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.

West Coast Brews...

My in-laws just got back from a cross country road trip. Along the way they stopped and picked me up a few choice west coast beers that are unavailable here in the deep south. I'll be reviewing them here in the next week or two. Already gave two Deschutes Brewery beers a go. Their standard IPA, Inversion and the new seasonal IPA Red Chair IPA. So keep an eye out for a few updates in the next few days about so new brews.

Happy Drinking.

Where is the Beer Snob: Part Deux

Well to tell the truth the Beer Snob has not been drinking too much lately. Not much new beer has crossed my lips in the last few weeks and the fermenters sit abandoned and dusty in the basement, waiting to receive there next batch of wort goodness. I am reading a few homebrew books and do plan on firing up the cooker sometime after my beach trip next week. I'll get the HopNog IPA ready for the first football game. I am really looking forward to my first all grain brew, I'm shooting for sometime in September to do it. I found a nice double ipa recipe that I want to give a shoot. The Irish Stout kit may have to wait until the late fall.

On the beer sampling front, I am continuing to make my way through my beer reserves before buying any thing new. I am down to a 6er of Hopslam, a Guinness 250 or 3, four North Coast '08 Old Stock Ales (pretty sure one or two of these is going to stay in the cellar), 1 Dogfish Head Barleywine, a few Terrapin Side Projects (Roggen, Monks Rervenge and a 90 Shilling) and an Allagash Creuax. After that it comes down to finishing the 2/3 of a torpedo keg of Monk's Revenge I have left and the 12 or so old homebrew bottles. Wish me luck!

Happy Drinking!

Drinking for a good Cause

I was contacted by Taco Mac about a nice opportunity to help out a good cause while enjoying a nice brew. Terrapin Brewing is going to be releasing a double white ale, "Reunion '09". The release will be July 24th at all Taco Mac locations. Profits generated by the beer will be donated to The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research (www.imbcr.org.). It is a great cause so head out to the Mac on the 24th and order up a brew to help with Cancer research. Official Release is below....



Taco Mac locations will offer a Terrapin Brewing-produced commemorative Double White Ale in support of the 2009 Beer of Hope Campaign.


ATLANTA (July 9, 2009) –A shared interest in promoting American craft breweries and a desire to give back led Atlanta-based Taco Mac to join forces with Seattle-based SBS Imports to promote this year’s Beer of Hope offering. Reunion ’09, a double white ale produced by Athens, Georgia’s Terrapin Brewery, will be available on draft at all Georgia Taco Mac locations beginning July 24.

The Reunion: A Beer for Hope fundraising campaign is in its third year. Profits generated by the sale of Reunion ’09 ale will be donated by SBS to The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research (www.imbcr.org.). Customers who wish to make individual gifts to the institute will find information on how to do so in all Taco Mac locations.



The partnership between Taco Mac, SBS Imports and Terrapin Brewery was a natural fit, said Fred Crudder, Taco Mac’s beverage director. “Taco Mac is known as the place for Georgia’s specialty beer lovers, and Alan Shapiro, founder of SBS, is considered a pioneer of the craft beer movement,” Crudder says. “Spike Bukowski, brewmaster for Terrapin Brewing Company, has a reputation for being a mad scientist of brewing—very creative, very innovative.”



The limited edition Reunion ’09 ale promises to be as refreshing as Bukowski’s approach to brewing. The Belgian-style double white ale’s flavor pairs a hint of spiciness with citrus notes delivered via dried orange peels used in the brewing process. “It will go well with almost any dish,” said Crudder, whose personal recommendations include Taco Mac’s Bistro Salad or Monterey Chicken Salad.



About Reunion Beer

Reunion is a beer for hope. Conceived by old friends and colleagues, Pete Slosberg, Alan Shapiro, and Virginia MacLean, Reunion celebrates the life and cause of those suffering from Multiple Myeloma, an aggressive cancer effecting bone marrow. The proceeds go to support the work of Dr. Jim Berenson at the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research (IMBCR). For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.reunionbeer.com.

The Atlanta Beer Snobs Top Ten Breweries

Had a good heated discussion during my Thursday Night Drinking club. Everyone ranked there top 5 breweries. I decided to expand my list to a top ten, here you go...

1. Bear Republic Brewing
2. Stone Brewing
3. Dogfishhead
4. Bells Brewery
5. Victory
6. Ommegang
7. Allagash
8. Sweetwater
9. Thomas Creek
10. Guinness

There you go. What are yours?

Brewing News!

A very generous friend that I work with me donated some more equipment to my brewing efforts. I now am in possession of 1 more primary fermenter, two glass secondary fermenters, a custom built sparge bucket, a few more airlocks and a whole bunch of old homebrewing magazines and recipes. Looking forward to digging into all the stuff and I guess I really don't have any excuse to get into a habit of brewing a few times a month!

Review: Dogfish Head Black and Blue

I have started clearing out the cellaring fridge. I decided it was time to drink some of the few cases of beer I have sitting around instead of buying more! Anyway, I think I picked this bottle up last spring during my trip to Delaware. This ale is dubbed as a raspberry and blueberry packed brew. It pours very dark with a hint of red to the color. The you can smell the berries as soon as you open the bottle. I guess that is where the first problem arose for me about this beer. I know some people look down there noses at "fruit" beers but there are some I tend to like. One of the best I ever had was a blueberry brew from Sea Dog brewing in Maine. Upon my first sip of the Black and Blue I came away pretty disappointed. There was a hint of the fruit flavor but most overwhelming was the alcohol kick on the tail end. I guess I thought there was going to be a much bigger fruit taste to this brew and I was not ready for the burn at the end. Maybe this one is best sampled when it is fresh. I'll give it 1.5 out of 5.

Happy Drinking!

Where is the Beer Snob?

I'm here. I know it has been a bit since I posted but life got in the way for a bit. Still getting used to work and taking care of the kids. I promise to have a few good reviews this week as well as a brewing update so stay tuned!

Thursday Night Drinking Club

Hit up Taco Mac Ellard Thursday night to work on the passport card a bit, up to 98 total. Only 27 more until I can get the 20oz members mug. Anyway, tried out a few new beers.

Atlanta Brewing Company Red Brick Blonde: Darn good beer. Seemed perfect for sitting outside for a summer bbq. Nice and light, very smooth. A nice summer option if you are not a big fan of wheat beers. 3 out of 5

Bell's Amber Ale: Dang, do these guys make a bad or even slightly average beer? If they do I have yet to taste it. A damn fine amber. A bit fruity and sweet, excellent toasty in the middle, hint of hops on the end. Dang, this is what I was expecting Fat Tire to taste like the way people raved about it but Bell's Amber blows fat tire away. One of the best Amber's I've ever had. 4 out of 5.

Four + Brewing, Uinta Monkshine Belgian Pale Ale: Yeah that is the whole name. Much more than a mouthfull witch is less than I can say about the beer itself. I went out on a limb to try this one. My first mistake was ordering a Belgian style ale from a brewery in Utah, the second mistake was not realizing that the beer was 4%abv until after I started drinking it. Tasted like a Lite beer version of a Belgian. Had the yeast type flavor of a Belgian but that was about it. Ugh. Not recommended at all. 1.5 out of 5.

French Broad Brewing - 13 Rebels ESB Ale Review

Picked up a 22 oz bomber of this last week figuring I would give a nice regional beer a chance. I had heard of French Broad brewing before but this was the first one of thier beers that I had seen for sale in Georgia. So here goes....

Poured a very nice deep copper with a slight hint of red to the color. A light and lacy head. Nice toasty malt aroma, maybe a slight bit of molasses. Good and smooth to start, nice bitter note fading into a smooth sweet malt middle. A tad bitter at the finish leading to a strange piny aftertaste when the beer was cold. Once this one warmer up a bit the piny aftertaste disapeared and ended up being a bit more floral. Very smooth drinking. If the finsh was cleaned up a bit this would be a darn good beer. As it is, this is a pretty decent beer and does make me want to try a few more French Broad Brewing offerings. I'll give it 2.5 pints out of 5.

Happy Drinking!!

4th of July Stout Anyone?

On the homebrew front, I ordered my 22 quart brew pot today. Hoping it gets here sometime next week. Figure I may try brewing sometime late next week. I'll give my Irish Stout a shoot. I want to make sure I have something ready by July 4th. The HopNog IPA is too good so I'm saving it for football season. So, with that thought I sure hope a nice cold stout will go well during a hot day at the pool.

Figure I might start a little neighborhood tradition with this next brew session. I figure if I do it on a Friday afternoon, invite everyone over and ask them to pick up a random 6-pack they have never had before, and sit around drink and brew.

Anyways, more beer reviews coming tonight and tomorrow.

Happy Drinking!!

Beer of the Week: New Belgian Fat Tire Amber Ale Review

Ok, new feature here from the Beer Snob, my beer of the week. Picked up a 22oz bomber of the new to GA Fat Tire Amber Ale. I have heard greatthings about all things New Belgian and decided I needed to give it a try for myself. The three launch beers for Georgia are the flagship Fat Tire Amber Ale, the 1554 (a black ale) and the Mothership Wit (a wheat beer). I went with the Flagship Fat Tire to start.

A very nice pour, nice clear coppery amber color with a big foamy head. Sweet malt notes in the smell. Some burt biscuit type notes as well. Very sweet and malty to start, loses its kick very fast and fizzles out towards the finish. Very dull after the malt bomb start. A hint of hops at the end? No bitterness at all. Smooth to a fault I would say. I was expecting a little something more to hit me. I am very disappointed. You get a great hit of flavor when you first sip it and then.....nothing. Very odd. Atlanta Brewing Companies Red Brick Ale hits very simliar to start but then packs some nice roasted malt flavor and a good hop aroma. Fat Tire leaves me very wanting and much perplexed in the big talk I have heard about it. Hopefully the 1554 that I bought is much better. I can't recommend Fat Tire to anyone. 1.5 pints out of 5.

I'll have another few random beer reviews this week (Thomas Creek Deep Water Dopplebock Lager and Terrapin 90 Shelling). Happy Drinking!!

Tons of Beer Reviews! (Terrapin 30 Strong, Ommegang Rouge, Landshark, Kona Longboard, Bell's Oberon)

Ok, have a few quick reviews to hit.

Kona Longboard Lager: A very fine example of an American Lager. If you like Budweiser and want to take a leap of faith to try another great American lager pick up some Kona. Very refreshing, a nice slight hop note. Pretty good. I'll drink it if offered but won't go out of my way to hunt it down. 3 out of 5.

Landshark Lager: Picked some up for a cook out that we went to on Saturday night. Quite good. A bit crisper than the Kona. Think of it as an American version of Corona with no need to add a lime. 3 out of 5.

Ommegang Rouge: Mmmmm a flemish sour. Excellent. I have to fine somewhere that stocks this in bottles. A wonderful deep red pour. Looks almost like dark red wine. An amazing fruity aroma but with a weird tilt to it. You smell fruit and flowers but there is also a hint of the funkyness to come. Sweet and smooth to start, sour and tart to finish. Love it. 4.5 out of 5.

Terrapin 30 Strong: Terrapin's 30th anniversary Taco Mac beer. Wow, tons going on. Maltbomb but a hop bomb at the same time? Looks like a lager? Huh? Really smooth too. Can't believe it has 8.8% abv. If you can get to a Taco Mac to try it before it is gone I highly suggest it.

Bell's Oberon: I have heard so much about this beer I didn't think that there was any way that it could live up to the hype. I was wrong. Best American Wheat beer I've ever had. Wow, just the right amount of fruityness, a tad bit of funkyness left from the yeast, right amount of hops to add flavor yet keep it drinkable. I need to pick up a few 6ers before the summer is over. 4.5 out of 5.

Well those are the quick reviews for now. Hope to have more in the next few weeks along with my beer of the week reviews. 'Til then, Happy Drinking!

Guinness 250 Review

Ok, my long awaited Guinness 250 review is finally ready. I was the first to buy any at the Total Wine store in the perimeter area of Atlanta. I tried to buy some the day it came out but could not find a store that stocked any. I was not even sure if Total Wine had it until I asked. It ended up taking myself and two guys at the store 15 minutes to find where it was stocked. The problem being that we where looking for the standard black Guinness packaging and the 250 was shipped in cream colored boxes. Once it was located I picked out 2 6 packs (about $8.00 each) and was on my way.

So how was the beer? It is pretty good. The label and advertising sum it up as well as I can. Guinness says this beer is brewed to be crisper and more refreshing than Guinness Draft. Well it is. It is a tad lighter and not quite as bitter. Easier to drink for someone who has never had a stout. It is a fine beer and a bit closer to some of the microbrew porters that have become pretty popular. If you like Guinness then 250 a try, won't be around forever so try it now before it disappears for good. I'll give it a 3.5 out of 5. I'll buy some more next time I'm over at Total Wine.

Japan brewing/Asahi Super "Dry"

Here is my old college chum Jeremy's take on beer in Japan.....

Note: Jeremy is an invited blogger to Atlanta Beer Snob. He normally posts at iTooglefm on issues related to music, information retrieval, signal processing, and science.

Japan does not have a very long beer-brewing tradition and many past laws make it difficult for new tastes to emerge. Japan is dominated by four major breweries: Asahi, Kirin, Suntory, and Sapporo, which also makes Yebisu. Beyond these four, choices are rare to come by for a couple reasons. First, until a few years ago, laws prevented anyone from establishing a brewery unless they could produce on a large scale, which meant a significant investment was needed to have a full-fledged operation. Second, home-brewing is almost non-existent (again, in large part due to laws). However, Japan does have an upside: very liberal drinking laws. Beer is sold anywhere, including vending machines in train stations, etc. Just don't drink and drive (but if you are in Tokyo, you shouldn't drive anyway). Most restaurants will serve only one type of beer, but this trend is decreasing now that American restaurants are starting to serve a better variety in Japan.

Probably the one Americans are most familiar with is Asahi. For this review, I'll give my thoughts on Asahi Super "Dry." I'm not really sure why Dry is quotation marks and Super is not in quotation marks. For that matter, I'm not really sure Super applies. Like most Japanese beers, it's a fairly generic take on beer. Ask a general beer drinker to picture a beer and you'll probably get people thinking about this beer. Lots of head, light yellow color, clear complexion. Probably not bad if you are sitting out on a deck watching football, and just want to have beer without thinking about it. It's kind of amazing that this was the best result of the Dry Wars. However, it was the beer that drove Kirin from a virtual monopoly. This also paved the way for the microbrews that are now just starting to take hold in The Land of the Rising Sun.

Homebrew Weisbier Review

I got my Weisbier kegged up over the weekend and debuted it down at our neighborhood pool on Memorial day. Along with the new brew I gave my new travel keg kit a try out. I figured this would be a good run for the rest of the summer and for football tailgating this fall. First let's talk about the beer.

It turned out a good bit darker than I was expecting. It looked a lot closer to a brown ale than a lighter wheat beer as I was expecting. It poured well with a decent head that tended to stick around quite a while. Nice crisp and very smooth at the start. A very cool lemon flavor and a slight hop touch to finish. Really nice. It really was a ton better than I expected. Everyone really liked it and I will have to brew this one again a few times this summer. If this had come out of a bottle I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. Pleasantly redrinkable, no aftertaste, a perfect beer for sitting by the pool all day.

The travel keg system also performed without any hiccups. Only mistake I made was attaching the gas connection before I had the CO2 cartridge plugged in and releasing all the pressure I had in the keg initially. No worries though, the little 16g CO2 cartridges did there job. I went through 3 during the afternoon and almost floated the keg, there may be 3 or 4 beers left in the bottom. If I had not lost the initial charge on the keg 3 would have been more than enough to dispense all the beer. I also have a design in my head on how to keep the keg cool during tailgating. I am going to hack up one of my coolers that I really don't like. I'll remove the hinged lid, cut a hole in it just large enough to fit around the keg. I'll get some pictures of the whole rig when I put it all together in the next week or two.

I do have some site related news. Since I have been a bit of a slacker when comes to new beer reviews I am going to do my best to review a new beer a week for the rest of the summer. I also am going to have a few new reviews in the next few days as well as a beer drinkers guide to Japan and Taiwan. Hope you guys enjoy! As always, Happy Drinking!

Found a beer for the wife...

Kelly and I finally got a chance to grab a nice dinner alone. We went to Leon's Full Service in Decatur. It is owned by the same guys that own the Brick Store just around the corner. Neat little place, may have the coolest looking bar in town. Good beer menu, a little bit of everything. Food was excellent. I grabbed a Belgian IPA, pretty good, nice hop note but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. My second beer was a Sour. I have become a huge fan of this style of beer, really complex. Sour, sweet, bitter, smooth all in one sip, very cool stuff but it is a love it or hate it style. I convinced Kelly to take a sip and was surprised that she really liked it. Guess I will have to try and brew a sour up sometime in the coming months.

I have a bunch of beers to review (Guinness 250, Yuengling Black and Tan, Kona Longboard, Terrapin 30, Bells Oberon and more) a long with a trip report about where to drink in Ann Arbor, MI. Bear with me, I'll get them up soon! 'Till then, Happy Drinking!

Bell's is almost here!

It is official, I received my first pre-order request for Bell's beer. It lands here in the Empire State of the South on Tuesday May 19th! Sweet! Taco Mac is having a release party and Tower will have a few of there beers ready for the initial roll out. If you live in Georgia and have not had a Bell's beer I suggest that you pick up any sixer that you can find. I am saddened that the Two Hearted IPA is not one of the initial beers but Hopslam and Oberon are so I look forward to restocking my Hopslam supply.

So this is what no sleep feels like....

Just a quick update, the twins are doing fine and I have not yet had a chance to get a few new beer reviews up. I found Guinness 250 at Total Wine, I was the first person to buy it. I'll have a full write up on it in the next few days. First impression was made when my dad loaded up the cooler and snuck a few into the hospital to celebrate. It is good.

That is about it for now, hoping to some good posts up in the next few days. Happy Drinking!

Raise a toast to Two New Beer Snobs!

Well good news, the twins arrived Thursday at 2:30pm and 2:31pm. James "Tripp" Robert Garrison III and Benjamin Tanner Garrison are doing just fine. Mom and Dad are proud to welcome a few new beer snobs to the world. Tripp is in the "B" hat and Tanner is in the "A" hat. Both boys are named after their Grandfathers.

Raise a Pint Tonight.....

Yep, Guinness 250th anniversary Stout makes its debut today. If you see it on draft somewhere give ti a shoot. I plan on picking up a 6 pack on the way home tonight and see what I think of it.

Picked up a 6er of Breckenridge Brewery's Pandora's Bock yesterday. Quite good, very sweet malt note, nice and smooth, just enough hint of hops at the end to cut the sweetness. Nice deep reddish brown color too. A nice all around beer.

Turns out I may not buy the new brew kettle from Wally world. Read some reviews and people have good things to say about it but apparently it warns you not to use it over anything above medium heat. I'm guessing my propane burner would qualify as a but more than medium heat. Did some digging and I have decided it looks like I need a Stainless Boiling Pot. Found a few and they look pretty heavy duty and perfect for cooking up my brew. I'll try to get one on order here in the next few days, I really want to brew again soon. Looking forward to trying my first stout.

Looks like a great weekend here in the SE for some porch sittin', grillin' and beer drinking so get out and enjoy the nice spring weather before it gets too hot.

Happy Drinking!

Just a quick update....

Got my confirmation that I am in the Guinness 250!

Sometime in the next month or so I am going to try to get a calendar feature set up to keep track of the beer goings on in and around Atlanta. Figure I can put local beer dinners, special beer releases, when I plan on brewing and the like on there.

Still waiting on my Asian correspondent to get back to me on if they drink beer in Japan. Although he is probably to busy discussing things that make no sense to my at his conference.

My brewing is currently on hold until I get my hands on a bigger brew pot. I have the size and material picked out (22 quart, Stainless Steel) now I just have to find it. Wal-mart has them but I think I might try this little restaurant supply store that is right around the corner from work.

Spent some time looking through the cellaring fridge last night. Getting a bit thin. I am going to open a DFH 120 when the twins are born. Need to head down to the new beer store here in Atlanta (Hop City) to pick up some new brews. I also need to make an SC road trip to find some more Bear Republic beers.

Plan is still to tap the Monk's Revenge soon.

That is about it for now. 'Till next time, as always, Happy Drinking!

The Guinness 250

Well I received an interesting package Saturday afternoon. Not expecting to see the FedEx man leaving a decent sized box on my doorstep I was a bit puzzled when I picked it up and saw that it was addressed to me. I had been expecting another baby gift from a far off relative but I got quite another surprise when I ripped into the box. Out falls a small metal key chain bottle opener. Interesting gift for a new baby I thought. I picked it up and realized it was a Guinness bottle opener. Hmmm. No way did they send me stuff Saturday delivery, I just told them I was honored to be picked as one of the Guinness 250 a few days before (if you are just tuning it, the Guinness 250 are the 250 biggest Guinness fans in the US, I was chosen!). But yes, this package was my welcome gift to the Guinness 250! Inside there was some pretty sweet swag. The aforementioned key chain bottle opener, a larger bar quality bottle opener, a few Guinness coasters and the object that had required the box be so big to begin with. An extremely cool Guinness Rugby shirt. Black and cream colored (gee I wonder why they picked those colors) with some pretty cool stitching on the front, a Guinness 250 patch near the bottom left and the number 1759 in red on the back. I'll have to take a few pictures and put them up when I get the chance. The shirt is cool but it was far from the best thing in the package. Inside a black folder in the package there was a letter congratulating me for being picked to be one of the Guinness 250, hand signed by Fergal Murray! Also a very cool certificate showing me being an official member of the Guinness 250! I am getting both of those framed and up in bar ASAP. There was an email to officially sign up for the group, I've done this and can't wait to hear what else is in store! Anyways, that is about it for now. Happy Drinking!

More Guinness news! (I'm a big fan!)

For any loyal readers that remember my chance to interview Fegal Murray (head brewmaster of Guinness) I have a little follow up. Because of the write up (and a whole lot of luck on my part) I have been selected by Guinness as on of the 250 biggest Guinness fans in the USA! Wow, I would like to thank the academy, my producers, my co-stars...ect ect.... Anyway I am pretty amazed. Sounds like I will get a bottle or two of the new 250th Anniversary Guinness Stout (A US only brew and the first new Guinness Stout brewed in close to 40 years) that should be making its ways in beer stores near you some time soon. I'll keep everyone updated on what it means to be one of the 250 biggest Guinness fans in the USA! I can't wait, it should be fun.

Happy Drinking!

Brew News and more!

Well, I still have not tapped the Monk's Revenge but man am I looking forward to it. Had another one of my bottles the other night and I think this is going to be wicked on draft.

Hit up Brew Depot last week with my dad. Picked up a new air lock and some more brew kits. I picked another HopNog because I liked the first so much. This one has a slightly different hop schedule so I'll have to see if I can taste the difference. I also got an Irish Stout and a Wiezenbier. Figure I'll brew up the Stout right after the primary is free from the Hopnog and then brew the Wiezenbier up for the opening of our neighborhood pool. I figure I will christen the travel tap with the Wiezenbier, looking forward to being able to take homebrew to football games in the fall.

I also hit up the local Taco Mac for lunch with the padre. He had never been and I figured it would be a good way to continue his education and induction in to the wide world of craft and extreme beer. I am starting to order more off the bottle menu to help fill up my Passport list. I've had most of the stuff that the Ellard location has on tap so I went for some Thomas Creek beer. Story behind Thomas Creek, they are the largest microbrewery in South Carolina. I had heard of them from my trip to the NC mountains over MLK weekend. Anyway, I got the Pumphouse Porter to start. A very good dark porter. Good coffee flavor and some nice sweet maltyness to balance. There is a good hop note at the end and if really tastes good. Off the cuff I'll give it a 3.5 out of 5 pints. Second beer was going to be the Class 5 IPA but there was none to be had in the fridge so I went with the Appalachian Amber Ale. Very nice! A wonderful floral note, great taste. Great all around, I will buy this again if I ever see it. 4 pints out of 5. My dad got to try Sweetwater Dank Tank Ron Burgandy and the Stone IPA. He really liked the Stone IPA and tried to trade the Ron Burgandy for my porter.

That is about it for now. I need to buy a new stock pot to brew in. I am moving my brewing out doors and will start using my good propane cooker set up so that I can control the heat a bit better. Figure I'll brew the next batch of HopNog sometime in the next few weeks when I am taking time off for the twins birth! Anyways, as always, happy drinking!

Five Great Anerican Beers?

Ok, my buddy who is spending this month in Japan and should be writing up a short report in the next few weeks for me (hint, hint there Reed) sent me this link:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/04/five-great-american-beers.html#comments

A pretty good article but I thought I would include my thoughts from my e-mail response to him...


You are going to hat me because I've had 4 of those. World Wide Stout is incredible, just flat out amazing. One of the best 2 or 3 beers I've ever had. Too bad we can't get it here in Georgia. Have to see if we can find it up in Michigan for Joey's wedding. The Weyerbacher is ok, I prefer Dogfish Heads punkin better. They messed up the description of the Terrapin Gamma Ray, it is not a wheat beer but a wheatwine, totally different. Also too bad that you can't buy the stuff anymore since it was a limited release. I have one bottle left but know where I can get a few more, I'll pick you up one. Again they screw up on the Oskar Ten Fidy, it is not draft only, I bought a 6 pack last week. Ten FIDY is the darkest stout/porter I've ever had. Pours like motor oil but is pretty tasty. Can't get the last one here in the ATL.

This article is why I like yet loathe Paste at the same time. Decent articles but no research is ever put into them. Just seems the writers are kind of hacks half the time but they do write about interesting subjects. Also, if he wanted to pick the 5 great American beers he has to include something from California. As far as I am concerned the best thing California (damn, every time I write that word I get the scene from the wizard stuck in my head where the little kid says "California", anyway back to the rant) has ever done was to kick start the craft/extreme beer movement in the US. Sure Sam Adams did it on the east coast and Dogfish Head does some nice things these days but some of the stuff that the brewerys in CA and the northwest do are amazing. They pretty much invented the Double and Triple IPA style, the Russian Imperial Stout, Coffe Stout, Vanilla Porter, American Pale Ale (Not that Budweiser American ale shit), XPA and rejuvenated the barleywine stlye all pretty much on there own. Anyway that is just my 8 cents.


Concerning the New Job? Yeah it was April 1st, I wish I had a brewery job to brag about. Other news on the kegerator front, I think I finally got it balanced and pouring right. Installed a new regulator and new beer line and got the first clear and non-foamy pour off my HopNog keg, damn that is some good beer. I need to get back to the homebrew store to get a few more kits. If they have another HopNog kit I'll pick that up along with a stout or porter and a hefe. That is it for now, Happy Drinking!

New Job!!

Ok, some pretty exciting news here for the beer snob. I was offered a job working for a local brewery! They liked my blog and decided they could use another hand brewing and spreading the news about their beer! Hell yeah. I'll follow up a bit more about this tomorrow....

Terrapin Side Project #5: Monk's Revenge Review

Ok, been a bit since my last post. Last week was a bit odd. We had an industry audit going on at work and the twins tried to escape a few weeks early from my wife so I spent a few days shuttling back and forth between work and the hospital.

Anyway, on to the beer. I was lucky enough to pre-order some of the new Terrapin Side Project that came out last week. Up to this point I had been pretty underwhelmed by this series of beers. #3 Gamma Ray Wheatwine was nice but #4 and #2 (Dos Cocas Chocolate Porter and The Rauchbier) both left a bit to be desired. Not so the #5, appropriately called Monk's Revenge. Anyway, it is billed as a Belgian Style Double IPA. Terrapin says it is a mix of the malt profile from a Belgian Triple with the Hop profile of an American Double IPA. I really don't care because it is soooo damn good. Reminds me very much of an Allagash Triple but with a tad more hops. Packs a pretty good punch too coming in a 9.6% abv and 99IBUs. Thing is though, the hops are nicely hidden and this does not seem like a beer with close to a 100 ibu rating. Very nice and malty up front, has a bit of the Belgian funk going on in the middle which I really enjoy. A very smooth finish with the hop aroma lingering for a bit in you mouth.

If you can get your hands on a bottle of this give it a shot. I was lucky enough to snag a 1/6 barrel keg! Plan on letting it rest for a bit and tapping it some time late spring. I'll give this Terrapin Side Project 4.5 out of 5 pints. Well done, they finally took a crazy idea and knocked it out of the park.

Big Beer News! Bells coming to Georgia!

Well it is going to be a banner weekend for the beer snob and friends. I have friday off and plan to celebrate the opening round of March Madness by tapping my keg of HopNog homebrew. Really looking forward to it. Have to keep track of how long it lasts but I doubt it will make it to Sunday.

Beer is getting interesting here in Georgia. Taco Mac has a special Sweetwater brew on draft for the next week or so, Ron Burgundy. It is a 30th anniversary beer brewed just for Taco Mac. Terrapin and Atlanta Brewing will also be making special beers.

Biggest news in my mind is that New Belgian and Bells are on their way to GA! Bells!!! Sweet. Should be here this summer. I can see my beer being permanently stocked with Two Hearted Ale for the foreseeable future, I am giddy with the news. Now if someone will get off their butt and get Bear Republic here in GA I can drink in piece.

Anyway, I'll take a few pics and let everyone know how the HopNog turned out. I also may have some guest posts up about the beer scene in the Far East (Yes Reed I may have you tell me a bit about beer in Japan). 'Till then..

Happy Drinking!!

Big drinking ahead...

Well there is now a deadline set to when the twins are going to show up at the latest. April 30th. I guess I have to get some good drinking in before then. Plan on having the Hopnog kegged up middle of next week and ready for consumption for the opening rounds of the NCAA tourney. I also have to help plan our neighborhood H.O.R.S.E poker tourney (I'm a co-founder of the tournament). This will be the 2nd year we have had this be one of the 4 majors in the Lockridge Forrest Sport Fishing and Gaming Association poker tour. The 4 majors include the aforementioned HORSE tourney, the Stud Poker Championship, the Gran Poupon Tourney (dealer calls) and the Tournament of Champions. You have to have won one of the other majors to be able to enter the tourney of champions. Luckily I am now eligible to play in the TOC due to my win in the Gran Poupon tourney this past January.

I am also kicking around the idea of buying either a really good bottle of port or of Champagne for when the kids are born. Figure I will try to keep it until they are 21 and then share it with them.

Not much real beer news right now. I should have the rearranged kegerator set-up this weekend. I'll review the Hopnog as soon as I give it a try.

Happy Drinking!

Mantuary of the Month, January 2009!

Don't know if any of my readers make it over to The Mantuary. It is a pretty good site about all things manly. Anyway, my basement bar was voted Mantuary of the Month for January 2009! Check out the article.

Off to the land of Bourbon....

Heading up to Lexington, KY for a low key bachelor party this weekend. Basically it is just myself and a few buddies from college going. Why Lexington? Well it is pretty central for everyone that is going and one of our friends lives in Lexington so the lodging is free, always a plus. We will be hitting the bourbon trail tomorrow. Plan on visiting at least Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, Makers Mark and Heaven Hill. Should be a good day. I am sure Friday night will involve some beer in one way or another. I'm looking forward to it because I'm hoping to find Bells on tap. Saturday will involve some recovery in the morning followed by the Kentucky v. LSU basketball game in the afternoon and then more beer and liquor that night. Just hope we can all make it to Sunday in one piece. Anyways that is about it for now...

Happy Drinking!

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Review

Just a quick hit on this review. Gave this beer a shoot a few nights ago after a grueling tennis match. A buddy left me one as a "victory" beer. It has been documented that I am not a big fan of Sierra Nevada. Not sure what it is but their beers and I just don't get along for some reason. This one was ok. Didn't really stack up to my standards as far as a barleywine. It had a decent hop note in the middle and was a tad sweet but nothing really stood out. I want a barleywine to stand up and announce what it is. This one really tasted much closer to just a strong dark ale. I'll happily drink it if handed to me for free but I don't really think I will go out of my way to buy or order this one anytime soon (unless I need it for my Taco Mac passport card). Anyway, maybe it is a good introduction to barleywines if you have never had one and want to wade in to the pool instead of jumping right in with a big one (Rouge Old Crustacean come on down!). I'll give this one a 2.5 pints out of 5.

Happy Drinking!

Miller Lite has hops is in it?

Don't know if anyone has seen one of the newer Miller Lite ads on tv yet, I couldn't find it posted anywhere on the net. The ad celebrates the fact that Miller ads hops not once, not twice, but three tims during the brewing process of Miller Lite, and that ads to the great pilsner taste of Miller Lite. Huh? There are hops in Miller Lite? Could have fooled me. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Miller Lite (see my Cheap Beer Manifesto here) but trying to sell Miller Lite on the amount of hops in it is like trying to sell O'Doul's because it has some alcohol in it. The regular lite beer drinker don't know what hops smell or taste like. They figure, hey its got hops, it has to be better than brand X. Ok, but don't go trying to sell your beer off the success of the craft movements use of liberal amounts of hops. Rant over....

Happy Drinking!

More Guinness Please.....

A nice gallery of pictures from the Perfect Pour Competition from the local fish wrapper.

Introduced my mom of all people to Guinness this past weekend. We hit up Ted's Montana Grill on Saturday (mmmmm, bison burger....). I ordered up a Guinness and order her up a Sweetwater 420. She asked if Guinness was any good, I responded by not believing she had never had a Guinness. I knew she would like it since she drinks her coffee black. Let her have a sip and she was sold, asked if I wanted to trade beers. I kindly refused but told her to make my dad buy 6 pack of Guinness so they could properly celebrate St. Patrick's day in Savannah.

That is all for now. Happy Drinking!

Weekend Brewing

Ended up doing a little brewing Sunday morning. What a nice way to start the morning, hovering over a boiling pot with the wondrous smell of hops wafting throughout the house. The brew in question is Hopnog. A nice uber-hopped homebrew kit. I think the IBUs should come in around 75+ and the ABV is supposed to be right at 7%, very nice. Took a quick taste when cooling the wort and the concentrated bitterness puckered my lips....yum! Anyway, it is resting quite nicely in the fermentor, the yeast eating away at the sugars and producing lovely alcohol. Really looking forward to this one. My first big hoppy IPA and the first new tap on the new kegerator set up. Should be a nice way to spend the first weekend of March Madness, watching basketball and trying to finish a keg of homebrew!

Interview with Fergal Murray : Head Brewmaster at Guinness and judge at the Guinness Perfect Pour Contest

As I teased yesterday I had the honor of getting about 10 minutes to talk to Fergal Murray. The man, the myth, the legendary head brewmaster at Guinness. Got to speak with him before the Guinness Perfect Pour contest held at Taco Mac here in Atlanta. The field started with 40+ bartenders and slowly whittled its way down to one.

I guess I can start with a little background for Fergal. He got his first job at Guinness in the early '80s working as a research chemist. He decided he wanted to be a bit more involved in the brewing process so he enrolled at the Institute of Brewing in London and received his Master Brewing degree. Since 1995 he has been the head brewmaster for Guinness.

On to the interview.....

First thing I asked Fergal was "Why Guinness?" He summed it up pretty well in one word, "Passion". He talked of the passion for the "nectar" as he kept calling it. He made a great point that is there another beer in the world where you would have a pouring contest for? He was very passionate for Guinness the brand and Guinness the Beer.

We then went on to talk about "What is the perfect pint?". Apparently there are a few tricks to pouring a good pint. Fergal made sure to point out that not just anyone can pour a good pint. A few rules and pointers: the spout never touches the glass or beer, glass in left hand while working the tap with the right, glass should start at 45 degrees to the tap, pull tap towards you on first fill, first fill should be 3/4 to 4/5 full, let it settle a bit but you really don't have to let it settle all the way out (you get a better head if you don't let it settle all the way), place glass directly under tap for second pour, push tap forward for second pour, fill just over rim leaving a nice "dome" on top. Sounds easy right? Well any spillage your out, place the logo facing the wrong way and your get points off, have bad luck with a few big bubbles in the head and you out.... Anyway you get the point, it is a little tricky to truly pour a perfect pint. That is until you watch Fergal pour perfect pint after perfect pint. Heck you think this was part of his job or something.....

I asked if he had any words of advice for someone who wanted to get started in brewing. Fergal had some great points on this. He said it was great to see new takes on beer and that it is nice that someone can go from homebrewing into brewing for a brewpub pretty easily but he noted that small scale brewers can learn a lot from large breweries. There is something to the consistency that large scale brewers (Guinness, Bud, Amstel ect.). The fact that you can go all over the world, order a Guinness draft and you know what to expect. He mentioned that the processes that they use are the same since Guinness was first brewed. His advice was if you really want to get into brewing to try starting in a large commercial brewery for a bit. Pick up how things are done on the large scale and use that to really learn how to make a truly consistent product, something that can be extremely difficult for a brewpub or homebrewer. That and attending a brewing school can't hurt.

I asked what other beers he likes besides Guinness. He likes Smithwicks but usually tries to have something different. He likes to try the local beers and see what new types of things are going on. He said good things about Sweetwater here in Atlanta. He liked that the craft brew scene pushes the limits of what beer can do and invents new beer and comes up with new takes on old styles. I think Fergal is a beer lover who happens to have the perfect job. He did mention that Guinness is coming out with an exclusive beer for the American market. It is being brewed to celebrate their 250th anniversary. He said it should start showing up here in the states in April!

We talked a bit about how he got interested in Guinness. Again it went back to the passion people have towards the beer. When he was working as a chemist for Guinness he saw just how much people loved the beer and how much he had grown to love and decided he wanted to get involved in brewing it. From there things lead to him getting the most envious job in the world.

Fergal and I talked about a few other things but I think I hit the high notes. He is an amazing guy that just flat out loves Guinness. What an amazing job he has, you would think it is all fun and games (judging pouring contests, showing up at St. Pats day parades, just getting to work at St. James Gate and in the Gravity Bar in Dublin) but there has to be a lot of stress that comes with being responsible for making sure that Guinness stays great. Hey, that is stress I think I could deal with, maybe over a pint or three Guinness....

A last shout out to the winner of the Pour-off. Karen from Meehans Public House won. She had been to the finals the last three years but come up just short each time. She finally broke through with a great pout on the second pour in the finals (first pour was a tie thus a pour-off ensued) and with a little help from her competitor who just overfilled his glass and had some spillage.

Anyway it was an amazing night, I plan on going again next year. Trying to come up with someway that I can sneak into the competition. You think they would let a little know blogger compete? Who knows, if I get it maybe I can win, after all I did learn how to pour from Fergal!

Happy Drinking!!

Valentines Wine Tasting and some other big news.

My wife Kelly and I attended a neighborhood wine tasting on Valentines Day. Had a great time and tried some excellent wines. How can a beer snob like wine you ask? Well I do, it just isn't my first choice of beverage. The few wine tastings that I have been to really helped me pick out wines that I like and have allowed me to be confident in ordering a good glass when out to dinner. I rarely go buy a bottle of wine for home consumption though I do have a soft spot for a good bottle of port. Anyway, we got all dressed up, I in my tuxedo and my wife in the only black dress that will fit her at the moment (note to new readers, she is pregnant with twins that are due in April). The tasting started out with 2 types of sparkling wine (Kel had a few small sips then switched to water), then moved on to a Chardonnay, then a Merlot, then a Port and finished an amazing Silver Oak Cabernet. All in all they where all great wines. I did speak with our wine guy at length (he works at the beverage store around the corner and has done tasting for us 2 or 3 times) about possibly doing a beer tasting this fall. He seemed game and we had a nice time talking about all the new beers that are now available here in Georgia.

Now for the big news. I am going to have a very interesting interview to post here in the next two days. I will be interviewing Guinness Brewmaster Fergal Murray! Make sure to stop back by in the next day or two for the interview and my thoughts on getting to meet the legend!

The Beer Snob gets reaquainted with an old Friend...

Few goings on as of late. I began the rearranging of my kegerator set-up. Decided I was sick and tired of foamy beer and constantly having to rebalance the CO2 pressure in my system. So, I am moving the fridge to get it right next to where the taps are mounted in the wall. Sure, I loose some storage space in the basement but it is a small price to pay for good beer. I just need to drill a few new holes and get the air circulation system set back up and I will be good to go. In the process of this move I discovered a possible culprit behind my foamy homebrew. The CO2 inlet valve on the corny (actually it is a firestone keg but very similar) keg is leaky. When I unhooked the air line to move the keg out of the fridge you could hear the pressure leaking out of the keg. Not a big problem, I'll just buy a few spare parts when I order my second corny keg from the intertubes. I want to get all this done in the next few weeks so I can have it up and running for March Madness. I may pick up another commercial 1/6 keg for the tourney as well. Figure I will be done with the Pale Ale by then so I need to brew up my next batch of homebrew. Figure I may tackle it in the next week or two.

So, who is this old friend that I became reacquainted with recently? Well that friend is Pabst Blue Ribbon. Yep, the original cheap and newly hip beer. Had a can last night at trivia and was left quite satisfied. PBR really is one of my all time favs. Yeah it's cheap but I really do like the way it tastes. I'll take a PBR anytime. I do refuse to buy it in bottles, preferring to stick with the 16oz tall boy packaging. Figure I'll have to go pick up a 12 pack or so this weekend. I wonder if they sell it in 1/6 kegs?

A few upcoming beer notes. Going to watch the Duke v. UNC basketball game tonight at Taco Mac. Hope to grab a pint of the ultra-rare Sierra Nevada Hopsecret 393. Only 8 kegs made it anywhere outside of California and they are all here in GA. Only one is being tapped tonight so I hope there is a little left when I get there.

Happy Drinking!

Bells Hopslam Review!!!

I had talked about Bells beer in my previous post. Well I find myself on the road again this week and just popped in to another Total Wine store to pick up a sixer of Bells Two Hearted Ale (my new favorite beer). Anyway, they have it in the chilled section, figure I'll have one while doing a bit of work and haul the rest home to Atlanta. As I am getting ready to checkout I turn around to find a few light green colored cases of beer. What did I find? Nothing other than 4 cases of Bells Hopslam. Why is this a big deal? Well, Hopslam is a very limited release beer from Bells that everyone over on the Beer message boards has been raving over (yeah, there are boards that talk only about beer, heck your reading a blog about beer so don't act that surprised). Anyway, most of it has been bought up and I didn't find any when I was down in Florida so I had given up hope of getting to try this magic elixir. Haha! Not so, here it is right in front of me. Do I buy just a 6 pack? Nope, picked up a whole case (So, of you want some hopslam, there is about 3 cases left at the Total Wine near UNC Charlotte). Leave the case in the back of my car save one beer. Take it up to the hotel to chill in the fridge overnight.

Fast forward 24 or so hours and I find myself sitting here sipping on said Hopslam. It is a quite amazing beer. So here is my Bells Hopslam review.

I do have to take exception to the description it gives itself, "A Biting, bitter, tongue bruiser of an ale. With a name like Hopslam, what did you expect?". My reasoning? I don't think it is that bitter. 90 min, Victory Hop Wallop (which is back out now, guess that is even more beer for me to buy, along with Sweetwater Happy Ending), Stone Ruination and a few others pack a much larger bitter hop bite. Maybe I am just used to the hop bite and it really takes a huge IBU to kick my palette. Anyway, it is still an amazing beer. Very floral aroma, thus you know it is packed with hops. The bitterness is more up front. Hops hit leadoff here, no malt to speak of. The interesting bit of this beer is the finish. You would expect the hop bitterness to follow all the way through to the end but you get a quite pleasant citrus note at the end. It is just sooooo smooth it, really it is. What Bells has done is brew a very sneaky big beer. Kind of like in golf where some guys are "sneaky" long, this beer is sneaky big. It is 10% abv, it sure doesn't taste like that. Hopslam really is the kind of beer you could drink three or four in a row in 40 mins after mowing the lawn on a hot day and not think any thing of it. That is until you try to stand up and fall flat on your ass. Overall this is just a Wow beer. Please Bells, I beg you to start selling beer in Georiga!!! I think this one is an add to the hall of fame, maybe. I'll have to mull that over the rest of the case I have! I'll give it 4.5 pints out of 5. (Ukrainian judge deducted .5 a pint for the slightly misleading description)

Happy Drinking!

Out of State Beer Adventures....

I was in the Ft. Lauderdale area Wednesday night and Thursday for work reasons. While I was there I figured I would try to scope out a few good beer stores and grab a few bottles of stuff I can't get here in Georgia. With the help of the directory on Beer Advocate I located 2 promising stores withing a 5 minute drive of my hotel. Keg and Case World and Total Wine. Stopped at Keg and Case World first. They had a great selection of Belgians and the guy manning the counter was very helpful. The main goal of this trip was to track down any and all Bells beers that I could find. He did tell me they have had trouble getting Bells in since the distributor changed, bummer. I did track down some Dogfish Old School Barleywine, looks very promising, and a sixer of Highland Kashmir IPA (yes I can get that here but I did want to have a few beers later and didn't really feel like hitting a 15% barleywine on a business trip). Next stop was Total wine. This place was huge and 90% wine but had a nice selection of import and craft brews. You could build your own six pack from their very nice single bottle selection. Again, tons of Belgians and American craft brews all well organized. Ended up picking up a 6er of Bells Two Heart (My new fav IPA) and a 4 pack of Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner. Love the Bells, I'll have a bit more of a write up about it next week. Had never heard of the Sam Adams but I am glad I picked it up, it is rather amazing. Extremely hoppy (woohoo!) but very smooth at the same time, again a full review is coming.

I took my well bought loot back to the hotel and had 2 or 3 while watching the UNC/Clemson bball game. The next morning I packed all the beer in my suitcase using my time tested method of wrapping in newspaper and padding with clothes. I have done this several times and never had a bottle break (knock on wood) during transit. So I got to thinking, what does it say about someone who FLYS beer back from far away places he has visited? I don't know really. I think of it as expanding my brew knowledge, trying new things that I can't get at home. Sure it may be extreme to lug beer back from New York or Maine or Virginia or South Florida or Illinois or even somewhere as close as North Carolina. But the fact that I can travel to all these places and see beer brands and styles that I have never heard before says great things about the American and world wide craft brew market. More and more places and people are opening up to the huge variety of beer out there. The more the merrier I say. Let them drink a West Coast IPA, let them try a Funky Wild Yeast Belgian, try a nice dark Coffee Stout. Who knows, they may just like it.

Happy Drinking!

The Beer Snob meets a dry county and finds an oasis...

Took a nice weekend trip to the Western North Carolina Mountains this weekend. This is an annual trip that we have been making with the in-laws for as long as I have known them and it introduces some interesting challeges for the beer drinker. We stay in Sapphire Valley which is located just east of Cashiers, NC. Beautiful country that has one problem, it is a dry county. No beer, no wine, and no liquor. In the past the only was to get beer was to buy it from one of the members only bars (which we are a member of) and pay way too much or drive almost an hour to some other county that does sell beer. Well this trip added a new option. On our drive up I noticed signs for the Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company. I thought this was odd with the whole dry county thing. Turns out the Restaurant is located just up the hill from where we were staying, it is at the Sapphire Mountain golf course. We decided to give it a shoot Saturday afternoon, see what they had on draft and watch a little basketball. It is a great looking place, plenty of seating (there was a nice deck over looking part of the golf course and has an amazing mountain vista but it was a bit cool to sit outside), the bar is beautiful. They had 10 micros on tap, no macro brews here (WooHooo! Yes you could get a Miller Lite in a bottle or to go but it really wasn't advertised). A good selection: Dogfish 90, Bells Two Hearted Ale, Rouge Dead Guy, A house Amber, A house Pilsner, Thomas Creek Deep Water Dopplebock, Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning, Magic Hat #9 and 2 others that I can't think of. The house beers where brewed by Thomas Creek in Greenville, SC and where both very good. The amber ale was especially great. I also tried the Bells Two Hearted Ale (Now #2 on my list of breweries who I wish would sell beer in GA) and the Thomas Creek Dopplebock. They also had a great selection of crafts in bottles. Heck they had North Coast Old Stock on sale for $4 (it was left over from a beer dinner they had hosted) a bottle! Had a great time talking to a few of the regulars and to the bar tenders. There where probably close to 15-20 folks in the bar, which I guess is pretty good for the off-season. I hope the place does well and is around next time I am in the area. Food looked great although we didn't order anything. They also offered to-go beer and wine. The prices where very fair, a bit more than here in Atlanta but I would expect that. Picked out a 6er of the Bells Two Hearted to take home. Glad to see more and more places popping up and supporting the American Craft Beer industry. Anyway, if you are in the Cashiers/Highlands, NC area and want to visit a great beer bar with some great food give Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company a try, you will not be disappointed that you stopped.

Happy Drinking!

New Year, a new beer....

Got back from the land of 3.2 beer (Utah) in one piece. I will say I was pleasantly surprised in the beer selection in the land of Mormon. Tried a few very tasty brews at the Wasach Brewing Company including an excellent Christmas Ale. There was an upstairs "private" club where I am guessing you pay a nominal membership fee and can get in on the high gravity beer (much like the bars in dry counties across the SE US). Picked up 2 sixers of Full Sail Brewing's IPA. A very nice IPA, just right for a post skiing refreshment.

Went to visit the folks in Savannah and ran across a great new bar. The Distillery was suggested by my father of all people. Apparently my fondness of all things beer have begun to rub off on him. He remembered a review about it that he had read in the local fish wrapper so we decided to check it out. Nice open layout in an interesting location. Plenty of seats at the bar and tables and booths for those there to eat or meet up in larger groups. Food menu was quite good, even had a whole "cheap" food section that included grilled cheese sandwiches and PB&J's. Everything on in the cheap section was $5 or less and you could add a 22oz PBR to your order for a buck! On the high end beer side, they have 21 taps of all craft beer. You won't find Bud or Miller on draft (you will find it in a bottle if you must). They had a great selection on draft, all my favs where there: Dogfish, Victory, Stone, Moon River ect. I was very happy to see that the Stone selection they had on draft was Arrogant Bastard (excellent). I order one, my dad picked the Dogfish 90min, brother Will chose the 60min and I ordered Mom a Victory Prima Pils. Everyone was quite pleased. I think I have turned my whole family into Hop heads. Mom drinks beer (Corona or Coors Light) but had never had a big beer (Arrogant Bastard) or really any good craft beer (Prima Pils, one of the best). She really liked the Prima and even liked the AB, she even commented that she couldn't believe I like some of the beer I drink (Finished the night off with an Oskar Blues 1050) but don't drink coffee. Eh, most coffee isn't as good as the beer and doesn't have alcohol in it! Anyway, that is it for now. New beer reviews will be coming as well as an in depth review of my Pale Ale homebrew.