|
|
|
|
Owen Ogletree's Brewtopia Brewsletter
November 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.
|
|
Follow our craft beer adventures...
|
|
|
|
- Craft Beer Pairings for the Holidays
|
By Owen Ogletree
Looking for flavorful and interesting beverages to accompany festive holiday meals? Wines can be expensive and sometimes overwhelm the subtle flavors of holiday fare. Eggnog is loaded with fat, and boozy cocktails tend to send guests home too early with designated drivers. Why not try craft beer?
Today's crop of exciting, personable gourmet beers from craft breweries around the country make for delightful pairings with a wide range of foods, and the diversity of colors, aromas and flavors of these brews are sure to ignite curiosity, conversation and interest among holiday merry-makers. Many say that beer's sweet malt, creamy carbonation and moderate alcohol content complement rich holiday fare better than any other libation.
 Crack open a box of water crackers and a fruity, spicy IPA from Creature Comforts Brewing alongside a cheese platter of authentic English Stilton, Provolone and Parmigiano Reggiano. Creature's Imperial Trop Haze, a hazy hop lover's dream from the ingenious brewers at one of Athens, Georgia's most popular breweries, embodies a rich malt and hop character loaded with Citra, Centennial and Galaxy in a sweet malt base with 8% ABV -- a perfect beer harmony with salty, earthy, pungent cheeses.
 Skip the Champagne this year and pick up a delicious sour ale from the wooden foeders at Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta. Monday Night's exceptional The Sky is Ours premiers as a crisp, mixed fermentation amber ale with beautiful essences of boysenberries and black currants. Try this tart, bubbly ale with chocolate-covered cherries or strawberries. A fruited sour ale also makes a lovely welcoming apéritif as guests arrive at the door.
 Seek out a malty, rich ale with a moderately full body to pair with a main holiday course of roast turkey and sage dressing. Bell's Two Hearted Ale, a somewhat maltier-than-normal hoppy ale from Michigan, has been voted over many years as best beer made in America by several groups. Its light amber color, creamy white head, pineapple notes, piney Centennial hop aroma and delicious malt and hop balance form an elegant, slightly fruity complement to any dish of poultry, pork or lamb. When looking for a lighter alcohol version, be sure to try Bell's amazing Light Hearted Ale.
 Sip a snifter of Akademia Brewing's rich and viscous Claustrophobia 13% ABV imperial stout with a bite of sweet potato casserole, cheesecake or pumpkin pie with whipped cream. The roasted malt and dark chocolate charm of this robust beer also goes extremely well with the slight earthiness of pecan pie or ice cream, and the flavors of the beer and food meld on the palate, creating a wonderful marriage of complex sweetness - much like a sip of coffee after a bite of dessert.
 Terrapin Beer Company in Athens, Georgia, recently released a new batch of Sunray Wheat Beer, a hefeweizen-style ale brewed with tupelo honey from the Savannah Bee Company. Also, look for Terrapin's Mango Dreamsicle - a creamy, fruity, slightly sweet, well-balanced pale ale made with lactose, mango juice and a touch of Amarillo, Citra and Simcoe hops. Either offering from Terrapin would pair well with fruit salads or any holiday salad with a citrusy, tart dressing.
 Brilliantly full-bodied and satisfying, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale forms an annual holiday brewing tradition that utilizes freshly picked hops to create superb grapefruit/pine aromas and mouth-watering bitterness. Healthy additions of English caramel malts produce a creamy ale with burnt sugar notes that complement pot roast or fried chicken in impressive fashion. Many folks consider the 2020 edition of Celebration Ale as one of the brewery's best.
 Cider also seems perfect for holiday meals, and we love the ciders from Atlanta's popular Urban Tree Cidery. Bourbon Barrel Buzz makes a great sipper next to spiced rum cake or crème brûlée. Red Delicious and Mutsu apple juices are sweetened with a touch of Blue Ridge gallberry honey, and the cider gets aged in Ghost Coast Bourbon barrels. Urban Tree's delicious SoGA Blue Cider comes across as crisp and tart with north Georgia apple juice topped off with south Georgia blueberries, creating a perfectly balanced, spritzy cider that works well with smoked salmon and even caviar.
 Bold Monk Brewing's cult-classic Discipline Dubbel Trappist-style ale offers perfect, traditional notes of cocoa, sweet malt, fruit, spice, toffee, plums and raisins. No beer could be a better choice to savor with the myriad of comfort food flavors found on holiday tables. Belgian-style ales make exceptional beers for culinary enjoyment.
|
|
- Wild Heaven & Bulleit Collab
|
Georgia craft brewing company Wild Heaven Beer has partnered with Bulleit Frontier Whiskey in the creation of two new barrel-aged beers that have been aged in Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye barrels. 95 Shilling Imperial Scotch Ale is now on shelves and will allow beer fans across Atlanta to experience the combination of signature Bulleit 95% rye flavors combined in a brand new Wild Heaven Scotch Ale. The malty notes of the traditional ale paired with the rye whiskey and oaky vanilla of the barrel collide to create an elevated scotch ale experience.
|
|
- Independent Distilling in Decatur, Georgia
|
Independent Distilling Company was established in 2014 in Decatur, Georgia, to produce small-batch, handcrafted spirits with the best local ingredients. Using a custom copper pot still and a love of well-made spirits, founder Michael Anderson and whiskey specialist Casey Teague have created a hands-on, artisanal distillery and cozy tasting room for all to enjoy. Pay them a visit soon.
Look below for Owen Ogletree's tasting notes of five of Independent's offerings...
HELLBENDER BOURBON WHISKEY
Aged in new charred American white oak barrels for around 17 months, this wonderful bourbon offers warming, complex notes of wood, vanilla, roasted peanuts, citrus, pineapple, caramel and cherries. Rich and multi-dimensional with a pleasing raw oak character, it's bright at the start and sweet in the middle with a slightly dry finish.
 BRANDY CASK FINISHED WHISKEY
Expect a wine/grape-like nuance with a floral nose, sweet finish and a hint of caramelized apples. Nuances of pear, kumquat, vanilla, oak, toffee, eucalyptus and spice also emerge in this tasty offering.
BARREL-AGED RUM
Made from table-grade molasses, this spicy rum provides flavors and aromas of butterscotch, candied pear, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, banana and alcohol warmth.
CASK STRENGTH RYE WHISKEY
Casey gave Owen a special preview taste of his new rye straight out of the unblended cask. At 114.9 proof, this beast was extremely warm but held intriguing notes of crème brûlée, allspice, earthy rye, leather, tobacco, cereal grains, dark bread crust, gouda, vanilla, sulfur, fresh wood and raw habanero peppers. We are looking forward to the bottles that should premier around Christmas of 2020.
OUTLIER NO. 9 SINGLE BARREL APPLE BRANDY
This yummy brandy was made in collaboration with the great folks at Urban Tree Cidery. "By fermenting and distilling Urban Tree's delicious apples, we created a brandy that celebrates the flavors of fall," says Independent's Casey Teague. "After distilling, the spirit is barrel-aged to impart notes of honey, fruit, baking spice, nutmeg and a touch of toasted oak."
|
|
 Southern Brewing Company
HOP ADVISORY DIPA
From our friends at Southern Brewing in Athens, Georgia...
Our most explicit Double IPA in our Southern Hops Series is here! Hop Advisory is a West Coast-style DIPA dry-hopped with Chinook, Centennial, Citra and Columbus. Look for notes of grapefruit and tangerine with a pine resin finish. Available on draft and in four-pack cans in our taprooms and out in the market now. Cheers y’all!
|
|
- Georgia Breweries Win at GABF
|
Congratulations go to the three Georgia breweries that scored GABF medals in 2020. StillFire's Orange Diva won bronze in the Belgian-Style Specialty category, while Coastal Empire Beer Company brought home gold for its Barrel-Aged Coco Piña. Creature Comforts' Get Artistic was awarded bronze in the Experimental Beer group.
 
|
|
- 04/11/2021 - CLASSIC CITY BREW FEST, Athens, GA. 25th ANNIVERSARY. We may postpone this date slightly, depending on COVID vaccine status and Athens government mandates in April. 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 on sale again soon. If you have tickets from last year, these are still good, and you will be entered into exciting drawings and perks for hanging on to your tickets through the pandemic.
- 01/22/2022 ATLANTA CASK ALE TASTING. Mark your calendars for one of Atlanta's favorite craft beer fests that's returning in 2022 at Bold Monk Brewing.
|
|
- Brewtopia Events on Facebook & Twitter
|
 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...
-
Owen continues a series of Facebook posts spotlighting new craft beers in the market.
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
