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Owen Ogletree's
Monthly Brewtopia Brewsletter
December 21, 2024
Owen is founder/editor of Brewtopia.info, a group beer trip organizer, columnist for Southern Brew News, lecturer at Knoxville's Brewing & Distilling Center, founder of the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting, and a BJCP National Beer Judge.
Have a joyous holiday season!
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Follow our craft beer adventures...
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- Explore Exciting GA Breweries This Winter
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 By Owen Ogletree
Why force yourself to endure a grueling "dry January" when your local craft brewery offers wonderful libations and fun events? Here are just a few standout brewery events and releases taking place this winter in Georgia:
 Suwanee's StillFire Brewing snagged four medals this fall for four different beers at four different contests in four different countries. Black Mask Imperial Stout took bronze at the Japan International Beer Festival, while College Dropout American Lager won a silver at the Great American Beer Festival. Suwanee Devil Golden Belgian Strong Ale won gold at the European Star Awards in Munich, and Suwanee Claus Imperial Doppelbock scored a silver medal at the Brussels Beer Challenge. In other StillFire news, January 2025 brings the brewery's fourth annual "Battle of the Brewers," where each of the brewery's four beer artisans will produce a different beer to go head-to-head with each other. StillFire patrons vote over a specific time period to determine the winner. StillFire brewmaster Phil Farrell adds, "The identity of the winning brewer will be revealed on the Tuesday after voting closes on Super Bowl Sunday, February 9."
Wild Heaven Beer and Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q proudly announce a new taproom location in Atlanta's vibrant Toco Hills shopping center. A combination of craft brewery and renowned barbecue restaurant, this Wild Heaven outpost features twelve beer taps at two different bars, wines from the best Georgia wineries, house-made cocktails and mouth-watering smoked meats. The new locale houses an indoor taproom with televisions, a large bar area, a welcoming outdoor area, plus a banquet room for events. When visiting, check out the long-awaited return of two Wild Heaven classics. Ode To Mercy is a delicious American brown ale brewed with generous additions of smooth coffee. Invocation returns as a beautiful Belgian-style golden ale with a pleasant fermentation spice, pale malts and complex hop aroma and flavor.
Atlanta's Bold Monk Brewing celebrates five years with special beer releases such as Rejoice! Celebratory Golden Strong Ale made with orange peel, hibiscus and raspberries. From Bold Monk's barrel and foeder room comes the World Beer Cup gold medalist Virtue of Patience Flanders Red Ale, along with ASW Winterville Gin barrel-aged My Brother's Keeper biere de garde, ASW Resurgens Rye barrel-aged Sir Isaac Quad, and Prichard Bourbon barrel-aged Brother Ivan. Also, be sure to sample the tart and complex Angels in the Architecture lambic-style ale with raspberries, and All is Vanity mixed fermentation saison. Bold Monk's John Roberts adds, "December saw the release of our collaboration with Freigeist Bierkulture. Confession is a lightly pecan wood-smoked marzen with beautiful notes of roasted nuts, malt and toasted bread crust."
Creature Comforts announces several exciting brands joining the Athens brewery's Curious Collection in December and January. Look for DTLA - Creature Comforts Los Angeles brewing team's hoppy West Coast IPA. Be certain also to try Creature's Pibo Pilsner collaboration lager made with the guys at Firestone Walker Brewing. Other notable releases include Tripel Abbey Ale, Silent World Black Lager, Wild Planet IPA and Drip Decibels strong stout featuring beans from 1000 Faces Coffee in Athens.
 Cherry Street Brewing (Cumming and Alpharetta) celebrated its twelfth anniversary in December, and the brewery's Nick Tanner says, "Each month in 2025 will see the re-release of a beer that premiered during our twelve years. Cherry Street wants to thank everyone for all the amazing support. At the 2024 GABF in October, we took bronze for That Coconut Porter in the Field Beer category. In addition, O.A.S.I.S. Stout, our most awarded brew that's a favorite at the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting, turned ten this past month, and we plan a range of variations, including coconut and coffee."
 In addition to flavorful beer, Reformation Brewery now pours an array of extraordinary spirits at its taprooms in Woodstock, Canton and Smyrna. Choose from Six Year Bourbon with notes of brown sugar, smooth oak, vanilla, rye, and a hint of dark cherries. Coquito de Navidad comes in as a coconut cream rum liqueur inspired by Tio Louie's family recipe. Reformation Coffee Liqueur has now been packaged in mini bottles that make perfect stocking suffers. "With a dark, rich coffee profile supported by cacao and vanilla, this Reformation offering features Alma Coffee's extra dark roast 'Ember' coffee," Reformation's Jessica Miller explains.
 Monday Night Brewing's (Atlanta) Seven Deadly Stouts returns as a mouth-watering and indulgent stout aged on 666 pounds of Ugandan vanilla beans, toasted coconut bark, toasted hazelnuts, coffee, Ghirardelli milk chocolate wafers and Saigon cinnamon bark. This stout is then aged in seven types of spirit barrels, each representing a different “deadly” sin. These get blended to yield a supremely drinkable but potent 13.7% ABV ale. “We make this beer every two years because that’s how long it takes to make it. It’s a real labor of love. Time is absolutely a favor in Seven Deadly Stouts,” said Monday Night’s brewmaster Peter Kiley.
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- Modern Hops' Brewery Spotlight
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Georgia craft beer distributor Modern Hops brings extraordinary lagers from Bierstadt Lagerhaus to the state:
 When traveling to Denver, what is the must-stop, first brewery to visit? The answer has to be Bierstadt Lagerhaus.
Bierstadt Lagerhaus has earned accolades for its traditional approach to brewing. Co-founder and head brewer Ashleigh Carter told Boulder Weekly that Slow Pour Pils is the culmination of their years of experience and their fascination with German pilsners. The beer is brewed with care—taking over 30 hours to brew and a longer lagering period than most, resulting in a slow and steady pour that exemplifies the German tradition of serving pilsners. The final product is a crisp, clean beer with a slight hop bitterness, served in a signature chalice with a pillowy head.
If you aren't going to be in the Denver area any time soon to drink from the source, enjoy one of these beers at your favorite restaurants and tap rooms, or find them at a retailer right here in Georgia:
Slow Pour Pils, Bierstadt Lagerhaus (5.1% German Pilsner) is a strikingly pale, crisp, and bitter northern German-inspired Pils. It is softly malty, aromatic and crushable. [UnTappd 4.09]
Helles, Bierstadt Lagerhaus (4.9% Helles Lager) is a light lager and the purest expression of malt.
Dunkel, Bierstadt Lagerhaus (6% Munich Dunkel) is a Munich-style Dunkel that's dark with flavors of bread crust and chocolate.
Světlý 11.5°, Bierstadt Lagerhaus (4.5% Czech Pale Lager) is precise like a German lager but with Czech sensibilities and ingredients. Under modified raven malt from Czechia along with Saaz hops and triple decoction make up this beer along with a Czech yeast strain. This is a collab with Green Bench Brewing. [UnTappd 4.18]
Modern Hops is a valued sponsor of this Brewsletter.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, January 31, 2026
(Owen takes a break from ACAT in 2025.)
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- Follow Owen Ogletree and Brewtopia Events on Social Media
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UP NEXT...
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Owen Ogletree and The Beer Wench travel to the lovely Scandinavian city of Copenhagen, Denmark, to report from the best bars and breweries. Watch for our posts during the days following Christmas.
Photo: VisitCopenhagen.com
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