East Atlanta Beer Festival Sneak Peek
May 30th, 2008 by Jeff Holland in Drink, EventsThe East Atlanta Beer Festival blog has a couple of posts about beers you are likely to see this year. The list is unofficial, but since it is similar to last year’s, it is probably not far off the mark.
Two new entrants into the Atlanta market that will be represented are Magic Hat and Kona Brewing. Both are independently owned, but have distribution deals with Anheuser-Busch. Look for a story on these two newcomers, along with some tasting notes in next week’s Talking Head column.
My short list includes Innis & Gunn, Jolly Pumpkin Biere de Mars, Atlantic Brewing’s MacFoochie’s Scottish Ale, the Whiskey-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter from Flying Dog, Left Hand’s Twin Sisters Double IPA, and whatever Unibroue brings to the party.
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May 31st, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Innis & Gunn oak-aged was remarkable. Unlike anything I have had. I kept thinking rotting garbage, but in a good way. The taste was like scotch and water.
MacFoochie’s Scotch ale was also excellent: licorice, raisins, smoke, peat. A real mouthful on a hot day, but definitely one to revisit.
Oak-aged Gonzo was a no show, as was the Left Hand Twin Sisters and Biere de Mars. shoulda known. The Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere Farmhouse style was a nice substitute for the Mars Biere de Garde. Never did find Unibroue.
Still, I did find several good ones: Small Craft Warning Uber Pils, Ridgeway Foreign Extra Stout, Orange Blossom Pilsner (surprisingly good), Brasserie des Rocs Grand Cru, and He’Brew Rejewvenator (dopplebock/dubbel - what will those boys think of next?)
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 am
Magic Hat #9 is a fantastic brew. I sipped on a friends up in PA and ordered many after. It has a very present but not over-powering apricot taste to it; it’s sweet though, I initially confused it with a berry mixture. Best part is the price: it’s competitive with lower-tier beers, i.e. roughly the 3.50-4.00 rank. Can’t wait to see it around here.