Saltyard and I Host a Beer Dinner Celebration with Creature Comforts!

Five Courses with Special and Limited-Release Creature Comforts Brews, a Live Auction, and Raffle next Friday, April 22,  from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. 

Cheers Y'all!

It’s about to be on next Friday! I am teaming up with one of the best breweries in the nation, Georgia’s own Creature Comforts, along with the great Chef Nick Leahy for a beer dinner on April 22 starting at 6:30. The official write up is below and the link is here. 

You know how I love beer dinners! From pairing food with the world’s best beverage to actually indulging, this is one of my favorite things to do; Chef Nick and I killed it when we did one last year at Saltyard. This time, I will be giving away some slick prizes at the end via a raffle. Proceeds help the The Farmer Fund, an initiative that helps Georgia farmers maintain production when dealing with natural disasters.

Come through!

Ale

My homey Chef Nick Leahy.

Five-Course Seasonal Tasting Menu Paired with Special and Limited-Release Creature Comforts Brews, Live Auction, and Raffle Benefiting The Farmer Fund on Friday, April 22, 2016 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. 

Athens, Georgia-based brewery, Creature Comforts, Executive Chef Nick Leahy of Saltyard, local non-profit The Farmer Fund, and Atlanta's favorite beer personality, Ale Sharpton, are joining forces to host “An Earth Day Beer Dinner Celebration” benefiting The Farmer Fund at Saltyard on Friday, April 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. 

The celebratory dinner will be the perfect chance to try two of Creature Comforts’ award-winning, year-round brews, Tropicália and Athena, and will provide guests the opportunity to sample the brewery’s more highly limited releases: Brettomatic, Emergence, and The King’s Ransom. Guests will enjoy a welcome cocktail hour from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. before being seated for dinner at 7:15 p.m. Chef Nick Leahy will present five courses, hors d'oeuvres, and dessert inspired by this Spring’s best local produce with featured Creature Comforts beer pairings.

The evening will come to a close with a live auction and raffle hosted by Ale Sharpton. Cost is $69 per person plus tax and gratuity, and includes dinner, paired beverages, and raffle entry. Guests must be 21+ to attend. Tickets for An Earth Day Beer Dinner Celebration are limited and may be purchased online at Brown Paper Tickets. For more information, please visit http://ccbeerdinner.brownpapertickets.com or call Saltyard at 404-382-8088. 

An Earth Day Beer Dinner Celebration Menu:

Hors d'oeuvres

Bibo Pilsner

Passed house made Canadian bacon, Creature Comforts beer mustard on cheddar crackers 

Course 1

Emergence Limited Release Blonde Ale

Otter Bay oysters with Emergence & Meyer lemon granita

Course 2

Athena Berliner Weisse 

Charred local squash, herbed Atlanta Fresh Yogurt, Athena-chile-honey, boiled peanut gremolata

Course 3 

Tropicália American IPA 

Pan-seared scallops, field pea and sweet corn succotash, country ham & tomato butter 

Course 4 

The Kings Ransom Baltic Porter

Pastrami-cured smoked pork cheek, Vidalia onion champ, porter glazed baby carrots

Course 5 

Brettomatic Pale Ale 

Strawberry & rhubarb pie, Brettomatic pastry cream, toasted oat crumb

About Saltyard:

Saltyard delivers a uniquely social dining experience encouraging guests to connect over internationally influenced small plates, craft cocktails and a mostly domestic wine and beer selection. Locally sourced ingredients are featured throughout the restaurant's seasonal menu and the open kitchen and floorplan make it a favorite spot for groups or those looking for a great chef’s table experience. Guests can expect warm, ambient lighting, reclaimed woods mixed with industrial metals and soft banquettes perfect for intimate meals. Saltyard is located in The Brookwood building in South Buckhead and complimentary valet is available in the building’s garage. For more information please visit http://saltyardatlanta.com/ and connect on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/saltyardatlanta, on Twitter @Saltyard and on Instagram @Saltyard.

About Creature Comforts:

Creature Comforts is an Athens, Georgia based brewery offering finely balanced artisanal beers. Since opening its doors in April 2014, Creature Comforts has made an imprint in the craft beer community with its award-winning, year-round and special release beers. To learn more about Creature Comforts, contact Emily@ccbeerco.comor visit us online at www.creaturecomfortsbeer.com. 

About The Farmer Fund:

Founded in 2015, The Farmer Fund exists to support farmers in the face of natural disaster and help keep farmers farming.  We serve the farmers that feed Metro Atlanta through farmers markets, CSAs and restaurant sales. The Farmer Fund provides an economic "stop loss" for our agricultural producers after natural disasters which include but are not limited to tornado, flood, storms and damages resulting from them. We aim to help rebuild farms after natural disasters so that farmers can continue to serve our community. For more information, please visit  www.thefarmerfund.org. 

               

CigarBQue Returns To Atlanta On April 21

Eat. Drink. Smoke Some Sticks. Not mad at that!

Whaddup?!

If you are into cigars, grilled grub and getting your sip on, the second installment of CigarBQue at Old Fourth Ward’s Venkman’s is your event! There will be four chefs, six drink specialists, and a complementary cigar from Diamond Crown, so I am definitely going to slide by. Below's the skinny straight from the source. Proceeds are going to a good cause too, called the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation. 

Oh! And the beer dinner I am helping host at The Saltyard in Midtown follows on Friday, April 22, so save room! Next week is going to be rockin’!

Cheers!

Ale

CigarBQue Returns To Atlanta On April 21

The national festival highlighting top local food and beverage talent will take over Venkman’s for a Thursday evening of cigars, cocktails and grilled bites

CigarBQue will take place in Atlanta this spring for a second consecutive year after a successful inaugural event in 2015. The nationwide touring festival, presented by Diamond Crown cigars and founded in Chicago, will bring together a collection of Atlanta’s top food and beverage talent for an evening filled with fine cigars, great food and unique drinks at Venkman’s, the premiere dining and live music destination in the Old 4th Ward, on Thursday, April 21 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Taking advantage of the spring weather, CigarBQue will be held on the expansive, newly opened patio at Venkman’s. Approximately three hundred guests will be able to enjoy delicious grilled dishes from five of Atlanta’s top chefs while imbibing original cocktails from five of Atlanta’s best bartenders. Premium cigars from Diamond Crown are included in each guest’s ticket package to be enjoyed with the food, drinks and live music curated by Venkman’s. Please see below for a list of chef and beverage participants:

Food

Chef Nick Melvin, Venkman’s (host)

Chef Jordan Wakefield, Smoke Ring

Chef Conor O’Reilly, Seven Lamps

Chef Rusty Bowers, Pine Street Market

Sommelier Ian Mendelsohn, Vine & Tap

Beverage

Pieter Guilbault, Venkman’s (host)

Madison Burch, Seven Lamps

Mikey Kilbourne, One Eared Stag

Adr’ain Harrow, Unique Syrups

Garn McCown, Gypsy Kitchen

“CigarBQue was started by chefs and we love that it highlights local restaurants even though it’s a nationwide event,” says Chef Nick Melvin of Venkman’s. “It’s basically perfect: cigars, good food, stiff drinks and a little wine on a big patio on a spring night. Plus, our live music and location not far from the Beltline are factors that will make this year’s CigarBQue tough to beat.”

Tickets to the event cost $75 (excluding fees), and proceeds will be donated to the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which works with local organizations in the Dominican Republic to fight poverty and provide useful job training and skills development for the nation’s citizens. The organizers of CigarBQue would also like to recognize Chef Jordan Wakefield of Smoke Ring for his participation in both 2015 and 2016. His generosity and the excellence of his dish in 2015 have earned him and his wife, Erin Wakefield, a trip to Tampa, Florida to cook at the CigarBQue finale event at J.C. Newman’s headquarters, the parent company for Diamond Crown Cigars. The chef with the best dish this April, as chosen by the organizers of CigarBQue, will make the trip to Tampa next year. CigarBQue’s first 2016 event will take place in Atlanta, followed by stops in Austin, TX; Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; Portland, OR; Philadelphia, PA; St. Louis, MO and Tampa, FL.

To purchase tickets to CigarBQue, visit www.cigarbque.com and select Atlanta from the “Cities” dropdown menu. Tickets are also available on Eventbrite here. Connect with CigarBQue on Facebook and Twitter. The festival will take place at Venkman’s, located at 740 Ralph McGill Blvd., Atlanta, Georgia 30312.

ABOUT CIGARBQUE

CigarBQue is an intimate evening of fine cigars and food prepared by some of the country’s best chefs. This outdoor grilling event features top notch food, wine, beer, creative cocktails and Diamond Crown Cigars.

It all began when Executive Chefs Rick Gresh and Cleetus Friedman decided to meld together their passions for fine foods, entertainment and premium cigars to host a unique charity event. The first CigarBQue Chicago in 2012 was such a success, every participating chef agreed to come back for the 2013 event in less than 24 hours and the event has only grown in popularity.

In 2015, after three years of a successful partnership in the Chicago area, the CigarBQue concept expanded nationwide so people across the country can enjoy this outstanding culinary experience in a relaxed atmosphere. To learn more about a specific CigarBQue event visit the website at www.cigarbque.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Athens rocks this weekend with Terrapin's BDay and the Classic City Brew Fest!

2015's Classic City was cray, cray as always!

The Turtle Folks throw down Saturday and Classic pours 29 gangster casks and 400+ brews to sip on! 

Yo!

Plain and simple, Athens, Georgia is going to be rockin' this weekend! Peep it:

Terrapin's 14th Anniversary on Saturday, April 9^th sets things off with a crazy roster of brews and hella fun. Go here for all the info. It starts at 4:30 and "ends" at 8:30. Here is all the info. Happy BDay my Gs! Shout out to everyone including Leigh, Dustin, Abigail, Erin, James, Steve, Katie, Kelly, Lauren, and of course founders John and Spike's crazy ass! 

Then there is the Classic City Brew Fest on Sunday, April 10th. This is one of my favorite festivals to get my sip on because the founder and homey Owen Ogletree goes out of his way to make sure we try some of the best beers in the world. This is the 21st version and I can’t wait to hit it up on Sunday. 
Go here for Tickets and to get more info, hit up www.BrewFest.net. Besides the other 400-plus brews being poured, here is the super rare cask list sent directly from Owen. Crazy! See you this weekend! It starts at 2:30 and again "ends" at 6 (I often hit up Trappeze after).

King Owen

·       Black Diamond Mogaltra - An intense West Coast IPA dry-hopped with an obscene amount of Mosaic, Galaxy and Citra. 6.3% ABV, 70 IBUs.

·       Blue Tarp Brett IPA - A new, funky, hoppy ale fermented with 100% Brettanomyces yeast and dry-hopped with Calypso in the cask.

·       Burnt Hickory Killboy Powerhead (Orange Creamsicle Didjits) - This cask comes in at 7% ABV and offers sweet notes of oranges, vanilla ice cream, hop nuances and complex, fruity esters.

·       Cedar Creek Dankosaurus IPA was created with dinosaur bones. After some serious science, we discovered that this type of dinosaur ate grapefruit and pineapple. So, we decided to dose this cask with grapefruit and an experimental hop that imparts pineapple notes. Meet the "Dankfruitahops!"

·       Cherry Street Belgo Ruskie Imperial Stout. Fermented with Belgian abbey yeast, aged in rye whiskey barrels for 11 months, and then dosed in the cask with rum-soaked oak spirals and vanilla beans. 9.5% ABV.

·       Coastal Empire Coco Piña Gose is a tropical take on the cult-classic, sour German Gose style brewed with pineapple, coconut, pink Himalayan salt and sea salt.

·       Creature Comforts Double Koko Buni (8.7% ABV) is a rich, velvety, indulgent imperial milk porter with toasted coconut, cocoa nibs, 1000 Faces coffee and vanilla. Decadent, yet balanced.

·       Eagle Creek River Street Praline Brown Ale. This Classic City Brew Fest cask ale has been aged in bourbon barrels with Madagascar vanilla, hazelnuts and maple syrup.

·       Eventide Fruit Kölsch-Tail - Eventide's authentic Kölsch made with fresh mango, papaya, banana, pineapple and strawberry. The perfect way to kick off spring!

·       Fannin Brewing Farmhouse Toccoa Brown Ale aged in a red wine barrel from Cartecay Vineyards with a dose of succulent Greek figs.

·       Fonta Flora - This extra special cask will be announced soon.

·       JailHouse Mr. McGee says "Hold on to Your Raspberry." Hints of pineapple and spice, and a punch of tart raspberry highlight this fruited cask of Saison Reprieve. Keep it guarded.

·       Max Lager's Hopsplosion!!! IPA - We stuffed this special cask full of Azacca, Citra and Galaxy dry-hops to make your hop-head explode! 8.1% ABV, 100 IBUs.

·       Monday Night Brett Michaels is our award-winning, malty Drafty Kilt Scottish ale aged withBrettanomyces yeast for an unexpected funky, earthy complexity.

·       Moon River Wild Georgia Belgique IPA (8.9% ABV) - After a four-month metamorphosis in barrels with Brett Trois, Georgia Belgique emerged with strong notes of tropical funk that intertwine with hoppy, floral, citrus flavors.

·       Red Brick Hoplanta IPA dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin hops and blackberries for a bright, tart, tropical flavor twist.

·       Red Hare Cafe au Coconut is our Long Day Lager infused with cold-brewed coconut coffee. This beer offers an extremely smooth mouthfeel with a blast of coffee flavor and hints of coconut. 

·       Reformation Pinot Noir-Aged Cadence with golden raisins and dates. Rich dark fruits and complex caramel notes mesh with oaky, fruity and dry Pinot Noir flavors.

·       Second Self Maverick & Gose - A sour, salted golden ale dry-hopped with tropical Wakatu hops and infused with papaya and kiwi fruit for additional tropical flavors and acidity.

·       Service Brewing Compass Rose with organic pineapple (6.6% ABV) - A refreshing IPA with intense aromas of grapefruit and pear, this special cask was conditioned with a whole organic pineapple. It finishes with notes of passion fruit, orange peel and bold pineapple.

·       Southern Brewing Owen's Citra-licious Session IPA - A collaboration ale made with Classic City Brew Fest founder/director Owen Ogletree, this quaffable, hoppy, 4.2% ABV golden ale is made from English 2-row malt, cara-pils, wheat and 100% Citra hops.

·       Southern Sky Frosted Orange Varsity Cask is a cream ale fermented with lactose and orange peel. This cask is then conditioned with vanilla and even more orange peel for a delicious finish.

·       SweetWater Wake Up Pils - German-style pilsner infused with light roasted coffee (a type of blonde roast). Pours golden in color with a subtle coffee aroma and flavor.

·       Terrapin Cherry Rhubarb Pie - We took our Terrapin 14-year anniversary tart Belgian red ale and added cherry and rhubarb juice for a uniquely fruited cask.

·       Thomas Creek Deepwater Dopplebock is our full-bodied, German-style dark lager with rich, creamy flavors, roasted nut tones and hints of coffee and chocolate. This rare cask was conditioned with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

·       Three Taverns Kick In The Head is our 10.5% ABV Old Ale matured in Pedro Ximenez sherry barrels for deep layers of earthy, malty, alcohol complexity.

·       Twain's Galactic Flight Double IPA. Taste upon this juicy, 8% ABV hop rocket as you blast off into another galaxy! Big aromatics of Galaxy and Falconer's Flight dry-hops make this cask a hop-lover's delight.

·       Wild Heaven Oud Bruin has been aged in Bordeaux barrels for a year and then re-fermented in the cask firkin with Westmalle Trappist ale yeast. 10% ABV.

·       Wrecking Bar Neapolitan Jemmy Stout - Our decadent and chocolate-forward Jemmy Stout cask-conditioned on toasted cacao nibs, Tahitian vanilla beans and strawberries.

See you there my homies!

Ale

The History of National Beer Day Y’all!

A lil' share with my Brew Tang Clan at my spot...

Here is a quick breakdown on how it got started.

Today’s A Good Day!

Any day named National Beer Day has to be special off the bat; the reason April 7^th was declared such an honor was due it being the first legal time to pour a beer post the infamous 13-year Prohibition in 1933 thanks to the Cullen-Harrison Act signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The evening prior to this was creatively termed New Beer’s Eve with folks waiting in line for midnight to strike as if Russian River’s Pliny The Younger was being poured. Reportedly a million kegs were popped the next day. 

I concur! Shooter unknown.

The 21^st Amendment made everything official and graciously got rid of that haytin’ ban on selling suds and spirits on December 5^th, 1933. (Hence, one of the best breweries in the nation is named after that Amendment based in San Fran, ya dig? Check it.) Of course, there were still some hurdles to eventually jump, including increasing the alcohol limit from an extra sessionable beer maxing out at 3.2 percent by weight (4 percent by volume), but that was how they got down back then.

Oh! And to show some respect to the godfather of National Beer Day, I read that a beer-loving cat named Justin Smith out of Richmond, Virginia helped make this day an official holiday for us imbibers in 2009 using Facebook for the launchpad. (This is his breakdown on how it got started here.) Hey Justin, if I ever see you in person, expect a fist bump and beer on me!

Anyway, look for my Tweets and Instagrams celebrating this sippin’ holiday. I'm off to plan Part 2 of my Brews. Brims. Beats. II event and then it's chill time.

Happy sippin’ Mr. Smith, all of you reading this, and craft beer supporters around the world! I hope you celebrate this day in style with some gangster brews. You know I will!

Cheers!

Your Homey,

Ale

Green Flash releases the Jibe IPA at My Parents' Basement tonight!

Everything starts at 5 p.m.! 

Cheers!

Hump Day just got better thanks to my homies at My Parents' Basement, Green Flash, and awesome rep Tyler pouring us the brand new cans of their sessionable Jibe IPA today starting at 5 p.m. in Decatur.  Besides Poppin' the  top off this 4% ABV, 65-IBU palate refresher, there will be schwag, some new comic book releases, and a lot of super cool folks getting their sippin' on. Come through!
Look for more events I am about to post coming up in ATL and Athens. This week is about to be cray!

Holla!
Ale

Here is the official list of the Top 50 U.S. Breweries of 2015!

Coming straight from my homies at the Brewers Association, ya heard?

Whaddup?!

I just got back from L.A. and finally caught up with everything including my article due for Jezebel Magazine’s Bartender’s Page, a car review, and two interviews (Tony Gaskins and the McBride Sisters). Missed y’all!

Anyway, my first update is this list of the Top 50 U.S. Breweries of 2015 based on annual sales volume sent by my homies at the Brewers Association. It's hooked up in graphic form up top and also below by list. What’s gangster about this is the number of independent breweries who made it—43! So what qualifies as a “craft brewery” these days? According the BA posse, peep it:

An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional.

Small means…

• Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships.

Independent means…

• Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.

Traditional means…

• A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.

Bart Watson, the Brewers Association chief economist, even dropped some science:

“The top U.S. brewers continue to drive demand, growth, innovation and exponential interest in beers from small and independent brewers. With a historic record number of breweries in U.S., the top brewers continue to open new markets and expose beer drinkers to a variety of fuller-flavored styles and offerings.”

Here's the list again:

All in all, support craft beer whenever possible and maintain the innovation they are doing with ales and lagers. Hell, we can even include sodas, spirits and ciders in this as well now.

Oh, and I can’t wait to see my Brewers Association folks and all participants of the Craft Brewers Conference in Philly the first week of May. Dopeness! Who is rolling?

Cheers!

Ale

Celebrate Burnt Hickory turning 4 Saturday!

On Saturday, April 02, starting at 1–5 p.m., 70-plus gangster brews including Hunahpu, KBS and special Burnt Hickory selections will be poured!

Ayyyo!

Anything my homey Scott Hedeen and his Burnt Hickory BreweryPosse is a part of, I am supporting. This weekend is going to host a sick beer event in Kennesaw—the Third Annual Depot Park Beer Festival—and it will be featuring BHB’s fourth birthday as well. With more than 70 ridiculously tasty brews, two concert stages, and a gang of events, hit this one up if you can. For more info and tickets, go here.

As if you needed more convincing, how about this beer list:

My homey Scott Hedeen, the founder of Burnt Hickory, can brew his ass off.

VIP LIST

Cigar City                      Hunahpu's Imperial Stout

Founders                       Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Against the Grain         Your Lytest One

Bells                               Bear Hug Imperial Stout

Wicked Weed                La Bonte Plum

Coastal Empire             Midnight in the Garden

Terrapin                        Barrel Aged Something

Cherry Street                Belgo Ruskie

Grumpy Old Men         Bergey Brown Cask

Southern Sky                Lemon Meringue Beholden Cask

Burnt Hickory                Cherry infused Killdozer: For Ladies Only

Burnt Hickory                Kolb's Farm Vanilla Habinero: Burial Truce

Burnt Hickory                Kolb's Farm Butterfinger: Kicked out of Weeblos

Burnt Hickory                Die Kreuzen BA Maple Pumpkin Ale: Man in the Trees

Burnt Hickory                Atomic Fireball CWOTD: Crop Circle

Burnt Hickory                Raspberry Orange Didjits: Staring at the Rude Boys

Burnt Hickory                Mother of Mercy

THE BEST OF THE REST

From The Burnt Hickory Brewery:

Burnt Hickory               Angel Rat Golden Sour

Burnt Hickory               Halo of Flies

Burnt Hickory               Big Shanty

Burnt Hickory               Bloody Bishop

Burnt Hickory               Cannon Dragger

Burnt Hickory              Charred Walls of the Damned

Burnt Hickory              Courageous Conductor

Burnt Hickory              The Didjits

Burnt Hickory              Ezekiel's Wheel

Burnt Hickory              Feeling Gravity's Pull

Burnt Hickory             Fighting Bishop

Burnt Hickory             General Joe

Burnt Hickory              If you see Kay

Burnt Hickory              Hot Judge Fudge

Burnt Hickory             Killboy Powerhead

Burnt Hickory             Killdozer

Burnt Hickory             Kolb's Farm

Burnt Hickory             Mad Caddy

Burnt Hickory            Maps and Legends

Burnt Hickory             Nana Knocker

Burnt Hickory            Noggin Knocker

Burnt Hickory            Spanish Bombs

Burnt Hickory            Usurper IPA

Burnt Hickory            Wrong EM Boyo

Burnt Hickory            Zekey Stardust

BHB Collaborations:

Three Taverns/BHB   Midnight on Moon Station

7th Sun/BHB             Collaboration

Angry Chair/BHB      Collaboration

Costal Empire/BHB    March to the Sea

Cycle/BHB                  Collaboration

Dry Co/BHB               Pina Collada IPA

Malt Monkeys/BHB   Tammy's Black IPA

Orpheus/BHB            Pellet Gun Sour Blend

Schoolhouse/BHB    White Stout

Sweetwater/BHB       Don's Bella Donna Smoked Old Bay

WH/BHB                    You got a Purdy Mouth

Red Brick/BHB          Govenor's Pike

Local / Regional

Cherry Street             Coconut Porter

Cherry Street             Groovy Child Guava Ale

Cigar City                   Jai Alai

Coastal Empire          Broughton St Saison

Coastal Empire          Halle Berliner Weiss

Creature Comforts    Athena

Creature Comforts    Cosmic Debris

Dry County                Dry County IPA

Dry County                Namesake Session Ale

Eventide                     Kattegat

Eventide                     Kolsch

Gate City                   Amber

Gate City                    IPA

Grumpy Old Men     ASKA

Grumpy Old Men     Grasshopper Imperial IPA

Jailhose                     Alibi

Jailhouse                  4DIPA Black IPA

Jekyll                         Cattywampus

Jekyll                         Fix In To IPA

Max Lager                 White Oak White

Max Lager                 Wry King Max Imp Stout

Monday Night           Drafty Kilt Cinnamon Cocoa

Monday Night           Georgia Imperial Stout

Naughty Soda           BA Apple PIE

Naughty Soda           Honey and Hops

Omaha                       Hannahatchee Creek IPA

Omaha                       Nada Bannana

Orpheus                     Atalanta

Orpheus                     Lyric Ale

Red Hare                   Citra Session

Red Hare                   Sticky Stout

Reformation              BA Providence

Reformation              Rhubarb Saison

Second Self               Citrus IPA

Second Self               Red Hop Rye

Service                       Old Guard

Service                       Rally Point

Southbound              Clusterfiels

Southbound              Scattered Sun

Southern Sky            Golden Ticket Chocolate Milk Stout

Southern Sky            Hot Southern Blueberry Hoecake Ale

Southern Sky           Worlds Apart Ale

Sweetwater               Cali Woody

Sweetwater               Hash Session IPA

Terrapin                    Sound Czech

Three Taverns           La Pech Mode

Three Taverns          Theophan

Treehorn                    Dry Cider

Treehorn                   Ginger Reserve Cider

Westbrook                 Dark Helmet

Westbrook                One Claw

Wicked Weed            Amourous

Wicked Weed            Infidel Porter

Get it in!

Ale

Samuel Adams’ ‘Brewing the American Dream’ hits up ATL!

On March 22, they threw down at the Loudermilk Center to help aspiring brewing entrepreneurs take it to the next level.

What's Up Fellow Craft Beer Sippers?!

Although I couldn’t attend this amazing event held on March 22, I am starting to broaden my base by inviting good writers, beer enthusiasts and basically hustlers like myself to represent Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’. 

My man William Teasley representing Brothers That Brew did a great job filling in and writing a review of his experience during Boston Beer Company’s Brewing the American Dream event held at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta. It sounded extra dope after reading his account of what went down. I also want to thank the Boston Posse and all of the Dream staff for providing such an invaluable source of information to aspiring craft brewers.

William, take it away!

 

(Photos courtesy of Samuel Adams)

On March   2016, Boston Beer Company—the maker of Samuel Adams brand beer—brought Brewing the American Dream coaches to Atlanta to meet with craft food, beverage, hospitality, and beer entrepreneurs to learn from experts on starting and growing their businesses.

Accion, the country’s leading non-profit microlender, partnered with Samuel Adams to increase the success of these businesses nationwide by combining expert business coaching and advising with access to small business capital. Events like Speed Coaching in Atlanta, where participants were granted 20 minutes with an industry expert coach, are held annually in dozens of cities across the country. To date, more than 6,000 businesses have been coached with at least 825 businesses receiving $8.5 million in micro-lending to support their growth.

The 21 small Georgia-based brewers attending this evening’s event were fortunate to have Samuel Adams representatives and Speed Coaches Jennifer Glanville—Brewery Manager—and Category Manager Shawn Egan share their knowledge of brewery production, operations and sales. Gary Woilfe of Kahn Ventures highlighted what is needed to get brewery products to shelves and taps.

Additionally, there were 59 small food and beverage businesses there as well meeting with available Speed Coaches on legal issues, marketing, social media, business plan writing, and other topics critical to small and growing business. The Accion team highlighted several products they offered to all of the participants present including microlending to working capital loans to help those businesses grow.

Kathy Davis, “Head Goat” of the Abbey of the Holy Goats Brewery, was also present and inquired about how to more expeditiously reach the next level. Her excellent beer and culinary background is what helps her burgeoning business stand out; the presence of the seasoned staff during this event provided more expertise to further boost her momentum.

Ultimately, Brewing the American Dream created opportunities for businesses like Kathy’s to build their networks and set the stage for future growth and opportunities.

-          William Teasley, Brothers That Brew and Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’

Boom!

Cheers,

Ale

Creative Loafing shows me love!

Fellow beer scribe Austin Louis Ray does a feature on me in his popular 'First Draft' section. Here's the play-by-play on what went down.

Peace My Homies!

What a way to wake up on a Monday, eh?! 

The homey Austin.

When I got the call from my the great writer Austin Louis Ray wanting to feature me in his monthly First Draft column known for covering the beer game's influencers, I was floored and honored. Of course, I said hell yeah and we met about a week later at one of my favorite beer bars in Atlanta, The Argosy. I brought a Schlafly Double Bean Blonde for everyone to try since I try bring a lil' something no one has in this city when possible. (Austin did a fine job documenting this in his article.) Everyone was feeling it for sure. 

My 'Justin Case' logo I did by marker, a
play on Barney from The Simpsons. 1995

After picking an Argosy draft to sip on, Austin put out the recorder and we did our thing. He and I have known each other for a while and always exchange props to how we mutually support craft beer, so as you can feel the candidness in this piece when you read it. I kept it real as always, and first gave a shout out to the first magazine I ever wrote for when I used my Justin Case alias covering rap ("Off The Record") and my beer column "Beer For The Pour"—Cypher Magazine—(not counting Cornell's newspaper which I did a couple cartoons for). 
After that, we discussed one of my missions to further diversify the world of beer not just racially, but for artists, women, and other demographics and other good shit. I wish the events I have coming up were confirmed by the time the interview went down including Brews. Brims. Beats. Part II, Heroes Villains II, the Beer vs. Wine dinner at Cibo E Beve, a beer dinner with Sweet Auburn Barbecue, and a few other bangers, but you will know details on this site soon, regardless. 
Anyway, after a great discussion with Austin, I went to Washington D.C. and Asheville, NC, and then a photo shoot was scheduled with a cool cat named Eric Cash. We bonded instantly while he snapped me in The Porter Beer Bar's private event room, one of my favorite places to conduct my Hip Hop Beer Tasting with First We Feast and here on Cruisin' For A Brewsin'. (I can't wait to announce my next guest!) During the shoot, I brought a few brews with me including the Starr Hill Daily Grind Pepper Farmhouse Ale, Burial's Scythe Rye IPA, and Creature Comforts' Athena Paradiso while playing Tribe Called Quest on Pandora since the late, legendary Phife passed that morning (RIP). It was certainly  a memorable time. 
So now it's Monday and I wake up with my phone blowing up with texts and Tweets (thank Tori Allen PR for letting me know first) posting this dope article; it made waking up even more of a blessing.
All I have to say is I really appreciate everyone mentioned in this post plus all my fam, friends, brewers, writers, artists, magazines, websites, entrepreneurs, non profits, charities, beer bars, distributors, and musicians who make this world enjoyably liveable. Look for more creative efforts to  keep it that way from your brother Ale. 

Love y'all!

Ale