Cherry Porter Cask from Duck-Rabbit

Another great evening at Taco Mac. This time the fun was at the Perimeter Mall location, a very vibrant spot. Paul Philippon, Brewmaster extraordinaire was there, hand delivering a Cask of Cherry Porter. Stellar, again.

Who knew that way out on the coast of North Carolina someone would continually develop and brew some of the best beer on God's Green Earth.
However it happened, I am very pleased that it did.

Thanks go out to Fred Crudder of Taco Mac. His relationships and love of the nectar continue to bring us all a little closer to beer nirvana. NOTE: if you have not gone to a beer dinner at Taco Mac, you are not smarter than the average bear. Expect to be blown away by the food and beer pairings. Get online, get a ticket and get in to taco Mac.

Cheers!!

Wow, I disappeared.

HotoberFest plans have consumed my life but it is all good. The event will be AMAZING this year. Check out the web site for details on Beer, Music and all the sustainability & recycling info.

www.hotoberfest.net

As of this year, the VIP Tent is now named the Firkin VIP Tent. Featuring small batch, one-offs and micro brews only. List coming soon. Get your tickets online.

Here's a hint....

Bell's Dinner @ The Porter

YUM!

That's all I have to say. Well, not really. Molly and Nick put together an evening of delicious food paired with one of Georgia's newest brewery arrivals, Bell's Brewery. Hailing from the tiny town of Galesburg Michigan, Bell's produces some of the best craft beer in these United States.


The Menu:

Fennel Soup
Bell's Oberon
*
First of the Season Heirloom Tomatoes, tomato mousse, gelee, garden basil
Bell's Oberon
*
Beef Tender, wrapped in lardo, hickory smoked, Nick's garden pickled vidalia
onions, potato salad
Bell's Amber Ale
*
Local Georgia Strawberries, black pepper ice cream, angel food cake, candied grapefruit zest
Bell's Pale Ale
*


The cold Fennel soup was a lovely introduction to warm weather dining and the Oberon's crisp feel and slight wheat taste was a nice complement and palate opener. Since it was not on the menu it was also a nice surprise.

I grow heirloom tomatoes, I roast tomatoes for salsa, I stew tomatoes for sauce but rarely do I just sit down and eat tomatoes. The 'first toms of the season' proved that a slice or two of plain ole tomato is a good thing. Juicy, plump and floating on an amazingly light but flavorful pond of gelee, the season's first fruit cut the cream of the Fennel Soup and sent us down a new path that, once again, the cirtus fringe of Oberon was a PEFECTLY paired to guide. Topped with a dolop of Tomato Mousse that had the most delicate infused essence of tomato, this was an IRON CHEF winner for the secret ingredient of tomato if there ever was one. This paring spoke volumes of session drinking and eating, all summer long. I do not know how I missed the photo op here.

Beef, it's what's for beer dinners. Praise be to Nick for cooking the entre'e to perfection. Did I say perfection? Yes. I did. No need to ask how I wanted my temp, just bring it to SPOT ON! Wrapped in a web of pork and resting on a bed of potato salad, garden fresh pickled vidalia onions and paired with Bell's malty and somewhat toasty grain Amber Ale, this was actually all the beer dinner I needed. I should have let Tryon eat half of my serving since he stands a full 5" taller than me. But I didn't.



Let them eat, Caaakkke. Anyone that knows me knows that I like cake. The person that produces Angel food cake that looks like my grandmother Violet's biscuits and tastes just as good as they look is my new BFF. Period. Put it in a monkey dish with fresh local strawberries, black pepper ice cream, candied grapefruit zest, pair it with Bell's Pale Ale and you can marry right into the family. I believe you get the gist of how much I liked this over the top dessert.

That about does it for our first Porter Beer Dinner but not the last. I suggest that you stay tuned in and check their site for the next paired event. Don't forget about Monday nights at The Porter for the best beer deals in Atlanta.

Cheers to Molly & Nick!

Beer Weekend Update.....

After 23 weeks of email abuse, I finally was able to get the most interesting man in the world to come to Atlanta and party with me. His knowledge of beer, women's beach volleyball, molded plastics and the 467 uses of a coconut continue to astound me.

We have been on the beer road here in Atlanta for 63 non-stop hours now, without sleep I think. Brutal. Here's what we have seen & drank:

A quick stop by Hop City allowed us to stock up on some Hitachino , Terrapin and Duckrabbit. All brands that The Man has been anxious to try.

Jumping next door afforded us a semi-private tour of the new 5 Season Brewery - Westside. Brewmaster Crawford Moran does not have the first batches turned out yet but we can't wait to come back and sample some products produced in the state of the art, copper-pot dreamland residing under the restaurant.

We took a turn and headed to Decatur to meet the Brewmaster from Stone Brewery. Steve Wagner was in town for a tour de force himself, dropping in on various beer spots around Atlanta with regional rep Scott Sheridan. Naturally, a long slow visit at the Brickstore Pub was a must, tapping some Vertical Epic & Sublimely Self-righteous for the attending crowd.

Thursday night's pinnacle came at the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper fundraiser at Park Tavern. Sweetwater provided all the complimentary grog and the Tavern did the food, ensuring a great time for everyone that showed up to help keep the Hooch afloat. The Man was impressed with both beer and babes, what a player.

Unfortunately, The Man & I were not able to make it to the Stone Beer Dinner at Taco Mac Duluth but from what Ale Sharpton has to say, it was "off the hook", way off. Special brews from the brewery were brought in just for the dinner and everyone was driven right over the Chipolte Porter edge. Not happy about missing this one. (speaking of Mr. Sharpton, check out his radio show, www.apparelism.org and click on Live Cast)

On to the Grange Public House for a change of venue and heritage. The Comer brothers and sisters always make you feel at home in the house. Actually hailing from Ireland, the family brings the "Grange" concept to Decatur and pulls it off in style. A great beer selection, service and menu that leaves you wanting for nothing. The Man would not leave without a second portion of the Guiness Braised Pot-Roast, my personal favorite as well. In fact, enough of a reason to go there in itself.

It gets a little blurry after that but we somehow ended up at Perimeter Mall in time to storm the gates at the Dunwoody Beer Festival. This is not a beer-only event but it is for a great cause and the rain did not keep the supporters away. Plenty o' money was raised for Camp Twin Lakes and plenty o' grog was served doing it. I spent most of the time trying to get The Man away from the Dos Equis tent and around the site to sample some other brands. He obliged me and was partial to several including the under-the-radar presentation from a very old local brewery, not to be named. Enough said.

Saturday night included stops by Top Flor, The Bookhouse, The Porter, Clermont Lounge and El Bar. Again, it gets a little fuzzy after that.

Off with the old and on with the new. Sunday morning and afternoon was pretty much spent sampling holdovers from HotoberFest. My private stash of malty love from the October, consumer-judged beer event is always sure bring a tear to a beer lover's eye. Somehow, we mustered the strength to split a bottle of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA for breakfast and still keep functioning. Then off to the EARL for Dunch. John Kelly and the gang from Front Porch Session band turned out another afternoon of fine music to match some fine vittles.

Last night we simply stayed at my house, watching BeerFest over and over, making up new drinking games & calling any girls that The Man thought might be currenty dressed in Oktoberfest garb. His connections in Atlanta are slim.

Limping along like two 3-legged dogs living on Ponce, we are currently alternating espresso shots from Jittery Joes in Athens and Duckrabbit Baltic Porter, waiting for tonight's festivities. We are headed back to Brickstore Pub for the Bells Brewery tappings which start at 11:00am and continue into the Monday evening cheese party. Then it's off to P'Cheen in Inman Park where we will wind down the party with some great BBQ and tunes. If you have not made it to North Highland's anchor establishment yet, you suck & you don't know what you're missing.

I'll be dropping The Man off at Hartsfield Airport around 10pm to go back to wherever it is that he goes. I'm sure he can be found at the Sweetwater Draft House in concourse B if you want to buy him a drink or show him your Oktoberfest outfit.

Cheers!!

the "Month of BEER" in Atlanta

April - Beer Month. Who knew?

It has been quite the month for Grog in our fair hamlet of the south. Not long ago I couldn't even dream of 'high powered' beers in Atlanta, let alone write about them. Yee-haa!!! Many a party centered around beer and/or the appreciation of it popped up all over town and the gang has tried to hit them all. Let's see.....

4/2/09 Hop City pre-opening party @ 5 Seasons Marietta St. location: what a pleasure to see the 5S Marietta St location featured for the opening of Atlanta's TRUE home to the Craft brew scene, right next door. Hop City is still working out the kinks for the actual opening, but it won't be long. Enjoy a huge selection of 1,000 beers!! (and great wines too) The party featured samples of beers from all over the map, including the "Big Cheeses" from many brands pouring other peoples beer!! Dave Weil of Red Brick pouring with Sandi Lynch of Highland, Old Dominion giving up some Duck-Rabbit and Sweetwater pairing brews with free snacks from 5 Seasons' Gen. Mgr. Jeff Ashton. Proving once again that "Beer friends are ALL friends". No whining about bigger signs or better locations. Just good people, good beer and good times. Best of luck to both openings and our many thanks to them for enduring every kind of setback known within the industry. Cheers!!

4/5/09 Sweetwater Christmas Party: please check the previous blog for details on the fun.

4/11/09 Terrapin Anniversary Party: Unfortunately, I was unable to make it out to Athens for the fun and have not stopped regretting it. Please send in any info if you were there. Love to here about the details. Many years as a "Southern" beer with a secret brewing location made a few wonder why Terrapin didn't brew in Athens. Well they have been doing just that in their shiny new brewery just off the Bulldog trail. Giant brews, a loyal following and plenty of awards have made Terrapin a destination all its own. Check out Spike and John's local brewery whenever in Athens.

4/16/09 Beer Wars: Beer Advocate founder Jason Alstrom helped create this nationwide LIVE Event via movie theatre arrangements. Too Bad Hollywood 24 Theatres couldn't get the sound to work. Otherwise, I could tell you what everyone on the screen was saying. What a beer loving shame in Atlanta, also on hand in the dissappointed crowd were non other than;

Ale Sharpton - J'adore Magazine brew & Travel writer
Bob Townsend - AJC beer & food critic and general man about beer here in town
Chris Miller - Founder of the soon to be famous Beer Connoisseur Magazine
Dave Blanchard - Co founder of Brickstore Pub (no description required)
Rob Martin - General Wholesale Beer guru
Jordan Fleetwood - Brewmaster at Twain's Pub & Brewery

An evaluation of Craft beers versus the Giants of the industry was the gist of it all. I only saw blind tastings of Miller Lite, Bud Lite and Coors Lite in the first 25 minutes, then got my money back and went outside with the leaders of Atlanta's Covert Hops, homebrew group to enjoy a McSorley's Irish Black in the parking lot. Always be prepared.

4/17/09 Gordon Biersch Anniversary: I didn't make it over to Gordon's for their party either. Just too much going on!! After 20 years in the pub biz, GB celebrated with special brews, food specials and and a general good time in the Mid-town location. Sometimes overlooked by the craft beer crowd, GB and Rockbottom Breweries have produced some award winning labels over the years. Support small batches and get in sometime!!

4/18/09 420 Fest: Also known as my birthday, April 18th saw the largest crowd to date for the annual gathering of the Sweetwater beer fans' fundraiser for all things Earth Day. Only Sweetwater was on hand and I don't have a problem with that (it was a bit difficult to get a beer but that was probably a good thing) All flavors were on tap including the latest release fromt he Dank Tank, Double IPA featuring easy drinking blast of hops and a satisfying blast of % value. The weather held out for the most part and a great time was had by all I would be willing to say.

4/18/09 Atlanta Dogwood Festival: Proudly Sponsored by Corona, the fest provided a continuation of 79 years of art in the park and an easy drinking Mexican beer kinda weekend. Multiple brewing iterations from south of the border quenched the thirst of tens of thousands Saturday & Sunday, imagining themselves on the shores of Tulum or Playa del Carmen. Ahh Mexico, why doesn't AirTran fly there again?

4/28/09 Taco Mac Magical Mystery Beer Tour: April's installment of the Taco Mac Beer Dinner series, this one in the Lindbergh Station location in Buckhead. Probably 'SOLD OUT' again. These guys really keep doing a great job putting out unique pairings of great beer and great food. If you think you have eaten at Taco Mac, YOU HAVE NOT. Executive Chef Matt Deckard and Fred Crudder (beer guy) turn it up to Eleven every month. Get a ticket and get your Mystery Tour on!!!

April features:

Michael Plank - Germany - Heller Weizenbock & Dunkler Weizenbock
Brasserie la Binchoise - Belgium - Belgoo Magus
Ceylon - Sri Lanka - Lion Stout
Armacord - Italy - La Trabachera

That wraps it up but doesn't knock a dent in the keg of beer fun had in Atlanta this month, proving once again that with a little change in the political climate, southern cities can rule the beer appreciation world. Let's hope Alabama takes note one day. Until then, come on over the beer's fine.

Sweetwater Christmas Party/420 Fest

It was a bit late in the 'season' but the Sweetwater Christmas Party was a welcome addition to "APRIL, the month of Beer". (more about that in the next blog)

Founded over a decade ago, the Sweetwater brand has stayed true to it's roots from day one, right through to April 5th.

good beer and good times

The party put another nail in the cask that carries that mantra home everyday. The beer gods showered us with just enough of a light mix of sunshine and rain to keep away any wannabee brewery "fans". Otherwise, the event was classic Sweetwater, free music all day, complimentary tastings of beer with a glass purchase and samples of special casks of delicious grog. I stopped in for a few hours and more than few beers with Denise, Tryon and local beer nut Ale Sharpton. Also on hand was Chris Miller, creator of the new beer publication Beer Conniseur Magazine. Check it out http://www.beerconnoisseur.com

Freddy, Steve, Katy, Goot and the gang were all on hand, taking it easy and enjoying the afternoon sipping, talking and meeting other afficianados and beer nuts.

I hung out by the casks of The Creaper, hoping someone would tap one and I could enjoy some of the aging necter hidden within.

It didn't happen.

It won't be long though, word is that the first batch from the Dank Tank is being aged in burgundy oak barrels til this fall. At that point, a few kegs will get sent out to various pubs like Brick Store and the rest will be enjoyed by the brewery attending few. We hope to get a keg for HotoberFest tasting competition Ocotber 3rd.

Back to the party. Nick created a cask of Swiss Miss, an espresso and tequila infused version of Happy Ending as I recall. An extremely nice addition to an already satisfying brew. I love a little chocolate note on my stouts. I was too slow to catch the other cask release, couldn't even get someone to slow down long enough to tell me what I missed. Apparently IT ROCKED as well.

Switching gears, it's time to get amped up for the umpteenth annual 420 Fest!!!! ALWAYS a good time. The brewery founded this event as an expansion of the old L5P Pubcrawl I do believe. If you were not around in the old days for this one-nighter then you may not know of the fury that was unleashed on the bars of Little 5 Points back in the 90s (yes, the 90's kids). One night, 5 bars, 5 kegs, one marching band, one tray of munchies and any number of people crazy enough to join in (or get the hell out of the way). Once that reached epic & epidemic proportions, it was time to go official with a festival I guess.

Candler Park this Saturday & Sunday. Come early, stay late, get a Taxi. It is a kid friendly event with plenty of live music, food and info about helping our Mother Earth. If you have never been to 420 Fest and are thinking about going to the Dogwood Festival instead, then go on. If you're thinking about doing something REALLY fun this weekend, then come on down, I have you're spot reserved. Yes, I'm a 420 snob.

http://www.sweetwater420fest.com/

We'll see ye. And if we don't , we'll see ye.

Ola Dubh 40 yr Tasting

I am really falling behind on posts these days. Blame it all on the great beer culture going on here in Atlanta.

A couple of weeks ago I received a cryptic email from Ale Sharpton "life changing beer" in the subject line. Obviously, I was hooked. Turned out to be a gathering of the insider's round table of Brick Store Pub beer-nuts, all in line for an early afternoon of 'Appreciata Maximus Excellenti". Dave & Mike were welcome recipients of 1 cask of Ola Dubh 40 year, 1 of 10 in the U.S., the only one in Georgia. This 'life changing' brew was all that and then some.

Ola Dubh (or ‘Black Oil’) is a collaborative effort between Harviestoun Brewery and Highland Park, Distiller. It is based on Harviestoun’s award-winning Old Engine Oil, with a whole lot more than a stylistic nod to the classic Imperial Porters (and Stouts) of the nineteenth century, this is a rich, dark, 8% a.b.v. beer, the first ale to be aged in malt whisky casks from a named distillery and, with traceable casks and numbered bottles, the rst with genuine provenance. Scotch Whiskey was aged in the casks for 40 years! Then turned over to Harviestoun for further aging of the "Oil".

The result. "life changing beer" Really.

I don't drink one type of alcohol, Scotch Whiskey. However, this amazingly balanced brew brings together my favorite beer style and my least favorite alcohol type in a marriage that would make any brewer smile. I just can't believe I was fortunate enough to get 3 glasses of some of the finest oil to come down the pike. In the words of Jed Clampet - Black Gold, Texas Tea. But worth much, much more.

By the showing of hard core faces at the gathering, the word was leaked out to an appreciative few to avoid anarchy. I got there an hour early just to be sure. Dave served up a few glasses to the eager masses and we were on our way. Being a regular also has some other advantages. Like getting a side by side tasting of ALL the versions of the elixir: 12yr, 16yr, 30 yr and the big 40 year!! My faves were the 16 and 40; 16 being really big on the Porter end, 40 being just freakin' big. The subtle flow of scotch-essence wrapped in an old style porter rolled around the mouth in a way that made you want to absorb it, not swallow it. I am simply not capable of accurately describing the amazing mouth feel, texture and lush notes that the barrel aging brought about. Scotch whiskey aged Porter? Why yes, I'll have another.

40 year Ola was not bottled. If you weren't there, you'll never go there. Sorry. All this has led me to add a stop into Harviestoun Brewery- Alva, Clackmannanshire, UK on my next european beer vacation.

All hail Belgium. I hail Scotland.

FAT TUESDAY!!! (Sierra Nevada/Taco Mac Dinner)

It's a bit late in arriving but, here is the entry for the beer dinner hosted on Fat Tueasday by Taco Mac.

It was a sold out, paired tasting of some great food and Sierra Nevada brews. Included was the much anticipated release of Hop Secret 393. This is the brand new brew, brought to life by none other than Fred Crudder of Taco Mac and the gang of brewers at Sierra. It's name and amazingly unique taste come from a new strain of hops, known only as 393. Results are so great that the word is Sierra is contemplating making it an official brand!! What, Why, How is this sooo different? It just does not taste, drink or play on the palate like any other beer. Big claims? Yes. Can they replicate it? We all hope so. I'll get back to this in a minute.

Ok, this was a five course dinner. Executive Chef Matt Deckard prepared dishes from an experimental menu, possibly showing up on a plate near you soon.

ONE: Beer Battered Shrimp, wrapped in bacon with an Ale remoulade. Both the batter and the remoulade were made using the classic Sierra Pale Ale. A perfect kick-off for the evening, paired great, crunchy crusted shrimp chased with crisp Pale Ale.

TWO: Blue Crab Tart w/ house made Grainy Mustard & arugula. Delicious newcomer, Anniversary Ale made it's way into the mustard and was balanced well with the light crab dish.

THREE: Chicken Tikka & Charred Green Tomato/serrano chile chutney. PERFECTLY marinated & prepared chicken and delicious chutney were 'spot on' with the amazingly different Hop Secret 393 brew. Both beer and bird were so unique on their own and then even better together. Again, 393 floats on the tongue, as if not even there and yet, the delivery of full flavor never even thinks about coming up short. I don't even know what else to say. If you missed this release, YOU MISSED IT. Only 29 kegs were produced for all of these United States, hope that they do this again, . Thanks Fred, a keg of 393 is truly "the bomb" of choice.

FOUR: If that course wasn't enough, Matt turned the dinner up to Eleven with an amazing Ancho rubbed Farmers Steak with sweet Plantains and Smoked Porter Rum sauce.

Holy Sh*t.

Where to start? Farmer's steak is that yummy outer ring of perfect meat on a ribeye. This version comes from shaving the whole farmer's off a standing ribeye, then rubbing it in chile ancho powder. Finally rolling it up, searing it perfectly outside and rare in the middle. On it's own a carnivorous wildfire. But wait - sweet plantains (hispanic love) swimming in a sauce so perfectly balanced between smoky and rum sweet, well, it was perfect. A bite of steak dredged through the sauce, chased with one of the best porters to ever walk the earth, now you're talking about wishing you had never even tried the first three courses, and they were wonderful. Personally, I could have repeated this pairing all week. Sierra's Smoked Porter is a balancing act of outrageous proportions in of itself and it just makes everything meat even better.

whew!

FIVE: Yes, there's more. Milk Chocolate Cake with Barley Wine frosting paired with Bigfoot Barley Wine, of course. With barely enough room left to even begin thinking about cake and Bigfoot all in the same menu item, we dove in. Once again taken to yet another delicious place. I was nearly in a digestive coma by now, coming round long enough to smile, then pass out. YUM!!

This may sound like a Taco Mac/Sierra Nevada paid
infommercial, but it's not. It was really that

great of a night. If you don't believe me, ask my wingman Ale Sharpton. He was just as

frightening to watch eat like a banshee as I was. Sierra front-man Dave Kemper showed up 48 hours after intensive hand

surgery to dig into Farmer's Steak with just a fork!!! (wipe your chin man)

Many thanks to everyone at Sierra Nevada for letting a known fanatic like Fred Crudder come into the brewery and help knock off a fantastic beer. 393 is here to stay I say, just make more this time. Thanks also go out to Taco Mac for hoppin' up the menu to nitrous injected. I hope this turns into a permanent thing too.

Gotta go. I'm hungry all over.......

yet another test in the blog curve

Hold. Technology quagmire. To"stop" or not. Delays ensue.

Testing my mobile blog now......

'Ale' Sharpton beer editorial

A note about beer editorials for those who like to stay abreast of tastings, new releases and more. I want to try and bring attention to both classic and fresh sources for beer info.

Ale Sharpton, (yeah, really) is a great new face on the beer frontier, writing monthly for Jadore Magazine (http://www.jadoremag.com/magazine/jadorelifeandstylecold.html ). His schtick is traveling the country and sometimes the globe, tasting local brews, often in the brewery itself and with the Brewmaster.

Recently, I sat down with Ale at Sweetwater in Atlanta to taste the first release off the Dank Tank. This is the new 'one-off or experimental' fermenting tank the boys brought in so the brewmaster can get a few small batch (100 barrel) beers produced in a very informal way. His review of "The Creeper" (Belgian style Trippel 10%abv) is included in the January issue on IPA brews.

We went back a few weeks later and did a side-by-side tasting of 2008 and 2009 "Happy Ending", along with Brewmaster Mark Medlin, Minister of Propaganda Steve Farace and Sweetwater owner Freddy Bensch. Freddy's favorite beer from the brewery is a dry-hopped Imperial Stout (9%abv) that is insane, right outta the tap after only a few weeks in the tanks. An almost forest fresh blast of hops coated in a dew of yummy stout.

I have to admit that I loved the espresso notes on the 2008 bottle that I kept in the wine fridge all year, but it did loose all of the dry-hopping eruption that occurs in your nose and mouth with the fresh product. The 2008 being reminiscent of St. Peter's Old Style Porter or DuckRabbit Milk Stout, both winners in my snobby little black beer book.

All told, both were delicious in their own right to me. Freddy was adamant about NOT allowing Ale to review the 2008 at all or the 2009 until it was ready, illustrating his brewmaster heritage and focus on quality. For me, I will enjoy the aged 2008 (still have 3 big boys in the fridge) for what it has become and promote the 09' to be the most amazing Catch & Release brew from Sweetwater that I have had since.... well, 'the Creeper'.

And so I digress. Point of all this being, check out Ale Sharpton's articles in Jadore. He is a great resource to follow for a fresh new vision of our favorite beverage.

cheers!

Local News

Well, it's working so far.

Here's a few quick notes:
NEW TO MARKET- looks like the boys & girls from New Belgium have been sniffing around town for a distributor. As soon as they decide on one, I'll be sure to spread the word. I'm sure all the brands will be available. Probably not til fall at this point.

Stay tuned & check out www.hotoberfest.net for info on this year's consumer judged beer competition.

Inaugural Posting

Hello all,

Trying to set up a blog for beer enthusiasts in the Atlanta region again. Please be patient, but definitely pay attention. I hope to help steer you toward some great beers and events.