In case you haven’t already heard, birria has been making the rounds as a taco filling for a couple of years now. Originally a slow simmered stew from the state of Jalisco, Mexico, made with lamb or goat and a mix of dried chilis, it has now morphed into a very popular filling for tacos. The Last Days of Autumn, a microbrewery in Knoxville just north of downtown, has been offering birria tacos on Tuesdays for at least a couple of years now, and I think they’ve got it down pat!
This past Tuesday, in addition to their usual pork birria, they made a version with chicken so I went with those, plus a side of Mexican street corn in a cup. The chicken birria was every bit as good as their pork birria. I should warn one that the hot sauce, upper right in the photo below, is indeed hot! A small cup of the simmering liquid is included for dipping the taco in. It is best to plan on it being messy and dressing accordingly!
Microbrewery Beer
A new beer was on tap, a barrel aged imperial gose, which sounded like it would be perfect with the tacos. Gose is a sour German style beer that is made with a pilsner and wheat malt, blue agave nectar, Colima sea salt, lime, and orange peel. The beer is aged in a tequila barrel for nine months.
Live Music
To top off my Taco Tuesday an old friend was playing and singing! I first met Steph Cabell I don’t-know-how-many-years-ago at one of the blues jams around Knoxville. She has been working on her guitar playing and singing relentlessly since. I was amazed to hear a gorgeous cover of The Cranberries “Zombie”, which I can’t imagine is an easy one to sing. Come for a stay at The Sidecar Inn and I’ll be happy to point you to the Last Days of Autumn microbrewery for birria tacos, or any of a number of great places for eats & drinks around the area.
