Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Barbecue, Whynatte and Brews tonight!



The famous Whynatte Bomb with Jagermeister. Whoa!
Sip and grub for a good cause!

Hey, my homey Caren West and her PR firm just sent out this cool event tonight featuring some other good friends, Wild Heaven Craft Beers (Ode to Mercy is my shiiiizzzznit!), D.B.A. Barbecue, and Whynatte. I will tell you this: I have never had a badmeal—or  time for that matter—at D.B.A. so check them out and hey, support a good cause. (Especially since I live right down the street from Boulevard! Ha!)

Here is the official press release:
The Caren West PR crew has decided to guest bartend tonight, Wednesday, May 30th, at D.B.A. Barbecue from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Not only will we be celebrating one of our favorite haunts 3rd anniversaries by pouring as many $3 Wild Heaven Craft Beers & Whynatte shots as possible, but we will be doing it for a great cause. 
As many of you know, CWPR HQ is located in the Old Fourth Ward and we are very passionate about supporting our 'hood. Councilman Kwanza Hall recently announced the Year of Boulevard, a yearlong initiative to cleanup Boulevard, boost public safety, provide opportunities to the youth in our community and much more, soooooo… D.B.A. Barbecue is generously donating 20 percent of sales between 6 to 11 p.m. to the Old Fourth Ward and the Year of Boulevard. 
So come hang with us tonight! We would love your support, to give you bad life advice, and, in CWPR grand fashion, there will be plenty of surprises. 

D.B.A. Barbecue is located at 1190 N. Highland Avenue NE Suite B Atlanta, Georgia 30306. Visit www.dbabarbecue.com.  
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If you are still bar hoppin’, check out the Red Brick Brewing Company tap takeover at Corner Tavern Edgewood. It starts at 7 p.m. and goes on for a bit too!

Cheers!!!
Ale
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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Burnt Hickory Brewery launches tonight!


Show Kennesaw, GA. some sud love!

What’s up, Brew Heads!

How the hell was your weekend? I trust all went well because mine was as Jay-Z and Kanye say, “Cray!” Of course, it’s short for crazy, but I met a lot of people, ate a lot, saw a lot, and, of course, sipped a lot. I will be posting some flicks up later on that documented this blur of a weekend, but deserving immediate attention is a good friend’s official launch of his brewery, Burnt Hickory!
Tonight, Tuesday, May 29th, Georgia has been blessed with yet another brewery. Coming out of Kennesaw, Georgia, my boy and Co-founder Scott Hedeen, Brewmaster Taylor Yates, and the rest of the Burnt Hickory Posse are hosting their release party at the Taco Mac Kennesaw location (600 Chastain Rd, Kennesaw, GA 30144; 770.874.7781) starting promptly at 6:30.  Here’s what their kegs will be pouring directly from the Burnt Hickory Brewery complete with descriptions, their awesomely quirky names and humorous artwork:
 Ezekiel’s Wheel.  Pale Ale, 6.5% ABV.  Clear with fine citrus hops.  
We just call it Zeke.  Compare to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and 3 Floyds Alpha King.”


The Fighting Bishop.  Belgian Style Tripel.  
Made with green peppercorns.  Strong Belgian with golden color and spicy taste.”


Big Shanty Graham Cracker Stout  Oatmeal Stout, 9% ABV.
“Made with cinnamon and graham cracker.”


Cannon Dragger IPA   Imperial IPA, 8%.  Highly hopped IPA with Simcoe/Amarillo/Columbus/Chinook hops.  
Compare to Two hearted/90 minute/Deviant Dales.”


The Didjits Blood Orange IPA  IPA, 7%.  
Made with citra hops and oranges.”

I have had the pleasure to try some of their beer over the past year or so, and trust me, Burnt Hickory knows what the hell they’re doing! Here's their Twitter too. Congrats on realizing your dream, B.H.!

See you there I hope!

Cheers!
Ale
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Thursday, May 24, 2012

What’s up on Memorial Weekend? Brew at the Zoo!



Go bananas, sip some suds, and get ‘Arrested’!

One of the most extraordinary beer events Atlanta hosts year after year, Brew at the Zoo, promises to be even more bananas in 2012 by expanding its selection of craft beer while classic hip-hop group Arrested Development makes hips shake and monkeys swing on Saturday, May 26. I have been to this annual event twice and I have had a blast every time.  From 5:30 to 9:30, the Atlanta Zoo says “follow your nature – surrounded by our nature” with more than 1,500 animals from around the world. Here’s the total package:

Tickets include Zoo admission, plus:
·         Unlimited sampling of a variety of beers and wines
·         Up-close-and-personal encounters with our animals
·         Free rides on the train and carousel
·         Live Music featuring Arrested Development
·         And much more, rain or shine.

Ticket prices:
The Advance Ticket:  Members pay $38, Non Members pay $43
The Day of Ticket: $48.

For more info, go here!
This is how Tiger Beer got started.
See ya there!
Ale
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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Kick it with 'Clown Shoes' on Cypress Street!

May 22nd should be off the chain!

One of my favorite pubs, Cypress Street Pint and Plate, is hosting an awesome event with one of my top breweries to look for in 2012 and beyond, Clown Shoes! Grub. Brews. Circus. Any questions? Good. This is the official flyer below. See ya there!


Ale
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Monday, May 21, 2012

Craft Beer Week Rocked!

I got Craft Beer Week started early at Cypress Pint and Plate
with some of Atlanta's top beer pimps.
Man, Atlanta was hopping this past week! 
Where were you?
It was a big deal last week. I mean, come on, a nationwide, week-long celebration dedicated to the art of craft brewing? Gotta love it! From Monday, May 14, through Sunday, May 20, every state had some kind of event showing love to the suds, and in the ATL, they did it big! From pubs hosting crazy events like the Brick Store Pub's Pancake Breakfast coupled with incredible oak-aged imperial stouts, to the East Atlanta Beer Festival, here are some flicks that further prove Georgia's capital loves its ales and lagers. 
Enjoy!!!
The Square Pub in Downtown Decatur hosted local night on Wednesday along with new Atlanta import, Anderson Valley Brewing Co. out of Mendocino County, California. Welcome A.V.!
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Leon's Full Service went nuts with their taps and I was happy to show them off to my friends who came in from Cali, Brad and Shelby. My homey and Leon's Co-Owner Mike Gallagher (in the middle) made sure they were taken care of.
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Burgeoning rock star Lee MacDougall out of London, England was on his U.S. tour, and I heard he said all American beers tasted like India Pale Ales. Say what??? We linked up through a mutual friend (Thanks Shanna!) at The Porter, and did a seven-brew flight of various styles from Allagash, Stillwater, and New Belgium. I made him not only drink his words, but become a believer in U.S. brewing mastery. He was an awesome sport and admittedly enjoyed every sip! 
Look for this fun, enlightening sampling session on my Cruisin' For A Brewsin' show soon! 
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Hanging at the Brick Store with fellow beer nut and Beer Street Journal founder Reid Ramsey during the pub's second annual Pancake Breakfast and Yard Sale. He got there at 7 a.m. and boasted that there were some hard-to-find ales being exchanged while folks patiently waited in line for the doors to open at 8 on Saturday morning. Dang it! 
Here's the nutty beer list of gangster stouts that were on deck that Saturday. I missed the Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout but there were evidently some others that weren't too shabby either!
They also had a piano player positioned above the entrance way. It was like a saloon of yesteryear and added a nice touch of class to that morning of memorable imbibing!
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This is the East Atlanta Beer Fest's list of stations where breweries showed their products off. There were also some very cool folks who attended (as usual for beer festivals) and interesting products that caught my eye as well. 
Love bocce and brews? Join the Atlanta Bocce League
How about a Guinness cupcake? Thanks to OMG!!! Cup & Cakes, they were on deck! 


And last but not least, I saw this canned brew called Bomb Craft Beer. There is like zero info on the can of this lager, so I was definitely hesitant to try it; the nondisclosure of info and b-boy posing "Bomb" name reminded me of the mysterious 40-ounce bottle labels back in my college years. You knew nada! I turns out this is a "traditional Bavarian Helles" out of the heart of New York City and uses the artwork of a dude aptly titled Billy The Artist, according to their website. Let me know what you think if you happen to come across one. 
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Oh yeah! Tomorrow, I am at Cypress Pint and Plate again for a huge party featuring a brewery that is becoming one of my favorites, Clown Shoes out of Ipswich, Massachusetts. Here's the cool flyer:
There's going to be some acrobats flippin', some awesome brew sippin', and some serious vittle chompin', so try and come through!


Laters!!!!


Ale
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Thursday, May 17, 2012

It's Craft Beer Week!!!


Where are you sippin'?

Well we are deep into the week of all weeks when it comes to getting your quality beer sippin' on, American Craft Beer Weekwhich started on May 14 and “ends” this Sunday. (The quotes are for me especially because every week should be a celebration!) 
Anyway, since 2008, even Congress made this the official week for us craft ale and lager hoisters to enjoy the greatest beverage in the world. Particularly in the U.S., craft breweries (also called microbreweries) are kickin’ some serious ass lately because so many more minds are opening up to the suds that are a lot more inventive, experimental, enlightening, and quite frankly, damn effin’ good! Look how craft breweries—who brew less than six million barrels a year, are independently owned, and basically keep it real with the brewing techniques, community awareness, and inventiveness—have been blowing up, courtesy of the Brewers Association:

Anyway, this week has been a blast so far in Atlanta (thanks Square Pub, SOHO, Cypress Street Pint and Plate, and especially The Porter for hosting the next episode of my show, Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’!), but I am sure there are some awesome events going on throughout the U.S. For example, my longtime friend Cameron aka Craft B Cam, a fellow Shaker Heights High School alumnus (go Red Raiders!) who went to this hoppin’ event at a spot I can’t wait to feature called 101 Beers On TheWall in Kent, Ohio, called Hopocolypse. This is right up my alley since they featured two of my favorite India Pale Ales—Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum, Bell’s Hopslam, and one I never tried (figure that!) by the gangster brewery out of San Diego County, Green Flash, called the Palate Wrecker aka Hamilton’s Ale at an astounding 149 InternationalBittering Units. Anywho, here’s the cool poster they used:

So do yourself a favor: Visit this link courtesy of the Brewers Association for a few of the hundreds of participants nationwide since all 50 states are doing something beer-related (research for more), flock to the nearest one, get your sip on, and continue supporting the craft beer movement! I am planning on hitting up the aforementioned Atlanta speezots, plus the BrickStore, The Fred, Five Seasons, Smith’s Olde Bar (to check out my boy from the UK, Lee MacDougall), the East Atlanta Beer Festival on Saturday, and a few of other spots if possible. For more details, my main man Reid posted some info on his Beer StreetJournal site, too, including tap takeovers. What about you? Let me know where you are heading!
So when it comes to craft beer, Fight the Power!!!!
Much pub love!
Ale
P.S.
Not to be a buzzkill or anything, but make sure you toast to the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, who just passed. I guess God needed another angel. 


Top beer photo courtesy of http://blog.georgetownvoice.com
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Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Atlanta Food and Wine Fest was a blast!

Yep, that is my homey Robin Meade from CNN Headline News! She's super chill. (Her husband is too.)
Whaddup!!!
Happy Mama's Weekend (not day) and alladat. I truly miss mine but she is definitely here in spirit. Love you, Ma Dukes.
Okay, so I went to the Atlanta Food & Wine Fest on Friday and lucked out on some beautiful weather that afternoon. The beer section was kind of hidden on the side of the main food and drink tents (which was fine with me). They had some goodies, cool people (as usual), and some refreshing ales and lagers that ranged in alcohol by volume, but all represented the South. Here are some photos from the awesome time I had in the tasting tent area, my favorite part of the entire Festival. 
Starting with the above flick, I ran into my homey Robin Meade, the CNN Headline News queen of the mornings, near the Midnight Moon moonshine section. There is no shame in the game admitting that I appreciate her fun delivery of news in the morning as evidenced during my Scout Mob interview here. TruthfullyI was happy to realize that her bubbly, music-lovin' self on air is not an act; she is truly cool all hours of the day! See you in the a.m., R.M.!


Here are the rest. Check it: 
This lovely rep for  Lazy Magnolia Brewery out of Mississippi said she wanted to the "Ale Sharpton pose." Ha! She rocked it holding up their very popular Southern Pecan ale! 

This was my favorite couple of the day who run Paco's Tacos and Tequila in Charlotte, NC. Their shredded turkey tacos were slammin'!

This sharp cat, Tom Fischer aka The Bourbon Guy and founder of BourbonBlog.com,  hosted a drink seminar with me last year at the Atlanta Food & Wine Fest. He had the bourbon, and I, of course, had the brew. It was great to see him!
Everybody and their mamas were getting their Food & Wine glasses dipped in the customary red wax bourbon Maker's Mark is known for. It was clever, but of course, I had to do it Ale-style with my Stella Artois glass. It was a hard sell at first, but when I convinced them I already had a few of the breweries awesome gold-rimmed glasses, I had to have something different. Once they saw my card and how serious I was about brews, they complied. Here is the final product:
Thanks to Maker's Mark, sipping that Belgian lager will never be the same!
And last but not least, my dude John Pinkerton, the co-owner and brewmaster of Savannah, Ga.-based Moon River Brewing, handed me his Apparition Ale after an emphatic endorsement by good friend and Duck Rabbit Brewery rep Brad Hodnett aka Dawg On Tap. I will have to say he was on point! For a delicious English Pale Ale that was on session level (light in alcohol) at 4.8 percent, it was full-bodied, beautiful in caramel color, and perfectly boasted John's pimpage of Sovereign Hops and Marriage Otter pale malt. Nice job, Moon River! I'll see you on the East Coast sooner than later! 

Cheers!!!

Ale



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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Just some cool photos...


Whaddup!!!
So Tuesday is officially my picture day from now on, so I went through some things I shot during the past few month of travels and events that were beer-oriented. I thought these were pretty damn cool. 
Above is my man, SweetWater Head Brewer Nick Nock, at the SweetWater 420 Festival. That's his lovely wife on the right looking on. Here are some other joints below. 
Enjoy! 
Ale
This is the Georgia winner of the Samuel Adams Local Longshot Competition held at Wild Wing Cafe in Marietta, Ga. (Whaddup, Ryan!). The gent pictured actually represented the homebrewer who submitted the brew, Curt Owens, but regardless, he brings home a $500 check and more importantly, a submission in the national competition. If Curt wins, he gets his brew mass-produced by Mr. Adams, his picture on the bottle, a wad of cash, and braggin' rights all the way to homebrewer heaven.
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My brother Lamont actually took this one of Beer Guru Phil Farrell while we judged the aforementioned Longshot Competition. I trust Phil is a good sport for me posting this. He didn't seem to mind taking the flick. Ultimately, I have never met anyone else who knew more about the suds than this man. I am like a sponge around him. I mean hey, he was only voted the National 2011 Beerdrinker of the Year, among other accolades. Cheers, Chill Phil!
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This was a nice welcome home when I got back from Thailand. I headed over to the Porter Beer Bar and noticed they replaced their taps attached to the bar with a lot more lining the back wall. I just counted 36 on tap today. Nice!!!! That's Justin pouring by the way. 
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Come on, this was easy! Pittsburgh die-hard Lee Dickson, the beer manager of the Brick Store, holding up a SweetWater Exodus with his boy Rich at the 420 Fest. Lee is cool as hell and happily did the "Ale Sharpton Hold-Up," but the real seller was Da Lenchmob T-shirt! Do any of y'all know that group? Time's up! Ice Cube, Shorty, J-Dee, T-Bone and Maulkie. The came out in 1992. Holla! 
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Last but not least, I just love this shot regardless if it's a few months ago. This is at the SweetWater 15th Anniversary Jam. That's Brew Scribe Ed "Da Hammer" on the left and Beer Sipper Extraordinaire K.P. on the right. What a rockin' time!
More to come!
Cheers to y'all!
Ale
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Saturday, May 5, 2012

It's Cinco De Mayo Weekend! What are you sippin'?

Hola, Beer Amigos!


Happy Cinco De Mayo! As an ongoing tradition, I am always open to discuss what everyone's drinking for this one day where, although a Mexican Holiday, everyone and their mama celebrates! I mean, hey, it involves drinking, dancing, and celebrating an ass-whoopin'! What could be more fun than that? In case you unaware of the history I am referring to, take a gander at last year's first installment of my Cinco De Mayo coverage here
Anyway, what are you sippin'? Margaritas? Sangria? Moonshine? Whatever it is, try to party hard with a team player who is willin' to conduct the wagon. As for me, of course it's a high quality brew. Last year, I kept it real with our southwest neighbor and pounded a few Negra Modelos, one of my favorites out of Mexico. 
This year, I let the beer gods decide. When I got home from a whirlwind of a tour to Thailand, Utah and Virginia, I was welcomed by a package from Samuel Adams which contained a couple samples of their new release, the Grumpy Monk Belgian IPA
From what I get from the title and kickass artwork, the Monk's pissed because someone was ballsy enough to fuse the standard Belgian recipe of a spicy, semi-sweet, fruity ale with the boldness of a hoppy, citrusy Imperial Pale Ale. After reading the bottle and commercial description, I was right. That was their intention. 
Scoping the 12-ounce bottle's label a bit more, I noticed that Mr. Grumpy was also ironically disturbed that there was only a drip of this hybrid left to sip, so maybe he dug it after all! I am actually enjoying this one while typing this, although I tend to be a purest when it comes to messing with my ales. This one seemed to work pretty well, however, and I applaud Samuel Adams for continuing their campaign of broadening their vast portfolio of suds. The Grumpy Monk does well on the balance meter by making sure its hoppy character does not overwhelm the traditional tasting properties of a Belgian brew, and at 5.7 percent, it's borderline sessionable so a couple will be consumed before I go hardcore this evening! 
Yep, since my boy Floyd Mayweather is about to whip up on Cotto before serving his jail term and then hopefully (and finally) step in the ring against Manny Pacquiao, I should also be a tough guy of sorts, so it's going to Epic Brewing Co.'s Belgian-style Brainless On Peaches! At 10.5 percent, this French oak Barrel-aged concoction boasting the essence of fresh peaches promises to be damn good and I wholeheartedly thank my homies in Salt Lake City for sending me back with this 750 ml. bottle of liquid bliss! With only 1,800 in production, I feel pretty blessed!


Anyway, like I said, be safe and enjoy your weekend. I know I will!


Adios!
Ale


Oh yeah, and here one side of Epic's Brainless On Peaches. Nuts!


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ALE MAX Returns to Fuse Craft Beer & Sneaker Cultures!

Yup! It's that time again! Ale Max Day , the event put on by my boy Craig and I, will be in its second year, and it's going to be an...

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