Beer Week was nuts, I win at Max Lager's, now what?

The 'Excuse My English' IPA I christened 
for Max Lager's. Lovin' it!

On the real, I needed a full week to recuperate from these last two weeks. It has been totally bananas! Crazy! Straightjackets! Starting with Atlanta Beer Week which started on my b-day, I have been going hard and loving every minute of it. We’re talking…

   

• this video I did leading previewing Atlanta Beer Week that included The Porter, TAP and Deckard’s
• a visit to the Wrecking Bar to taste the phenomenal cask version of the Victor IPA plus a private tour by brewmaster Chris Terenzi
• celebrating my birthday in grand fashion at Great Atlanta Beer Week, saluting the crowd with Beer Street Journal Founder Reid Ramsey aka @ATLBeerMaster and all of my homies who came into town from all over the nation
• being surprised with a gang of friends and a killer cake embellished with my logo on it (see below) during my birthday party at Deckard's thanks to Tastemaker Magazine Lifestyle Editor Andrea Janise aka @ATLFoodWriter (love you, Andrea!)
• some awesome brew at The Fred after watching my fantasy team called Pimp Slap get another win at Taco Mac’s Prado location in Sandy Springs
• hitting up the off-the-chain Decatur Beer Fest, then taking a break and feasting off Brick Store's cornish hen while sipping a New Holland Mole Ocho which was incredible.
• I finished a killer article for JEZEBEL Magazine that will certainly show some love for the A-Town regarding brew!
• Chilled out with my grandmother and aunt who flew down to see my mother. Truthfully, Ma Dukes has been better since their visit and granny hasn’t changed a bit: sippin’ vodka and orange juice while talking that Jamaican patois. Love it! 
• And then to top it off, I won Max Lager’s naming contest of their English IPA my main man, co-owner and brewmaster John “J.R.” Roberts brewed for our imbibing pleasure! He chose “Excuse My English” which he said fit his brew perfectly. I won a gift card, t-shirt and some other schwag. Here is his breakdown on this delish 85 IBU, 6.8% ABV English IPA I am the proud namer of that you better hurry up and sip here before it’s gone!:

“This is how it all began! Long before American craft brewers twisted this classic English ale into the wonderfully hoppy IPAs of today, British brewers invented the style. Excuse My English IPA was brewed with all British malts, hops and yeast. I even adjusted the soft Atlanta water to imitate the mineral hard water of Burton-on-Trent. The result is a distinctly different tasting IPA than the usual American version. Earthy Kent Golding and Fuggles hops are perfectly balanced by a nutty malt backbone with notes of caramel and toffee. The mineral heavy water smooths the finish with wonderful complexity. Enjoy!”   - John “J.R.” Roberts

Me and J.R. from Max Lager's sippin'
the 'Excuse My English' IPA

I also hung out some of the most important figures in the beer world, and have received an overwhelming amount of support and props for this website. That meant a lot and I will continue to make sure that www.AleSharpton.com delivers good shizzznit for your reading pleasure. I plan on doing a slideshow for the entire month of October as well—which has been a monster—so stay tuned for that.  

Well, to sum things up, I just finished my Thai Spiced Salmon Salad and Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest wet hop ale (6.7 % ABV) at Deckard’s before getting ready for this weekend. Taste of Atlanta is the biggie so far and I am definitely hitting that up.

See you soon, beer fam! We will find out what's poppin' together! Let me know on Twitter/alesharpton.
Oh, and here is that cake...or what was left of it. Dope, ain't it?

They didn't want to cut up my pretty face. Ha!

Anyway, see y'all where the brew is!
Peace!

Ale