For those who don’t know, a growler is a sixty-four or thirty-two ounce refillable glass container for fresh take-home draught beer — and I apparently underestimated the power it wields over the average beer drinker.

What was I drinking, you ask? Well, perhaps I wasn’t drinking enough and when it comes to the growler frenzy, I’m still not drinking much. But I seem to be in a beer bar all by myself on this one. Atlanta has seemingly morphed into Growler Town, USA, practically overnight and many feel the fad is only getting ready to explode.

Growler-only stores are springing up all over town even in the suburbs, stores such as newly-opened Moondog Growlers (688 Whitlock Ave, Suite 3B, Marietta, Tel: 678.354.6268), Marietta’s first growler-only filling station. Owner Eleanor Benson would only smile when asked if she has more stores in mind.

Hop City Craft Beer & Wine (1000 Marietta Street suite #302, Atlanta, Tel: 404.350.9998) owner Kraig Torres, the first in Atlanta to offer these counter pressurized co2 flushed bottle fills of glorious draught beer to the public, believes the market will only continue to strengthen and recently expanded his modest sixteen-tap selection to a mesmerizing wall of sixty.

“We’re seeing that the average beer drinker wants to enjoy his or her favorite draught beer at home in their living room,” says Torres.

And, according to most beer drinkers I have spoken with, he’s absolutely right.

“It enables the draught beer experience in the home environment,” explains local beer enthusiast Caren West, founder of Caren West PR, a popular Public Relations firm that represents several Atlanta area restaurants as well as local brewery Wild Heaven.

Truth be told, all these interviews and quotes are just a journalistic formality. Anyone with two good eyes can see by the lines wrapped around the building at every growler store that beer drinkers have taken a serious liking to take-out draught beer.

Who knew the average beer drinker would play such a role?

What’s technology got to do with it?
Everything, according to Harry Hager. Hager opened our city’s first homebrew store (Amber Waves) a few decades ago and if his name sounds familiar, that’s because he is also a columnist for this publication. He argues that “technology is the appeal.”

Who can refute that? With today’s technology, counter pressure bottle fillers, growler beer has staying power that lasts not just a few short hours, but many days.

Hager credits this technology for the success of new microbreweries such as Red Hare Brewing in Marietta who, thanks to the demand of growlers, isn’t forced to absorb the tremendous cost of bottling, that is passed onto the consumer who is gladly waiting in line to pick up that cost in the form of a $4.99 bottle charge — a mere pittance when you consider the price of draught beer at the neighborhood tavern.

Who is losing?
Generally, when a hot new thing comes to market somebody else suffers. The obvious losers here are the pubs and bars. Think about it, that guaranteed Friday night thirty dollar draught beer tab has been lost to a thirteen dollar growler store pick up.

Does this mean the end for bars? Definitely not.

Drinking establishments, though pricy, offer a much needed social environment. After all, the girl of your dreams isn’t likely to just stumble into your living room out of nowhere.

The other loser, liquor store owners who placed a heavy emphasis on craft beer in their stores. There are only a small handful of these, most of which are reporting a noticeable decrease in craft beer sales since the growler surge. Remember, law restricts liquor stores from selling growlers.

Open letter to all who sell growlers
Please take selection seriously. Get creative and throw us a curve every once in a while. Some of us avid beer drinkers only sparingly buy growlers because you don’t sell anything of interest. There, I said it.

I totally understand that this is a business for you and ultimately, money talks. But is it too much to ask for Belgian brews? You know, the ones that are significantly better on tap.

A nice trippel or quadrupel would do the trick.

I spent two weeks monitoring growler menus, most of which were nearly identical. No surprise there.

But I was shocked to discover that only The Beer Growler (38A N. Avondale Rd, Avondale Estates tel: 404.228.1463) had enough sense to run a Belgian offering.

Seriously?

And while I’m on my soap box, could you work a little harder to give us something unique?

I’m not asking that you load all thirty taps with bizarre off-the-wall stuff, but couldn’t you reserve one handle for the thrill drinker?

…just one measly tap?

During the month of February this beer is only offered at select Taco Macs around town. So, for those of you who are too cool for Taco Mac — and I know some of you are — you will be forced to wait until March to give this beer a shot.

The goal of this beer according to owner Nick Purdy and brewer Eric Johnson is to show that “light” beers can register big in the taste department.

Johnson’s use of a unique New Zealand hop called Nelson Sauvin — think sauvignon blanc — gives this brew a big fruity grape-like flavor and plenty of personality. Lemony sorachi ace hops and a little orange peel combine to add a complex citrus-y note that hangs in there all the way to the finish.

Let There Be Light is the first hoppy offering from Wild Heaven. In the past, I’ve given nods of appreciation to the guys for not playing follow-the-leader during the onslaught of IPA madness — and for brewing a seriously sexy imperial brown ale right out of the gate.

Purdy and Johnson have released only big tasty beers with lofty alcohol levels until Let There Be Light. The goal in play here is a “sessionable,” lower alcohol brew. I believe they achieved this for the most part — this beer is bursting with big beer flavor without having to flex high gravity muscle.

All in all, another nice local brew from our friends at Wild Heaven.

Stats:
Strength: 4.7% abv
Style: American Ale
Serve In: Pint Glass

Our rating system ranges from 0 to 5 stars.
0 Stars: tastes like bad homebrew
1 Star: tastes like mediocre homebrew
2 Stars: tastes like good homebrew
3 Stars: Nice beer
3.5 Stars: Great beer
4 Stars: Amazing beer
4.5 Stars: Just shy of perfect
5 Stars: Excellence, among the best beers of this style

But Terenzi’s stint as brewmaster at the popular Inman Park brewpub came to an abrupt end early November after being arrested by Dekalb County police.

Owner and longtime homebrewer, Bob Sandage, immediately announced on a neighborhood message board that he would assume the position of brewmaster — and he has. In fact, his first two beers are now on tap.

Colin’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale is a full kilt kicking 8.5% abv, named after Sandage’s oldest son and is the first to pour. When he announced this beer’s release on the brewpub’s Facebook Page, he admitted this is his big leap from homebrewer to pro-brewer. And that transition is no easy task.

That being said, I am hoping this first attempt at pro-brew is nothing more than first-time jitters. The murky dark pour is somewhat thin and practically non-descript in flavor. I say practically because somewhere around mid point, a faint peaty, cloying sweetness manages to break through and stay with me until near finish, before the beer kindly shows an act of mercy by dissipating to shear nothingness again. Oy.

I prefer a chewier, more viscous Wee Heavy Scotch Ale.

On a better note, Sandage’s second beer, Nathan’s 13 Minute Amber, named after his second son, proved to be a far better effort and more along the lines of what I expect from a true pro-brewer.

A clever west coast Amber, this beer’s not nearly the hop assault the aroma suggests. And you better watch out, at 7.4% abv — a little high for this style — it’s an easy drinker.

With only 13% of the hops used in more than 13% of total boil time, this one leaves you with an intensely fresh floral hop flavor without the harsh bitterness. And the big caramel malt backbone really rounds things out. I must say, a very nice brew.

At the end of the day I came with the notion that Sandage is certainly clever and creative, but only time will tell if he has the deft brewing hand this brewpub so desperately needs after a shaky start under Chris Terenzi.

Colin’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

Stats:
Strength: 8.5% abv
Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
Serve In: Tulip, Snifter

Nathan’s 13 Minute Amber

Stats:
Strength: 7.4% abv
Style: American Amber Ale
Serve In: Pint Glass

Dempsey currently contract brews through Thomas Creek Brewery out of South Carolina.

His latest stab at pro-brew is a silky Russian Imperial Stout he calls Your Black Heart. This latest effort is safely played, much like his previous offerings. And I’m willing to bet Dempsey probably receives a lot of gripes for being too safe, as he seems to be a true-to-style kind of brewer, at least in the early going. Which is actually okay by me. I prefer getting to know a brewer before seeing his kinky side.

There’s plenty hop bitterness to offset all those malts in this not-so-big Imperial stout that weighs in at a modest 8% abv.

Aroma and flavor are coffee, chocolate, somewhat bready with a lingering bitter finish.

My biggest lament about this beer is mouthfeel. What I like most about Russian Imperial stouts is that they are big creamy beers. This one has its silky moments but a weird sharp carbonation peeks through from time to time, making it just tad thin for this style.

Other than that, the flavors are cohesive and spot-on. It drinks like a pro despite the obvious lack of inventiveness.

Unlike some, I will grit and bear one or two more conservative attempts from Dempsey before I start calling for something a little more daring. Take a chance, Dempsey. Who knows, you might just shock yourself.

Stats:
Strength: 8% abv
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Serve In: Snifter

The young brewer doesn’t come with a long impressive resume. “Up to this point, I’ve never brewed the same beer recipe twice.” Claims Stein.

He is, however, a forward thinker and every bit as creative as any American craft brewer seems to be these days.

“In general, I brew to achieve a bright, exciting beer that is balanced and drinkable, says Stein, “emphasis on exciting — I don’t agree with making boring beer.”

To give you an idea of his approach, Stein once brewed a Saison with Sweet Tarts candy.

Owners Uri and Ethan Wurtzel have been busy with changes at the brewpub over the past year, bringing in a new chef and brewer.

“David [Stein] comes in with fresh perspective,” says Ethan, “his motivation to produce robust flavors in sessionable beers, specifically his IPAs, is going to be appreciated.”

The brewpub is growing, too. Ethan is happy to announce that the brewpub will be expanding capacity by year’s end by bringing in two 15-barrel fermentation vessels.

And since Twain’s has a distribution contract with Savannah Distributing Co., Stein hopes to brew in collaboration with chefs around town.

Stein’s beers should be pouring by mid January. He plans to kick things off with an IPA and Imperial Stout.

Founded in Kiln, MS — ironically, the bootleg capital of Mississippi — late 2003, Lazy Magnolia Brewing became the state’s first and only “legal” brewery, and remains so today.

Their brews have just recently started to make their way into Georgia with the first batch being the brewery’s flagship brew, Southern Pecan, an easy drinking sweet nut brown ale made with — you guessed it! — roasted pecans. For a brown ale this one has plenty of complexity with its big sweet overtones and lasting nutty undercurrents. A faint earthy, almost wood finish.

One problem, it’s a little thin. As a result, the sweet is to the point of cloying, the nutty is so hard to detect it might as well not be there at all, and that brilliant earthy finish peeks in and out but doesn’t carry through the way I want it to.

I believe a bigger texture and more body would really bring out these genius, complex flavors — and, who knows — it might even set the bar for all brown ales to come. This beer truly has that type of potential, but until they find a way to give it more body and really bring all that fun complexity together — it’s only 2.5 stars for now.

Stats:
Strength: 4.5% abv
Style: Brown Ale
Serve In: Pint Glass

Our rating system ranges from 0 to 5 stars.
0 Stars: tastes like bad homebrew
1 Star: tastes like mediocre homebrew
2 Stars: tastes like good homebrew
2.5 Sarts: Almost
3 Stars: A nice beer
3.5 Stars: Great beer
4 Stars: Amazing beer
4.5 Stars: Just shy of perfect
5 Stars: Excellence, among the best beers of this style

We changed the title to “Beer Destinations” from “Beer Bars” because some that made this year’s list are more restaurant than bar.

Despite the variety of personalities on the list, all have one thing in common, an incredibly, well-thought beer selection. In today’s craft-happy beer world, a good beer list can be found just about anywhere, but a great beer list, well, that’s something that’s still hard to come by — and requires a little more effort than just adding Fat Tire and SweetWater to the draft lines.

For this list we took several things into consideration. How vast, or eclectic is the selection? Do they brew their own? How well does the beer complement the food? I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

Expanding to twenty-five is a result of the growing craft beer resurgence and the fact that Atlanta has a big heart for craft beer. And to think it was only five years ago when several local wine directors here in town emphatically claimed that beer would never, ever be a significant factor in our local dining scene. They are eating those words now — and I do wonder what they are pairing them with.

I should probably end this little intro before I begin to gloat, or bore you to death. So without further ado (and in no particular order) I give you this year’s Top 25 Beer Destinations Atlanta, as we see it.

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 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.  Be sure to check out the new bar, which pours rare vintage bottles that the boys have been cellaring for many years. Some things just better with age.

Thinking Man Tavern
537 W. Howard Ave, Decatur
404.370.1717
www.thinkingmantavern.com
Pull up a silly board game and get comfortable with an Allagash. This American craft-heavy beer bar is worthy of a drive from anywhere in the city.  If you can’t find an American microbrew you like at this beer bar, then you obviously don’t like beer.  And the “drink American” message doesn’t stop at beer — this one also boasts an all American small batch line-up of distilled spirits. Like any great beer bar today, there is a periodical cask offering.

The Porter Beer Bar
1156 Euclid Avenue, Little 5 Points
404.223.0393
www.theporterbeerbar.com
No surprise here. This funky Little 5 Points beer destination truly defines the term “gastropub.” Chef/owner Nick Rutherford boasts a strong resume, which includes Bacchanalia. So he’s got game.  Combine his smart non-fussy, brew-minded menu with wife Molly Gunn’s vast, over-achieving beer program and you’ve got what very well could be the ultimate food and beer pairing experience Atlanta has to offer. Then top all that with fun seasonal casks and occasional beer dinners with the brewer and hopheads finally have reason to get their hippie punk on in Little 5 Points.  

Leon’s Full Service
131 East Ponce De Leon Avenue, Decatur
404.687.0500
www.leonsfullservice.com
The boys from Brick Store Pub opened this stylish and drinkery with a little more emphasis on food and cocktails, but there’s still plenty for the beer lover, of course. This bar arms itself with fourteen bona fide’s on tap and incredibly vast bottle selection. And as you might expect, it’s a thoughtful list with a rotating offering of 22oz bombers by the glass (big shorty) each day for those wanting to try as much as humanely possible, and not cause liver failure. It’s almost scary watching the staff climb a library ladder to fetch beers from high reaching thermostatically controlled coolers. Food is chef driven (chef Eric Ottensmeyer) and mostly great, highlighted by big bold flavors and strangely delicious combinations.  It’s the only beer bar in town (we know of) to offer bacon by the glass — with a side of peanut butter.

Wild Wing Café (Marietta)
2145 Roswell Road, Marietta
770.509.9464
www.wildwingcafe.com/our-locations/marietta-ga.php
Last year many people emailed us in support of this mighty craft beer destination, wrongly excluded from the list. What can I say? I assumed all Wild Wing Cafés were created equal, but after further research I realized that is far from true, at least in terms of beer selection and this particular location. This serious contender not only ranks as best beer selection of all local Wild Wing Cafés, it’s as strong a beer program as you’ll find anywhere in the city, yes, I did say anywhere. And it’s all laid out by geographical location in a user-friendly thick black leathery book.

5 Seasons Brewing Company (Prado Location)
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) took over for highly regarded Glen Sprouse. HopGasm, McNerney’s signature brew, is a bold I.P.A. with a sturdy malt backbone, a beer that quickly made ripples throughout the beer community. Since, McNerney has made his mark with an amazing cast of seasonals like the ethereal No Blarney Stout. Must try new beers would be Hop To Conclusion (who spilled their Festbier into my Hopgasm?) and easy-going Slam Dunkel.

5 Seasons Brewing Company (Alpharetta & West)
*1000 Marietta St., NW (@Brickworks), Westside 404.875.3232
*3655 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta 770.521.5551
www.5seasonsbrewing.com
The creative mind in charge of brewing at these two 5 Seasons is head brewer Crawford Moran, formerly of Dogwood Brewery. Currently the largest in the state, Moran’s brew system at the Westside location is every brewer’s wet dream — and powered by the restaurant’s fryer grease.  The Alpharetta location is the only brewpub outside the perimeter for now. The food out of owner/chef Dave Larkworthy’s kitchen catapults this brew house to “gastropub” status. The upstairs sky bar (Westside) is a fine seat to take in Moran’s crafty beers and Larkworthy’s local farm-inspired menu.

Twain’s Billards and Tap
211 East Trinity Place, Decatur
404.373.0063
www.twains.net
Brewer Jordan Fleetwood is your stereotypical American craft brewer, highly creative and willing to challenge “style boundaries.” I’ve said this about chefs in the past and I will say the same for craft brewers, before you set out to push the envelope of creativity, first be comfortable with the true fundamentals of your craft. You can’t run before you learn how to walk. And few will argue with me when I say that Fleetwood does possess the skills necessary and that’s evident in his beers. He claims he doesn’t have a flagship brew, but his followers think he does in the Mad Happy Pale Ale.  This brewpub attracts the funkier side of Decatur.  So pull up a barstool — order a Mad Happy — and compare tatts with the natives.

Wrecking Bar Brewpub
292 Moreland Ave.,
Inman Park
404.221.2600
www.wreckingbarbrewpub.com
Style police take warning! Head brewer Chris Terenzi brews with reckless abandon, and with very little attention to style boundaries.  To say his beers push the envelope is an understatement.  After several visits I’ve come to understand Terenzi’s creative style and appreciate his attempts to challenge our entire perception of beer.  But like with any uber creative chef or brewer, one must roll with the many misses to find the hits like the bright, floral Das Hopfen German IPA with strong fruity undertones, or Terenzi’s food-savvy Golden Nelson Ale brewed with the unusual New Zealand hop, Nelson Sauvin, think Sauvignon Blanc grape. 

Muss & Turner’s
1675 Cumberland Parkway Southeast, Smyrna
770.434.1114
www.mussandturners.com
This deli on steroids by day/highly acclaimed restaurant by night puts as much sweat into their beer selection as they do the food — and the chefs in the kitchen are as beer savvy as you’ll find anywhere.  Drink aficionados from all over gather at an orange wedge-shaped bar to talk beer, wine and now spirits.  The draft list is extremely limited, but they make the best of their space by pouring smart beers that range from hoppy to malty and features both seasonal crafts and classic Belgian brews.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a more skilled place to get your food and beer pairings on.

L’Thai (East and West)
*4880 Lawrenceville hwy, Tucker. 770.491.9948
*4500 W. Village Pl, Ste 1017, Smyrna. 770.434.4344
www.lethai.com
This organic Thai destination quietly offers an amazing beer program for an Asian restaurant, far better than you’ll find at any Thai restaurant in town. The selection’s main focus is in on organic offerings such as St. Peter’s Organic English Ale, Wychwood Brewery Scarecrow Ale and the unusual Williams Bros. Brewing Kelpie Seaweed Ale, a beer made with — you guessed it — seaweed. But there’s also quite an extensive American craft list (all by the bottle) for those less interested in organic brew. Pairing tip: Lobster Panang curry and that Kelpie Seaweed Ale.

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
1238 Dekalb Avenue, Inman Park
404.577.4030
www.foxbrosbbq.com
Beer and smoky meat — they just go together. So why is it that so few barbecue joints put real effort into their beer selections? But then, Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q is anything but an ordinary ‘cue joint. They tend to do things better than the others and that goes for the beer menu as well. It’s a mostly American list featuring everything from cheap, slutty macro brews to a decent selection of American crafts, including a heavy dose of offerings from Heavy Seas. Spicy brisket chili and a sweet malty Heavy Seas Marzen — it just doesn’t get any better than that on a cool fall day.

Big Tex Cantina
308 W. Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur
404.377.3939
www.bigtexcantina.com
How many Tex-Mex restaurants in this town have a worthy craft beer selection? Only one that we can think of, and that’s Jonathan and Justin’s newly opened Big Tex Cantina. The beer menu is similar to that of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, but the drinking bar is far more comfortable. So kick back with a yellow queso dip flecked with green and red chilies, a brisket taco and a wisely selected American craft brew. Oh, and did I mention that they offer one of the best burgers in the city?

Raging Burrito & Taco
141 Sycamore Street, Decatur
404.377.3311
www.ragingburrito.com
One thing I thought I’d never see is a burrito joint with an admirable beer selection. But I’ve also learned that in Decatur almost anything is possible when it comes to beer. At this burrito joint the 16-tap American craft selection is mostly IPAs and the burrito and beer garden patio is in my opinion, the best deck in Decatur. The hopped up beer selection is forgiven in this case, as it sits well with the whole southern California burrito thing — where they like to roll fatties while drinking hoppy beer.

The Book House Pub
736 Ponce De Leon Avenue, Midtown
404.254.1176
www.thebookhousepub.com
Better dig up those library cards ladies and gents! What, you don’t have one? Fortunately for you, no card required for this library. Bookhouse Pub does indeed have books — a pretty cool selection at that — but a standard ID will do just fine to get your drink on at this quaint and quiet pub. Pick beers of choice and pay for however many you try, and that ID required for noshes like the sweet potato wrap, blue cheese chips or lamb sausage.  Try the Original Sin cider if you’re feeling a little naughty, go with the New Belgian Fat Tire Ale for a simpler, safer offering, or pick your fave from their small but well-selected catalogue of beers. Best of all — no need to remember the Dewey Decimal System when ordering here.

Young Augustine’s
327 Memorial Drive, Grant Park
404.681.3344
Did you know that Augustine was the patron saint of brewers? The folks at Young Augustine’s did. The everyday list and rotating seasonal beer selection at this popular Grant Park destination, formerly The Standard, would make St. Augustine proud. Good eats — the fries are made in a combo of duck fat and vegetable oil, and tasty as all get out — complement the small but well-selected brew list. Those who remember from the previous regime that giant plume of smoke that hung over the bar, now have good reason to sing with the saints and angels as they appreciate the new no-smoking edict — balance out that burger, fries and beer with a clean-lung environment.

Cypress Street Pint & Plate
Ste E125, 817 West Peachtree Street, Midtown
404.815.9243
www.cypressstreetpintandplate.com
This little west Midtown eat and drinkery doesn’t have the largest selection, but they make the most of it. The selection rotates out every Tuesday, or as they call it “Beer Geek Tuesday.” The staff is extremely knowledgeable in the ways of food and beer pairing and are more than capable of leading you to the perfect match, whether it be lunch or dinner. This popular little beer destination was this part of town’s first introduction to a passionate program. It’s good to see it still going strong today.

Midway Pub
552 Flat Shoals Avenue, East Atlanta Village
404.584.0335
www.themidwaypub.com
At this often overlooked East Atlanta Village beer bar, the taps are fresh, beers are poured with loving care and the food is much better than need be.  It boasts a manageable but well-thought out 18-tap selection, which typically includes anything from popular Bell’s to Dogfish Head and a slew of local stuff. The lengthy bottle list is nothing to sneer at, and the beer garden is a popular hophead hangout when the weather cooperates. As East Atlanta Village struggles to pull itself out from under its hippie punk stigma and become something of more significance, places like Midway Pub offer nice direction.

Ormsby’s
1170 Howell Mill Road, Westside
404.968.2033
www.ormsbysatlanta.com
This jam-packed player has quickly become a Westside beer institution.  And it’s likely the best first-date place for beer enthusiasts. The tap offerings wouldn’t be considered dizzying by any stretch of the imagination, but the selection is large enough to find something to your liking whether you are a novice craft beer drinker or a full-fledged beer snob, and there is a great balance between American crafts and Belgian brews. What separates this place from the others is its subterranean game cave where hip couples sip beer from snifters while tossing darts and throwing bocce.

Taco Mac Numerous locations
www.tacomac.com
Taco Mac was the beer culture in Atlanta during the 80s and 90s.  If it weren’t for them, Atlanta’s thriving beer scene wouldn’t be where it is today.  Some Taco Mac’s today arrive armed and ready with more than140 beers on tap and over 200 by the bottle, plus a beer engine for pouring cask ales. Tip your hat and raise a pint to this mighty beer institution.   

The Fred
5600 Roswell Road, Suite 3, Sandy Springs
404.941.1503
www.tacomac.com
This windowless speakeasy-ish beer beer bar is situated in the basement of Taco Mac Prado.  The bar is named after Taco Mac beverage director Fred Crudder.  Once you find the hidden door around the side, you’ll discover this subterranean brew cave where beer aficionados come to get their geek on. But if talking yeast strains and fermentation processes with the natives isn’t quite your pint of brew, just kick back and enjoy a rare boutique beer or two from Fred’s carefully thought 20-draft selection. It’s not about quantity at The Fred, but rather quality.  

Summit’s Wayside Tavern 3 locations
*3334 Stone Mountain Highway, Snellville 770.736.1333
*525 Lake Center Pkwy, Cumming 770.886.4374
*2990 Eagle Drive, Woodstock 770.924.5315
Owner Andy Klubock is one of our city’s great craft beer pioneers as an original Taco Mac owner. His 3 suburban outposts make the occasional OTP journey worthwhile.  Both bottle and tap selections are strong, if not dizzying. Klubock and his crew routinely tap quality casks and offer what might possibly be the largest selection of Rogue beers in the city.  He’s also known to throw some of the wildest beer dinners around. And now, the food has even improved with menu additions like American Kobe burgers. Suburban hopheads need raise a glass to Andy for shortening their ride.

The Family Dog
1402 North Highland Ave.,
Virginia Highland
404.249.0180
www.thefamilydogatlanta.com
Every neighborhood needs a watering hole with a nifty beer selection and fun chef-driven menu. And that’s exactly what chef/owner Ron Eyester (also owns Rosebud) has brought to Virginia Highland with his latest concept The Family Dog, which happens to be located directly across the street from Rosebud. The beer program at this warm neighborhood hang ranges from Belgian large formats to fun seasonal American crafts like the prickly Heavy Seas Winter Storm on tap. On the food side, dive into the Disco Fries smothered with local Sweet Grass Dairy cheese and pickled jalapenos, anointed with a creamy fried egg and served with a rich gravy for dipping. Sublime.

Local Three Kitchen & Bar
3290 Northside Pkwy, Atlanta,
404.968.2700
www.localthree.com
Todd Mussman + Ryan Turner + chef Chris Hall = three local people who are passionate as hell about the food and drink they serve — and that goes for beer as well. The selection here is similar to that of Muss & Turner’s in that it is a small but well thought list with a nice combination of big Belgian brews and American crafts. And much like sister restaurant Muss & Turner’s, when it comes to getting your food and beer pairing on, these people might be the sharpest tools in the keg cooler..

Deckard’s American Tavern
650 Ponce de Leon, Midtown
404.941.3520
www.kitchenandkegs.com
This newish Midtown craft beer bar’s kitchen takes a New England slant. With 24 carefully selected American crafts on tap, a system custom made in Slovenia from gleaming copper, and 75 craft brews by the bottle, the Taco Mac folks bring a certain unpretentious yet sophisticated beer venue to Midtown. The ultimate beer snack here is chef Deckard’s bag o’pretzels, soft housemade salty pretzel balls served on a wooden plank with spicy cherry pepper dijonaise.

Rather than have some middle age guy quote statistics at you and theorize on what women like and don’t like we decided to conduct an informal beer tasting with seven young women who are just entering the adult world of legal beer sales and give you the results of what we found. Was it scientific and statistically sound? No. Was it representative of all women’s beer preferences? No. Was it an opportunity for some beginning female beer drinkers to give their opinions on what they liked and didn’t like about a variety of different beer styles? Yes, it was and this is what we did and what we learned.

Prior to the tasting, each participant answered the seven questions below.

1. What kind of beer do you like?
57% percent used the word “light” in describing beers they like.

2. Do you like “hoppy” beer?
86% did not like “hoppy” beer.

3. Do you like beer that is more bitter or more sweet?
86% preferred more sweet beers

4. If a beer is darker in color I expect that it will taste …
57% expected it would taste “heavy”. 43% expected a “coffee” taste.

5. The last beer I bought was …
71% last bought a lager beer.

6. The last beer I got drunk on was…
Only 14% got drunk on beer that they had bought.

7. Do you believe that a woman’s sense of taste is different than a man’s sense of taste?
50% thought sense of taste differed between sexes. 50% did not.

We were curious if their answers to the questions before the tasting would be proven out during the tasting. The tasting included six styles of beer in this order: a Hefeweizen; an American Lager; an English Pale Ale; a Grand Cru; an American IPA, and an English Oatmeal Stout. Participants were asked to taste each beer, tell us if they liked it, and if so would they buy a glass, a six pack, or a twelve pack – assuming all the beers were priced the same. After tasting all the beers they were asked to pick a favorite of the six they tasted.

The tasting results were pretty much in line with the questions answered. Very hoppy beers were not as popular. The American Lager was the most popular style (43%) followed surprisingly by the English Oatmeal Stout (29%). T he Hefeweizen and Grand Cru tied for third (14%) followed distantly by the English Pale Ale and lastly the American IPA.

While the pre tasting expectation was a stated preference for sweet and less hoppy beer, the sweetest of the group (the Hefeweizen) wasn’t as popular as the slightly hoppier American Lager. The dark “heavy” oatmeal stout was surprisingly popular coming in second. (An Oatmeal Stout still fits with the preference for sweeter beers). Though the hoppiest of the beer styles placed dead last, the sweetest of the styles was not the most popular. Tasting preferences would suggest that the majority of our participants preferred a more balanced beer – one that was neither excessively hoppy nor sweet.

So what have we learned? We have learned that “chick beer” can be dark and that some hoppiness was a not a bad thing but was actually preferred. We have learned that the women in our little experiment appreciated many different styles of beer but were not fans of very bitter or hoppy beers. All the participants were excited about the possibility of second tasting involving flavored beers so our research continue in a later column.

Summarily, it would be wrong to extrapolate that the results of a small informal tasting represent all women’s taste in beer and we are no closer to determining if there are any sex based differences in the sense of taste but if you have an opinion, please leave us a comment.

Detailed Date Table from Study
Question 1: What kind of beer do you like?
Participant 1: Not too light, Not too heavy, I like tasting the wheat and hops.

Participant 2: Guinness because it it smoother and I like the nitrogen.

Participant 3: Light, Crisp

Participant 4: Light beers with a fruity taste

Participant 5: Light but still have a bitter taste.

Participant 6: Prefer wine or Liquor. I had a cherry beer that was delicious – the only beer I enjoyed, ever.

Participant 7: Lighter more wheat beers, sweet beers

Question 2: Do you like Hoppy beer?
Participant 1: Yes
Participant 2: No
Participant 3: No
Participant 4: No
Participant 5: No
Participant 6: No
Participant 7: No

Question 3: Do you like sweeter or bitter beer?
Participant 1: Bitter
Participant 2: Sweet
Participant 3: Sweet
Participant 4: Sweet
Participant 5: Sweet
Participant 6: Sweet
Participant 7: Sweet

Question 4:I expect a dark colored beer to taste…
Participant 1: Stronger, Heavier, Coffee like
Participant 2: Heavy, Rich
Participant 3: Chocolate, Coffee, More alcohol
Participant 4: More Bitter, coffee or chocolate aftertaste
Participant 5: Bad
Participant 6: Heavy, Very filling
Participant 7: Hoppy, Heavy

Question 5: The last beer I bought was…
Participant 1: Stella Artois
Participant 2: Banana Bread Beer
Participant 3: Stella Artois
Participant 4: Yuengling
Participant 5: 1664
Participant 6: Heineken
Participant 7: Sweetwater

Question 6: The last beer I got drunk on was…
Participant 1: Stella Artois
Participant 2: Fat Tire
Participant 3: Miller High Life
Participant 4: PBR
Participant 5: Miller Lite
Participant 6: Cherry beer
Participant 7: PBR

Question 7: Do you believe that there is a difference in Male vs Female sense of taste?
Participant 1: No, Men are socialized to like more manly beers whereas women are socialized to like sweeter beers

Participant 2: I think that women may be more susceptible to cravings

Participant 3: No, Tastes vary between individuals

Participant 4: Yes, Women tend to like fruity light beers and appreciate lighter foods more so than men

Participant 5: Yes, Guys enjoy a more bitter and thick taste while women enjoy a sweet and light taste

Participant 6: Yes, Women prefer lighter foods and that it is the same for beer

Participant 7: No, I think that taste and preferences depend on the person

Order Tasted and Results Hefeweizen
Score: 4.7
Fave: 1
Percentage: 14.3%
Participant 1: 12
Participant 2: 6
Participant 3: 1
Participant 4: 1
Participant 5: 6
Participant 6: 1
Participant 7: 6

American Lager
Score: 5.1
Fave: 3
Percentage: 42.9%
Participant 1: 12
Participant 2: 1
Participant 3: 6
Participant 4: 1
Participant 5: 6
Participant 6: 1
Participant 7: 9

Eng. Pale Ale
Score: .9
Fave: 0
Percentage: 0.0%
Participant 1: 1
Participant 2: 1
Participant 3: 1
Participant 4: 1
Participant 5: 1
Participant 6: 0
Participant 7: 1

Grand Cru
Score: 1.3
Fave: 1
Percentage: 14.3%
Participant 1: 0
Participant 2: 1
Participant 3: 1
Participant 4: 0
Participant 5: 0
Participant 6: 6
Participant 7: 1

American IPA
Score: 0.3
Fave: 0
Percentage: 0.0%
Participant 1: 0
Participant 2: 0
Participant 3: 1
Participant 4: 0
Participant 5: 0
Participant 6: 0
Participant 7: 1

Eng. Stout
Score: 3.7
Fave: 2
Percentage: 28.6%
Participant 1: 6
Participant 2: 1
Participant 3: 1
Participant 4: 6
Participant 5: 6
Participant 6: 0
Participant 7: 6

I’d prefer to think that these similarities are not so much a lack of skill as a lack of imagination. So let’s break down the problem.

On the skill side, a craftsman knows his materials (or ingredients) and his craft is produced through his artful use of aforementioned ingredients. The combination, the amounts, the interaction and the techniques and processes used are what produce the craft — in this case beer. The same amount of the same ingredients can produce drastically different beer depending on how they are brewed and fermented.

On the ingredient side we have the basic Reinheitsgebot mandate of malt, hops, and yeast.

I will credit most craft brewers with using malt as their primary source of fermentable sugars. At least they haven’t gone the route of using cheaper rice or corn like most the mega breweries. Malt is the traditional choice and is responsible for not only the fermentable sugars which convert to alcohol but for the non-fermentable sugars which give the beer body, flavor and mouth feel.

Yeast is a little trickier ingredient. With thousands of live cultures to choose from, each leaving its own residual attributes and those attributes changing depending on both the amount of yeast used and the conditions it is fermented under, it would be difficult to blame the yeast for the sameness of craft brews. And realistically, unless you drink a lot of bottled conditioned ales, when did you last taste a beer and recognize a yeast ester? Most people wouldn’t recognize a yeast ester if it stood up and slapped them.

Speaking of standing up and slapping you, let’s examine the last ingredient in the beer triumvirate — hops. Probably the most noticeable of the ingredients because of its powerful aroma and flavor. Hops are also the easiest to be misused. In the same botanical family as nettles and marijuana, hops use in beer is a relatively recent addition. That is, it has been used predominantly in the last five hundred years of beer’s five thousand plus year history. Why? Well, frankly it was a commerce decision, partially instituted to keep other herbs and narcotic out of a commercial product and partially because the addition of hops helped beer age longer without spoiling.

The addition of hops to beer was a controversial subject. English brewers initially referred to it as a pernicious weed. Proponents claimed it was good for curing insomnia. Opponents claimed it was a euphoric used to calm the masses. Even today, hops high phyto-estrogen content is a perpetual source of worry for conspiracy theorist worried about “brewer’s droop”. Considering that the first use of hops in beer was in eighth century Germanic monasteries this may have been perceived as a benefit.

So maybe today’s craft brewers have never heard of brewer’s droop or maybe Viagra fixed that, but I would still argue that it is the misuse or abuse of hops that is primarily responsible for the lack of differentiation among many of the craft brews on the market today.

Let me be upfront. I am a malt guy. I like hops (particularly the noble varieties). I like the aroma and the flavor of hops — as a complement to the rest of the beer. Beer is not solely a showcase for hops. I like different styles of beer. Some are hoppier than others. For me, a brewer’s skill is far more demonstrated brewing a beer that is balanced with proper body, mouth feel and flavor — for its style, rather than one that is simply over hopped.

Unfortunately far too many craft brewers have fallen into relying solely on hops to try and differentiate their beers. Beer bitterness has increased drastically in the past few years. Ten years ago a high bitterness rating of 80 IBU (international bittering units) was reserved for big bold styles that had the malt profile to balance it. A beer like a Russian Imperial Stout demands aggressive hopping but applying the same hopping in a Pale Ale is simply an abuse of style.

Over hopping is a cheap gimmick and craft brewers should know better. To make matters worse craft brewers often choose the same type of hops to over use. If I crave the citrusy grapefruit taste of Cascade hops I’ll buy Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. There is no reason to up the ante and make every other IPA taste like pine needles. Oh, and by the way, could someone brew a decent porter that doesn’t have coffee in it?

No, they didn’t debut in Atlanta with that Barrel-Aged Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, nor the original. In fact, they only launched in Atlanta with one beer, their popular IPA, Jai Alai. Hey, we’ll take what we can get at this point. And, it’s a very solid IPA. A medium-bodied quaff that’s malty on the front with a piny, lingering resin finish. Perhaps a tad thin for this style but overall, a very nice brew.

The talented head brewer at Cigar City is a guy by the name of Wayne Wambles, who was inspired by a neighbor to start brewing after sampling some good homespun brews during a power outage after hurricane Opal ripped through his hometown of Dothan, Alabama.

Be on the lookout for more from this brewery, especially those stouts.

Stats:
Strength: 7.5% abv
Style: India Pale Ale
Serve In: Shaker, Tulip

Our rating system ranges from 0 to 5 stars.
0 Stars: tastes like bad homebrew
1 Star: tastes like mediocre homebrew
2 Stars: tastes like good homebrew
3 Stars: A nice beer
3.5 Stars: Great beer
4 Stars: Amazing beer
4.5 Stars: Just shy of perfect
5 Stars: Excellence, among the best beers of this style