Atlanta’s Top 16 Beer Bars
5 Seasons Brewing Company (Sandy Springs)
5600 Roswell Road (Prado),
Sandy Springs
404.255.5911
www.5seasonsbrewing.com
Deemed the “epicenter of beer culture in Atlanta” by Bob Townsend of the AJC, this brewpub sets the bar for all brewpubs in the city. Head brewer Kevin McNerney (formerly of Sweetwater) is brewing in the zone since taking over for Glenn Sprouse, though his hair isn’t nearly as pretty. The HopGasm, McNerney’s signature brew, is a bold I.P.A. with a sturdy malt backbone that’ll keep you coming back for more.
Brick Store Pub
125 East Court Square, Decatur
404.687.0990
www.brickstorepub.com
Often referred to as “The Pub” by its fanatical following, Brick Store Pub was recently named #6 beer bar in the world by RateBeer.com, only second in the U.S. to Orlando’s famous Redlight Redlight. Even a book written about this beer bar quickly became an Amazon #1 best seller. (Love at the Pub written by local beer enthusiast Mary Jane Mahan) This warm wooded red brick pub deserves every bit of notoriety. From the upstairs Belgian room to the lower horseshoe-shaped bar — the beer selection is second to none. Rumor has it the boys will soon be adding another room where they plan to sell-off vintage bottles they’ve been cellaring for years. Like those rare cellared bottles, this pub seems to better with age. Read more
Southern Tier Creme Brulee
This highly touted imperial stout began landing on beer shelves in Georgia for the first time late last week. I’d say this seasonal was the “must try” beer from the folks at Southern Tier, for me.
The food and beer lover that I am, I enjoyed this brew over and over again in my mind in the weeks leading up to its arrival. Anticipation brewed into lofty expectations. Perhaps too lofty.
The beer I dreamed of was rich with complexity, silky smooth and balanced.
The beer I drank, however, didn’t exactly measure up to the quaff I had in mind. Aroma is extremely sugary — not in a good way — full of butterscotch and caramel. It’s so sweet a diabetic could be pushed into convulsions by a mere whiff. That same cloying aroma carries over to the taste, but with a slightly nauseating vanilla extract finish.
My palate quickly tired from this beer’s obnoxiously high levels of uncontested butterscotch and sugar. Texture is more syrupy than creamy. And I struggle to find any resemblance to creme brulee.
Currently my least favorite beer by Southern Tier.
Stats:
Strength: 9.2% abv
Style: Imperial Stout
Serve In: Snifter
Founders Devil Dancer Triple I.P.A.
This big brew by Founders pushes the envelope in just about every way. As the name suggests, it was put through the ringer three times. It’s been dry-hopped for twenty-six consecutive days with a combination of 10 hop varieties. This huge beer boasts a cheek-clinching 112 IBUs — that’s more than any brewery has documented.
And, if the $18.99 a four-pack (plus tax) price tag doesn’t make you woozy, it’s muscle-flexing 12% abv certainly will.
Devil Dancer pours a hazy reddish orange with thin soapy white head that lingers. Aroma is pine, grapefruit and caramel.
Flavor is complex, a battle between sweet malts and bitter, piny hops that is ultimately won-out by the latter, quite handily.
Brace yourself for a long bitter, citrusy, boozy finish.
It’s another very good brew by the folks at Founders. But is it $18.99 a four-pack good?
I don’t think so. I prefer some balance.
Stats:
Strength: 12% abv
Style: Imperial I.P.A. (Triple I.P.A.)
Serve In: Snifter, Tulip
Brew CAN Do It!
Canned beer has a long and not always illustrious history in the annals of drinking. As early as 1909, brewers unsuccessfully attempted to keep beer fresh and carbonated in tin cans. Anticipating the end of Prohibition, the American Can Company in 1931 began a fresh effort to can beer. By 1935, Krueger’s Finest Beer went on sale in Richmond, VA following shortly by 36 other brewers. The era of canned beer had arrived. Originally, the motive behind the canning of beer was primarily transportation. Flats of cans were easily stackable and shorter, allowing additional product on the delivery truck. Aluminum cans are also less expensive to make, theoretically lowering the costs of the product inside.
Fast forward to 2010. Most of us still assume canned beer tastes like the generic macro brands your father brought home for those trips to the beach. While the beer is still in the ideal format for hiking or picnicking, the quality of both the can and the beer inside have improved dramatically. Today’s can typically has a sprayed water-based liner that prevents the contact between beer and aluminum, mostly eliminating the tinny taste of past-year’s canned beer. The aluminum itself, unlike bottles, blocks the UV rays that turn beer sour. There is also, usually, less exposure to oxygen, helping to reduce the potential for cardboard taste in your beers. Sadly, the manufacture of the aluminum cans does require more energy than bottles so bottles are still more environmentally friendly, although recycling rates are higher on cans than bottles, helping to offset the footprint of canned beer. Read more
Damage Control Pale Ale
Kevin McNerney is on a roll since taking over as head brewer at 5 Seasons Brewing Sandy Springs (5600 Roswell Road @ Prado, Atlanta, 404.255.5911). His latest effort, Damage Control Pale Ale, is a team effort with Josh Rachael of Beer Necessities, a homebrew shop in Alpharetta.
Rachael won a raffle to benefit Haiti hurricane relief at a recent cask ale contest — the big payoff was a rare opportunity to work with McNerney to develop the brewpub’s next release.
I imagine Rachael is happy to have his name on this sly, easy-going pale ale.
It cleverly smacks you with plenty of hops in the nose and initial taste, leading one to believe it’s another hop heavy ale. But just as quickly as you prepare for an all out IBU assault, those hops suddenly lay down and allow for a refreshing citrusy middle that leads to a very balanced rich malty finish. Think who dropped their Maibock in my Hopgasm?
This laid-back brew drinks like a featherweight at 5% abv, which bodes well for session drinkers who brave the oppressive summer heat.
With the onslaught of overly hopped I.P.A.s on the market today, I’ve once again begun to appreciate balanced brews.
McNerney has yet to disappoint since his arrival at The 5.
Stats:
Strength: 5% abv
Style: Pale Ale
Serve In: Pint Glass
Quintessence, a wild child
Originally brewed by Crawford Moran (a guest brewer at that time) for the popular brewpub’s 5th anniversary. I have a long head-spinning history with this crafty quintuple (is there such a thing?), and I must say it can be a wild one.
At first taste, I was blown away — one of the best beers I’d ever bellied up to. Two days later, though still quite a drinker, it lost a little something. A return trip less than a week after my second attempt yielded a Quintessence pour so perfect in its big beer mouthfeel and deep dark fruity flavors that I actually shed a tear.
Unlike most big Belgians, which tend to steadily strengthen with age, this first-batch bad boy spiked up and down like an erratic heartbeat, from exceptional to ordinary — and back — as it took on the sands of time.
To this day, Quintessence stands out for me as one of the most memorable brews on record. It boasts 5 different specialty malts and 5 different hops. Twenty-five pounds of dark Belgian candi sugar were added to the kettle. And of course, all those hops measure up to 55 IBUs.
After a two-year stint without a single taste of this guy, I was ready to strap on my big boy pants and give Moran’s latest batch at 5 Seasons Brewing Westside (1000 Marietta St., Westside, 404.) a try.
The memories come flooding back examining the deep dark pour, the smells of yeast and caramel are strong with notes of chocolate and plum, and even a tease of clove.
Upfront is a rich complexity of roasty caramel, toffee and yeast that hands the torch over to a chocolatey, dark fruit middle before that breath of clove makes itself present all the way through the beer’s slightly earthy finish.
It possesses great depth as a big Belgian should, and Moran hides the alcohol well. They say it’s about 11% abv. But lordy, lordy it’s sneaky, and will hit you in the head like a 14% heavyweight. Grab a friend and split it.
All in all, this beer is a beauty, though sometimes it can act like a tortured soul.
It’s been fun watching this wild child come into its own over the years.
Stats:
Strength: 11% abv
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Serve In: Trappist Glass, Tulip, Tumbler
Terrapin’s Double Feature
This column’s goal is to cover beers that are brewed for good causes. As if we need an excuse to drink beer. Being a Georgia grad myself, it’s awfully difficult to overlook Terrapin Beer Co.’s, charitable effort to brew a 4-part series to help rebuild the historic Georgia Theatre in Athens, which tragically burned to the ground last summer.
Owners of the 120-year old historic structure held a standard insurance policy, which only covered the building as is when purchased, grandfathered into the 1930s building codes. Rebuilding to today’s code will cost twice as much as the insurance check.
Efforts in the Classic City and from coast to coast are rocking along to help raise money to rebuild this quirky little piece of rock & roll history.
Among those lending a helping hand is Athens-based Terrapin Beer Co., who has pledged a 4-beer series with a portion of proceeds to be donated to Georgia Historic Trust for Historic Preservation fund to rebuild the Georgia Theatre.
The first brew of this series was Iron Tankard, a creamy old stock ale that is considered by some to be Spike Buckowski’s (head brewer) best work yet. Those are mighty words.
The second is a beer called Double Feature, a Belgian-style Dubbel, which is slated to land on beer shelves early July.
I received an early 22oz bomber and must say, it’s another solid brew from Spike.
This one drinks more in tune with a Belgian strong pale (Abbey Ale) rather than a traditional Belgian-style dubbel.
There’s plenty of banana on the nose with faint whiffs of bubblegum. The hops break through in the early part of the flavor before fading out to a smooth banana finish with a fun layer of bubblegum, which is more noticeable here than in the aroma.
Be sure to be mindful of serving temperature with this one. Too cold, and all that delicious fruit and bubblegum doesn’t release, making for a weird rather soury, bitter quaff. Let it sit.
I recommend buying two so you can set one back for later. Should be fun watching this beer grow up.
Terrapin sweetens the pot with these Georgia Theatre session beers. Each of the four releases will contain one lucky Golden Ticket. The Golden ticket will be a lifetime pass to the renovated Georgia Theatre.
As the label says, “drink up and rock on!”
Stats:
Strength: 8.5% abv
Style: Belgian-style Dubbel Ale
Serve In: Trappist Glass
Twain’s: Choco-nut, a bold cask-conditioned brown ale
Like wine, some beers are drinking brews while others are best enjoyed with nosh. Brown ales rank near the top of all beer styles when pairing with food. Though many are mild and only hold their own against nuts and cheeses, more robust renditions can stand up to red meat, and some hoppier versions may even cut through spicy stews.
Jordan Fleetwood, head brewer at Twain’s Billiards & Tap (211 East Trinity Place, Decatur, 404.373.0063), recently caught me by surprise with a crazy cask-aged brown ale he calls Choco-nut. It’s a deep dark brown pour with lingering vanilla bean-flecked tan head, which plays nicely with the upfront cocoa-y flavor. The cask softened the carbonation creating a lasting silky mouthfeel.
The middle, all the way through to the finish is a fun, wild ride. Mainly dominated by a heavy-handed dose of nutmeg, but somewhere in the middle I get a fleeting taste of star anise and clove before nutmeg overpowers through the finish.
This beer screams food. I wanted to smuggle mine out the door and make a run for Buford Highway. It’s funky attitude would hold up well to a warm herbaceous bowl of pho, and it’s just prickly enough to cut through a heady bowl of bo’ kho (Vietnamese beef stew).
I still believe Fleetwood is overlooked by the media. He continues to put out some of the better local brew.
Stats
Strength: 6% abv
Style: Cask-conditioned Brown Ale
Serve In: Snifter
Florida Beer Trek
Florida is not generally noted for the quality of their beer by the common beer community. Several small craft breweries have challenged this apparent misconception, creating some critically acclaimed, award winning beers. Devoted beer bars have been struggling against this image, offering more interesting and rare beers, cask ales, and shirking the macrobreweries of America. On a recent trip to Florida, I had the first hand thrill of the Florida beer culture.
Spending my birthday weekend with friends in Orlando brought me to the notable Redlight Redlight, a beer bar and music venue of considerable reputation. Having been dubbed the 4th Best Beer Bar in the World by Ratebeer.com, Redlight Redlight in Orlando has managed to create an intensely enviable beer bar. An amazingly diverse bottle list, 20 drafts, and two hand-pull gravity pumps create an oasis amid the tourist snares of overpriced American Macros. Read more
Terrapin: The Iron Tankard Old Stock Ale
The morning of June 19, 2009, flames gutted The Georgia Theatre, a famous music house in Athens, GA that played host to a variety of big name bands like R.E.M, The Police, B.B. King, The B-52s and Widespread Panic.
Being a UGA grad, I have my own fond memories of The Georgia Theatre.
Owners of the 120-year old historic structure only held a standard insurance policy, which covered the building as is when purchased, grandfathered into the 1930s building codes. Rebuilding to today’s standards will cost twice as much as the insurance check.
Efforts in the Classic City — and, from coast to coast — are in full swing to help raise money to rebuild this quirky little piece of music history.
Among those lending a helping hand is Athens-based Terrapin Beer Co., who has pledged 4 sessions beers with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to Georgia Historic Trust for Historic Preservation fund to rebuild the Georgia Theatre.
The first of the sessions is called The Iron Tankard, an old ale that pours brownish copper with red highlights. Thin tan head lingers as a silky cover leaving spotty lacing around the glass. The head sticks around till the very end, adding to the beer’s big beautiful creamy mouthfeel. Read more
Poll
Have chefs quite being chefs during this bad economy?
- Some, but not the majority (79%, 22 Votes)
- No, none of them (11%, 3 Votes)
- Most, but not all (11%, 3 Votes)
- Yes, all of them (-1%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 28
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