Big Woods Brewing Company in Nashville, Indiana.

On September 21st, when Graham's truck was the chosen vehicle for a beer-buying road trip through Southern Indiana, our second stop was Big Woods Brewing Company in Nashville, Indiana. From Needmore, there is no direct route to Nashville; rather, looking out from the back porch at Salt Creek Brewery, one sees only the woods and hills comprising the combined acreage of Hoosier National Forest, Lake Monroe and Brown County State Park. We drove north to Bloomington, skirted the city on the southeast, and headed for Nashville, arriving in time for lunch. Above is the tiny original brewhouse. A larger one now operates across the alley from the original building, and the hand-filling of bottles was underway as we examined the layout.

Nashville itself is like a pocket Gatlinburg, and very much the arts, crafts and resort-type community. There was excellent food, beer and hospitality behind this chalet-style entrance to the Big Woods restaurant and taproom. I had a nitro stout ideal for the cool day, and the brewery's signature beer, Busted Knuckle, was my choice for the showcase. It's a 7.2% "light" Porter or Brown (according to the brewery) and reminiscent of certain Scottish-style ales (according to me).