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Owen Ogletree's Brewtopia Brewsletter
October 8, 2021
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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- Best-of-Show Craft Beer Blind Competition
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 Owen Ogletree gathered brewers and beer judges Neal Engleman, The Beer Wench, Ashton Smith, Samantha Eaves, Tim Schiavone and Ben Halter to sample and comment on 12 exceptional examples of classic craft beers on the market now. This blind beer evaluation was done in a "best-of-show" format, and beers were commented upon and ranked according to Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines. First, second and third places were awarded to the beers we felt represented their styles in extraordinary fashion. Photos by Ashton Smith.
Munich Helles - 4A.
Arches Brewing Heritage Helles Lager.
SECOND PLACE
- Golden color; clear; beautiful white foam; mild aromas of flowers, honey and pilsner malt; flavor notes of honeysuckle, light jasmine, just a hint of corn.
German-style Landbier/Kellerbier - 7C Pale Kellerbier.
Good Word Brewing & Public House Chronovisor Landbier.
THIRD PLACE
- Brilliant clarity; gorgeous golden color; herbal note; grassy, hoppy nose; flavors of flowers, hops, light citrus, pleasant bitterness, egg white hint; sulfur hint; ends dry, clean and hoppy.
Marzen - BJCP 6A.
Tucker Brewing Company Tucktoberfest Marzen Lager.
- Spot-on copper color for style; excellent clarity; good head retention; maple and caramel nuances; dark toasted bread; herbal; grassy; cracker-like note; nice dry finish.
Helles Bock - BJCP 4C.
Creature Comforts / Burial Beer Company Culture Keeper Maibock.
- Hint of chill haze; attractive golden color and white foam; floral hops; citrus hint; grassy; flavors of sweet malt, sugar, pale malt; hoppy finish is pleasant but may be too much for style; quite floral; finish seems a bit too bitter for this malty style.
New World Cider - BJCP C1A.
Urban Tree Fan Cider.
- Nice gold color with light carbonation; apple note dominates; fruity; clean; hint of dark sugar and acidity; well-balanced between sweetness and apple nuances; lovely apple note comes through mid-palate; dry finish; refreshing; simple, yet pleasant and elegant.
American IPA - BJCP 21A.
Creature Comforts Tropicalia India Pale Ale.
- Deep gold color; slight haze; aromas of candied oranges, citrus, pine resin and dank hops; good malt/hop balance; clean malt goes well with rich hops and mild bitterness; nice dry finish; bold citrus and piney hops are the star of this IPA.
Double IPA - BJCP 22A.
Akademia Brewing Parallel Shift West Coast Style DIPA.
- Quite hazy and opaque; dark gold/orange color; nose seems like candy sugar, earthy malt, light caramel hint; flavors of earthy malt, orange, apricot, tropical fruits and hops.
Doppelbock - BJCP 9A.
Birds Fly South Ale Project Sometimes Goats.
- Great clarity; deep tan head with nice retention; brown/mahogany color with a ruby/orange hue; aromas of chocolate, raisins, prunes, dates, dark sugar; flavors of leather, dark sugar, cherry hint, light fruit; hint of alcohol warmth; melanoidin finish balanced with a hint of hops; dark, toasty malts; slightly bitter finish.
Schwarzbier - BJCP 8B.
Wild Heaven Beer Schwarz Helmet.
- Dark brown color that's almost black; good clarity; light tan head; aromas of roasted malt, coffee, hint of dark sugar and caramel; flavors come across as moderate; dark malt; roasted malt is soft on the finish; pleasing bitterness in the end from dark malts and light hops; nice and dry; a great dark lager.
American Barleywine - BJCP 22C.
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine 2021.
FIRST PLACE
- This amazing barleywine was voted best beer of the bunch. Mahogany color; dark auburn; deep amber/copper hue; aromas of dark caramel, lots of American hops, raisins, leather, pine, wood; flavors of massive hops and clean, rich malt; well-rounded and packed with flavor; not harsh at all; hop character is outstanding; beautiful, long hop finish; a big, bold, breathtaking beer.
Imperial Stout - BJCP 20C.
Bold Monk Brother Ivan.
- Deep black hue with a dark tan head; small amount of particulate matter in the beer; aromas of spice, roasted malt, smoke hint, dark cocoa, bitter chocolate, Maduro cigars and subtle fruit. Flavors of dark malt; dark bitter chocolate; anise and chocolate candy. Luscious, full mouthfeel.
Imperial Stout with vanilla, chai, coffee and oatmeal - BJCP 20C.
Terrapin Vanilla Chai Late Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout 2020 Reserve.
- Deep black color with dark head. Aromas of green coffee and roasted malts. Flavors reminiscent of peppers, chai latte, spices, dark sugar, viscous oatmeal, caramel and dark sugar. Ends sweet with a warming alcohol hint.
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- Cask Ale Winners at the 25th Classic City Brew Fest
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Attendees at last August's 25th-anniversary Classic City Brew Fest in Athens enjoyed a wonderful afternoon filled with an impressive range of exclusive cask-conditioned ales from Georgia breweries. The enthusiastic crowd voted for People's Choice, with first-place going to Burnt Hickory's Cherry Pie Sister Disco Berliner Weisse. Second-place went to Akademia Brewing's Phobia the 13th Imperial Stout, and third was awarded to Athentic Brewing Company's malty Athentic Barleywine.
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 Tucker Brewing
Tucktoberfest
Marzen
Tucker Brewing Company's Tucktoberfest Märzen Lager has proven a huge hit this year. With an attractive, deep amber color and thick off-white head, this traditional beer offers pleasant aromas of toasted bread crust, light toffee and a crisp, dry finish. Try one alongside a soft pretzel with German mustard.
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Look below for notes on just a few of Owen's favorite beers from the last month or so:
 Akademia Brewing
Altered Minds German-Style Altbier
At 4.4% ABV, this refreshing amber ale seems like it was brewed in a classic Dusseldorf Altbier brewery but it originated from Athens, Georgia. Tasty toasted malt blends with slight fruit nuances and German hops, forming an outstanding example of the style.
 Athentic Brewing
Sister Pale Ale
This American Pale Ale from the popular Athentic Brewing in Athens, Georgia ticks all the appropriate boxes. Clean pale malt melds with American hops, forming a refreshing and satisfying pale ale that comes in at 5.1% ABV. This hoppy ale is immensely refreshing and quaffable.
 StillFire Brewing
O'Farrell's Irish Red Ale
Brewer Phil Farrell created a masterpiece with this clean, Irish-inspired red ale that fills the palate with hints of toasted bread crust, caramel and mild hops. The red hue is outstanding, and the rich malty flavor is mouth-watering. Try it alongside fried seafood.
 Pontoon Brewing
Czech Yo Self Pilsner
The cool can decorated with art of an otter dressed like Mr. T catches one's attention, while the malt and hop profile impresses the palate. This Bohemian-style Pilsner seems close to perfection. Beautiful floral hops meld with light cereal nuances and pilsner malt notes in this crisp, refreshing and technically accurate pale lager.
 Good Word Brewing & Public House
Any Day Now Dry-Hopped Italian-Style Pilsner
Any pilsner fan should rush over to Good Word in Duluth, Georgia to try this outstanding pale golden lager that offers rich, clean pilsner malt accentuated by an elegant, spicy, floral hop character and appropriate bitterness. I can't image a better beer to go with a classic Margherita pizza.
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- 01/21/2023 ATLANTA CASK ALE TASTING. Mark your calendars for one of Atlanta's favorite craft beer fests that's returning in 2023 to the wonderful Bold Monk Brewing. Tickets will go on sale here in the summer of 2022.
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- Follow Brewtopia Events on Social Media
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UP NEXT...
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Starting tomorrow, Owen Ogletree takes 30 brewers and beer enthusiasts to the Portland, Oregon area to explore the breweries, wineries and scenery of this corner of the splendid Pacific Northwest. Brace yourselves for social media posts from the group all next week.
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