In Anticipation

I'm just back from my first beer in 5 days. Vargo convinced me (he didn't really have to twist my arm) to go to the book signing for Love at the Pub. Vargo asked me if I a) wanted to bid on a BSP table, and B) if I wanted some Sweetwater IPA. Well, Ben wouldn't let me bid on a table (but Vargo did!) so that left me with one option. And I don't really like Sweetwater beers very much, so I wasn't very excited about it. But Vargo told me this was a special Sweetwater, made with Centennial Hops. I was skeptical at first, too, but it was delicious!! Sweetwater CAN make good beers afterall! (Though I am still slightly skeptical that it was a Sweetwater beer--it tasted a lot like Bell's 2 Hearted Ale)

Anyway, we are off to Chattanooga tomorrow. That's right, the dirty south beer club is taking over Chattanooga. We've got lots to do there and lots o' plans. Between the excellent hiking/bouldering/rock climbing/swimming (wait--too cold to swim--it will be in the 20s!) options, coupled with the historic city with a wonderful Riverview Bluffs arts district and cool sculpture gardens plus the art museum and aquarium, the start of the Trail of Tears, yummy pizza/home made ice cream/gourmet hot dogs/southern style joints, we are so set. We are certainly going to be holding court and doing some major beer samplings!

Plus, we're descending, en masse, to Terminal Brewhouse. They won't know what's hit em.

Any suggestions?!

Montreal - Biere!!!!!!!!!

I went to Montreal. I don't speak french. But, I speak beer, so I figured I'd be ok. I was right.

First, let me say that I was a bit skeptical of Canadian beer. A few years ago we Lovehardsteins went to British Columbia and Seattle and found the stateside beer far superior. But, I had heard and read good things about Montreal beer scene so I went through customs (slowly) with an open palette. Good thing.

The beer in Montreal is off the hops!

I was there for two nights - and Basserie Dieu Du Ciel got my patronage both nights. I knew this brewery was well-respected, but it wasn't until I put their Peche Mortel Imperial Stout (au Cafe) to my lips that I understood. This beer was big, bold, and balanced. Just about perfect - especially with the chill Canadian autumn weather nipping at me. I have this thing when I drink an amazing beer where I'll sip, and then remove the glass from my lips and just kinda stare at the glass in awe. And I did that twice before I could even say anything about this one. My buddy got the Chaman Imperial IPA - risky business when you aren't in the US - land of big IPAs, but it too was excellent!

Upon returning home (with a couple Peche Mortel's in my bag) I learned that this beer gets Beer Advocate's #19 best beer in the world, making it the highest rated beer I've ever tasted. I also saw that I can get it here in the Dirty South - albeit at twice the price.

The other great exbeerience was a midday flight of beers at Le Saint Bock (and here). I remember the baltic porter being particularly good, as well as a Saison, but all five were solid and a couple were their own.

On the culinary side, I ate Poutine = french fries, cheese curds, and gravy) at 3:30am. Not good.

Can you beat Hop City?!

Ben and I finally made it over to Antico Pizza in the West Side. Yes, it was a pain to make the trek from the perfect city of Decatur. But the West Side was worth the trip. The pizza--though I'm not here to talk about the pizza--was perfection! I won't go into it, but we brought our own (because they literally only make Neapolitan style pizza and calzones, oh and a few canolli. Our pizza was enjoyed even more because we had the Founders Centennial IPA and the Great Divide Hercules (Double IPA). The Founders can't be got here in GA and was lovingly brought in from TN or NC or something. They both truly deserve their A rating on Beeradvocate, but I prefered the Centennial along with the pizza (Hercules was too sweet).

But hither dither, we used the opportunity to go into Hop City. Mama mia, what a beer store! Of course the staff were super knowledgeable (even if they didn't swoon when we talked about DSBC) We skipped the Belgian section entirely and hunted around for the best possible Yankee Swap Beer Club gift ever. The only requirements (besides being beer related) is it must cost around $15.

[Yes, our beer club is engaging in a "White elephant gift exchange" also known as a yankee swap (watch the Office episode on this subject). No, we didn't purchase an iPod.]

We bought lots of stuff we hadn't seen in GA before, a six pack of random brews (Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, Hop Wallop, Hop Infusion) and the Clipper City Yule Tide (it has a Santa on it) and the Oskar Blues Old Chubb (no Xmas relation but it Red & Green. Plus, we never have scotch ales!) for our Beer Club holiday themed beer.

We got a Thomas Creek Extreme IPA for our upcoming Beer Club getaway to Chaaaaat-a-Nooga , which Ben will complement with his Cincinnati feature of Mt Carmel Nut Brown Ale and the Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Be excited, this is rated an "A" both by the bros and by the general masses on BA! Lots of good beers to look forward to in our lil' club.

Decatur, up your game...watch out Sherlocks, Hop City is in town!

Howling Monkey -- Great Design for a Defunct Beer

One of the stupid things about beer is that it often seems like the same person who brewed it also designed the unpleasant labels or wrote the mind-numbing copy.

Clearly, that is not the case with Howling Monkey.


Look at that magnificent monkey! He is hilarious! And quite dashing.

Beer should always be this handsome.



Word on the street is that Howling Monkey is no longer a beer. Instead, its an energy drink with an inexplicably confusing website. Oh well.

(h/t bad banana blog, who also happens to be the best person to follow on Twitter.)

Brooklyn: A Beer Maven in a Beer Haven

New York, New York...Frank Sinatra sings in the background.

Not sure Sinatra knew much about beer, but I'll tell you what, Brooklyn is where it's at for beer lovers! Although surely all beeroughs (get it? Burroughs?) have excellent beer options, BK knocked my socks off.

Started out on Friday night with my friends Ateesh & Jeremy at Lucali, quite possible the best pizza I had had on this earth, and a jaunt to Brooklyn Social (a neat bar in the style of a speakeasy). Where I ordered nary a beer, but rather a fancy ole cocktail with some well cut ice. After being simply shellshocked by the quality of food and drink Shideh and Ateesh at High Dive. Yes, it sounds lame. But it is on the contrary! Because there I got one of my favorites (not to be found in Atlanta): Bear Republic Race 5 IPA. A delightful experience with wonderful friends, I left totally satiated.

And all around Park Slope I saw cute bars with great beers on tap--4th St Pub, Pacific something something, I was amazed.

Saturday afternoon my friend Jenny and I found BierKraft after stopping in Nunu Chocolates for what was definitely the best chocolate I have ever had in my life. When I say found, I mean we were trying to get there all along, because I had heard rave reviews about this specialty cheese, chocolate and beer place. They have 22 or so beers on tap, and I got a pint of the delicious Blue Piont Brewing Co. Hoptical Illusion on cask (in these genius homemade casks!--see left). Yum yum. From Long Island. Then some boutique window shopping and a few hours later, it was dinner time again.

Justine and I then headed out to an amazing bar on her corner called Washington Commons where I got the delicious, delicious Otter Creek Imperial IPA. So perfect! And later a Cape Ann Fisherman's IPA- more normal but still good.

But it's not all Shangri-la in Brooklyn--our beloved Avery Maharaja that sells for about $7 or $8 in ATL was on sale for $14! Wow.

All weekend and I didn't even drink a Brooklyn Brewery Beer! Suffice to say: I found my gift for our Beer Club Secret Santa in BK!!

Love at the Pub Book Trailer

One of the best bars around here (or around anywhere, really) is the Brick Store Pub. It's much more than a watering hole -- it was a catalyst for the renaissance of Decatur and the inspiration for a book, Love at the Pub.



Brick Store is hosting a block party for Love at the Pub on December 10th from 5 - 10. Apparently you get a free pint when you buy the book. Sold!

h/t Decatur Metro

Paste Magazine Rates the Top 25 Breweries of the Decade

Our neighbors, friends, and fellow Brick Store Pub enthusiasts over at Paste Magazine have compiled the top 25 breweries of the decade.

Where did they get it right? Where did they get it wrong?

I'll tell you where they got it waaaaaay wrong -- Samuel Adams Imperial White as their favorite beer from the 15th best brewery. It's the worst beer I've tasted.

Boy, does this guy do some good PR

If you need to get a message out, talk to our own Lain Shakespeare. Just yesterday, as I was preparing for a lecture and listening to the local NPR station, guess whose mellifluous voice comes over the airwaves: yes, that's right, our own Lain Shakespeare. Have a listen as he discusses the controversial Disney movie, "The Song of the South," on City Cafe with John Lemley.

It's been a while, but this was so on point...

So I've been buried under a stack of papers to grade (and am getting another stack this afternoon), but I surfaced just in time to find this amazing post...

And I'll actually get on that post about Italian beer sometime soon.

How 'bout that Cusqueña?

I feel an obligation to do a post about Peruvian beer situation. First of all, you know, they do a lot of chicha here--but I have yet to experience the alcoholic version, I have only consumed a fruit style version which was delicious. HOWEVER, lucky for this readership (??), I have had Peruvian Cusqueña beer, skipping the lager and going straight to Cusqueña Negra (BA describes it as "Premium Dark Beer").

Well it gets a "C" rating, which is maybe even a little generous. Since I think it is pretty nasty (and very very malty and sweet), I'll be on a beer respite for the few weeks I am here.

Here are some of the comments people give it "Unfortunately, the head fades quickly." "Smells like beer, kind of a chemical smell with a little lemon." "This thing is far too sugary to be appetizing, with sickly-rich notes of high fructose corn syrup and a hint of dark roasted barley" and I have to agree. This is a pretty rotten beer.

But hey, we don't come to Cusco and Peru to drink beer do we? There's a reason why Pisco Sours are much more famous than Cusqueña beer. As they say in Costa Rica, "Huacala!!" (as in "Nasty!")!