The countdown to HOToberFest Beer Festival

238 different brews—plus one more—are almost here!

Words and photos by your homey!

Atlanta has been one of the hottest spots in the nation when it comes to beer festivals and I am happy to say that HOToberFest, one of my top favorites, is coming up this Saturday, October 2, at East Atlanta’s Glenwood Park (visit www.hotoberfest.net for details). Why is it the sheezy? Simple. After meeting founders Alan Raines, Tryon and Denise Rosser during their first HOToberFest in 2008, they have earned a lot of respect from Brother Ale ever since. Besides the killer music, hip schwag and monetary support to Trees Atlanta, their anuual event rocks because unlike all the others, we, the consumers, are the judges for what brews kicks the most casks, I mean, ass each year! (Visit www.hotoberfest.net for past winners). 


Mentioning cold ones, arguably the biggest reason HOToberFest is outta “firkin” control is because the beer list is increasingly more gangster with each year. And when I say gangster, I mean it; the list is at press time 238—you read me right— and these aren’t bullsh*t brews that are slammed down at frat parties cup after plastic cup! We’re talking North Coast Brewery’s Brother Thelonious, Lagunitas’ 2009 Ruben & the Jets (I don’t know how they scored this one!), Thomas Creek’s Up The Creek Extreme IPA, Maredsous’ Abbaye Abdij Tripel 10, Left Hand Brewing’s Chainsaw…all hell, here’s the list for ya: http://hotoberfest.net/pdf/2010-beer-ist.pdf

Beer Connoisseur Mag Editor Nick Kaye,
me and Alan at HOTberFest 2009

So, yep, Ale’s gotta show love to the HOToberFest crew whenever the topic of Atlanta brew festivals comes up and, hey, they show love back! Last week, I had the honor of joining the men of the Hot trio, “A-Plus” and “Mr. T,” to make two special casks with the one and only Nick Nock, the head brewer for all of that goodness pumped out of Atlanta’s own SweetWater Brewery (www.sweetwaterbrew.com). Besides being a super cool, down-to-earth cat, anything “Slick Nick” touches turns to liquid gold, so I couldn’t wait to see how he was going to pimp Alan and Tryon’s top secret ale.

It was perfect timing because prior to the session, I was able to scoop some copies of the latest Beer Connoisseur Magazine (www.beerconnoisseur.com) hot off the press, where yours truly had written a description on SweetWater’s tour experience (page s 9 and 39). I mean, hey, it’s pretty cool to have the #1 microbrewery in Georgia and #28 in the nation in terms of production in our backyard, so BC justifiably gave them some pub.

HOToberFest crew Alan and Tryon watching
"Slick" Nick add some spice to the mix

Choppin’ it up with SweetWater’s Minister of Propaganda, Steve Farace, and the HOToberFest posse a few minutes before working with Nick, we tossed around some ideas of what the cask ale should include. The final consensus was to just dive in and see what worked. After a lot of trial and error including using some pure pumpkin in SweetWater’s awesome IPA, the Nockster suggested spicing things up with some pepper as a main ingredient; he received a thumbs-up from the crew. 


Adding and subtracting here and there to perfect the future cash cow of SweetWater (okay, maybe not), we decided on the most impressive combo and made a communal blood oath to never disclose the recipe. Two casks later (not including a couple more Nick said he would mess around with), we toasted off the experience with a pint of the brewery’s newest Dank Tank concoction that was released in early September, the Crank Tank Rye’d Ale. It was a blast!

The only thing left to do now is count down the hours until HOToberFest, one hell of a Saturday that will feature beers brewed out of the simple love of the craft, including a spicy, one-time batch three enthusiasts and an expert came up with on that unforgettable Tuesday afternoon.

See you there!

Peeeeeeeeace!

HOToberfest is almost here!

Everything you need to know about this Saturday plus a sit-down with co-founder Alan "A-Plus" Raines

Okay, you have seen a few postings regarding the upcoming Atlanta beer fest of awesomeness, HOToberfest! The beer list is sick (more than 260 to sample), the vibe is chill, East Atlanta’s Glenwood Park neighborhood is huge, consumers judge what the best beers are, and the fact that HOToberfest’s the first beer festival to kick off the best month of the year, its 4th year is going to be killer! They even have an app on deck and some secret goodies up their sleeves, so you know I’m in the house.

Oh yeah, speaking of “they,” the founders of HOToberfest—Alan, Denise and Tryon—are pretty damn cool, too. In fact, I recently shared a bottle of 2008 SweetWater Festive Ale with Alan, and asked him some questions about how gangster October 1st is going to be. Ladies and gents, the homey (and complete beer nut!), Alan aka A-Plus.

Ale: First of all, this brew is delicious. Good lookin’ out on the vintage SweetWater sipper. Now, talk about the history of the HOToberfest. What made you start one and how have you progressed over the years?

Alan: After starting and running another beer fest in Atlanta, we wanted to step back and create a festival that was really geared to the growing Atlanta craft beer community; it was the beer “they” want to see at a festival. Our beer selection is not snobbish but it is does cover a very rare, broad range from typical beer fests.

What made settle on having it at the Glenwood location?

Glenwood Park is an entire neighborhood that is an EarthCraft certified property. This is the perfect setting for a sustainability based festival and is conveniently near the center of metro Atlanta. We have a built-in stage, green space, a kids area and plenty of room to casually taste 260+ great beers. Nearly four acres in all!

Yeah, a lot of people love the area especially for the kids. Most festivals are packed, sardine-style. Yours definitely delivers breathing room! What are some cool moments you remember over the last four years?

Ha! There are a few. During year 1, just seeing it all come together in 92 days and people LOVING every aspect of the event! Year 2, the hurricane weather stopped and we ended up having perfect weather, 1,000 more people and we wrote a decent couple of checks to our non-profit recipients. Year 3 started to see the real evolution of the beers, featuring 5 casks made exclusively for HOToberFest. No one else in the country had these brews!

And they were good as hell, too! Okay, stay focused. What difficulties did you have to hurdle to get where you are today?

Trying to juggle family, my real job and the festival process. This is an 8-month process, believe it or not.

I know it! I have witnessed the grind with my own eyes. If you could change a law regarding beer festivals, what would you guys pick?

Well, the city has been known to NOT make the festival biz an easy one at times, so we have jumped through a lot of hoops. I would ask for a one-day sampling allowance so we could bring in any beers that we like from around the world, not currently registered in GA.

I second the motion. What makes your festival different from all of the others?

Namely, our consumer-judged competition component is about the beer and truly unique. All of the attendees can use our smartphone ballot app to taste, rank and vote for their top three brews of the day and then keep up with their faves afterwards.  This truly helps them learn about the beers and then puts that new knowledge to work after the festival.

Okay, keep it flowing. Anything else you want to school my peeps about HOToberfest?

In addition, HOToberFest is more than a beer festival. We are actually a sustainability festival, promoting conscious living and informed choices. We donate 100 percent of our proceeds to a couple of hard working NPOs, TREES Atlanta and Legacy World Missions. Wow, big stuff huh?  (Laughing). With two major components, we have something for everyone!

Do I really need to say any more about HOToberfest? See you there, homies!

-        Ale!

Atlanta Beer Festivals Are Coming!

Yep! Besides all of the awesome beer dinners, special meet-up spots for beer geeks like myself, and just awesome beer overall, Atlanta is about to host at least three major beer festivals starting with...

• The Sandy Springs Beer Festival is today! Last year was a very calm, chilled out vibe with a good amount of brews for everyone to get their sip on, so expect the same this time around. There might be tickets left, so go here in case you are one of those last-minute folks.

• The super gangster HOToberfest touches ground on the 1st of October. These HOToberfest guys really go out of the way to pamper their guests with more than 225 beer variations, live music, mini-whiskey barrels, stuff for the kids to be distracted while drinkers get their sip on and judge. (Whaddup Alan, Tryon and D!). Well-timed indeed, this beer festival in on the first day of the official Atlanta Beer Week organized by my boy Reid, the Atlanta Beer Master. The response is already crazy because their “Admission Early Bird special” is Sold Out!

• Then comes my homey Mike D and his Great Atlanta Beer Fest at—get this—Turner Field, home of the Braves! This is the first time this is going down in the stadium’s history and it should be a blast. And the even more cool thing about this is the organizers planned it specifically for my birthday on October 8^th! Okay, maybe not, but this is still one helluva gift! Trust me, Hank Aaron Drive is about to be off the chain! 

Of course, there will be a couple of other big brew events coming up that I will be providing a ton of more info as they get closer, plus post-coverage so keep checking in! Here is the breakdown below on the three beer fests.

See you at all of ‘em!

Ale

2011 Heritage Sandy Springs Beer Fest

Where the hell is it? Heritage Green, 6110 Bluestone Road, Sandy Springs, GA 30328

When is this thang? Today!!! Saturday, August 13, 2011; 4-8 p.m.

How much bread? Admission is $25.00 per person and includes beer tasting

What the hell is the website? www.hssbeerfest.com

Straight from their tap:

“Kick back and sip on a unique selection of specialty beers at the 2nd annual Heritage Sandy Springs Beer Fest on August 13th! The Beer Fest will be held from 4-8 and will feature live music, great local food and a variety of beers to sample.

The Heritage Sandy Springs Beer Fest takes place at Heritage Green on the Sandy Springs Society Entertainment Lawn. No outside food or beverage is allowed. Pets and smoking are not allowed. Parking is available on Sandy Springs Place in designated parking lots and in the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church's Hitson Activity Center lot, on Sandy Springs Circle.

“All the proceeds will go to Heritage Sandy Springs, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.”

2011 HOToberfest

Where the hell is it? Glenwood Park Community; 916 Glenwood Park Drive, Atlanta GA 30316

When the hell is it? Saturday, October 1st, 2011; 2-7 p.m.

How much bread? Prices vary. Check out the three options below. On sale now!

What the hell is the website? www.hotoberfest.net

Straight from their tap:

HOToberFest, Atlanta’s best craft beer festival is also the city’s best sustainability festival, promoting smart living and raising money for two great non-profits. Once again we will feature free live music all day, an artist & craft market, great food & beverages and our no-charge kid's area.

Plus, the Beer Tasting features three options for our great judges!

General Admission “Beer Garten”

3-7 pm $30

175+ Beers

“Firkin VIP’ Tasting”

2-7 pm $75

50+ seasonal, cellared and exclusive casks.

“Designated Driver Ticket”

3-7 pm $20

If you don’t want to drink but you want to hang with your friends we are offering a Designated Driver ticket.

2011 Great Atlanta Beer Fest

Where the hell is it? Turner Field, Atlanta, Ga.

When is this thang? Saturday, October 8th, 2011; 3-8 pm.

How much bread? The first 500 tickets will be just $25. After that, $35 advance, $45 day of event, and they will all go on sale Wednesday, August 17 at 10 am.

What the hell is the website? www.greatatlantabeerfest.com

Straight from their tap:

“We are proud to announce that the Great Atlanta Beer Fest at Turner Field will be held on Saturday October 8th from 3-8pm. Turner Field will provide an outstanding atmosphere for what will soon be the biggest beer festival in all of Atlanta. We will feature hundreds of different beers to sample from all over America, as well as a great selection of European beers.

The bulk of the Great Atlanta Beer Fest will take place in the Grand Entry Plaza and Monument Grove. Scout’s Alley will be open and the games will be free for beerfest patrons. College football will be on the 18 TV’s all over the Chop House, so you won’t miss the day’s action. There will be live music on the stage of the Grand Entry Plaza; the band will be announced soon.

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. 

HOToberfest winners are announced!

Pretty soon, the winning breweries will be pimping this awesome award!

Yep, the 2011 HOToberfest was, as usual, an incredible time, with so many different brews to sip on that sunny October 1st afternoon! I had a ball and always respect how hard founders Alan, Denise and Tryon go to make sure their casks are extraordinary and shipped from all over the nation. Besides all the firkins, VIP tents and abundance of beer enthusiasts that make HOToberfest an annual priority, everyone loves the opportunity to vote for their favorite potion of sipping bliss out of more than 200. With that being said, congrats to the winners of the 2011 HOToberfest General Tasting Awards! I wholeheartedly agree with the following victors. They were delish!

·         Gold: Wild Heaven Craft Beers - Eschaton - Abt/Quadrupel - ABV 10.5%

·         Silver: Terrapin Beer Company - Hopsecutioner - IPA - ABV 7.3%

·         Bronze: Red Brick Brewing - Vanilla Gorilla - Imperial/Strong Porter - ABV 7.5%

Firkin VIP Awards

These are selected from over 60 of the world’s most sought after beers!

·         Gold: Lagunitas - Dry Hopped Maximus IPA CASK - Fresh Hopped Imperial/Double IPA

·         Silver: Sweetwater Brewing - Bean to Brew Porter (Sweetwater & Cacao Collaboration CASK) - Chocolate Porter

·         Bronze: Port Brewing - Dry Hopped High Tide IPA CASK - Fresh Hopped IPA

Now make sure you continue celebrating Atlanta Beer Week. Go here for all of the happening around town. It has been bananas so far!

Cheers!
Ale

Cool Beer Stuff for Father’s Day!

Hook Pops up and show him love through brews!

Hey, it’s the weekend and some of ya just got paid. Get your shopping on for Father’s Day with everything from titanium-laced sunglasses serving as bottle openers to an awesome deal on one of the best beer festivals in the South, Hotoberfest, a sweeeeeet SweetWater beer cooler, a butterfly knife top popper, free pints given out by ATL restaurants, a chance to win a trip to Belgium! 

And this is only the first installment!

Now let's do this...

 $20 tix to HOToberfest Beer Festival? Friggin' cheap!

First, be one of the 100 folks to grab $20 tickets to one of the best beer festivals in the South, HOToberfest. My homeys and HOToberfest founders Alan, Tryon, and Denise hit me up and wanted to run this exclusive deal on my site first, so I had to show them—and you—love. It's in Atlanta and all the info is right here, so you better be there. Come on, more than 200 different beers in the fall? A no-brainer!

Chill out with SweetWater Brewery's 24-pack cooler

SweetWater Brewery is kickin’ major fishtail in the Southeast, (the number one selling microbrewery in fact), and now they have this slick 24-pack cooler so you can pack it with the brews that make them the big fish! Check out their other hippie-inspired gear in their Schwag Shop too.

Kickass Sunglasses that open bottles!

Kickstarter’s site (www.kickstarter.com) is an ingenious way to get start-ups funding around the world, and I received an email from some cool cats who are making JackHawk 9000 Sunglasses— Risky Business-looking shades that serve as bottle openers! I mean, come on, they have arms made from unbreakable, aerospace grade titanium. And the lenses? They say, “We picked the highest quality polarized lenses available. They provide the greatest solar protection (filtering out UVA/UVB/UVC light and blue light up to 400nm) and are coated with Iradium to reduce glare and improve scratch resistance. The hinges were designed to meld metal to metal and are vacuum welded to the arms, so they won't break.”

See what I'm sayin'?

Take Pops to Belgium thanks to Affligem Brewery!

Or at least try to get this sick poring tray and glasses.

Thanks to DRAFT Magazine, the awesome beer Affligem, and Visit Flanders, there is the possibility for a lucky person to win a trip for two to Belgium, while 200 other winners will score an exclusive Affligem (pronounced Aff-li-gem with a hard “g”) pouring tray including the slick glassware (pictured). All you have to do is watch this video, complete the entry form, and answer the question Bart Simpson could answer.

Winners are selected randomly and the contest ends July 16, 2012. Good luck!

Spread wings with this Butterfly Bottle Opener!

Pop one for Pops like Two Bit from The Outsiders!

There is not much say except this has got to look cool when you open a bottle with this gadget! 

Two Bit from The Outsiders is the guy I think about whenever “butterfly” comes up. He made that knife so damn cool! (If you don’t know who I am talking about, you had a loser English teach since you weren't assigned to read that classic book by S.E. Hinton., let alone show you the flick with one of the most ultimate all-star casts you will every see.)  Anyway, here’s the link courtesy of Gizmodo.com.

Feed Dad and they'll kick in a pint...or three!

Last but not least, Dad has to eat, right? Here are some eateries that are feeding bellies and offering pints for free! God bless ‘em!

Grill Specials, Free Pints and more for all Dad’s at TWO urban licks!

TWO urban licks is hosting “Dad’s Day Off” this Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17th! Give your Dad a relaxing day away from the grill and let TWO do all the work. Chef Cameron Thompson will offer added grill specials, straight from TWO’s acclaimed rotisserie, alongside TWO’s regular menu to give Dad a Father’s Day worthy feast. TWO will also offer a complimentary pint to every Dad as a token of appreciation. Bring the family and enjoy! For more information visit twourbanlicks.com or call 404.522.4622.

Free Pint for all Dad’s at TAP!

Join TAP this Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17th, where Dad’s will enjoy a free pint! TAP will be offering all Dads, dining with their families, a complimentary pint all day long to celebrate! Bring your family to celebrate. Make your reservation today! For more information visit tapat1180.com or call404.347.2220.

Celebrate Father's Day at  Murphy's

Come to Murphy’s this Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17th, to enjoy our hearty brunch dishes that are the perfect way to dote on Dad!  Feast on dishes such as our Corned Beef Hash, Chilaquiles or the Murphy's Burger. The celebration will continue with 'Big Daddy' dinner specials that are sure to delight, starting at 5 p.m. For more information visit murphys-atlanta-restaurant.com or call 404.872.0904.  Reservations encouraged for dinner.

FLIP this Father’s Day

Show Dad how much you love him; treat him to FLIP this Father’s Day! To celebrate, FLIP will be offering a Rib Eye Burger N’ Beer combo to all Dads. For just $14 Dad can enjoy this FLIP Burger topped with Slow Cooked Prime Rib, B-1 Steak Sauce, Spicy Arugula and Horseradish Foam alongside his choice of any of FLIP’s draft beer selections. This Burger N’ Beer combo will be offered all day long, and at both the Howell Mill & Buckhead locations, on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17^th. For more information, visit flipburgerboutique.com.

Brew and a Dog for Dad at HD1

What better way to celebrate Dear Ol’ Dad, than with a Dog and a Brew Combo. For $8, enjoy the Red Haute Dog (Brisket Chili, Pimento Jack, Sweet Onion) with any Avery Brewery Can. Choose one of the following options from this Boulder Brewery…Joe’s American Pilsner, India Pale Ale, Ellie’s Brown Ale or the White Rascal.

Visit hd1restaurant.com

Phone: 404-815-1127.

Look for more Father’s Day hook ups next week!

On the outro, here’s “Be A Father To Your Child” by Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs!

Cheers!

Ale

Hopslam, ACAT, Cypress Street's Anniversary...

This past weekend was bananas and Cypress Street's Anniversary is tonight!

My homies holding up my stickers at the totally awesome Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting on Saturday!

Whaddup Fellow Brew Lovers!

Man, this past weekend was absolutely bananas regarding beer happening in Georgia's capital. Atlanta is truly the shizznit when it comes to the abundance and appreciation of all those wondrous ales and lagers the world has to offer. Check it:

On Friday...

My boy Jason with Square Pub hooked up the crab cakes and Hopslam on Friday!
(Photo by Mike Moore/AllWays Open Creative)

• It was awesome hanging out at Square Pub on Friday to take part in the Bell's Hopslam frenzy (which was great as usual), indulge in Jason's great crab cakes, and do a photo shoot with AllWays Open Creative biz partner Mike Moore and some of the coolest beer representatives in the Southeast who came out of the woodwork (stay tuned for those pics). 

The Silent Night is slammin'! 
(Photo by Mother Earth)

• Brick Store's tap takeover by Mother Earth Brewing and sippin' the Silent Night Imperial Stout which turned out to be one of the best I ever had! Shout goes to my homey Aaron Rolka (Atlanta Beer Tours), the gorgeous Andrea Janise, bro Kevin Irv and Mother Earth's new Southeast rep, Jordan! Welcome to the ATL, J-Lo!

On Saturday...

Shooting my new vid with Thrillist.com at Hop City! 
(Photo by Chris Watkins/Thrillist.com/Atlanta)

• I filmed a new Cruisin' For A Brewsin' video collaboration with the awesome website, Thrillist.com, with the Atlanta editor and good friend Christopher Watkins at Hop City. (Whaddup, Kraig Torres!)

Fellow beer nuts Alan (HOToberfest) and Oskar Blues Pimp Dave joined in on the fun at ACAT! 
(Photo by Tryon Rosser/HOToberfest)

• Rushing over to the Prado to indulge and cover the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting (ACAT) with all of my beer loving homies! Now that was an awesome event! It was truly of who's who in the Atlanta beer scene. Congrats to Owen and all the EXCELLENT casks that were brewed by everyone from the West Cost's Uinta in Utah (congrats for getting 1st place!) and Lagunitas, to Georgia's Dan and Hamp's Mazurt courtesy of Burnt Hickory Brewing, SweetWater, Jailhouse, Red Brick and Wild Heaven to name a few. It was simply stellar. I can't wait to show you the flicks me and my boy Tryon with HOToberfest took!

• Sippin' a brew (I can't remember off hand as you can understand I trust) with Oskar Blues Rep Big Dave at The Albert. Love the burger and blue cheese by the way!

On Sunday...

Happy 13th B-Day, King! 

• Just chilled out and celebrated the birthdays of my two nephews, Kingston and Cam. I still managed to sip on some Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout though. You know how bowling alleys are with beer. Microbrews are pretty much nonexistent so I pulled a sneak-a-rooskie of this baby (below)! 

Anyway, it is now Tuesday and you know what that means! Hopefully I will see you all at the Cypress Street Pint & Plate 5th Anniversary tonight! Peep the flyer below. If you need a refreshment on how they get down, check this video out at the bottom of the post! I love Atlanta!!!

Cheers!

Ale