Here's the final beer list for the Ale-B-Q on 8/15!

I throw down with Creature Comforts, Three Taverns & Sweet Auburn Barbecue on Tuesday, August 15th!

Sweet Auburn Barbecue's Chef Cameron Floyd and I confirming the perfect pairings. 

Photo by Mike Moore/AllWays Open

Get your tickets here ASAP! They are going fast! Check us out on TV below too!

Cheers Everyone!
This past weekend, Sweet Auburn's Chef Cam Floyd and I went through a very meticulous process deciding what the finalists would be for the upcoming Ale-B-Q on August 15th. I brought my picks from both Creature Comforts and Three Taverns, and we confirmed that they all worked once trying them alongside samples he hooked up! Here is the official menu below. Tickets are HERE!
By the way, did you see Cam and I on CBS last Monday? It was awesome! Here is the link in case you didn't.

Come see us next Tuesday, 8/15, and see why beer dinners (especially with me hosting) are so dope! Again, if you need to sub out some menu items due to dietary restrictions, please call the restaurant and let them know. (678.515.3550) Cam is happy to help provide options. He is VERY dedicated. Thanks in advance for your support. It will be a blast!
See you there!
Ale

The 'Ale-B-Q' Menu

Amuse Bouche

Shrimp al a Plancha

Grilled Watermelon, Cotija, Cilantro

Paired With

Creature Comforts Automatic American Pale Ale

Wontons

Sweet Thai Chili, Bacon Marmalade, Scallions

Paired With

Three Taverns Crave Hop Leaf Project Double IPA

Beef Brisket

Grilled Peaches, Jalapeno Gastrique, Feta, Thai Basil

Paired With

Creature Comforts Reclaimed Rye Amber Ale Aged on French Oak

Applewood Smoked Diver Scallops

Hard Cider Braised Swiss Chard, Pork Belly, Frisee, Roasted Turnips, Preserved Lemon

Paired With

Creature Comforts Tropicália American IPA

Elk Rib

Smoked Gouda Polenta, Calabrian Chile Oil, Fennel, Radish, Arugula, Plus a ‘Top Secret’ Ingredient

Paired With

Three Taverns Heavy Bell Bourbon Barrel-Aged Quadrupel

Bourbon Butter Cake

Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Mousse, Almond Tuille

Paired With

Three Taverns Rapturous Raspberry Sour Ale

Ale's Dinner Bell: Sweet Auburn BBQ, Creature Comforts and Three Taverns!

It goes down with Creature Comforts and Three Taverns on August 15th at 6:30 pm! 

Whaddup!

Man, July has been a blur! From Montreal to Denver, Birmingham, Charleston and finally back to Atlanta, I love traveling but it's time to settle in for a bit. Especially when I have this awesome Ale B-Q Beer Dinner coming up with one of the most revered BBQ institutions in the South, Sweet Auburn BBQ, based in the Virginia Highlands district. 

As with all my beer dinners, I pick the breweries to partner with and pair a few of their select beers with the delectable cuisine the chef and talented cooking staff want to hook up. This upcoming joint on Tuesday, August 15th will have renowned Chef Cameron Floyd hooking up the awesome menu below. The brew? I'm showing Georgia love and going with Decatur's Three Taverns and Creature Comforts straight outta Athens. Heard of 'em? (Being facetious there.) I have to taste two more brews Three Taverns has for me to pair, so look for the beer coupling of every course soon!

Below is the stellar press release written by my homies over at Blue Hominy. Oh! And if you have allergies or diet restrictions, vegetarian, chicken and seafood options will be available; just kindly let us know so we can accommodate you. We want everyone happy, content, educated and most importantly, full. Sound good? 

See you there!

It's going to be one to remember. 

Much love y'all!

Ale

And now, the menu:

ALE-B-Q MENU

| PASSED HORS D’OEUVRES |

Shrimp al a Plancha

grilled watermelon, cotija, cilantro

Wontons

pimento cheese, candied bacon, sweet thai chili

| DINNER |

Braised Beef Rib

grilled peaches, jalapeno gastrique, feta, thai basil

Applewood Smoked Diver Scallops

hard cider braised swiss chard, pork belly, frisee, roasted turnips, preserved lemon

Elk Rib

smoked gouda polenta, calabrian chile oil, fennel, radish, arugula

Bourbon Butter Cake

dark chocolate, raspberry mousse, almond tuille

Check out my CraftBeer.com article on Brick Store Pub’s 20 years!

I loved writing about this legendary beer bar based in Atlanta for one of the dopest sites in the beer world.

One of my pics. The front of the world renown Brick Store Pub.

Whaddup!

I just got back from Denver, but while I was there, I was excited to see that the Web’s authority of craft beer justly called CraftBeer.com posted my article featuring the 20 years of one of the world’s most revered beer bars, Decatur, GA’s own Brick Store Pub.

The pic I took of Dave Blanchard, the co-owner of BSP.

I have a little history with CraftBeer.com; I know many of them (especially their brilliant editor Jess), and they did a dope article on me not too long ago that had a brother floored! Well, since I never wrote for them, Jess loved the idea I pitched to them: a feature highlighting the 20^th year of Brick Store being in business. She happily said, "go for it!" With that, I put the pressure on myself to kill it and go extra hard. Don’t get me wrong, I give every article I pen full dedication, but personally knowing the Brick Store Pub staff for years and with the BSP being one of my favorite spots to chill, this had to be next-level work in a lot of ways. Trust me, it’s often more difficult to write about something you know a lot about because you want the world to know as much as possible, hence editing becomes the most laborious. 

This article was undoubtedly one of the most challenging I have ever written, but also one of the best in my opinion. Plus, I had the liberty of shooting whatever I wanted as well, so I went all in while learning about everyone involved during the process. Shout outs to Dave, Todd, Ryan, Mike, Tom, Erin, Dan and everyone else who helped with this article.

I hope you enjoy this piece, because I meant every word.

Here’s to two decades of being gangster, Brick Store. I am on my way to the pub celebrate it!

And to my readers of this blog, I love y’all! Your support keeps me going and loving what I do.

Ale

Bell’s Two-Hearted dethrones Pliny The Elder after eight years!

Zymurgy Magazine Announces 2017 “Best Beers In America” and Bell’s kicks major ass!

Whaddup!

My American Homebrewers Association homies just announced the results from their Zymurgy Magazine 15th annual Best Beers in America survey. 

For eight straight years, Russian River Brewing Company’s world-renowned Pliny the Elder double IPA had been running things at the number one spot, but Bell’s Two Hearted Ale IPA breaks the streak and becomes 2017’s most gangster beer in America according to Zymurgy’s thousands of homebrewing posse members. Whoa!

Photo by Bell's Brewery.

In AHA’s official press release, director Gary Glass says, “As homebrewers, Zymurgy readers have more refined palates than most for tasting beer. The Best Beers in America survey reveals which beers are leaving the biggest impression on the minds—and mouths—of these discerning beer drinkers.”

Survey participants voted online for their 20 favorite commercial beers “available for purchase” in the United States in an online voting system.

Bell’s CEO Laura Bell, the daughter of the brewery’s founder Larry Bell, says in the same release, “This is an incredible honor for us. We got our start as homebrewers—that’s how my dad got going—so we really identify with the homebrewing community. We take a lot of that spirit into what we do today.”

Representin’ Kalamazoo, Michigan, Bell’s also won the top-ranked US brewery and came in second to Stone Brewing for the best beer portfolio as well. Even Ice Cube didn’t have as good a day as this! The top ten rankings of the three categories are below and are posted in full here. Congrats to everyone who got recognized in the survey!

Top-Ranked Beers (T indicates Tie):

1. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

2. Russian River Pliny the Elder

3. Founders Breakfast Stout

4. Three Floyds Zombie Dust

5. Bell’s Hopslam

T6. Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)

T6. The Alchemist Heady Topper

T8. Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

T8. Sierra Nevada Celebration

10. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

Top-Ranked Breweries:

1. Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Comstock, Mich.

2. Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.

3. Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, Calif.

4. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, Calif. and Mills River, N.C.

5. Stone Brewing, Escondido, Calif., Richmond, Va., and Berlin, Germany

6. Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, Calif.

7. Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.

8. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Del.

9. Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, Calif. and Chicago, Ill.

10. Ballast Point Brewing, San Diego, Calif.

Top-Ranked Beer Portfolios (T indicates Tie):

1. Stone Brewing (31 beers)

2. Bell’s Brewery, Inc. (27 beers)

3. Firestone Walker Brewing Co. (25 beers)

4. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (24 beers)

T5. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (22 beers)

T5. Lagunitas Brewing Company (22 beers)

T7. Boulevard Brewing Co. (21 beers)

T7. Founders Brewing Co. (21 beers)

9. Avery Brewing Co. (19 beers)

T10. New Glarus Brewing Co. (18 beers)

T10. Odell Brewing Co. (18 beers)

Cheers!

Ale

Check out this fun podcast with Vortex, Wild Heaven and more!

Whaddup!
I had the honor of being invited as the special guest for a podcast (click HERE to check it out) hosted by one of the most prominent landmarks in Georgia, The Vortex. Known for their gangster burgers, signature skull facade in the front of its Little Five Points location, being owned by the three Benoit siblings out of L.A., a Laughing Skull amber ale brewed by Red Brick, and their attitude of basically not giving a sh*t about rules, they also have a really fun radio show based on beer. 

Photo by "Baby Vortex" Colin Murphy.

I gladly joined them, brought a gift my homey Walker Anderson brought me from his Oregon trip—the Breakside Lunch Break Session IPA —and sipped brews alongside co-hosts Michael Benoit, Sarah Young from Wild Heaven Craft Beer, suds enthusiast Hannah White, and social media manager "Vortex Baby" Colin Murphy. It was a blast as we discussed everything from new beers to drink for the summer including the fantastic WH Goodvice, to crab cakes, Wicked Weed's recent buyout, blunts paired with stouts, seafood and a road trip to Asheville. Enjoy this one!
Peace!
Ale