Rare Opportunity

Mikkeller Single Hop Mayhem!

So many IPA’s these days have multiple hops used in the brew.  That’s not a bad thing, so many of these multi hopped beers are great.  However, for a lot of beginning craft beer drinkers, or even some of the Continue Reading →

Bell’s Batch 9000 Arrives!

Arrived and quickly disappeared… Sorry if you missed it.  There were only 15 cases allocated to Georgia.

Confirmed.  Bell’s  Brewing’s Batch 9000 currently en route to Atlanta.  What is it?  Let’s investigate.

First of all let’s talk about the name.  In Continue Reading →

RARE BEER ALERT! Terrapin 30 Strong

Correction! – This is a keg, not a cask.

You’ll have to excuse the lack of updates over the weekend.  I think I spent more time drinking beer than writing about it.

Coming today is a rare keg from Terrapin Brewing. Continue Reading →

Another Duvel Green Opportunity!

Duvel Green has made some rare and limited appearances on tap in Atlanta.  If you have missed them before, here is another opportunity.  Duvel Green will be tapping at The Porter Beer Bar on February 23rd @ 6pm.

Duvel was created Continue Reading →

Posted in Rare Opportunity

World’s Largest Randall! Today @ 5 Seasons West

At 5:55pm today the beer world will be introduced to the worlds LARGEST randall.   What is a randall you might ask?  The name randall comes from an invention by Dogfish Head Brewery – “Randall The Enamel Animal.” It’s an organoleptic hop transducer module.  (Very technical.)   The original randall looks a bit like a large plastic cylinder full of hops.  The theory behind the randall is a lot like tea.  The beer is pour into the randall which is full of whole leaf hops.  It passes through the leaf hops like water would through a teabag.  The alcohol in the beer pulls the oils off the hops adding extra hop/whole leaf hop character.  I’ve referred to it as “raw hopping.”  Probably not the most accurate terminology, but its functional.  5 Seasons West’s “Randall” is dubbed “Frnnk Tate” and is actually a big metal tower for the hops to reside.  Picture of it here.

What you see pictured above is the upgraded, record breaking Randall.  It’s a modified hopper, to be filled full of willamette hops in preparation for the Plan B IPA to be poured in.  In order to do this, the keg is going to be placed on the second floor of 5 Seasons, near the sky bar.  A hose will run down into the massive Randall, filtered through the willamette hops, and finally into the thirsty beer drinkers glass.

Plan B IPA –

Hops – Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, Amarillo

Raw Hops – Willamette

Malts – Marris Otter, Crystal 50/70

7% ABV

In addition! There will beer another cask on the regular beer engine – a Belgian IPA.  It is dry hopped with Amarillo & Centennial. It’s 9% ABV

Both tap Today – April 1st at 5:55 pm!  (PS, this is NO JOKE! Be there at 5:55pm and see for yourself!)

5 Seasons West –  4/1,  5:55pm
1000 Marietta St
Atlanta, GA 30318

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Mikkeller, Rare Opportunity

Mikkeller Single Hop Mayhem!

So many IPA’s these days have multiple hops used in the brew.  That’s not a bad thing, so many of these multi hopped beers are great.  However, for a lot of beginning craft beer drinkers, or even some of the more seasoned ones rarely get to experience the flavors a single hops possesses.  Believe me, one single hop can make a huge difference.

Mikkeller Brewing hails from Denmark, started in 2006.  It’s a collaboration of two home brewers, Mikkel Borg Bjergso and Kristian Klarup Keller.  Since Mikkeller Brewing started, they have brewed a line of single hopped IPA’s focusing each of it’s unique flavors.

This Saturday March 27th, Brick Store Pub hosts Mikkeller Single Hop Mayhem! All 10 single hopped beers will be featured on draft starting at 11 am until they float.  All hops contain alpha acids.  Alpha Acids are the bittering compound that come out of hops when they are boiled.  The higher the alpha acid (AAU) the more bitterness is detected in taste.  Alpha acids carry a measurement in percentages, based on total dried weight.  Below the hops are broken down by each offering, hop info, and AAU percentage

Amarillo, 6.9% ABV.  Developed by Virgil Gamache Farms, AAU 5-11%.  Considered a medium bodied hop.

Cascade, 6.9% ABV. Developed by Oregon State University in 1956. Breed from Fuggle & Serebrianker. Cascade is a very successful hop, big on grapefruit/citrus flavor.

Centennial, 7% ABV.  Release to public in 1990. First bred, 1974.  Lot of common with Chinook & Cascade. 9-12% AAU

Chinook, 6% ABV.  Bred in the Washington State.  USDA bred variant of Petham Golding bitterring hop.  Very aromatic.  Lots of citrus flavor. Earthy.  Great for dry hopping or used late in boil.  12-14% AAU

Warrior, 6.9% ABV.  Bred at Yakima Chief Ranches.  High bittering hop. With AAU 15-17% Citrusy, earthy.

Nugget, 6.9% ABV.  Bittering hop.  Floral aroma.  Some nugget IPA described with a resin like flavor.  High AAU 12-14%

Simcoe, 6.9% ABV. Very popular hop.  Hit the scene in 2000. Lots of pine, bitter.  Resembles Cascade.

Tomahawk, 6.9% ABV.  AKA Columbus.  Very well rounded hop.  Obvious bittering hop, with a flavor profile to boot.  Spicy, citrusy, light hints of fruit. Earthy, low pine.

East Kent, 6.9% ABV.  Named for villages of East Kent in England.  Hop first grown in 1790.  Sweet flavor.  Lower bitterness. 7% AAU

Nelson Sauvin, 6.9% ABV. Bred in New Zealand, released in 2000. It has a wine like fruitiness, like Sauvignon Blanc.  Fairly rare in the US.  12-13% AAU.

Food pairings as well.  Well, there’s your hop info.  It all starts at 11 am this Saturday.  Flights of 5 beers each will be available too.  Food pairings as well

Brickstore Pub

125 East Court Square

Decatur, GA

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Founders Brewing, New Releases, Rare Opportunity

Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout ARRIVES!

Yeah small batch releases seem to be all the rage these days.  Some find it frustrating.  I find it fun.  The next small batch beer is floating around Georgia, waiting to be spotted. It’s Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout, or KBS.

KBS is an Imperial Stout brewed with coffee and vanilla and aged in oak bourbon barrels for a full year.  Chocolate is also added.  The official release day is as close to the Ides of March as possible (March 15th.) For Founder’s the closest day to party is Saturday, March 13th – and of course the party is planned.  If you aren’t lucky enough to make it to Michigan, you can have a bit of your own launch party here in Atlanta.  Savannah Distributing – the distributor of choice by Founder’s is already hinting at sightings in Georgia, emphasizing its small batch limitations.

Taste?  Imagine chocolate, coffee (espresso?), vanilla, bourbon, oak, and wood.  It’s balanced, full, smooth, complex, delicious.

KBS is brewed once a year.  Availability is in 12 oz bottles.  Draft offerings not specified.

11% ABV

Sightings to follow.   Be sure to follow @ATLBeerMaster on Twitter…

3/11 – 12 Noon – In stock at Hop City.  4 pks – 19.99.  Limit 2 per customer…

3/12 – Sold out, Green’s on Ponce

3/16 – Tapping @ Brick Store Pub.  Must ask for it, not on menu.

3/20 – Still flowing at The Porter Beer Bar…

5/18 – Taps 7 pm at Cypress Street for Atlanta Beer Week w/ food pairings!!

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Releases, Rare Opportunity, Terrapin Beer Company

Terrapin’s GA Theatre Sessions – Vol 1.

Alongside the Capt’n Krunkles release this month is the 1st of  4 beers benefiting the Georgia Theatre rebuild in Athens, GA.

The Brew 1 — March — “The Iron Tankard” Old Stock Ale — The building started as a YMCA in 1889 and had a huge iron swimming pool in the basement.

From Spike: Iron Tankard “Old Stock Ale” is the first of four beers in Terrapin’s Georgia Theatre Sessions. It is brewed with a generous portion of crystal malts for a full body and is lightly hopped. This malt forward beer has flavors of dark dried fruit, mellow alcoholic warmth and is unfiltered for your listening pleasure.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Georgia Historic Trust for Historic Preservation Fund to rebuild the Georgia Theater. To make things even more interesting, there is one Golden Ticket hidden among each of the Georgia Theater Sessions brews. This means that four lucky winners will receive a lifetime pass to the new Theater.

I hope that you are the lucky winner!

Cheers! – Spike

ABV 9.4%

Hops: Goldings

Malts: 2-row pale, Munich II, Crystal 65, Crystal 85, Special B

ABV – 9.4%

Availability – VERY LIMITED – Boxed 22 oz Bomber Releases.  Actual release dates coming soon… (March)

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Bell's Brewing, New Releases, Rare Opportunity

Bell’s Batch 9000 Arrives!

Arrived and quickly disappeared… Sorry if you missed it.  There were only 15 cases allocated to Georgia.

Confirmed.  Bell’s  Brewing’s Batch 9000 currently en route to Atlanta.  What is it?  Let’s investigate.

First of all let’s talk about the name.  In a previous post I wrote about the number on the side of all Bell’s bottles.  It depicts a batch number in which you can enter on the Bell’s website.  There you can find out when the batch was brewed and bottled.  The number on the side of Batch 9000 is of course… 9000. Bottled January 27th, 2010. Previous special releases by Bell’s include the Batch 7000 & 8000 (Imperial Stout, & Witbier)

What is the beer?  While wrapped in an enigma, some about Batch 9000 is known.  It’s an Imperial Stout, at 12.5% ABV. The label describes a malt beverage brewed with molasses and brewers licorice.  Early tastings indicate hints of licorice, coffee, chocolate, and alcohol.  From the back label —

“Dark and Rich, a great beer for the cellar.”

There are very few cases headed to Georgia.  Hop City plans on selling these 12 oz bottles as singles to accommodate all the individuals looking to buy.  While Batch 9000 is currently in route, it isn’t expect until next week sometime.  Although, you never know.  You should follow  @AtlBeerMaster on Twitter just in case…

Availability – One time extremely limited release.  ETA- Next 7-10 days.  Possibly sooner.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Rare Opportunity, Terrapin Beer Company

RARE BEER ALERT! Terrapin 30 Strong

Correction! – This is a keg, not a cask.

You’ll have to excuse the lack of updates over the weekend.  I think I spent more time drinking beer than writing about it.

Coming today is a rare keg from Terrapin Brewing.  30 Strong as it’s named, was brewed going on a year ago for Taco Mac in celebration of it’s 30th anniversary.  30 Strong is a strong ale brewer Spike Buchowski designed with 30 ingredients including malts and hops.  I’m trying to dig up the list of 30 ingredients, but for know be excited there is one more of these kegs in existence.

This keg is tapping at Taco Mac Crabapple as a kickoff to their 10 year anniversary week.  This is the first of a few beer related events going on this week at that location.  The keg taps when the store opens today March 1st, not at 5 or 6 like many others do.   30 Strong  is one of many things going on this week so be sure an check back!  Happy March!

Taco Mac Crabapple, 3/1/10

685 Crossville Road, Suite 146
Roswell, GA 30075

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Now Tapping, Rare Opportunity

Another Duvel Green Opportunity!

Duvel Green has made some rare and limited appearances on tap in Atlanta.  If you have missed them before, here is another opportunity.  Duvel Green will be tapping at The Porter Beer Bar on February 23rd @ 6pm.

Duvel was created by Albert Moortgat to commemorate the end of World War I, and was originally called “Victory Ale.” However, over time the name permutated into Duvel (spawning from a phrase ”nen echten duvel” referring to the high alcohol content of the beer.)

Duvel in a bottle as you have come to know — is brewed over the course of 90 days and undergoes 2 technical fermentations (You will also see it referred to as 3 fermentations — Top fermenting, Lagering, Bottle fermenting). After 30 days, the first fermentation is complete and is then tested. At this point, Duvel is light and less alcoholic than the final bottle product. (Est 6.5% ABV.)

When the results of the first fermentation are approved, it is added to the bottle with extra yeast and sugar, and fermented for an additional 60 days in warm and cold temperatures. The final result — Duvel — in a bottle, 8.5% ABV.

So what is Duvel Green?

Essentially, Duvel Green is the product of the 1st fermentation. It is what the brewers taste prior to secondary fermentation. Duvel Green has been bottled before, but is very small quantities sold only at the brewery in Belgium.

Why is it called Duvel Green?

“Green” doesn’t have any environmental connotation. Green in this case refers to its younger state. Duvel Green is a lighter tasting, single fermented version than its bottle predecessor. Hence the name – Duvel “Green.”

These kegs of Duvel Green have been very few and far between.  I can count about 5 or less that I have seen since last June.  So, grab a taste of  a rare beer at The Porter.

The Porter Beer Bar, February 23rd — 6:30pm

1156 Euclid Avenue

Atlanta, GA 30307

404.223.0393

by Reid Ramsay