A Few Book Reviews...

I know I mentioned a few post back a few books that I had picked up over the holidays to keep me entertained while traveling. Figure I will fill in the blanks a bit more and try my best to review a few of the beer related books I have had my nose in recently.

"The Naked Pint" By Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune
My folks got me this book for Christmas and I think I plowed through it in about 3 days. A great book for either a beginner beer connoisseur or the seasoned extreme beer fanatic. Nice tasting notes, list beers in chapters starting with beers new comers should try and escalating to advanced beers that will challenge any palate. Has a great section on Trappist Beers. A few great lists are included (a great beers you must drink before you die list) as well as cooking with beer and a nice little introduction section to homebrewing. A must have in my mind for the learned beer drinker. A great gift for someone who is just starting to explore craft beer. If I had to rate it on my pints system it gets a perfect 5 pints out of 5.

"Beer Hunter, Whiskey Chaser" By Various Authors
"The Naked Pint" actually lead me to this book. It is a book put together by several world class beer and spirits writers as a tribute to the late great beer and spirits writer Michael Jackson. A great collection of stories, articles and musings on Micheal's two favorite passions, Beer and Scotch Whisky. The book tends to lean a little more to the Whisky side but all of the articles included are a great read. I am not quite done with it but am glad that I picked it up. Learned some neat things about both Scotch and beer. All of the proceeds from the book go to the Parkinson's Disease Society (UK), so it all goes to a good cause. Check it out, 4.5 pints out of 5.

"Beer" by Michael Jackson
Just getting into this book. Tasting notes and descriptions of several hundred beers to drink around the world. Really looking forward to the section on Belgium. Michael also wrote a beer book devoted just to the beers of Belgium, one that I will have to track down and buy someday. Can't really rate it yet as I am about 50 pages in but it is entertaining and informative so far.

"The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" 2nd ed by Charles Papazian
An older edition that was passed down to me by a fellow homebrewer. A great resource for starting out homebrewing. Has a lot of great recipes in it and does a good job explaining how to go from partial mash brewing to full extract brewing. This is the best of several homebrewing books that I have acquired and will be my go to when I take the plunge on my first all grain batch of beer.

Magazines:
I am an avid reader of two beer related magazines, "Beer Advocate" and "Zymurgy".

I have mentioned "Beer Advocate" several times, it is the monthly publication to go along with the excellent Beer Advocate website. The website is a great resource for finding good beer near you and the magazine always has great writings about craft beer. I usually tear through the mag from front to back the day it gets in.

"Zymurgy" is the official publication of the American Homebrewers Association. An extremely well put together publication. Always has some great homebrew recipes to try, official beer judge tasting notes, good calendar section and great articles about beer styles and what is going on in general in the craft beer scene. If you are thinking of getting into homebrewing this mag is a must pull next time you are at the bookstore, I have always been able to find it at the big megabook stores.

Well that is all for now. Trying to slowly work my way through the majority of my cellared beer. There may be one or two bottles that make it through the purge (North Coast Old Stock '08 and DFH 120 I'm looking at you) but I look forward to comparing the aged beer reviews to my initial ones. I also look forward to the restocking trip that I am slowly planning in my head. Also hope to get back into the homebrewing swing when I get my basement put back together and the kegerator back functional!

As always, Happy Drinking!

What is in a Name?

There has been much discussion by beer drinkers on the web about beer snobbery. A recent article in one of my favorite beer publications, Beer Advocate discussed the term. Just looking at the definition of the word snob tells you all you need to know.

"Snob" - One who blatantly imitates, fawningly admires, or vulgarly seeks association with those regarded as social superiors or one who tends to rebuff, avoid, or ignore those regarded as inferior, one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of knowledge and taste.

The article suggested the term "beer geek" as more appropriate for someone who loves beer and wants to spread their knowledge of craft beer to others. I can agree to that.

So, why do I call my self the Atlanta Beer Snob? Well it all started as a joke in college. Back at a time when all my roommates were drinking Natural Light, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Icehouse, Milwaukee's Best ect. I could be seen sneaking in a Newcastle Brown Ale, Bass or Sam Adams into my beer fridge. Yes it sat alongside my case of Coors Light but for some reason my buddies termed me the beer snob of the house. Thus the term just stuck. I don't see my self as a true snob when it comes to beer. I don't look down my nose at anyone for what they are drinking but I will try to help them find a craft brew they would like. I guess I am more of just a beer lover who wants to see everyone open up to what beer can be! It is always fun to watch someone try their first big beer and see their reaction when they realize just what good beer can taste like.

Anyways, I'll be sticking with the snob in the name but am going to throw some quotation marks around it since it was more a jokng name given in good fun rather than a condescending term meant to describe one as thinking they are too good for common beer.

As always, Happy Drinking!

Ritz Carlton Buckhead Beer and Cheese Pairing Intro

I had a great opportunity to visit the Lobby Lounge at the Ritz in Buckhead last week. I was invited to come try out their new beer and cheese pairing menu that they are going to rolling out to the public. I had a great time, got to try a few new beers and meet some great people. So one to the event....

I got there a bit early (maybe 4:30ish?) due to not really knowing how long my commute from my real job would take. Walked around the Ritz a bit to kill some time and was really impressed with the place, much nicer than the Ritz in Beaver Creek Colorado that I grabbed a beer at last month, alas that is another story for another time. Anyway, I got to meet Sandra Ryder (who invited me in the first place), Carlos Casals (Restaurant Chef at the Ritz) and Robert Evans (Dining Room Sommelier). I had a great time chatting with them about my thoughts on beer and getting to here their thoughts on the new menu.

Beers they have picked out for the menu are all brewed by Rogue (a great start for any craft beer menu) and they are each paired with a cheese from Rogue Creamery (no relation to the brewery). There were also a jams and jellies from a local producer by the name Fairywood Thicket. The presentation was spot on and I could not wait to try what they had picked out.

First Beer was the Morimoto Soba Ale. A very light ale. Extremely smooth all over. Faint malt sweetness, Pilsner like but with out the crispness. A perfect beer to pair with sushi or fish. Flavor dulled out a bit as the beer warms up but had a nice distinct nuttiness when first poured. Good head retention with nice lacing as it thinned out. Very light straw coloring. Wouldn't mind trying this beer brewed with some Lager yeast. The cheese that it was paired with was the Morimoto Soba Ale Cheddar. A pretty strong cheese that I thought overpowered the beer. You could taste the nuttiness added by the beer but the fact that it was cheddar just made it a bit too strong for the beer. That aside a nice start to the tasting, I'll give the beer 3 pints out of 5. Again the perfect lighter beer for sushi and much more delicate food.

Second beer was the Hazelnut Brown Nectar. I new I was in for a treat the minute that this beer was poured. Deep reddish brown color with an off-white head. A slight roasted nut hint on the smell. The first taste was amazing. I already love amaretto so I was looking forward to seeing just how much this beer tasted like hazelnuts. Wow. Big sweet malty start but that dulls quickly as a very odd sensation moves down the side of your mouth and tongue. Hazelnut all over the place. Not overpowering but just right. Leads to a nice spicy hop finish that sneaks in after you have already swallowed your sip. A very cool brew. Paired perfectly with the Smokey Blue Cheese. These two were meant for each other. Beer cuts the bite of the blue perfectly and the cheese cuts the heat and spiciness of the beer. This pairing was nailed, best of the night. Loved it. Loved the beer, loved the cheese. I'll give the beer 4 pints out of 5.

Last beer was already a favorite of mine, the Chocolate Stout. Hope you like chocolate and coffee with this beer. Funny that I like this beer and a lot of other stouts because I really don't care for coffee, eh? Anyway, this is a very dark beer, no light making it through this one. Espresso like aroma. Big time roasted malt flavor. Extremely well balanced and very smooth, no off flavors hiding under the coffee and chocolate notes. A good slightly bitter finish. Hides its alcohol very well. Nice nice smooth and very drinkable stout. Good anytime for me, but some non-stout lovers would like this one with their desert as the chocolate notes and bitterness will stand up to a lot of sweet deserts. This was paired with a Chocolate Stout Cheddar. Pretty interesting cheese in its own right. creamy like any good cheddar but with some sneaky bitterness and a really cool chocolate aftertaste. Paired great with the beer, both very well balanced. Robert did ask me if I thought that this beer would go well with anything else, I suggested a small piece of dark chocolate would be a perfect pairing with both cheese and the Stout. An old fav on the beer side gets 3.4 pints out of 5.

The jellys and jams they served afterward are a whole other story. Wow. Pecan Jelly, Pepper Jelly, Apple/Rosemerry Jelly! Just wow. Going to have to hunt these down a buy me some. I thought a great combo was the Smoked Blue and the Rosemerry Jelly, pair those with a nice American Pale Ale and you have a knock out.

Anyway, I feel very honored that I was invited to this event. Kind of coll to be there alongside a writer for the AJC, one from a wine and food magazine and one from Atlanta Magazine (I think...). It was a very nice event and I think that the Ritz has a very nice pairing menu for those looking to think outside the box a bit and try a new craft beer instead of a wine. If you want a nice place to take a date that likes beer or just a great place to grab a few afterwork drinks give the Ritz a shoot!

I plan on having a few more new beer reviews up this weekend along with a few trips I am planning in my head! As always, Happy Drinking!

A New Year and some New Beers!

The last year has had a bunch of changes for me. Drank a lot of new beers, gave big batch homebrewing a try and am slowly getting better at it, oh and my wife and I had twins. Thus the posting has been a bit down in the last few months. Not much time to seek out exciting new beers when you are chasing two kids around the house. Alas, I am going to delve back into the world of beer blogdom feet first. I am going to commit to getting at least two posts up a week. They could be about beer, they could be about brew news, who knows? I am also going to try to learn a bit more about my favorite beverage this year, I plan on studying to take the Beer Judge Certification Program and I am going to look into taking the Beer Cicerone (think beer sommelier) test. I also have some big plans for the homebrew side, planning out my first all grain batch sometime for the spring.

Another interesting thing that has happened in the last few months has been a slight change in my beer palate. I am still a huge fan of big hoppy IPAs but I don't know if I can still call my self a true Hop Head. Lately I have been seeking out a nice balanced Pale Ale or a nice big Porter instead of ordering an IPA. I am not sure if I just have not come across any really good IPAs lately or if I have moved on from my Hop Head Stage.

A few reading suggestions for the audience, pick up "The Naked Pint" and "Beer Hunter, Whiskey Chaser". Both excellent books.

I do have a neat outing to go to this week. I have been invited to the roll out of the new Beer and Cheese menu at the Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead here in Atlanta. Looking forward to the evening and seeing what beers that plan to keep on hand. Should be a fun time and a good kicking off point for the new year!

Happy Drinking!

Homebrew Update!

Been reading up on homebrewing recently and looking forward to trying out a few of my own recipe ideas. Latest batch of the HopNog turned out ok. I messed up the carbonation. I plan on modifying one of my kegs for cask conditioning, going to shorted up the pick up tube just a bit in order not to pick up the spent yeast. Also plan on using Irish Moss and Isinglass with the next brew, see if those help clear up the beer a bit. Regardless, the HopNog was still a sucess at the Georgia Tech v. UNC football tailgate. Me and two buddies plowed through almost half the keg in the 2 and half hours of the tailgate. Had the rain not showed up and put a stop to our post game tailgate I am pretty sure the keg would have been floated. My cooler set up worked quite nice, beer stayed nice and cold (I'll post some pictures after the next home game). We did get a few comments on the keg set up. One lady stopped and asked my wife "What is that thing?". "A Keg", Kelly replied, "A Keg? You mean of Beer?" the lady responded. "Yep" Kelly told her, "My Husband makes his own beer". "You can do that?" the clueless one then said. Wow.....

I have narrowed the next brew down to a few styles. Planning on having it ready for the Georgia Tech v. Virginia Tech football game, it happens to be homecoming so hoping to make a good one for all my old college buddies to try out. I am thinking either an English Bitter or a California Common. Regardless it is going to be called "Hokie Stomp Ale" or "Bitter Hokie Ale" or something along those lines. I think it is going to come down to what my local homebrew shop has in stock this Friday when I swing by.

I'll keep everyone updated on the brewing progress.

Return of the Beer Snob: Review Blowout!

Here we go, my Beer Review Blowout. Just a sampling of the notable beers that I have tasted over the last two months. Still have a bunch left over from my west coast haul that I need to officially review.

New Belgian 1554 Enlightened Black Ale:


Sweet aroma, smells of cherries, chocolate and maybe a hint of currant.
Pour a nice dark amber color, slightly cream colored head, sticky with good retention.
Sweet and malty, you can really taste and feel the carbonation. Semi-sweet chocolate notes with a hint of a hops towards the end. Too much carbonation? Seems to overpower the beer when you first sip it and that leaves the rest feeling pretty flat. I don't know, just something seems a bit off in the balance of this beer. Not bad but nothing I will seek out in the future.
2.5 pints out of 5

Hopworks Urban Brewery Organic IPA:



Aroma: Sweet, notes of tangerine and a bit of pine.
Color: Slightly cloudy orange gold. Nice big head and very sticky with nice lacing. Really grabs the glass.
Taste: Orange right up front the the hop bitterness hits. Hops are very nice, hang around in your mouth for quite a while after you finish your sip. Good piny note at the finish. Fruit taste at start may be a tad too much, no real malt flavor to cut the fruitiness. A nice IPA but tastes a tad too much like a hoppy fruit beer to me.
3.5 pints out of 5.

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA:



Nice smooth start with a perfect hop finish. Pours bright clear yellow gold (guess what it looks like....) Very stick head. Could not pick up too much of the aroma as my nose was stuffed up. Subtle malt flavors give way to wonderful floral hoppy bitterness. Absolutely wonderful. When the brew warms a bit the fruityness in the middle of the taste really comes out and ads to the overall taste of the beer. Best Rogue brew I've had. Not a big fan of Dead Guy Ale, I do like the Old Crustacian Barley Wine. Really sad that this is yet another amazing West Coast IPA that I can't get in Georgia.
4.5 out of 5 Pints

Terrapin Side Project #6 90 Shelling Scotch Ale:



Ok, here goes another Terrapin Side Project review (loyal readers will know I have a love/hate relationship with Spike's experimental brews).
The 90 Shelling pours a nice dark reddish brown. Large persistent head, very fluffy. Sweet and bready aroma. Very nice sweet malt flavor up front with some nice spicyness mixed in. Full body and a bit chewy, both what I would expect from a big Scotch Ale. Smooth drinking, perfect carbonation for the style, not too much but just enough to help the aroma. A very nice interpreation of a Wee Heavy style Scottish Ale (One of my favorite styles that is rarely brewed well). Well done, add this one to my love list from Terrapin.
3.4 out of 5 pints.

Terrapin Side Project #7 Maggie's Farmhouse Ale:



Another Side Project? Yes, I am that backed up in reviews (Side Project #8 is already out and I plan on picking some up this weekend).
Pours and looks a bit like a Belgian White Ale. Fruity and Light in smell. A definante Belgian influence. Spicy and smooth, maybe a hint of cinnamon or coriander? Light malt notes, no hops hanging around this brew. A very nice white belgian style beer.
3.5 out of 5 pints

Looks like Terrapin is starting to hit on all cylinders with the Side Projects. I think the first few they where just trying too hard and trying to mix too many different things. Looking forward to the #8 Pumpkinfest.

Ninkasi Brewing Company Tricerahops Double IPA:



Mildly fruity, some nuttiness in the aroma, can't quite nail it down. You can smell the hops right off the bat, like standing in a pine forest. Bitter hops all over the place! Is there anything else in this Hopbomb? Orange/copper colored. Sticky lacing in the head. Starts with a hint of malt and then the hops shoves it right out of the way. Good little floral note, arpicot? Not overwhelming, cuts the bitterness just enough. Alcohol content is well hidden in this smooth drinking Double IPA (8.8% ABV). Another awesome west coast brew that I feel honored to have been able to try.
4 out of 5 Pints.


There you have it, possibly the longest post I've ever done. Don't worry folks, more to come!

Hello? Is this thing on?

Sorry about the month plus long hiatus. Life has been a bit hectic, between the twins, work, football season, and a bunch of other stuff you faithful Atlanta Beer Snob just has not had much time to write. Now, that does not mean I have not been drinking my favorite libation. Have had a few good beers and a few bad in the last few weeks, reviews will be up this week.

Why the sudden spare time? Well I am in Manhattan Kansas for the week on a work related project and have some spare time. Manhattan is home to a recommended brew pub (Little Apple) that I plan to haunt tonight. Looking forward to sampling a few of there brews.