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Fear the Beards (and Beers)
THE 2016 CLASSIC CITY BREW FEST, REVIEWED
By Blake Aued and Carey McLaughlin news@flagpole.com
L ittle-known fact: Hops—the flower
buds that both preserve beer and
impart flavors from pine to pineap
ple—are a relative of the marijuana plant.
So that’s another reason to include beer
reviews in Flagpoles “weed issue,” other
than the obvious intoxicating effects.
Feeling we could blend in, Flagpole
sent its two resident bearded staffers,
City Editor Blake Aued and ad rep Carey
McLaughlin, to join hundreds of our fel
low beer nerds last week at the 21st annual
Classic City Brew Fest, where we were able
to sample a few dozen (often extremely
strong) brews and live to tell the tale. Here
are some of our favorites:
CREATURE COMFORTS KING’S RANSOM:
At 10.2% ABV, this collaboration with
Brooklyn’s Other Half brewery has a
king’s ransom worth of booze, that’s for
sure. You’ll #feelthebern when drinking
this Baltic porter—brewed with
the lager yeast used in Creature
Comforts’ pilsner, Bibo—but coffee
and smoke come through, too. Plus,
now you know something good
came out of Scandinavia other than
democratic socialism. It’s available
in cans, so pick some up and save it
for next winter. [BA]
STRANGEWAYS BREWERY W00DB00GER
BELGIAN STYLE BROWN ALE: Part
of this Richmond, VA brewery’s
“Nucleus Series” of flagship beers,
Woodbooger pulls rich caramel
and vanilla notes with a relatively
light finish and a touch of Belgian
character and malt making this
one of the more interesting brown
ales I’ve tasted. According to Urban
Dictionary, which we know to be a
rock-solid source of information,
Woodbooger is yet another moniker
for the mysterious Yeti. Honestly, it
seems mildly derogatory towards the myth
ical creatures, but considering there were as
many Yeti-sized beards in the upstairs galle
ria as I’ve ever seen in one place, I figured it
was prudent not to inquire further. [CM]
GOOSE ISLAND OGDEN: Hoppier than the
usual Belgian trippel, Ogden is 9% ABV, but
you’d never know it. Honorable mention
goes to its more floral Champagne-y saison
cousin Sophie, also produced by the Chicago
brewery. [BA]
ROGUE 8 HOP IPA: Confronted with Rogue’s
numerical hop series 4, 6, 7 and 8 Hop IPA,
I figured 8 (a robust 8.8% that utilizes all
of Rogue’s homegrown hops) would be a
punch to the face. So of course after 30
or so tastes of beer, I went for it. Yes, the
hops are monstrous, but they’re flavorful.
Everything just works with this one. In
fact, going backward and tasting the far less
intense 4 Hop IPA proved to be relatively
pedestrian. 8 Hop’s got all the goods a hop
lover could want: citrus, fresh herbs, hints
of pine and an intense but expertly bal
anced sip. [CM]
DESCHUTES MIRROR MIRROR: What kind
of beer is this, even? No one seemed to
know, but everyone I talked to agreed it’s
delicious. (For the record, it’s a barleywine
aged in red wine barrels, but it also tastes
like a Scotch ale but hoppier, and there’s
some bourbon flavor in there, too.) Sadly,
you can’t get Deschutes in Georgia right
now, but it’s opening a second brewery in
Virginia in 2021. [BA]
SOUTHERN BREWING CO. WEST SIDE PALE ALE:
This new pale ale from Athens’ newest
brewery is their best yet, boasting some cit
rus on the finish in classic, now ubiquitous
West Coast style. Striking the perfect bal
ance between outrageous and boring, WSPA
proves that sometimes, subtlety can taste
just as fresh. [CM]
TERRAPIN ANNIVERSARY ALE: Terrapin is
known for getting insane in the mem
brane with the hops, but this is like noth
ing you’ve had from the Athens brewery
before—an amber-colored sour brewed
with Belgian yeast, coriander, orange peel
and chamomile that’s just bitter enough to
be balanced. [BA]
WRECKING BAR VICTOR IPA: I had a version
infused with grapefruit and cedar. One of
my favorite IPAs is Ballast Point Grapefruit
Sculpin, and this blew it out of the water.
It’s always worth stopping by the Wrecking
Bar brewpub in Little Five Points whenever
you’re in Atlanta, and Trappeze often has
something of theirs on tap, too. Almost
everything they make is terrific. [BA]
JAILH0USE CONJUGAL VISIT: By the time I
reached Hampton, GA’s JailHouse Brewery,
the taste of hops burning through my
tongue, I was ready for something slightly
different. This American Red/Amber Ale
combines medium bitterness with hints of
caramel and honey and a welcome touch of
mint and herbal goodness. I was so spent
by the time I finished my taste, the prison
guards had to escort me out. [CM] ©
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Don’t let the beards fool you—we’re not actually beer experts.
18 FLAGP0LE.C0M-APRIL 20, 2016