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Owen Ogletree's Brewtopia Brewsletter
September 21, 2020
Owen is founder/editor of Brewtopia.info, columnist for Southern Brew News and Beer Connoisseur Magazine, lecturer at Knoxville's Brewing & Distilling Center, founder/director of the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting and Classic City Brew Fest, a BJCP National Beer Judge and Great American Beer Festival judge.
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Follow our craft beer adventures...
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- Wild Heaven's Experimental Single-Hop IPAs
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As part of Wild Heaven Beer's "Exploration Project," brewer Eric Johnson chose four exciting hop varietals that are so new, they aren't even named yet. Each hop is identified currently with a three digit number. Eric made single-hop brews using one of the hop types in four different batches of the same IPA recipe - a process that really showcases each hop on its own. The IPAs are called "Next Big Thing."
"I love playing with new hops," says Eric. "It can be difficult to truly evaluate all of the flavor and aromatic nuances of a hop without experiencing it in isolation. The objective of this project was to create a clean canvas to really show off each hop and give the craft beer enthusiast the ability to evaluate each one in comparison to the others. I find this particularly useful when evaluating a new ingredient. It gives multiple reference points and allows for a more accurate description of the true nature of each. Through this process, I've definitely found another couple of hops that I'll be using in future creations."
 Owen shared each IPA with a few beer judges and recorded these tasting notes that focus on the hop character of each beer...
HOP 586 - Citrus, hint of onion, lychee, mango, chive, moderate bitterness, earthy fruit, musk.
HOP 431 - Spice, herbs, cumin, cardamom, nice bitterness, slight solvent nuance, cilantro, peach, papaya, leather, black tea.
HOP 692 - Hardwood note, Palo Santo wood, stone fruit, hint of pine resin, white pepper, green onion hint, apricot.
HOP 472 - Peach, kiwi, mango, citrus, coconut hint - so delicious. This hop has Neomexicanus parentage. Eric adds, "It's cool to see our native American hops making their way into current breeding programs."
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 Remember to grab some take-home beer from your local craft breweries and craft beer stores. These businesses need your support! Look below for a few Georgia beers that Owen has enjoyed in the last couple of weeks...
 Braselton Brewing Company
Government Shutdown Belgian Tripel
This delightful brewpub, located in the Northeast Georgia small town of Braselton, cranks out mouth-watering beers from brewer John Lane along with a range of tasty food items from the kitchen. The amazing Tripel comes across as malty, spicy, fruity and warming - a big, bold, beautiful ale.
 Braselton Brewing Company
Derby Day West Coast IPA
A true West Coast IPA with nice clarity, spicy/resiny hop flavor and pleasant bitterness, Derby Day makes me long for the days before the haze. This excellent hoppy ale goes well with the brewpub's Buffalo chicken flatbreads.
Ironshield Brewing
Sgt. MacKenzie Scotch Ale
A gorgeous Scottish Ale from Glen Sprouse (master brewer of Ironshield in Lawrenceville), Sgt. MacKenzie packs a delicious, toasty, caramel malt character backed up with just a hint of UK hops for balance. This beer is technically brilliant and quite enjoyable.
Ironshield Brewing
Seven Sisters
This wonderful Vienna Lager showcases a brilliant amber color, classic European malt character and floral spiciness from the use of classic noble hops. Enjoy it in the brewery's spacious and comfortable Lawrenceville beer garden.
Ironshield Brewing
Heroes Helles
Helles ranks as one of the most appealing, flavorful and drinkable lagers in the world, and Ironshield's version does not disappoint. Look for an elegant honeysuckle/jasmine character from the golden malt, floral German hops and clean lager yeast.
 StillFire Brewing
Thrill Ride IPA
With 7.7% ABV and 65 glorious IBUs (international bittering units), this outstanding IPA from Suwanee was engineered by StillFire's talented brew crew to be a quintessential West Coast-style IPA. Look for a medium/light body and perfect hop notes of citrus and pine.
 StillFire Brewing
College Drop Out
American Lagers are not an easy style to make well, but StillFire's version gets top marks. This 5.3% ABV lager holds 20 IBUs and subtle malt complexity that kicks up the overall appeal and flavor of this crisp and easy-drinking light lager.
Twain's Brewpub & Billiards
Jackass Helles
 Another great Helles lager from a beloved Georgia brewery, Jackass offers a delicious golden malt character highlighted by noble hops and a crisp, clean finish from the lager yeast. It's like liquid gold in a liter stein.
Twain's Brewpub & Billiards
Push Back New Zealand Pilsner
This 6.4% ABV lager takes a classic Czech-style Pilsner recipe and spices it up with additions of citrusy, piney Pacifica and Wai-iti hops from New Zealand. It's so fresh, complex and appealing.
Tucker Brewing Company
Tucktoberfest
Zip over to Tucker Brewing to grab some of the brewery's classic Marzen-style lager before it's gone. This amber-hued beer provides layers of toasted bread character from traditional German malts. The finish is clean and crisp with a pleasant noble hop essence.
 Three Taverns
Double Snack 2020
What an impressive bourbon barrel-aged imperial pastry stout! Imagine a mouth-watering chocolate fudge brownie melting on the tongue and finishing with a lingering dark cocoa, vanilla and bourbon character. This rich, sweet, potent ale would definitely complement a caramel sundae topped with crushed nuts and whipped cream.
 Three Taverns
Bright Day Coming
I absolutely love this 5.5% ABV hazy pale ale that provides elegant malt notes of biscuit crust balanced by hop flavors of citrus, tangerine and honeydew. Proceeds from the launch of Bright Day Coming go to The Giving Kitchen non-profit organization that provides emergency assistance to food service workers during the pandemic.
Torched Hop
Anthem of the Angels
This 6.7% porter is packed with luscious notes of chocolate, cocoa and smooth toasted coconut. The balance of flavors is impressive, and this dark, medium-bodied ale would be perfect alongside blondie brownies.
Torched Hop
Time Wreck West Coast IPA
This slightly hazy IPA boasts exceptional hop aroma, flavor and a hint of bitterness for a beautiful balance and aftertaste. Light fruity esters, piney hops and a soft mouthfeel make this IPA quite appealing and drinkable. Pair this ale with Torched Hops' mouth-watering fish & chips.
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- Visit Lincoln Fill Station in Snellville, GA
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Lincoln Fill Station
2280 Henry Clower Blvd SW
Snellville, GA
Most craft beer fans who live anywhere near Snellville are familiar with the welcoming and personable Lincoln Fill Station pub and cigar shop. Owners Brad Tomlinson and Tiny McClannan have made some serious upgrades to the place in recent months, so patrons who have been away for a bit should plan to visit again soon for a socially distant beer or two. Lincoln Fill now boasts a larger cigar humidor, an expanded draft menu, more porch space, later hours on the weekends, food trucks on Fridays and Saturdays and rearranged seating to encourage social distancing. Several hand sanitizer stations have also been installed, and an enclosure on the porch is in the works to allow for comfortable outside drinking this winter. The pub's Tinypalooza spring beer fest is also outstanding.
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- Terrapin Protects Athens' Drinking Water
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Georgia’s leading water protection coalition recently presented its Clean 13 Water Heroes Award to Athens' Terrapin Beer Company.
By reducing its water use and ensuring that waste streams find a new purpose as animal feed and compost, Terrapin continues to set an environmental example for breweries in the region. “Every decision we make at the brewery has an impact,” said Dustin Watts, Terrapin president. “Be it the local waterways we pull from, how we get the energy each shift consumes, the soil we help build through composting, or any of the resources we draw on to manufacture, Terrapin chooses to be aware of these effects and keep our impact on these resources to a minimum.”
Water conservation measures at Terrapin have reduced the brewery’s water demand by about 20 percent, translating into water savings of three million gallons in 2019. To bring statewide recognition to this leadership, the Georgia Water Coalition included Terrapin in their 2019 Clean 13 report. The annual report highlights individuals, businesses, industries, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies that are taking a lead in working for cleaner rivers, stronger communities and a more sustainable future for Georgia.
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 Red Hare Brewing
HASENPFEFFER OKTOBERFEST
From the guys at Red Hare...
Style: Oktoberfest Style Lager
Availability: Fall Seasonal (Draught and Cans)
ABV: 5.5%
Brewed with classic ingredients from the motherland of bier, including special yeast from a famous Munich brewery. This Oktoberfest is characterized by it’s toasty, nutty, caramelized malt notes, which result in a full-bodied brew with a rich copper hue. This beer is perfect for the fall, as we transition from the light beers of summer to the robust beers of winter.
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- 04/11/2021 - CLASSIC CITY BREW FEST, Athens, GA. 25th ANNIVERSARY. Hopefully, this new date will work out! 50+ exciting cask ales, local Athens draft beer booths, live music from Jim Cook, BBQ food truck and special beers uncapped each hour! Tickets will be discounted to only $39.99! This will be Georgia's BEST beer festival value! Tickets will be on sale again soon. If you have tickets from last year, these are still good, and you will be entered into exciting drawings.
- 2021 ATLANTA CASK ALE TASTING. Date is currently set for Saturday, January 9 at Bold Monk Brewing, but this may change, based on COVID-19 conditions. We will keep you posted.
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- Brewtopia Events on Facebook & Twitter
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 CLICK HERE and hit the Brewtopia Events "like" button on Facebook to see photos and posts as we explore craft beer around the world. Also be sure to follow Owen Ogletree on Facebook.
 Follow Brewtopia Events on Twitter.
UP NEXT...
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Owen will do a series of Facebook posts spotlighting his absolute favorite places in the world to enjoy craft beer. Already featured: Cantillon, Russian River, Ayinger, Westvleteren, Pilsner Urquell, Craven Arms Pub and Fork & Brewer.
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