HOToberfest is almost here!

Atlanta's original Barrel-Aged Ball and Bottle Splurge is this Sunday and there are only a handful of tickets left!

Whaddup!!!

I said it before and I will say it again: This is one of the best beer festivals, period. Not in Atlanta, not in the South, but in the nation! 

HOToberfest 2013 - Photo by Chris Rank

As you can see from my coverage in the past here, I have been following HOToberfest founders Alan Raines (below) and the Rossers—Denise and Tryon—since their first one in 2008. After taking a deserved one-year hiatus due to the ridiculous amount of blood, sweat and tears they have put in, this dynamic trio is back to deliver hundreds of exotic brews we will never get to have again due to their one-time barrel agings. 

One of the major differences from the past HOToberfests is that this one is at the Historic Georgia Freight Depot in downtown Atlanta for the first time. It's a gorgeous venue and is the perfect covered, air-conditioned environment for sippin' gangster ales and lagers. 
And the barrel aged beer list? Borderline uncanny. The HOToberfest family personally delivered barrels to Georgia's finest breweries to age their selection of liquid gold exclusively for this event. Check it out: 
1  BURNT HICKORY  | Kennesaw, GA

“DOUBLE BARLEYWINE"

Aged in whiskey barrels used to age maple syrup.

2  CHERRY STREET  | Cumming, GA

”DOUBLE BARREL AGED SHUTDOWN STOUT” - 14% ABV

This 14% Dry Oatmeal Stout was brewed in honor of Leon’s Winter Storm in January 2014 which crippled Atlanta and most of the Southeast when Atlanta looked like the opening scene of The Walking Dead. This version has been double barrel aged in 2 different rye barrels. It’s snow ordinary stout.

3  CREATURE COMFORTS  | Athens, GA

“BLENDED BEER” - 8% ABV

We conditioned our Rye Whiskey Barrel with 1000 Faces Cold Brew Coffee, after removing that we blended our Reclaimed Rye and our Russian Imperial Stout to creature a wonderful melody of malt.

4  JAILHOUSE  | Hampton, GA

“SAISON REPRIEVE”

Raspberry Saison in a Rye Bourbon Barrel.  Raspberries bathing in a delicious Saison Reprieve fill this charred oak cask that held Finger Lakes Distilling's McKenzie Rye Whiskey. Rye Bourbon overtones mix with raspberries and Saison Reprieve to produce a light fruit and spicy tartness. A clean crisp finish of oak, rye bourbon, and spice.

5  SOUTHBOUND  | Savannah, GA

”AM PORTER” - 9.2%ABV

A complex malt base in this imperial rye porter lends sweet notes of chocolate and spice balanced with roasty,  smoky tones.  The whiskey barrel was infused with chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange peel. Smooth, dark and delicious.

6  MONDAY NIGHT  | Atlanta, GA

"SPIRIT ANIMAL"

American sour ale brewed with Indian yogurt and rose hips, aged in brandy barrel.

7  MOON RIVER  | Savannah, GA

"SOUTHERN SOUR BLEND #1"

Elements of Berliner Weisse, Rye whiskey-aged Belgian Rye Amber, and Oud Brun combine and produce flavors from bugs, Brett, wood and whiskey.

8  ORPHEUS  | Atlanta, GA

“BRANDY BARREL AGED WANDERING BLUES”

Wandering Blues Brandy Barrel-aged: Orpheus spent years wandering the earth in mourning after the fateful serpent bite that killed his wife. Wandering Blues pays homage to Orpheus’ journey following his loss. It's soured with our house bacteria mother and fermented with fresh blueberries, juiced for us by Arden’s Garden, providing a balance of brightness and depth. The grape brandy barrel accentuates the fruit and the depth.

9  RED BRICK  | Atlanta, GA

“DOUBLE BARREL AGED 20TH ANNIVERSARY”

20th Anniv. Imperial Stout aged in Eagle Rare whiskey barrels, then barrel aged in whiskey barrels used to age maple syrup.

10  SECOND SELF  | Atlanta, GA

“APPLE BRANDY BRETT HOP RYE”

Red Hop Rye aged in Apple Brandy Barrel with Brett and dry hopped with Citra.

11  SOUTHERN SKY  | Marietta, GA

“COWABUNGA WHITE BARLEYWINE”

White barleywine brewed with vanilla, chocolate, and cherries, aged in a bourbon barrel used to age maple syrup.

12  MAX LAGER’S  | Atlanta, GA

“LUCIDITY” - 5.8% ABV

Raspberry American Sour Ale.  Unhopped wort from our Hitze Pils was fermented in a grape brandy barrel with a blend of Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and some other fun "bugs" then re-fermented with raspberries to create an American Framboise.  Abundantly tart, bursting with raspberry and citrus sweet and sour notes accented by notes of vanilla and brandy from the cask.

13  SWEETWATER  | Atlanta, GA

“SOUR BLONDE”

A light bodied brew with lactobacillus that gives it a citrus sour and tartness that compliments the whiskey tones from the pot still whiskey barrel. Where is the cherry?

14  TERRAPIN  | Athens, GA

“RYE CUBED”

Rye Cubed Triple IPA aged in a grape brandy barrel.

15  THREE TAVERNS  | Decatur, GA

“APPLE BRANDY QUASIMODO”

Our 10% Belgian-style quadruple aged several months in an apple brandy barrel.

16  TWAINS  | Decatur, GA

“CHOCO-RYE SUMMER STOUT”

Choco-Rye Summer Stout aged in a pot still whiskey barrel.

17  WILD HEAVEN  | Avondale, GA

“SWAN SWAN HUMMINGBIRD”

Swan Swan Hummingbird, collaboration American Wild Ale. Soured and aged at Wild Heaven and Southern Brewing Company with cultivated yeast and bacteria strains at the respective breweries, then combined to create a new proprietary yeast strain. Finally aged in an apple brandy barrel.

18  WRECKING BAR  | Atlanta, GA

“DOUBLE BARREL AGED SIBERIUS MAXIMUS”

Siberius Maximus Russian Imperial Stout aged in a Prichard's Rye Whiskey barrel and then a Maple Bourbon barrel.

19  WRECKING BAR  | Atlanta, GA

“DOUBLE BARREL AGED ROGGENATOR”

Roggenator Rye Doppelbock aged in Prichard's Tennessee Whiskey barrel and then aged an apple brandy barrel.

20  FINAL GRAVITY CRAFT BREWERS / ORPHEUS GUEST BREWERS

HARRY LAUDER’S WALKING STICK - 10.5% ABV

Hazelnuts were added to a traditional Adambier, creating a spin on this old world ale.  Complex and malt driven with notes of chocolate, coffee, earth, and slight smoke.  Aged in a Rye Whiskey barrel. 

Ultimately, be a part of history and treat yourself to one of the best imbibing experiences you will ever have. Trust me.

Below is their official description. The remaining tickets are sold here. 

See ya there!

Ale

2015 marks the 7th year for the HOToberFest event series and the 1st year for the refined craft beer event.

HOToberFest’s Barrel Aged Ball will provide a unique opportunity for regional beer enthusiasts to gather and sample truly unique draft beers from Georgia breweries, as well as a curated list of specialty bottles. Previous iterations of the festival have been heralded as some of the finest craft beer celebrations in the southeast. The Barrel Aged Ball is the new, condensed evolution of HOToberFest, maintaining the feature of pouring a one-of-a-kind beer directly from wood aging barrels, obtained from small batch spirit distillers. A select group of Georgia brewmasters will take these barrels and craft a unique beer recipe to age in the barrels and pour at the tasting. This event is truly an exclusive and unique tasting experience for new and alumni attendees. A Best of Show Award is determined by participants via voting tokens and will be presented to the brewery with the favorite barrel aged beer.

The homey Lance from Sierra Nevada. - Photo by Chris Rank

Additional premium features for all attendees include: a carefully curated selection of bottles of seasonal, rare and collectable beers poured throughout the evening; two food tastes from a variety of options prepared by local, beer-centric chefs; the opportunity to vote for Best of Show from all barrel aged beer offerings. Atlanta food trucks will also be on site for additional food purchases.

Ticketing limited to 350 persons

Admission includes

- A commemorative 2015 tasting glass

- Unlimited 2oz samples from barrel aged cask beers

- Access to the large collection of unique bottled beers

- Two hor d’oeuvres from a variety of chef’s offerings

Additional Information

We strongly suggest utilizing transit options such as MARTA Five Points Station, MARTA Georgia State Station, UBER and taxis. Parking is available for a nominal fee in the Underground Atlanta Parking Deck, as well as various street lots. Atlanta food trucks will be on site for additional food purchases.