Atlanta's original Oysterfest, the Steamhouse Lounge Oysterfest!

OMFG was at Atlanta's original 25th Oysterfest Saturday and Sunday February 25th and 26th! 99X and Budweiser joined forces to make it bigger and better than ever before!

There were two full days of oysters, cold Buds, and live music.  The bands included "Main Street Exiles" and "The Georgia Satellites" among others.  Check out the photo's of the Oysterfest!

 

Plenty of sunshine and good times were had!  Looking forward to the next one!

OMF(ood)G - Simply Delicious - Oceanaire

Oh my, I have a great place to try if you haven’t already; THE OCEANAIRE SEAFOOD ROOM! Tried this out last week and what a treat!

On the appetizer side of the menu we (2 couples) had Fried Asparagus, Fried Beer Battered Pickles and Oysters Rockefeller. OMG it was very good! My meal was the Baked Stuffed Shrimp with Creamy Linguine Pasta and it was simply delicious!!! My better half ate the 8 oz. center-cut Filet Mignon, butter flied, with the sea salt & vinegar fries (yummy, you know I had to have a taste) and we also had some of the wonderful Mac & Blue Cheese. If that was not enough we also tried the Crème Brule for dessert. I thought I was going to die I was so full! The other couple also enjoyed every bite of their meal.

I will say this is a dining experience so the prices are not like going to your local sandwich shop but for a special night on the town you should give it a try.

~~L. Blizzard

OMF(ood)G - Simply Delicious = Chow Baby

My eating has apparently been boring lately and I have not suggested any appealing places to go in a while. Today though I went to CHOW BABY on Ponce de Leon and it was both delicious and fun actually. Being able to pick your own veggies, seasonings and meat to accompany your rice or noodles lets you take part in making the meal. I have to say I thought I did a very good job on my dish! (ha ha!) They also have appetizers, soup etc. The price is reasonable and they had friendly service. If you go at lunch try to be there before 12:00 as it does get crowded. That in itself says it is good!

782 Ponce De Leon Ave Atlanta, GA 30306

L. Blizzard

Sweetwater Dank Tank OMFG EXCLUSIVE!!!

We have just recieved some information about the next Sweetwater Brew Dank Tank release via twitter! Sweetwater has confirmed that the next Dank Tank release will be called MEAN JOE BEAN and it is an imperial porter with fresh roasted coffee from Java Vino added in brew house. Sounds great and we can't wait. Thanks Sweetwater!

http://twitter.com/sweetwaterbrew

~MarK~

OMF(ood)G - Simply Delicious - You Tell Us!

Just for fun, let us know what you had to eat on New Year’s day! Do you know the meaning behind

eating the traditional southern meal of blackeyed peas, collard greens and hog jowl? People in the

north like to eat kraut and pork also. Do you have a family tradition you would like to share?

It will be fun to hear from you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

L. Blizzard

OMFG - New Years / Brew Years - Beer Reviews

Hello everyone today is a great day. I woke up to the smell of roasted coffee and chocolate malts from the late night homebrew; the birds were chirping my wife commented on how “disgusting” the house smells. It is a great day. I finally recovered from the debauchery and fun we had on new years and wanted to post some of my reviews.

First off let me say thank you to everyone that stopped by on New Years Eve. I had a blast and a half. The night started in the cellar. I let one of my craft suds buddies take full control of the wheel and drive us on a craft beer journey. Here is where it all started.

I started with the Shorts Brewing Huma-Lupa Licious. From the website “Named after the hop flower Humulus Lupulus, this India Pale Ale style beer has enormous amounts of hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. With a very complex malt bill, flavors seem to meld with the hops to balance this ale and provide a ridiculous urge to sample more. 

76 I.B.U.'s 

16.8 deg. Plato 

7.0% A.B.V.

I thought it was a very kind start to the evening. It was beautiful and golden in color with a thin white head that dissolves quickly.

The aroma is big juicy Grapefruit and citrus cascading down to piney hops and cracker malts.

The first sip uncovers many of the flavors on the nose with a powerful bitterness bite. The hops spike the palette and slosh over the tongue creating a nice prickle burn effect as they go down.

Mouthfeel was slightly thin for me and carbonation was high.

Drinkability is good. I polished it off in about 8 minutes. It wasn’t my favorite but it wasn’t the worst IPA I have ever drank. One day we will have distribution from Shorts in Atlanta, but until then I will use my underground method of gathering their amazing suds.

My craft suds bud Brad picked the second beer – Founders Backwoods Bastard. OUT – F-ing –STADNING. If I could end the review that way I would. This beer is world class and it’s a damn shame it doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

It pours dark with a reddish tinge. Has a beautiful billowy ivory head that remains for quite some time.

Smell is of bourbon barrels vanilla and coconut. Some roasted dark malts, caramel & toffee. Everything that is tasty. It has great balance for being such a big beer.

Sip. Bourbon up front followed by the caramel and malts of this beautiful Scotch Ale. Perfect balance

Thick creamy mouthfeel and light tingly carbonation makes this slow sipper perfect.

You couldn’t ask for a better beer. Definitely in my top 5 only one word to describe it: perfection in a glass.

Check out the rest of the night @ http://craftsuds.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-years-reviews.html

Cheers!

Ryan

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

Time to ring in the New Year with some epic brew. Sierra Nevada posted to thier Twitter account that Hoptimum was being shipped out today. Hoptimum is going to be an IPA made with whole cone imperial hops. Sounds delicious and we can't wait to get our hands on some!

~Mark

OMF(ood)G - Simply Delicious - Sweet Moments by Pillsbury

SIMPLY DELICIOUS - Sweet Moments by Pillsbury.

Ready to try something tasty? I am stepping outside the restaurant zone for this one. Some of the best things to eat you can buy at the store and heat in the microwave in 30 seconds. An example being Sweet Moments  by Pillsbury. OMG, this is a brownie with caramel on top and when heated for just 20 seconds is absolutely heavenly! Even better with a glass of cold milk. It is as good as anything you can get in a restaurant but cheaper, however it does still have the calories darn it. It comes in a box of 2.

L. Blizzard

OMF(ood)G- Simply Delicious - Uncle Julio's!

Hi there! I have been on a trip or two lately and so I haven’t shared any good local places to eat in a while. Well, today a group went to Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Café or Casa Grande on Peachtree St. for lunch. For starts we got 2 large orders of guacamole to go with their famous thin chips and salsa! It was mighty tasty!!! I had their steak quesadillas and the others ordered tacos, tortilla soup and salad, and fajitas. We all were stuffed and happy by the time the meal was complete. 

The one bad thing was we had to go back to work so that meant no margaritas! Oh DARN! They have some of the best Mexican food in town in my opinion. If you have not already eaten there I recommend you give it a try. Try their Swirl:

LBlizzard

OMFG - Beer Review Series - Heavy Seas Greater Pumpkin Ale

Happy post Halloween beer nerds! I am going to keep this one short and simple since many of us are well hung on this lovely Tuesday in November.  I sampled the Heavy Seas Greater Pumpkin ale over the weekend. Why? Because I have an affinity to try anything seasonal and anything bourbon aged. This happens to hit both check boxes. xx If you want the background on pumpkin beers check my previous review here - http://itsomfg.blogspot.com/2010/10/omfg-beer-review-series-southern-tier.html and the “why bourbon” review here - http://itsomfg.blogspot.com/2010/09/omfg-beer-review-series-founders_28.html .

This beer pours a misty orange with literally no head. (This could be the result of low hops or lack of thickness in the beer to promote head retention.) The Greater Pumpkin has just a slight swirl of white bubbles drifting across the top of the glass: Very interesting.

The nose has some balanced notes of bourbon, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, coriander, allspice and squash. It smells like pumpkin pie…if you poured 8 ounces of aged whiskey on your pumpkin pie.   

First sip uncovered much less bourbon than the nose. Primary flavor is heavy cracker malt mixed with pie spices from the nose.  It reminds me of the Marzen style, which I enjoy quite a bit. It has some nice warmth from the 9% abv and the bourbon rears its head on the swallow.

Mouthfeel is thinner than I would like, but the carbonation is huge. This is consistent with the lack of head retention on the pour. I expect more with the barrel aged beers in this category.

End result: Super drinkable beer…”what was the ABV again,” this is the question I found myself asking as I pop open the second bomber. It grew on me as I consumed the 3^rd glass. I really found it to be interesting and something I would share with friends in the Fall. I highly recommend picking one up for the experience. Thank you Heavy Seas for the hookup, and for the opportunity to sample this one-off brew.

Cheers! 

Ryan

OMFG - Beer Review Series - Can Beers

Can beers are here to stay. I tried a few over the past month and my reviews are below but here is a quick history of the can, how it works, why its kick ass and why you should not fear the CAN! Yes, craft breweries have been canning beer since 2001 when Cask Brewing Systems developed a new system for small breweries. Oskar Blues was the first to use it. There has been a surge in craft cans in recent years though, and in 2010, they have gained a significant amount of attention, even from mainstream media outlets.

• Cans actually lock in the flavor of beer better than even dark glass bottles. No light penetrates the cans and the seal is tighter than a bottle cap. Thus, your beer tastes fresher longer. 
• Cans are more environmentally friendly. They are easier to recycle and require less packaging. 
•  Cans are cheaper for the brewery and distributor to ship. Cans don't break. 
• Cans are easier and more convenient to bring along on outdoor activities such as camping, disc golf, hiking, a day at the beach and any other activity that affords you the luxury of enjoying good beer! 
• Cans get cold pretty damn quick and take up less space in your fridge!

How its done the craft way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-kkmanEYRQ

I was fortunate enough to try the Tokyo Black Porter this weekend and was really impressed. The beer pours super dark and opaque. It has a one finger tan head that quickly recedes to a brown ring around the glass.  (looks a lot like Coca-Cola) Nose is straight up coffee and dark malts.

First sip was chocolate, really full body with a smoky aftertaste. Once the beer warms the coffee is more prominent and some vanilla starts to peak through.

Mouthfeel is medium and carbonation is light. It makes this beer really easy to drink despite the bold flavors.

GUBNA was the second can beer I tried this weekend. People either love this or hate it. I fall on the side of …unsure? I think it’s a great beer but I am not completely sold.

Pour Light diluted copper with a medium amount of chill haze, or more likely a haze from excessive hop additions. A thin white head forms along the sides of the glass, though not across the top of the entire beer. Alcohol presence aids in good lacing down the sides.

Smell hits you right in the face. Lots of odors going on here, most notably the floral hop notes and pine resin. Also whiffs of wheat grass and barley. This is very earthy and rural-smelling. Be ready for this one or it will end your palette. It runs full force with a mack truck of hops to smash your grill with flavors rich and sweet. Once your teeth are demolished the flavor train will then go on to compress the sides of your tongue with the bitter citrus of righteousness. If you think the assault is over it is a mere reprieve until the final thrust to back of your mouth. 

You thought swallowing would end the attack? You were wrong. The aftertaste of dry, crisp justice pervades every square inch of the inside of your mouth while the 10% ABV volatizes it way up your unsuspecting sinuses into your nasal cavity. Eventually you'll be gasping for air just to end the ecstasy, unless you're a masochist for pleasure and decide to venture another sip. I thought it was a nonsessionable IIPA but fun to drink none the less. 

Cheers!

Ryan

OMFG - Beer Review Series - Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale

As promised, the second half of the hop harvest review is the Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale. It is a pale ale with a 6.70% abv and clocks in around a sporty 10 American Dollars at many of the local stores. The presentation is one of the fanciest beers I have ever seen. The label is thick card stock with water marks throughout. Sierra Nevada did us a favor and dipped each bottle in wax to ensure longevity and reduce oxidation; additionally, waxed bottles just looks really bad ass!

 Sierra Nevada planted a hop field near their brewery in Northern California in late 2004. Following the success of the hop field, in 2008 Sierra Nevada used the left over 26 acres for barley. End result: SN Estate Homegrown Ale! This is one of the few if any completely organic ales grown at the brewery.   

Enough chit chat, lets crack this bad boy open. It pours a fluffy 4 finger head that looks like a cloud over the dark amber colored beer. The beer has excellent clarity and you can tell much care was used in crafting this brew.

The first smell uncovers fresh pine, big grapefruit, pineapple, citrus and mouth watering hops. The Estate drips with fragrance and for the third fresh hopped beer in a weekend this has the most complex nose.

The first sip uncovers some light bitterness but not offensive. The second gulp uncovers flavors of Light malts, honey and caramel. The flavors don’t end there. The nose predicted the following flavors perfectly to balance this pale ale: citrus, grapefruit, earthy hops, apple and topped off with light spice.

The mouthfeel was slightly thin for me but the carbonation was crisp to balance it out. Drinkability is superb. I would highly recommend checking this out if you have the opportunity. This beer is quality and an organic treat.

Cheers! 

Ryan

OMFG - Beer Review Series - Fall Fresh Hop Harvest Ales

Yeee-Hawww, It’s hop harvest time Beer Nerds! Getty- up, get out and snatch up some of the fresh hop ales that hit the Atlanta market last week. My sources say the following beers are available now: Terrapin – So Fresh So Green Green, Founders – Hop Harvest, Sierra Nevada – Southern Hemisphere Harvest, Estate Homegrown Ale, Southern Tier - Harvest, Great Divide - Fresh Hop Pale Ale and Weyerbacher - Harvest Ale. I was fortunate enough to come across 3 of the heavy hitters from the bunch. 

Wet Hopping beer simply stated means: the use of fresh hops that a have recently been picked. Generally, when brewers get hops they come in a few forms: pellet, plug or whole. Pellets look like rabbit food and are easy to use because of the small size. Brewers can add incremental amounts to get exact results. They are processed and tend to be less fragrant. Plugs look like pellets but are the size of bratwurst. For home brewers they are difficult to break up but act like whole leaf hops in flavor and fragrance.  Whole hops are the real deal. These hops are dried and have the best flavor and aroma.  Hops are harvested once a year in the Pacific Northwest between August and September. Since hops decompose quickly, these flowering cones are typically kiln-dried and consigned to storage. However, some of the just-plucked hops are rushed to breweries, where they become fall's fleeting pleasure: fresh-hopped beer.

 I sometimes forget that hops are an agricultural product and the freaking things grow in the dirt; much like a hamburger was once a cow. Fresh hop beers (American Pale Ales) have a more balanced, less acidic and overall smooth flavor. This is what a fresh beer should taste like; so, bust out your straw hat and overalls we are about to explore the wonderful world of fresh harvest (wet hopped) ales!

First up is the Founders Hop Harvest: Pours Golden clear with a thin white head that quickly dies to form a thin mist across the glass. The aroma is of juicy fresh grapefruit, tropical pineapple and pine needle. It reminds me of a balanced IPA but doesn’t have the harsh bitterness on the nose.

On first sip I get grapefruit, pineapple and cracker bread malts. Taste is very light and balanced but complex at the same time.  As this beer warms it begins to uncover some fresh herbs, candy hops and some pine. Very mellow. On swallow, the hops seem to linger with light bitterness. The mouthfeel is sticky and lightly carbonated. Pleasant. This is a must try due to its complexity. I challenge you to find a Pale Ale that can stand next to this beer.

Next up! So Fresh So Green Green from Terrapin. I was really impressed by this beer! Terrapin posted this picture of the hops on facebook a few months ago. Very exciting stuff! 

The beer pours with a billowy light white head and amber in color. Smell was muddy earthy hops with some floral and grapefruit. I venture to guess they use Amarillo hops which tend to have a pine and spicy flavor. First sip uncovers a light bread malt, caramel, honey, toffee and grapefruit. It has an uncharacteristic umami or savory earthy flavor. Nothing I have ever tasted before in a beer. I am really impressed by the fullness of the flavor matched with the hops. 

This beer seems one note and not very complex; however, the fresh hops are showcased and the simplicity of the beer makes it amazing to enjoy on these colder Georgia nights. It highlights the fresh harvest hops and everything else takes a backseat. I spoke with many Beer Advocates over the last week and they disagree with my terrapin review because they feel it lacks complexity. I think simplicity makes this beer outstanding. PB & J is uncomplicated, but it can taste great. It doesn't need to be gourmet to be first-rate. There is a pleasant bitterness on the swallow with creamy body and carbonation in the mouthfeel. Lacing all over the glass makes me think they used 2 row malts with some complex sugars.

These two beers are impressive. Both are very drinkable and exemplary examples of wet hopped American Pale Ales. I highly recommend them both.  I still have the third beer to review (Sierra Nevada – Estate: which will be up middle of next week.) Keep an eye out for the following reviews (in simplistic form) Duck Rabbit 2009 Barleywine, Left Hand Milk on nitro tap and Founders Porter. Follow me and OMFG on twitter @ SquirrelStash (my cellar’s name) for up to minute news about where to find these beers in the Atlanta market.  

Cheers!

Ryan

OMFG - Beer Review Series - The Epic Stout Tasting

The results are back from the stout tasting. We sampled 5 stouts over the weekend and based on the verbal approvals I received from the folks trying these amazing beers I would rank them as follows:

6. Mikkeller Black Hole – Good solid beer but lacks the complexity of the other offerings. 

· Jet black and no head formation to speak of. Smelled of coffee (coffee grounds, even), vanilla, dried fruit, red licorice and alcohol. Slight smokiness. 

Tasted pretty much as it smelled, and I found Black Hole far too sweet to be drinkable. In an attempt to trick myself into enjoying it I tried to put it into context with similarly sweet drinks like port or dessert wines but without the acidity it didn't hold up. The lactic, dairy-creamer attributes were off-putting as well. Mouthfeel was thick and oily with very little carbonation. 

5. Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S the destroyer – I was a big fan of the balance with this beer. It could easily take the number 4 spot, but due to the fast DFH Bitches brew was more drinkable I bumped it down. 

· Whiskey is apparent from the moment it touches the tongue and is prevalent throughout the tasting. There are distinctive notes of toffee and molasses, and these elements, coupled with the lack of detectable hops, help to make this marginally sweeter than normal BORIS. At the same time, the bourbon aging works to mitigate the sugary side.

4. Dogfish Head Bitches brew – Sweet, different, good. Still does not compare to the other offerings
· The taste has smooth chocolate and caramel backed up with lesser notes of coffee. the honey shines through the darker flavors with a sweet floral aspect. the licorice/rootbeer follows up with an herbal note, that i can't quite put my finger on, and the smoke sneaking in at the back and aftertaste. the finish is nice and long.

3. Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast – Very well rounded, heavy handed on the coffee but very drinkable.
· Roasty aroma with coffee and chocolate. Flavor has loads of espresso, roasted malts, and chocolate. Medium-heavy bodied, and a good bitter finish.

2. Mikkeller Wine barrel aged black hole – Impressive, complex, boozy, amazingness.
· Poured a dark black in color w/ a bubbly one finger head that left heavy lacing on the glass. Appearance was awesome! Nose was of roasted malts, dark fruits, and wine in your face. Taste was of chocolate roasted notes, a touch of coffee and vanilla, with a finish of bitter hop bite and vinous cabernet/merlot wine. Mouthfeel was medium bodied w/ nice amounts of carbonation

1. Old Rasputin Barrel aged XI – Very drinkable, well rounded great beer (consumed the fastest by all)
· Pours jet black with a tan head - The aroma translates to the taste. Upfront I pick up a mellow bourbon flavor. Not overpowering in anyway. Just enough to let you know it's there. Immediately following oak touches the palate accompanied by a coconut explosion. When combined with the vanilla attributes it almost gives off a marshmallow-like flavor. Heavenly. Finishes extremely smooth and delicate. Full mouthfeel and nice viscosity. Overall the best IMO of the ones we tasted.

Cheers!
Ryan

OMF(ood)G - SIMPLY DELICIOUS - J Christopher's

Everybody knows that the Queen behind the scenes is Miss Stephanie, but did you know

one of her absolute favorite places to eat is J. Christopher’s. She loves to eat there and

her favorite meal is one of the signature skillets with the yummy sausage, and sunny side

up eggs and potatoes. I have to admit it is one of my favorite places also. They have

wonderful pancakes and eggs benedict and omelets and crepes and the list goes on. Their

lunch items other than breakfast foods are very good also, like quesadillas, hamburgers,

sandwiches, soups and salads. Come hungry and leave happy!

L. BLIZZARD

OMFG - Beer Review Series - Bear Republic - Racer 5

Rare beer Friday, or rareish beer Friday! I was able to get my hands on some Racer 5 from Bear Republic this weekend and gave it a shot. Before I get started with the review a few housekeeping notes. I will be reviewing a Coffee porter as requested this weekend, and I will type up my notes from Heavy Seas Greater Pumpkin ale. Look for both reviews next week. I will also submit the results of the stout tasting with some highlights and low lights as well as where to pick up these brews if you are interested in trying them yourself.

Racer 5 is an American style IPA that is not distributed in the state (yet.) Savannah Distribution is working on getting the Bear Republic line up and fingers crossed should have it sometime this year.

The beer pours with a huge white foamy head and crystal clear golden color; very similar to a standard pilsner. The retention in the glass is amazing with some nice lacing throughout when rocked gently. The nose is very floral with pine, grapefruit, orange and grassy hops to balance.

The first taste was very bitter but quickly mellowed out with some pleasant carbonation and full velvety mouthfeel. Taste is very comparable to nose. Racer 5 has tons of citrus flavors running together with some grassy hops and light bread/cracker malts to round it out. As this beer warms the bitterness tends to diminish and it becomes a very easy to glug IPA. The 5 has a sticky dry smack begging your mouth for another pull.

This beer has a fairly lofty abv of 7% for being just a standard IPA it drinks very full bodied. Very solid flagship IPA for Bear Republic, and I can’t wait to get some more of this stuff. If you get an opportunity to taste this bad boy at Porter Beer bar or the Brick Store in Decatur I suggest you jump. Very solid drinkable IPA.

Cheers!   

Ryan

OMFG - Beer Review Series - Southern Tier Pumking

It’s starting to feel like fall again! You know what that means? You have to rake leaves for your elderly neighbor? No! Kick that neighbor to the curb; your local craft beer store has PUMPKIN beer. Now, normally I am not a fan of the pumpkin beers, but I decided to take the highest rated one on www.beeradvocate.com and give it a try.

Pumpkin beers have an interesting flavor profile. They tend to be on the sweeter side, and are very thick on the mouthfeel. Making a P-beer is very tedious for the brewer because they have to break the pumpkin down and roast it to force out the flavors. Some opt. out and go for a pre-pureed pumpkin, but this method, IMHO, does little for flavor. Typically the malts are mild and many baking spices are added to create depth of flavor.

Southern Tier has the Pumking. This is the mac daddy of all P-beers on the market. It pours a deep jack-o-lantern orange, with a ghostly white head. (See how I did that?) The nose is … Holy $h!t… grandma’s pumpkin pie! Amazing, like I have never smelled from a beer. It literally smells like warm pumpkin pie. Ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice with some crusty bread malt lingering in the background.

Taste is just like smell. I am amazed it actually works. It’s very sugary and sweet; definitely an after dinner/desert beer. I, beyond doubt, taste the spices combined with non starchy pumpkin flavor followed by sweet crust and ginger snaps. There is hop present; otherwise you would be fooled into thinking this isn’t even a beer. The mouthfeel is creamy and almost reminds me of lactose or whip cream on pie.

Pumking is very easy to drink. I polished the whole bomber with no issue. ABV is 9%, and it’s not apparent at all until after. (I hate to admit, this beer went down so fast I was a little crooked.)  I am going to keep some of this on hand for Thanksgiving; It would be the perfect after dinner drink. End result is a very impressive, unique and excellent beer! ALL HAIL PUMKING!

Cheers!  

Ryan

OMFG - Beer Review Series - Founders Backwoods Bastard

Founders Backwoods Bastard: a Scotch Ale in Bourbon barrels! I saved this bad boy for an entire year and popped it open with one of my boys. I remember it fondly and at the time I didn’t take notes but traditionally, Scotch Ales pour a deep copper. ‘Compared to Scottish Ales, they'll be sweeter and fuller-bodied, and of course higher in alcohol, with a much more pronounced malty caramel and roasted malt flavor.’

This bad boy falls into the “extreme” beer category.  Per www.beeradvocate.com

What are we talking about? 

- Beers made with no hops but plenty of heather and lavender. 

- Beers aged in Jack Daniels oak barrels with an alcohol by volume of 20 percent or more. 

- Traditional beer styles, but with double, triple or more hops or malt. 

- Beers brewed with chocolate, peanut butter or espresso beans. 

- Strong Porters brewed with Chinese candied ginger. 

- Ales brewed with oysters or seaweed. 

- Sharp tasting beers inoculated with various wild bacteria and yeast strains.

Much of what I drink falls into this category but bourbon aged is its own animal in my opinion. I will get right into the tasting. The beer pours a dirty dark black with red highlights when held to the light. You cannot see through this bad boy.  The head is thick but quickly retreats to a thin tan mist across the glass. 

Smell is wood/oak and bourbon!  Really, it’s one note; not much complexity in smell but not overpowering. Why wait and smell when you can gulp it down. At 10.5 ABV it’s smooth and thick with some bold carbonation. Fear not friends: Backwoods Bastard is still amazing after 10 months.  It has some wild bourbon flavor followed by silky vanilla. Then flavors of caramel/toffee become more pronounced. Lastly coconut, yes, this is what I taste! Coconut rounds out the profile and seems to mellow out the alcohol burn.

What can I say? Backwoods should be available in November and its outstanding! I beg you to go out and experience this beer. It is a one off amazing beer that needs to be taken in small doses.  It is a one off amazing beer that needs to be taken in large doses.

Cheers! 

Ryan

OMFG - Beer Review Series - Sweetwater Crank Tank Rye'd Ale

Recently, many breweries are producing beers for a cause; Crank Tank is Sweetwaters’ newest brew to benefit Camp Twin Lakes.  “Camp Twin Lakes is a network of camps providing life-changing camp experiences to thousands of children with serious illnesses, disabilities and challenges.” This camp specializes in creating a positive atmosphere for children with disabilities to be surrounded by others young folks in similar situations.  The camp has expertise in ‘customized programs that teach campers to overcome obstacles and grow in their confidence and capabilities.’

To benefit Camp Twin Lakes Sweetwater created the Crank Tank. This brew is a variation of the Dank Tank series: rarely released randomness and each offering will most likely never be seen again. This incarnation, a Rye ale, has a low 45 IBU and a final gravity of 6.2%, very light for the imperial extreme brews. Reading the label, this Rye ale appears super drinkable and a perfect summer/fall/spring beer.  “We cranked up a fermentation tank for this knobby Rye'd Ale geared up with 25% rye malt and dry hopped to the spokes with Mt. Hood and Centennial Hops."

Rye beers were first brewed around the time Columbus discovered America.  After a couple of poor Rye harvest seasons a rule was proposed that limited Rye malts only for bread only. We know this as Reinheitsgebot – the beer purity law. This German and Bavarian law states that beer could only be made from water, barley and hops; the penalty for making impure beer was also set in the Reinheitsgebot: a brewer using other ingredients for his beer could have questionable barrels confiscated with no compensation. Thus, Rye beers disappeared for nearly 500 years only to resurface again in 1988. Many brewers outside of Germany abided by the law meant to prevent inferior methods of preserving beer that had been used before the introduction of hops. It’s a damn shame Marty McFly didn’t even get a change to try a Rye beer. Basically, many of us, including myself, are unfamiliar with Rye beers and should experience a good example of the suds sooner vs. later.

I chilled the duce duce to about 45 °F, and slowly poured 12 ounces into my Perfect Pint glass. The head was lathered up white; it stood tall in my bell shaped vessel for quite some time. The color is a beautiful pastel copper with a nice chill haze. The smell is fragrant with some spice, lemon, citrus notes. I also picked up some faint sourness from Rye malts. It almost resembles a full body wheat beer but the sourness leans me to think saison or farmhouse ale.

Taste is über smooth upon first sip I picked up some buttery dry mild flavors, similar to chardonnay. As it warmed the bitterness began to rear his beautiful head. I can only assume the sullenness is derived from Columbus hops. The beer is grassy like summertime on the baseball field after a morning rain. The Crank rounds out with nice spice zest.  I am going to take an uneducated stab at naming them: Bay and Coriander? The swallow is sour, sweet, tart and dry… very pleasant. 

The body of the Crank Tank is nice and thick, and medium bold on the carbonation. I was really impressed at how balanced and drinkable this beer is. I would have it again and again; I hope they plan to make Crank Tank Rye'd reoccurring seasonal ale.  I would definitely session with this beer. It is in my top 20 of all time. It is widely available throughout the Atlanta area so keep an eye out.

Cheers! 

Ryan