 |
| Co-Owners and Brewers Chris Doyle (with the game face) and Jason Santamaria cold chillin' at their burgeoning empire. |
Below is an
exclusive interview and invitation to try their new Summer Saison collaboration with
Twain’s!
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Another brewery opening up in Atlanta, right?
Unfortunately, that is an occasional reaction I hear from cynics who think the new brewery bubble is about to
burst in Georgia’s capital. Well I personally embrace the boom because hell, it’s new
beer, and ultimately, only time will tell. In the meantime, I would put money
on Second Self Beer Company to solidify
their ground in the ATL beer scene because, simply put, co-owners Jason Santamaria and Chris Doyle know what the hell they are
doing! Since founding their venture in 2010, I was looking forward to tasting
what these cats had, well, brewing. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait until the
officially open sometime in October.
Last summer, I got invited to Jason’s pad (left) with my biz partner Mike Moore to try a few
of his brews including the delicious Thai
Wheat and Red Hop Rye straight from the taps he had built in his loft's pantry.
Immediately, I knew Second Self was legit! It’s been a year since then, and
once I got the call to check out their 10,000-square foot headquarters in
its building stage on Atlanta’s west side, I took some photos, chopped it up
with Jason and Chris, and became even more excited for them! But damn, I wanted to taste some
beer!
Well in order to quench some of the thirst of ATL’s beer
enthusiasts like yours truly, Second Self is pouring their first collaboration
with Decatur’s beloved Twain’s Brewpub & Billiards—a limited edition Summer Saison—at 7 p.m. tonight [211 E. Trinity Place, Decatur, Ga., 30030]. Self
describes this Saison as a “fruit-forward beer containing citrus notes, dried out by the
citrus and balanced with the light aftertaste of basil. The collaborative
effort involves yeast from Decatur’s Three Taverns Brewery and was brewed at Twain’s.” Nice! (The pouring will happen at Twain's by the way.)
To give you an idea of what Second Self is about, I got a
chance to pick Jason’s brain a little bit. Please read below and learn how he
and Chris plan on having their beers stand out locally, why they chose Atlanta’s west
side to set up shop, and what hatin’ Georgia law they wish would kick rocks.
Ale: With all the
new Georgia breweries popping up, how would you say yours will stand out?
Jason Santamaria:
We approach beer with a fresh and new perspective. We look at each recipe as a
concept and flavor profile, not a beer. These concepts are from inspirations we
draw from various sources: travel, food, our past, and Atlanta. Every beer we
design, we want it to be both flavorful, yet balanced and something that will
go well with food. We also want to partner with local businesses to make the
Atlanta food, beer and travel scene an even better place than it already is.
Word! With all
these flavors and experimentation, were there any breweries that inspired you
to make this leap?
We both draw inspiration from breweries all over the
board. Some include Dogfish Head, Stone, Cigar City, Dupont, De Struise [Brouwers], and Samuel Smith. I lived in San Diego six years ago and was heavily
inspired by the beers there. I’m talking about AleSmith, Port, and Russian River to name some for sure.
Those are some
gangster inspirations! Discuss the reason you chose the Westside area to set up
shop.
We wanted to be in the city of Atlanta because it's where
we live and where we love. We lucked out on this location being right in “beer
alley.” We have great neighbors including Red Brick and Monday Night. They’ll
let us come over and borrow up a cup of grain when needed.
Ha! I like that.
Instead of sugar. I dig it. What beers can we expect first?
Let me list them for your readers.
Break it down bro!
Okay, first up is the Thai Wheat, a spicy American wheat beer that is as exotic
as the country that inspired it. This beer uses both fresh lemongrass and
ginger to give it a refreshing aroma and taste, taking drinkers on a trip
across the globe. The beer is kept dry, letting the spices stand out on their
own, making it a unique experience. This flavorful wheat ale is great for an
escape into the Second Self.
You know I love my
beer dinners. What are you pairing the Thai Wheat with?
Man, I would say fish, chicken, pork loin, grilled
vegetables, sushi, and Asian cuisine for sure.
Nice! I am now
drooling. Next?
Next is the Red
Hop Rye. Upon first smell of this beer, consumers notice an abundance of
hoppy citrus aromas. On the first sip, the spicy rye mixed with hops balanced
by a malty backbone from American caramel and honey malts is noticeable; these
give the Red Hop Rye its dark red color. We think this is a great example of an
American hybrid of beer—a true Red Rye IPA. Red Hop Rye is perfect while
relaxing after work or with a dish as bold and flavorful as this beer. Pairings
for this include barbecue, steak, burgers, brats, cheddar cheese, and spicy
foods.
Damn! Keep going!
Now we have The
LIPA [pronounced “lahy-puh”], which serves as proof that a robust and
aromatic IPA doesn’t need to be a high gravity IPA. By using a unique blend of
hops, The LIPA is a smooth IPA that remains light in body that can be consumed
all day, making this hoppy summer seasonal great for any occasion.
You are flowing.
Ha! Okay, with the Saison,
there is no messing around here. This is a traditional saison, using only the
finest, fresh American ingredients. Second Self brewers took
their time making this limited release beer and the beer can speak for itself.
It is everything a saison should be—delicate, dry and flavorful with notes of
citrus and pepper. Just like a proper saison, it is good for any occasion, and
just about every meal.
I can’t wait to
try that one! Okay, lastly, with all of these hatin’ restrictions out here,
which bill do you hope passes so that Second Self can truly get their
swerve on?
We would love to be able to sell beer directly to the
customer. If someone walks in and wants a beer, we would like to be able to
offer them a pint or to take beer home in a growler. All the States around us
offer one or both of those. We plan on having some fun beers at the
tasting room and it would be great to be able to sell those one-offs, too. It
helps us as a company to pay for more equipment, create more jobs, and it helps
the customer because they get to try things they might not normally find.
As you can see, I can’t wait for October! Make sure you show
Second Self some love when they start pouring brews direct from their brewery. But for now, try and hit up Twain’s
and get their Saison collaboration while supply lasts! Here is what Jason said
in an email describing their brew:
“Chase, Brad, Chris, and I got together and after
several rounds of liquid inspiration we decided we should make a beer together,
a citrus basil session saison. We all assembled at Twain's to brew it, borrowed
some yeast from their neighbor Three Taverns, and the result is what we call
Summer Saison. It is a saison made with citrus peel, grapefruit juice, and
basil. It's light, balanced, and most importantly, pretty darn tasty. We've
been sampling it to make sure it is of proper quality and decided that tonight
we should unveil it to the public before it's all gone. The whole Second Self
crew will be there with Chase and Brad to commemorate this collaboration. Hope
you see you at Twain's tonight at 7!"
For more information on Second Self, visit their website and
connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.
Cheers!
Ale
