Atlanta’s newest brewery, Scofflaw, hits taps starting Tuesday, July 26th!

Yes! Another brewery is repping ATL and their brews promise to be gangster!

Nope!

There can never be enough breweries in ATL, so I wholeheartedly welcome Scofflaw to the scene. The whole crew including the head honchos—owner Matt Shirah and brewmaster and co-founder Travis Herman—gave me the VIP tour when they first began building at their goliath production 18,419 square-foot production site on Atlanta’s west side (1738 MacArthur Boulevard NW, next to Crest Lawn Cemetery). The tasting room will be ready for action soon too. I tasted a couple of their beers—an imperial IPA and imperial stout—and was wowed by their quality back then, so I am hella excited to see what they’ve done since!

According to their official press release, it says, “Since 2014, Shirah and Herman have been focused on research and development, using a laboratory to cultivate several local yeast strains. These efforts have yielded approximately six beers.”

I list a quartet of their liquid beauties below complete with descriptions straight from the source, along with where they are getting their pouring on Tuesday throughout Georgia’s capital.

Congrats Scofflaw and welcome to one of the best beer scenes in the U.S.!

·         Basement IPA – A seriously juicy and tropical India Pale Ale (IPA) made with organic citra hops, this IPA was created in Grammy's basement following an argument about the differences in west and east coast beer. At the end of the day, this is one of Scofflaw’s go-to beers.

·         Slim the Pale Ale – This beer is a well-balanced pale ale for people that know their limits but have crossed the line before. It’s light – but not too thin – with hints of passion fruit, pine, berry, citrus and faint floral tones.

·         Sneaky Wheat – Slightly cloudy and creamy, this imperial American wheat has a kick that can sneak up on you. Made with coriander and orange, it presents its case with light honey and spice aromas that match the moderately sweet flavors, without focusing on a hop profile.

·         Westside IPA – Straight out of the brewmaster's arsenal, this brew is full of caramel malt and hops. This beer presents itself as somewhat bitter with plenty of hops, but not overkill.

 Here's where they get poured starting Tuesday, July 26th:

·         Tuesday, July 26, at 5 p.m. – Ormsby’s – 1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 20, Atlanta, GA 30318

·         Thursday, July 28, at 6 p.m. – The Porter Beer Bar – 1156 Euclid Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

·         Friday, July 29, at 5 p.m. – My Friend’s Growler Shop – 415 Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

·         Saturday, July 30, at 2 p.m. – Smyrna Beer Market – 1265 W. Spring Street SE, Smyrna, GA 30080

·         Thursday, August 4, at 5 p.m. – Hop City Krog Street Market – 99 Krog Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

·         Friday, August 5, at 6 p.m. – The Midway Pub – 552 Flat Shoals Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30316

·         Tuesday, August 9, at 6 p.m. – Brick Store Pub – 125 E. Court Square, Decatur, GA 30030

·         Tuesday August 16, at 6 p.m. – DBA Barbecue – 1190 North Highland Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

·         Friday August 19, at 6 p.m. – Grindhouse Killer Burgers – 433 N. McDonough Street, Decatur, GA 30030

·         Friday August 26, at 6 p.m. – Kaleidoscope – 1410 Dresden Drive #100, Atlanta, GA 30319

For more information about the tap takeover events and brewery tours and tastings, follow Scofflaw on Facebook and Instagram.

Cheers!

Ale

This Saturday, celebrate three years of Three Taverns!

From 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., come kick it in Decatur this Saturday, July 23rd!

Yo, yo!

If there is an anniversary not to miss, you can’t beat celebrating three years at Decatur, GA’s stellar brewery, Three Taverns!

Undoubtedly one of the best breweries in the South, CEO and Brewmaster Brian Purcell (left) and the Three Taverns posse rocked the Atlanta scene with their Belgian-aspired beers when the first opened their doors in 2013. Now, three years later, their portfolio has expanded dramatically with sours, IPAs, imperial stouts, pilsners, and collaborations with other gangster breweries throughout Georgia. I will be there ready to “refresh” my memory on how good Triple T have been since its inception.

Peep below, their website for Three Taverns’ official description, the link for tickets, other attractions, and ridiculous list of brews being poured on Saturday. It's going to be bananas!

See you there!

Ale

Three Taverns Turns Three

Three Taverns says: Join us on Saturday, July 23rd from 3:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the brewery as we celebrate our 3-year anniversary. When Three Taverns turns 3 you know it’s going to be a party complete with food, live music, prizes, commemorative Rastal stemmed glass and the limited release of our anniversary beer, ‘3’, a red wine barrel aged tripel (of course).

Food samples provided throughout the day by The Brick Store, Marlay House, Farm Burger and a few to be announced Decatur restaurants. Decatur’s Butter and Cream will be serving specially made Three Taverns ice cream.

Over 30 beers on draft and a special bottle pouring station for vintage 750ml beers.

Three Year Anniversary Beer List:

3, a 9% Belgian-style tripel brewed for our anniversary and aged on Hess Collection Cabernet barrels (pictured)
A Night In Brussels IPA, a 7.5% Belgian-style American IPA
A Night On Ponce IPA, a 7.5% American IPA
Single Intent, a 5% Beglian-style single ale
White Hops, a 5% white IPA
Le Peche Mode, a 6% saison with Georgia peaches
Prince of Pilsen, a 5% hoppy pilsner
Grapefruit White Hops, a 5% white IPA with grapefruit
A Night On Octane IPA, 7.5% A Night On Ponce with Octane’s Gravy expresso blend
Dubbel Shot, a 7% Belgian-style oatmeal coffee dubbel
Theophan the Recluse, a 10% Belgian-style Russian Imperial Stout
Quasimodo ‘15, a 10% Belgian-style Quadrupel
Feest Noel ’15, a 10% Quad with cardamom, allspice and cloves
Departed Spirit, 10% Theophan the Recluse aged a year on 8 year Bourbon barrels
Heavy Bell, 10% Quasimodo aged a year on 8 year Bourbon barrels
BBA Dubbel Shot, 7% Dubbel Shot aged 14 months on 8 year Bourbon barrels
Aztec Ruin, a 10% Imperial Stout with cinnamon, cocoa nibs, vanilla beans and Serrano peppers
Day of the Departed, 10% BBA Departed Spirit Imperial stout with cinnamon, cocoa nibs, vanilla beans and Serrano peppers
Hop Leaf Project | Sapient, a 5% hoppy pale and first from our experimental series of hop forward beers

Sour Asylum Series:
SA #1 | a 4% session sour lager
SA #2 | Cranberry Sauced, a 5% sour ale with cranberry juice and cinnamon
SA #3 | Oud Tannenbaum, a 5% sour brown ale matured on cedar
SA #4 | Sister Golden, a 5% golden sour ale
SA #5 | Pometheus, a 5% sour ale with pomegranate puree
SA #6 | Provence, a 5% sour ale with lavender and sage
SA #7 | Gose, a 5% gose with coriander, Persian sea salt and grapefruit peel
SA #9 | Gose On My Mind, a 5% peach gose with Georgia peach juice from Lane Orchards
Cucumber Basil Sour Asylum, a 5% sour ale with fresh cucumber and basil
Rapturous, a 5% raspberry sour ale

From the Funk Yard:
Inceptus ‘15, a 6% Georgia wild ale
A Night In Brett ‘15, 5% A Night In Brussels aged over a year in GA red wine barrels
Brettanicus, a 5% Brett saison aged months in red wine barrels
Brett Sour Asylum, a 5% sour ale aged months in oak barrels

Live music will feature Atlanta’s own Tray Dahl & The Jugtime Ragband and The Blacktop Rockets.

For tickets click here.

Tour Option 1: $25 advance; $30 at the door

Entry and tasting of 36oz. of beer [12 tasting tokens per person], commemorative Three Taverns Rastal souvenir anniversary glass, and food samples [4 tickets per person]

Tour Option 2: $40 advance; $45 at the door

Same as Option 1 with the addition of cork & caged 750ml bottle conditioned anniversary beer, ‘3’, a 9% red wine barrel aged tripel

Tour Option 3: $55 advance; $60 at the door

Same as Option 1 with the addition of 2 bottles of 750ml anniversary tripel

Holla!

Ale

The Funkatorium Invitational is today!

Here is a personal account of last year from great brewer Jon Shari of Little Cottage Brewery.

Whaddup!

Although I can’t roll to the awesome Super Bowl of sours—the Wicked Weed Funkatorium Invitational (formerly, Funk Asheville)—today in Asheville, NC. for year three, I still wanted to give everyone a recount of last years’ experience. 

Courtesy of burgeoning brewer Jon Shari of Little Cottage Brewery out of Atlanta, GA, he covered for me in 2015 to provide a great perspective of what he experienced. Besides being a fantastic brewer who is about to blow the hell up, Jon is a great guy who happily shared his experience last year. 2016’s promises to be even more incredible.

Here is what Jon Shari says:'

Me and Jon  taking a brewing break and chillin'.

Jon says: 

My brother and I were very excited to be able to go to Funk Asheville this year. A beer fest geared toward sour beer geeks? Heck yeah!
We weren’t exactly sure what to expect beyond knowing some of the breweries that were supposed to be there, so we were excited. Our festival experience started at The Funkatorium (which is where Wicked Weed Brewery creates their sour beers) where we loaded up on a free shuttle over to the festival. After getting our wristbands, we headed to the pouring stations and noticed that there was a line of people waiting at the Lost Abbey booth. Immediately, my brother flipped through the brewery guide to see the different breweries and what they were all pouring, and says, “Oh crap! They’re all in line for Duck Duck Gooze!”

If you know your sour beers, then you know this is one of the most coveted American sours that you want to get your hands on and it did not disappoint.
From there, we saw Green Man pouring Bootsy & Snozzberry, Wicked Weed was pouring their latest White Angel along with its other variants, and Creature Comforts was serving up one of my favorites of theirs—Southerly Love—along with Curious #3 and Curious #6. Of course it didn’t stop there; we enjoyed a lot more from different breweries there including Jester King’s Montmorency vs Balaton, another all-time favorite of ours.
My favorite local brewpub, Wrecking Bar, was not only there pouring their beers but also serving food along with the chef from Wicked Weed. We thoroughly enjoyed the Grilled PB&J with chicken liver pate and housemade strawberry jelly, beef tartare topped with Indian curry mustard, and heart of palm with grilled corn.
This fest was a hit and is a must for all sour heads out there. Seeing, smelling and tasting some of the best, most unique crafted sours and wild ales from around the country in one setting, plus sharing the same passion as we did with hundreds of others was an experience not to be forgotten.

I say Jon summed it up as a dope event, and I hope everyone enjoys the 2016 version!

Here are the brews being poured this year...

Happy Sippin’!

Ale

Great Divide hits us with a quartet of summer sippers!

Great Divide's Yeti is one of my favorite series of stouts, and the Oatmeal aims to please  us lovers of imperial deliciousness this summer!

The 22nd Anniversary Dark American Sour, Hoss, Nadia Kali, and Oatmeal Yeti are here!

Whaddup!

I just got back from hitting up Dallas, TX and Detroit, MI, and both stops were crazy mostly in a good way, but there were certainly some hiccups. (Especially when the Dallas shootings happened two blocks from my hotel, but that's another story.) Anyway, I missed y'all! 
Now back in the swing of things, one of the best breweries in the country, Great Divide, showed me a lot of love when I made it imperative to visit them in Denver, Colorado. Well one of the reasons it was a must was due to their awesome brews including my favorite Divide series, the Yeti imperial stout variations. Here’s their breakdown of the four seasonals—22nd Anniversary Dark American Sour Ale, Hoss Oktoberfest Lager, Nadia Kali and Oatmeal Yeti—to make our summer that more enjoyable! These babies are around from now until September. 
Look for my Cruisin' For A Brewsin' coverage of my trips coming soon too!
Enjoy!

22nd Anniversary Dark American Sour Ale
8.7% ABV

(All photos are from Great Divide.)

Great Divide says: As part of Great Divide’s Barrel Aged Series, 22nd Anniversary Dark American Sour Ale (8.7% ABV), is an expert blend of bold character, culminating 22 years of craft and ingenuity. Aged in red wine barrels, this robust offering is as sophisticated as it is sour. Notes of black cherry jam and tobacco are countered by a welcoming tartness and tannic oak finish that lasts longer after each sip. 

Oatmeal Yeti 
9.5% ABV

Great Divide says: The Yeti Series is full of beers that are big, bold and dark and Oatmeal Yeti (9.5% ABV) is all of that, just a little softer. By adding rolled oats to the grain bill, Yeti’s notoriously roasty backbone softens. A small amount of raisins are added in the brew kettle to create a unique dark fruit character. 

Hoss 
6.2% ABV 

Great Divide says: Hoss (6.2% ABV) is based on the Marzen lagers of Germany. This beer has rich layered malt notes with hints of cherry and dark fruits dominating the palate. The unique addition of rye imparts a slightly earthy, spicy character. Hoss finishes crisp and dry, and its brilliant red-orange color is a toast to the sunsets that make the perfect backdrop for this beer. This will be the first time Hoss is available in cans. 

Nadia Kali 

6.3% ABV

Great Divide says: Nadia Kali (6.3% ABV), the newest addition to the Tank Farm Series, is an inspired saison with cross-cultural influence. Her ruby pink glow comes from a generous infusion of hibiscus while ginger root gives it a subtle spice and hint of woodsy maturity, and lemon peel adds a citrus tartness. When deciding on a name and a new icon for this beer, Great Divide wanted to pay homage to the cultures where hibiscus is the most culturally and historically significant. 

Cheers!

Ale

Hard Rock sends us Summer Mason Jar Cocktail recipes!

This is the Tropical Rock. Look's good, right?

Get your mixology on at home or try them at 

Hard Rock!

Cheers Y’all!

Just because the 4^th is over, doesn’t mean the festivities don’t stop. Well, noticing that I am not solely about brew and I write my Bartender’s Page ever month for Jezebel Magazine, the legendary Hard Rock sent me some awesome cocktail recipes we can mix and get our sip on at home! 

Easy to make, based mostly with Bacardi product, and mouthwatering at their mention, try out your mixology skills and serve these concoctions in 16-ounce mason jars for the added effect of southern nostalgia! Oh, and if you want to taste how the professionals do it, hit up a Hard Rock and demand everything from the Black Cherry Frozen Lemonade to the alcohol-free Summertime Blues. I am sure they will be happy to oblige.

Here we go straight from the source:

Black Cherry Frozen Lemonade

Hard Rock’s Description: A mix of Bacardi Cherry, Chambord, Black Cherry Real, Hard Rock’s house-made lemonade and fresh lime juice, garnished with a cherry and lemon wedge

Ingredients

2 oz black cherry puree

2 oz lemonade

1 ½ oz Bacardi Cherry

½ oz Chambord Liqueur

½ oz fresh lime juice

2 oz Black Cherry Real

1 lemon wedge for garnish

1 cherry for garnish

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together with ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge and cherry. Enjoy!

Paradise Punch

Hard Rock’s Description: A mix of Bacardi Gold, Bacardi Black, Cointreau, lemon juice, Monin Pomegranate, grenadine and bitters, garnished with a sugar cane stick and mint leaves dusted in powdered sugar

Ingredients

1 oz Bacardi Gold

1 oz lemon juice

½ oz Bacardi Black

½ oz Cointreau

½ oz Monin Pomegranate

½ oz grenadine

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

4 Mint leaves for garnish, dusted in powdered sugar

1 sugar cane stick for garnish

Directions:

Mix Bacardi Gold, Bacardi Black, Cointreau, Monin Pomegranate, grenadine and bitters, and lemon juice in a shaker. Pour over ice and garnish with a sugar cane stick and mint leaves dusted in powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Tropical Rock 

Hard Rock’s Description: A mix of Bacardi Raspberry Rum, DeKuyper Crème de Banana, Midori Melon Liqueur and Hard Rock’s house-made Pina Colada, garnished with a cherry

Ingredients

4 oz Pina Colada Mix

1 oz Bacardi Raspberry Rum

1 oz Midori Melon Liqueur (1/2 oz in bottom of mason jar / 1/2 oz as a float)

½ oz DeKuyper Crème de Banana

1 cherry for garnish

Directions:

Add 1/2 oz Midori Melon Liqueur to the bottom of the mason jar. Blend together other ingredients with ice and pour over the Midori.  Float the remaining ½ oz Midori on top and garnish with a speared cherry. Enjoy!

Shocking Shandy 

Hard Rock’s Description: A mix of Bacardi Orange, Hard Rock’s house-made lemonade and Shock Top Belgian Wheat Beer, garnished with an orange wedge

Ingredients

2 oz Lemonade

1/2 oz Bacardi Orange Rum

1 bottle of Shock Top Belgian Wheat Beer

1 orange wedge for garnish

Directions:

Fill mason jar with ice, lemonade and rum, and top with Shock Top Belgian Wheat Beer. Garnish with a speared orange wedge. Enjoy!

Sangria Rosa 

Hard Rock’s Description: A mix of Torres De Costa Rosado, Bacardi Orange, tropical juices and club soda, topped with fresh blueberries, lemon wedges and strawberry slices

Ingredients

3 oz Torres De Costa Rose Wine

2 blueberries

2 lemon wedges

1 oz Bacardi Orange Rum

1 strawberry hulled and quartered

1 can of club soda

1/2 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz mango juice

1/2 oz cranberry juice

1/2 oz orange juice

Directions:

Add wine, rum, blueberries, lemon wedges and strawberry slices to mason jar, over ice. Top with club soda and enjoy! 

Summertime Blues (alcohol free) 

Hard Rock’s Description: A mocktail mix of Blueberry Real, fresh blueberries, mint, Hard Rock’s house-made lemonade and Red Bull Yellow Edition, garnished with fresh blueberries

Ingredients

4 blueberries

4 mint Leaves

1 oz lemonade

1 oz blueberry puree

1 can of Red Bull Yellow Edition

Directions:

Mix blueberries, mint leaves, lemonade and blueberry puree in a shaker with ice. Add to mason jar and top with Red Bull Yellow Edition. Stir to combine ingredients and garnish with two speared blueberries. Enjoy!

Cheers!

Ale