: USA
- Producer: Southern Distilling Company, LLC
- Region: Statesville, North Carolina
The Southern Distilling Company has chosen a different approach to the production of its moonshine. Rather than follow the trend for rustic mason jars that emulate a homemade product, it has opted to create a premium product.
Produced from locally-sourced molasses and rye, the distillate is charcoal filtered in order to produce a pure spirit. By following scientific methodology, its moonshine offers a complex character with an elegant finish.
How We Rated The Best Pumpkin Beers
We judged these brews based on five key factors:
- Value: Given its ingredients and overall taste, is it worth the price?
- Quality and Ingredients: Is it made with real pumpkin, pumpkin purée, pumpkin flavoring or pumpkin pie spice? Does the beer contain authentic, quality adjuncts?
- Packaging: Does the can or bottle design put us in the mood for sweater season and imply something about the beer?
- Flavor: Does it taste like what the label says it should?
- Balance: Does the pumpkin complement or overpower the flavor of the beer? Is it excessively sweet or spiced? Are the malty and hoppy qualities of the beer lost?
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At The Top Of The List Is A Beer Made With Pumpkins That The Brewery Grows Roasts And Chops By Hand
Nine of the 10 beers we tasted.
Oh, fall. The one time of year when everything you consume can be pumpkin-flavored and no one will bat an eye.
And because that commitment to pumpkin should apply to beer as well, I recruited my sommelier boyfriend Austin Farina to try and rank several festive beers for the season.
We found 9 different beers from four locations: Total Wine & More, H-E-B and Trader Joes. This ranked review, however, should help you avoid as much of a trek for your own pumpkin beer.
In our tastings, we scored each beer in three categories: Eight points maximum each for aroma and flavor, and four points maximum for how well pumpkin presented itself, for a total score out of 20 points.
No 4 & 5 Tie: Samuel Adams Jack
- Aroma: 6.5
- Pumpkin-o-meter: 4
- Total: 18
Samuel Adams offering smelled like pumpkin pie when we cracked it open, which was lovely, but also presented a slight metallic smell, perhaps because the brewers used canned pumpkin. But the beer was appropriately sweet with a good roast on the malt and gave us exactly what we wanted from a pumpkin beer.
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Ole Smoky Apple Pie Moonshine
- Country of Origin: USA
- Producer: Ole Smoky Distillery, LLC
- Region: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Ole Smoky offers its apple pie moonshine in two concentrations of alcohol depending on your preference. You can either opt for the headier 35% ABV or instead settle for a lighter 20% ABV. Both are equally pleasant and very easy to drink.
If you find Sugarlands too sweet, Ole Smokys apple pie moonshine is drier with a greater focus on cinnamon spice. Indeed, the apple cider helps deliver a more bitter and tart palate, which some people may prefer.
No 4 & 5 Tie: Southern Star Brewing Company Cygourd
- Aroma: 6.5
- Pumpkin-o-meter: 3.5
- Total: 18
When we poured it, we were first struck with how bright and orange this beer from the Conroe brewery appeared to be. Cygourd put out a strong pumpkin scent that smelled almost squash-like, which could point to the brewers using fresh pumpkin instead of canned. It tasted surprisingly good, with a strong presence of pumpkin that was backed up by the beer and subtle flavors of cinnamon, clove and cardamom. All we wanted was more spice and malt in the aroma.
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No : Trader Joes Howling Gourds
- Aroma: 8
- Pumpkin-o-meter: 4
- Total: 19
This. Beer. Smelled. SO GOOD. It smelled like every aspect of pumpkin pie, from the custard to the spices to the crust. It tasted drier and more bitter than expected, but that helped balance out the sweetness. Ultimately, it smelled like great pumpkin pie and tasted like good beer.
How Much Does Moonshine Cost
During the Prohibition, alcohol was limited and a very expensive commodity as it could only be obtained illegally. Otherwise, moonshine was often cheaper than legally-sold alcohol because was unofficially exempt from taxes!
Today, legal moonshine is still pretty cheap and youre unlikely to spend more than $30. Occasionally, premium moonshine might be more expensive but this is quite rare.
After all, moonshines charm is that its unaged and is bottled almost immediately after being distilled. The packaging isnt overly expensive either as most brands opt for rustic jars with a sticker on the front rather than an elaborate bottle.
Therefore, the overheads are lower than brandies and spirits that have spent the best part of a decade slowly ageing in oak barrels.
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How Much Does Instacart Delivery Or Pickup Cost
- Delivery fees start at $3.99 for same-day orders over $35. Fees vary for one-hour deliveries, club store deliveries, and deliveries under $35.
- Service fees vary and are subject to change based on factors like location and the number and types of items in your cart. Orders containing alcohol have a separate service fee.
- Tipping is optional but encouraged for delivery orders. It’s a great way to show your shopper appreciation and recognition for excellent service. 100% of your tip goes directly to the shopper who delivers your order.
- There may be a “pickup fee” on your pick up order that is typically $1.99 for non-Express members. Express membership waives this like it would a delivery fee.
- Pick up orders have no service fees, regardless of non-Express or Express membership.
Where To Legally Buy Moonshine In The Usa
Despite being best known as an illicitly-produced alcoholic spirit, moonshine has evolved into a legitimate business in recent years. Playing on its nostalgic black market connotations, its become a popular beverage for those wishing to experience a slice of rustic Americana.
As you will have noticed, the two best-known brands for moonshine today are Ole Smoky and Sugarlands. Both are based in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and have a lot in common.
As their reputations have grown, so have their level of distribution throughout the USA. Meanwhile, a variety of artisanal brands have started to appear on liquor store shelves.
Nevertheless, it can be sometimes challenging to track down decent moonshine that doesnt just try to market on the name.
Fortunately, the internet offers lots of opportunities to make our lives easier. Were quite fond of Reserve Bar who has probably one the best online selections of moonshine available. It features both Sugarlands and Ole Smoky as well as a few other brands.
Alternatively, Drizly works in partnership with local liquor stores. Therefore, you can use it to browse what is available nearby and have it delivered within an hour.
However, the downside is that you can only order what is sold in a nearby shop. We also noticed that although it sold a few varieties of moonshine, the choice is still quite limited.
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Ole Smoky Peach Moonshine
- Country of Origin: USA
- Producer: Ole Smoky Distillery, LLC
- Region: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Aside from the apple pie options above, we have intentionally refrained from featuring flavoured moonshine throughout the majority of this list. Genuine moonshine is normally a strong and high-proof liquor, which people would then flavour or blend at home after buying it.
However, its hard to ignore the prevalence of flavoured moonshine on the market. Unlike their clear counterparts, flavoured moonshine is normally cut down to about 20% ABV so its easier to drink neat. Nevertheless, it usually acts as an excellent taste modifier for cocktails.
Here, Ole Smoky combines its White Lightnin moonshine with natural peach juice. Therefore, its a succulent and richly-flavoured moonshine, which showcases its potential when married with fruit.
Sugarlands Appalachian Apple Pie Moonshine
- Country of Origin: USA
While the FX network series, Justified, probably brought apple pie moonshine into the public spotlight, it has been around for a long time! Therefore, there are plenty of brands that true to reproduce the experience.
Sugarlands apple pie moonshine is an excellent example. Its yeasty with notes of baking spices and zest that are dominated by crisp green apples. If you have a particularly sweet tooth, its an excellent choice.
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Ole Smoky Blue Flame Moonshine
- Country of Origin: USA
- Producer: Ole Smoky Distillery, LLC
- Region: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Ole Smoky launched just after Tennesse changed its state law and allowed the distillation of spirits in 2010. When it opened, it was only one of four distilleries in the state, which included Jack Daniels, George Dickel, and Benjamin Prichard.
Its moonshine follows a genuine, 100-year old East Tennessee family recipe using locally-sourced ingredients. Furthermore, it was perfected by Dave Pickerell, the Makers Mark master blender for over 15 years.
Playing on the myth that pure moonshine would burn with a blue flame, its flagship product is a 128-proof monster. With its crystal clear robe, it delivers clean and crisp flavours on the palate.
Blue Moon Has Secret Canadian Double Identity
Blue Moon, a Belgian-style wheat ale brewed by MillerCoors, is noted by market researchers as the most successful craft beer in the country. Often served in a tall glass that bows at the top, allowing for a thick, frothy head garnished with a wedge of orange, the beer is eye-catching, aromatic, and ubiquitous. Its brewed with orange peel and coriander, creating those overpowering witbier characteristics you either love or hate. In the bottle, its also labeled with a blue moon on it. Unmistakable, right?
Not exactly. If you try to order a Blue Moon in Canada, you might get some weird looks. Although the same beer is sold in Canada, it doesnt have the same name. American Blue Moon is called Belgian Moon north of the border.
The reasons for this are complicated and require a bit of understanding about Blue Moons similarly complicated history. Since its inception in 1995, Blue Moon has gotten flack for describing itself as Belgian, which it isnt. Its Belgian-style, sure, but it is American. Its also come under fire for positioning itself as a small or independent brewing company. It is and always has been brewed by Coors, now MillerCoors, now a division of the multinational Molson Coors. The beer originally launched as Bellyslide Belgian White at the SandLot Brewery, a Coors brewery on Coors Field in Denver.
drop!
So. What happened?
Instead, a company called 2008474 Ontario registered the Blue Moon trademark.
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No : Leinenkugels Harvest Patch Shandy
- Aroma: 7.5
- Pumpkin-o-meter: 2
- Total: 13
We didnt have very high hopes for this one since the idea of a pumpkin shandy seems odd, but this beer smelled amazing except the fragrance was like that of a pumpkin spice latte and not a beer. Leinenkugels offering was overwhelmingly sweet with a super light roast, which isnt what we wanted from a fall or winter beer, leading to its low flavor score.
No : Great Divide Pumpkin Spice Yeti
- Aroma: 7.5
- Pumpkin-o-meter: 0
- Total: 15
This stout was definitely not bad, according to Austin . It smelled like coffee and pumpkin spice, which was a very pretty scent. The coffee flavor came through, and the beer itself was delicious. But it didnt actually taste like it had any pumpkin in it, so it scored low based purely on the Pumpkin-o-meter. We still recommend this beer just not as a pumpkin beer.
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Sugarlands Jim Tom Hedricks Unaged Rye
- Country of Origin: USA
Sugarlands is an award-winning distillery that was founded in 2014. It operates from its downtown Gatlinburg distillery in East Tennesse and immerses itself in moonshines rich heritage. Today, Sugarlands continues to embrace its legacy as the official NASCAR moonshine.
Jim Tom Hedrick is something of a legend among moonshiners. Born in 1940n he was a well-known manufacturer of copper stills and was even incarcerated for his activities. Hedrick became known by the public when he joined the cast of the Discovery documentary series Moonshiners in its second season.
Shortly after Sugarlands was founded, Hedrick partnered with the distillery to produce an authentic moonshine to launch its Legends collection. This 100-proof spirit packs a spicy rye punch with hints of black pepper. If youre looking for a truly genuine moonshine experience, it would be our first recommendation.
“A quintessentially authentic rye-based moonshine, Sugarlands’ collaboration with Jim Tom Hendrick has produced a prized specimen.”
Top 10 Best Moonshine Brands From The Usa To Buy Online
Although moonshine is best known as an illegally homemade alcoholic spirit, there are plenty of legitimate distillers that produce it today. Although some seek to emulate an authentic experience, its loose definition has brought on an exciting variety of beverages.
In this guide, you will discover the top 10 best moonshine brands to buy in the USA:
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