Atlanta Beer Envy - Part III

@BeerPurgatory had lunch at beer nirvana - Decatur's @brickstorepub     

This past Monday, in between visiting Red Hare Brewing & Monday Night Brewing, I got the extreme pleasure to score some lunch at the Brickstore Pub.  This was the first time I had ever visited, and despite reading a little about them, I was unprepared for the sheer awesomeness that I encountered.

The regular draft menu alone would leave most bars (even craft beer ones) in the dust.  But what really blew my mind, was the beer cellar list...  But before we get to that, lets take in the rest of the place. 

Downstairs has an cool horseshoe bar, with some close to 20 awesome taps of American craft beer, and many unique bottles in the fridge.  And then "upstairs to the left"....

...is a bar that serves only Belgian beers.  Very, very cool!

Our large party was a bit unexpected at the late lunch hour, but the folks at Brickstore were extremely accommodating, opening the normally closed-during-lunch upstairs bar area, and didn't miss a beat with both food and drink service.  Many kudos to them!

While eating a tasty lunch, I got to browse the 'Beer Cellar List' that was hanging nearby.  I was totally blown away by the number and variety of aged beers they had to offer.  I knew they had a cellar, but this was much larger than I thought.  Unfortunately, since I was between brewery tours, I did not get to delve into the exotic, sticking with the fresh (yet still awesome) draft beer selection.  This was where I actually got to try the Thrice Hopped Imperial IPA, that I had just missed at the Red Hare brewery.

As we were exiting, I was fortunate to talk with Reid (Reed?) at the upstairs bar, and he was kind enough to show me the upstairs "cellar".  An impressive ~10x10 humidor-like space, kept at proper cellar temps, for easy access.  But it was what he told me next that was the mind-blowing event of the day.  In an adjacent store space that used to house a bank, Brickstore rents out the basement vaults, and cellars over 15,000 bottles of beer......damn!


Check out this video for a cool (though somewhat dated) tour of the subterranean utopia....

 
Now, I know I am a noob, and late to the game on how totally cool the Brickstore is for beer geeks.  But give me a break...'cause I will be back for the upgraded cellar experience.  Count on it!

Mega-Flight of Georgia Craft Beer

Leon's Full Service (@LeonsDecatur) is serving a mean flight of local Georgia brews!   Good on 'em!

They could easily double that for a Georgia mega-flight by adding the following: Red Hare, Blue Tarp, O'Dempseys, Wrecking Bar, Macon Beer Co, Wild Heaven, Coastal Empire, Moon River, and Southbound.

That would be quite an offering for a watering hole with gumption.  Order the Georgia Mega-Flight®, and get a free cab ride home...

Living in a No Brew Zone!

Thanks to the @GaBrewersGuild, one can conveniently see where all of the state's craft breweries are located.

Of course there is a cluster in the Atlanta region, as one might expect.  But what about Georgia's second biggest city, Augusta?  Well....Augusta sits smack dab in the middle of a "No Brew Zone".

While the aforementioned Aiken Brewing Company and brewpub is about an hour away in South Carolina.  But on the Georgia side of the border Augusta residents have to travel at least 90 minutes (and not in a direct route) just to find the closest craft brewery.  And the plethora of locations around Atlanta can be up to 3 hours away, making any visit a long day trip, or an overnight venture.

Yep, it sucks living in the 'No Brew Zone'....

Decatur Brew Envy

Broderick Smylie (@SavoryExposure) highlights Three Taverns Brewery, Wild Heaven Brewing, and Blue Tarp Brewing in this write-up:

The Booming Brewery Scene in Decatur

Decatur has long been a hotbed of craft beer drinking in the Atlanta area and it’s recently taken it up a notch with the debut of new breweries adding to the mix of top notch beer bars the small city has nurtured in the past several years.

[...]

Deservedly, the craft beer scene in Decatur has risen to national prominence with the only missing element, until now, a craft brewery. There is no better place to be in Atlanta if you are a craft beer lover.”

Alas, like many things, it is two hours away...  But live vicariously and read the whole thing.

Coming Soon: Southeastern Craft Brewers' Symposium

@GaBrewersGuild annouces that it will be hosting the 1st Annual "Southeastern Craft Brewers' Symposium" in Decatur this coming April.

"The Georgia Craft Brewers Guild is excited to announce our first annual Southeastern Craft Brewers' Symposium. This awesome event is a one-day conference featuring 10, 45 minute seminars from the leaders of the craft brewing industry.  For avid homebrewers there will be seminars on the science of brewing from brewmasters, suppliers, and experts on topics such as yeast, adjunct grains, and recipe development. For the next generation of southeastern brewery owners we're offering a unique series of seminars on the business of brewing. These seminars will cover everything from how to raise money to how to write a business plan."

Below is there current seminar plan:

Tickets go on sale next week for $130, though individual Guild members will get a $25 discount.

I think I need to make room in my schedule!