Thursday, October 23, 2008
Restaurants Talking Head: The Great Decatur Beer Tasting Festival report
Posted by Jeff Holland on Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 7:57 PM
I woke up Saturday morning to overcast skies and wondered if this would be the first Decatur Beer Festival to not have perfect weather. But of course the clouds parted at 11:30, proving that God loves us and wants us to drink beer.
I pretty much did everything wrong for this festival: got there late, forgot my notebook and my camera, had no plan, socialized too much and missed a lot of tables. But eventually I decided not to be rushed and enjoy the beautiful day and all the delicious beer.
My favorite of the day would have to be the De Proef Saison Imperiale, a collaboration with Rob Tod from Allagash. It has a huge bouquet of flowers and honey, with a caramel malt body and tons of spice and fruit flavor. Pineapple, papaya, and green bananas are in there, along with coriander and ginger. Sweeter and stickier than a typical saison, it is unique and delicious. I also enjoyed the Full Sail Wassail, Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout, and St. Peter’s Organic Ale.
A big surprise was R. J. Rocker’s Bell Ringer, a strong ale from a Spartanburg, SC brewery that has recently entered the Georgia market. I found it balanced, flavorful and easy-drinking, despite its 8.5% ABV. The company’s name and graphics seem stolen from a mall eatery, and the patriotic-themed beer names suggest that rarest of birds, the Republican craft brewery, but if they make good beer, more power to them. I’ll let you know how their other offerings compare.
Several breweries that will be distributing in Georgia in the next few weeks were represented at the festival. Yuengling, which will soon became the largest American-owned, in-house brewery, was serving its flagship beer, an amber-style lager that is worth a try as an alternative to Sam Adams Boston Lager, or Dundee’s Original Brown.
Coastal Brewing Company and Southampton Brewing Company both have ties to major breweries and will be distributing in Georgia in the coming weeks. Coastal, which is 49 percent owned by Anheuser-Busch, makes the Fordham and Old Dominion brands. Fordham’s flagship beer is the Copperhead Ale, a Düsseldorf-style altbier that is well-balanced with caramelized malt and spicy hops. A Helles lager, light lager, and pale ale will also be part of the lineup.
Southampton Publick House in Long Island has established an excellent reputation under brewer Phil Markowski. In order to expand distribution, they are brewing their year-round ales and lagers at the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and are being distributed by Pabst Brewing Company. Pabst does not own any share in Southampton, and Markowski has promised a hands-on approach, with the brewery remaining independently owned. Southampton’s Georgia portfolio will also features an altbier, along with a double white ale and an IPA. Its seasonals and other special releases may be coming early next year, according to the brewery representative.
It was also great to see Twain’s serving its house-brewed beers at the festival, including a tasty cask of coffee stout. Without a distributor, brewpubs cannot take their beers off-premises in Georgia. A few local brewpubs once had contracts with distributors, but all had lapsed. It’s good to see that owners Uri and Ethan Wurtzel have signed up with Savannah Distributing; perhaps soon we can purchase Mad Happy Pale Ale or Wit and Humor Bavarian Wheat in kegs at the local beverage store.
(photo by Cary Charles)
Comments (1)
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My apologies but I was mistaken about the De Proef Saison Imperiale being a collaboration with Allagash. That collaboration is called Les Deux Brasseures. The imperial saison is a regular beer in De Proef's Brewmaster series. I told you it was a crazy afternoon.
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