Galactic Space Circus | ABV 6.6%

BJCP Style: Specialty IPA

Hops: Galaxy

Malts: Unknown, Oats

Brewery: Creature Comforts Brewing Co.

City: Athens, GA – 271 W. Hancock Ave.

When visiting the Atlanta metro area, a craft beer enthusiast has a number of great choices to scratch that craft beer itch. That being said, no visit would be complete without a trek about an hour and twenty minutes Northeast of downtown to Athens, GA to visit Creature Comforts Brewing Co. This brewery is one of the fastest growing breweries in the Southeast, due to its diverse line up of high quality core beers: Automatic Pale Ale, Classic City Lager, Bibo® Pilsner, Tropicalia® IPA, Reclaimed Rye®, and Athena Berline Weisse. Chris Heron (CEO), David Stein (VP of Brand Development & Creative), and Adam Beauchamp (Brewmaster) combine to form a powerful trio of business savvy, creative branding, brewing precision and deep community involvement. Creature Comforts doesn’t follow trends, they set them and improve upon them. For this beer review, I am very proud to bring you a fine example Georgia craft beer in Galactic Space Circus Hazy IPA (6.6% ABV). This is a wildly popular seasonal release in Georgia that craft beer fans look forward to around June each year.

Galactic Space Circus is a single hop hazy IPA utilizing Australian Galaxy™ as its focus hop. This hop variety, the most popular one from Australia, is a standout when used as a single addition; allowing its natural citrus and tropical fruit aroma characteristics to excel, while providing the needed bittering characteristics to provide some balance to the grain bill. It sounds easy to accomplish on paper, but it’s tricky in execution because if you step over the line too far with the hop addition, you can easily end up with the phenomenon of hop burn. Anyone that has drank many double dry hopped hazy IPA’s has probably experienced this a time or two.

There are a few characteristics of hazy IPA’s that can be a turn off. One many hazy IPA’s suffer from is a thin mouth-feel. Granted, some beer drinkers like that, but most do not, as it is a defining negative characteristic of mass produced American lagers. Creature Comforts solves this issue by the precision addition of lactose and oats to the recipe. The result is a much fuller mouth-feel than many hazy IPA’s provide. Another is the issue of bitterness. Galactic Space Circus walks a fine line here, exhibiting a fairly aggressive bitterness profile on the front end; however, it drops off quickly in the aftertaste. Everyone has a different tolerance level for bitterness in beer. For me, I enjoy the bitter profile of German Pilsner; but do not a West Coast IPA. Galactic Space Circus tightropes right down the middle between the two styles in my opinion. Granted, that’s a pretty wide gap, but as someone who does not enjoy a highly bitter beer, it allowed me to delight in the fruit forward characteristics of the hops while not being overly sticky and sweet.

To wrap up my review, let me comment on the can design. This is an area that Creature Comforts really excels at. Frankly, I have a real pet peeve with breweries that put out a label that is so overly artistic that it is difficult to read. I appreciate the creativity, but at the end of the day, I want to be able to fairly quickly identify the name, style, ABV and other characteristics of the beer the brewery wants me to know. The label design for Galactic Space Circus is unique, attractive and readable. For more examples of the brewery’s attention to detail, visit their core beer selection here. What you will find is a combination of names and designs that thoughtfully reflect the community and stories that Creature Comforts wants them to reflect.

If you find yourself in Atlanta for a few days, be sure to head over to Athens and check out the uniqueness of the city and several outstanding breweries that include: Creature Comforts Brewing Co., Akademia Brewing Co., Southern Brewing Co., Terrapin Beer Co., Normaltown Brewing Co. and Athentic Brewing Co. Home to the University of Georgia, Athens, GA has lots of shop and great restaurants, making it a fun place to hang out for a day. Be sure to check it out.

Thanks for reading. Until next time remember, Let Us Drink Beer!

As always, please drink responsibly!

Fast Fjord Norwegian IPA | ABV 6.3%

BJCP Style: Specialty IPA

Hops: Idaho Gem, Citra, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, & Mosaic

Malts: Unknown

Brewery: Gate City Brewing Company

City: Roswell, GA – 43 MAGNOLIA STREET

Kveik “Ka-Wike” has become a popular yeast strain craft brewers have embraced over the last couple of years. The primary advantage to it for brewing is that it can speed up fermentation time, allowing a brewer to produce a finished beer several days sooner than average, without producing unwanted off flavors. To the average craft beer drinker, you’re not going to really note the difference in a beer produced with Kveik versus one using some other ale yeast. That being said, breweries are producing some unique, enjoyable beers with this crazy yeast strain. Locally, I have found Akademia Brewing Company’s Skal Norwegian Wheat Ale to be one of my favorites. It is a fantastic summertime ale, light bodied and exhibiting various floral and fruit-like aromas and flavors. This past fall I discovered Gate City Brewing out of Roswell, GA sporting a Norwegian IPA that utilized Kveik in a tap room only release. After sampling it, I immediately hoped they would can it for release. Wish granted! Back in late March, Gate City released to distribution Fast Fjord Norwegian IPA. Naturally, I had to snag some for a review.

 

To enjoy a beer like Fast Fjord, I definitely recommend pouring it into a Tulip or Snifter style glass. That will allow you to really enjoy all the competing hops aromas as you drink your way down to the bottom of the glass. The beer pours to a hazy amber color and develops a nice, frothy white head. With a very generous dose of five different hops, you get a plethora of citrus and tropical fruit aromas and flavors. If you detect some pineapple or stone fruit-like aromas, those are most likely from the Kveik. If you want to compare it to a New England style IPA, this beer has virtually no bitterness either. It has a medium body to it, a nice prickly bite from the carbonation and a finish that is relatively dry and satisfying.

Gate City Brewing Company is one of two craft breweries located in the Historic Roswell Downtown District. The other Variant Brewing Company. Both are located within easy walking distance of each other, along with multiple restaurants and bars, which makes it a great area to spend and evening or two socializing with friends and family. Some of Gate City Brewing’s more popular offerings include Awe Juice IPA (American), Copperhead American Amber Ale, OTP Imperial IPA, Terminus Baltic Porter, Citras Maximus IPL, and Ex Pat Munich Dunkel. They also have a solid Sour Beer and Barrel Aged Beer program.

Thanks for reading and until next time…Let Us Drink Beer!

As always, please drink responsibly.

Variant Brewing is located about 20 miles north of downtown Atlanta, just outside the perimeter (OTP as the locals say) in the heart of the Roswell Historical District. Opened in late 2017, it has quickly become one of the more popular craft beer breweries in the area, which is remarkable both considering its short tenure and the fact that their beers are not in distribution. Nationally syndicated Beer Guys Radio broadcasts out of Atlanta and annually present their Reader’s Choice Awards. This year, Variant Brewing Company was selected as Best Georgia Brewery/Brewpub. On any given day they are open, you will find sixteen or so beers on tap; five year round, nine seasonal, and a couple of variants. The current year round beers are Lumen Helles, Raspberry Lemon Gose, Cashmere Double New England IPA, Norcross St. IPA, and Dark Alchemy Oatmeal Stout. Seasonals will include everything from English Barleywine, Imperial Stout, and fruited Gose to Czech and Vienna Lager.

Variant’s facility is quite different than many breweries – warm and inviting. Upon entering you will quickly note the high ceilings, polished concrete floors and wood accents throughout the industrial, warehouse-like interior. Along one wall is a lengthy, wood top bar with plenty of seating. All through the main room is plenty of table top seating. All the seating has backs, which is always a plus. There is an outdoor patio with tables and umbrellas to keep the sun off during the hotter Georgia months. My favorite feature, besides the beers of course, is the amount of natural light that reaches the interior through the large windows throughout the building and what the architects describe as celestory windows in the ceiling . We’ve all been to those cozy, dark taprooms, which certainly have their charms; but I love a taproom that allows plenty of natural light to filter in to provide a nice bright, cheery atmosphere. Variant has this in spades. Because it is in the heart of the Roswell Historic District, parking can be a bit of challenge; however, you park less than a half block away at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center and make the short stroll over to the brewery.

Then there is the beer. I tend to gravitate toward the lagers, stouts and porters; but their most popular offerings have been variations on fruited gose. Splodey Fruited Gose has been by far their most popular. There are multiple variations on this beer infused with strawberry, blueberry, rhubarb, and cherries. Among the popular offerings are Cashmere, an exceptional 8% ABV Double New England IPA with, you guessed it, Cashmere hops. Canton Street IPA, a 6.5% ABV American IPA that is one my favorites. It is brewed with Cascade and Mosaic hops giving it nice citrus and tropical fruit notes and a moderate bitterness that does not linger. Another wildly popular offering is Good S’Morning Imperial Stout. This delicious 10% ABV stout is made with lactose, smores coffee beans, and cacao nibs; making it a great option for the occasional breakfast stout.

Knowing Variant makes some wonderful IPAs, Stouts and Goses, I decided to test out their prowess in lager making. In my book, how well a brewery does lager determines just how good the brewery is overall. First up is Lumen (4.2% ABV). This lager was an enjoyable beer; but missed the mark a bit for Helles. It has a nice medium body to it; but head retention was short to moderate. Hops aroma and flavors presented spicy/herbal German noble hops and a grainy malt sweetness; but its bitterness leaned more toward the moderate side than the restrained level you expect from Helles. They could call this more of German Pils than a Helles; but it was satisfying none the less.

Next up was Hand Hug Czech Pilsner (4.2% ABV). This is a seasonal offering, but should be a year round one. Variant was on point with this Czech style pilsner. It has a clean lager profile that allows the spicy/herbal notes of Saaz hops to shine. My only criticism of it, and it is a very minor one at that, is the relatively short head retention; however, it can be hard to judge most of the time due to the manner in which most bar staff pour beers. (Side note: properly poured beer is a quirky pet peeve of mine. The head on a beer is part of the experience and serves some practical functions such as releasing carbonation and enhancing the aromatics from the beer. It has been my experience that few bar staff give you a properly poured beer with a head on it). Most bar staff try to fill the glass too close to the rim, rather than pour to produce a proper head, so it can make judging head retention difficult. I attribute this to not wanting customers to feel like they got a short pour because of head foam. A proper pour of most styles will always have a nice head on it. At any rate, Hand Hug produces a thin, white fluffy head exhibiting a short to moderate length head retention. I would like to see a bit lengthier retention on it; but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the beer itself. It has a restrained bitterness and finishes crisp and clean. Hand Hug is a simple, enjoyable drinking beer in the Czech style.

Variant’s Vienna Lager is their best lager to date, in my opinion. This style is always interesting to me from a historical stand point. If you want to read more, check out my piece Vienna Lager – A Tale of Divergent Styles. If you’ll humor me for minute, let me expound a bit. This beer style almost disappeared, even in its country of origin Austria. Austrian brewer Anton Dreher invented this “pale” lager in 1841 and it quickly became a hit. Austrian immigrants to Mexico in the 1860’s brought their brewing techniques and continued the Vienna Lager tradition via beers like Victoria and Dos Equis Ambar; however, many of the Mexican versions have diverged from the original brew by Anton Dreher by adding other adjunct products and darkening the color. By the early 1900’s, Vienna Lager’s popularity was already being supplanted by Pilsner and Helles. World War I almost finished it off in its home country. But the style lived on in Mexico and has experienced a bit of a resurgence via the craft beer industry in the United States. Today there has been a bit of a tug of war over what defines Vienna Lager. Is it the historical version, a lighter colored lager or a slightly darker colored one? Most modern versions we are familiar with, Great Lakes Brewing Co. Eliot Ness and Devils Backbone, for example, either don’t use Vienna Malt or are bit more dark than the original because of small amounts of dark specialty malts added to them. I’ve had some great communications with K.C. Bier Co. founder Steve Holle, whom is considered well versed on Vienna Lager, and he believes the historical style, a lighter colored beer should define it; thus their Festbier represents the closest approximation I am aware of. So when I am reviewing Vienna Lagers, I am looking for something close to the authentic style. That doesn’t mean other representations are bad beers; quite the contrary, most of these are fantastic and are some of my favorites. I am just very interested in trying to preserve the historic style.

Enough of the history lesson, back to Variant’s version. I asked Owner and Brewmaster of Variant Matt Curling what he was targeting for his Vienna Lager. He stated he was wanting to make one with both historical and modern characteristics. Checking in at a 5.5% ABV, this lager is made with over 90% Vienna malt, with some Munich and Honey malt added, giving it a gold color with an orange tint. Malt forward, you will find hints of bread and caramel in the aroma. Flavors are bready with caramel and faint sweet honey-like. Fuggle hops is used for bittering and aroma, which give a bitterness that is very mild. The Fuggle hops is a different spin that I have never had in a Vienna Lager and it works well. The beer has nice body to it and is malt forward with enough bitterness to provide some balance without being harsh. All in all, a fine Vienna Lager style beer.

The last beer I sampled was Dark Alchemy, a 5.2% Oatmeal Stout. This has been a very popular offering at the brewery. It is jet black and produces a frothy tan head with moderate retention. Made with flaked oats, this stout is full bodied with coffee, toffee, dark roasted malt and cocoa notes. Drinkable all year, but particularly satisfying in the winter months. The brewery has used it to make several variants including Coffee Dark Alchemy, Nitro Dark Alchemy and Snickerdoodle Dark Alchemy.

In less than three years, Variant Brewing Company has vaulted to the list of top craft beer breweries in the Atlanta area. If your in ever in the Atlanta area near Dunwoody, Sandy Springs or Apharetta, it is well worth the short trip over to Roswell to check them out. There is a little something for everyone there and a friendly, inviting atmosphere.

Thanks for reading and until next time…Let Us Drink Beer!

And remember to drink responsibly!

• BJCP Style: American IPA
• ABV: 7.5%
• IBU: 40
• Hops: Unknown
• Malts: Unknown
• Brewery: Wild Leap Brew Co.
• City: LaGrange, GA (Atlanta Metro Area)

• Aroma: Tropical fruit, Pine, no malt aroma
• Appearance: Hazy, straw yellow, fluffy white head with good retention.
• Flavor & Aftertaste: Tropical fruit, pine/resinous flavors from hops, restrained bitterness, low malt sweetness.
• Palate: Low carbonation, medium bodied, finish is short and dry, moderately bitter.

Hi The Beer Thriller readers! Greetings from Let Us Drink Beer in the ATL and my first beer review of 2020. To start of the year, I bring you ETA IPA, an award winning India Pale Ale from Wild Leap Brew Co. in LaGrange, GA. Nationally syndicated radio show Beer Guys Radio hands out the Best of Georgia Beer – Reader’s Choice Awards in December each year. Awards are based on nominations and voting by Beer Guys Radio listeners and blog readers (yours truly being one of them). In the category of Best New IPA in Georgia, the winner was Wild Leap Brew Co.’s ETA IPA. This new local favorite is also rated 86 by The Beer Connoisseur Magazine.

A fine example of Hazy IPA, ETA IPA checks all the style boxes. Pours a hazy, straw yellow color with a fluffy, white head. You’ll be delighted by it’s lengthy head retention. The nose exhibits mild tropical fruit and pine aromas; but no discernable malt. You’ll discover matching resinous pine and tropical fruit flavors. Bitterness is moderate. The beer has a surprisingly soft, fluffy medium bodied mouth-feel to it for it’s straw yellow color. As you complete your round trip with this wonderful IPA, the finish will strike you as short and quite dry.

Wild Leap Brew Co. has become a bit of a juggernaut in the Atlanta beer scene. They dominated the Best of Georgia Reader’s Choice Awards in 2019. Their Alpha Abstraction Double IPA rotating IPA series has been one of the most popular beers in Georgia for the past couple of years. I’ll be posting a review of their latest in the series – Volume X – on my blog soon. They were also voted Best New Brewery in the U.S. for 2019 by USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards. If you find yourself in Atlanta for a few days and want to experience some of the best craft beer Atlanta has to offer, be sure to head down to Southwest of the city. Wild Leap Brew Co. is located in Downtown LaGrange, GA at 308 Main Street. It’s well worth the trip!

Thanks for reading! Until next time, remember…Let Us Drink Beer!

And, as always – I encourage you to please drink responsibly!

Arches Brewing Co. – Hapeville (near Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport) 

Arches Brewing opened its doors in 2016. They focus almost exclusively on lagers and make some of the best beers in Atlanta, if not the Southeast. The tap room is not huge; but roomy enough, and they will have around a dozen fresh beers on tap.  A flight of six tasters is between $10 and $12.  A 16 oz. pour will run about $5 – $6.  You’ll find several beers highly rated by Beer Connoisseur Magazine:  Mexican Empire Vienna Lager (97), Southside Lager (96), Bohemian Riot Czech Pilsner (91), Low Viz Hazy IPA (91), Queen’s Weiss Hefeweizen (91), Winter’s Night Munich Dunkel (90), and Southern Bel’ Belgian Ale (89) are all crowd pleasers. 

Year Around/Core Beers: Southside Lager, Mexican Empire Vienna Lager, Queen’s Weiss, Southern Bel’ (Belgian Ale)
Recommended Beers: Mexican Empire Vienna Lager, Black Gold Schwarzbier (Fall/Winter seasonal)
Personal Favorite: Mexican Empire Vienna Lager

Vital Stats
Flights: Yes, choice of six tasters for $10 – $12
16 oz. pour: $5 – $6
Beer Available To Go: Yes
Hours: Mon – Fri: 3-9pm, Sat: 1-9pm, and Sun: 1-6pm.
Location: 3361 Dogwood Dr., Hapeville, GA 30354

Creature Comforts Brewing Co. – Athens, GA

If you are in Atlanta and want to visit the hottest brewery in Georgia, you’ll want to make the 70-mile trek East of downtown over to Athens.  Home to the University of Georgia, this town is also where you will find Creature Comforts Brewing Company residing in what used to be the Snow Tire Company garage in the downtown area.  Creature has a spacious tasting room with two large bars sporting over fifteen different beers on tap, as well as a recently opened outdoor beer garden.  The brewery maintains one of the more diverse selections of beers including German and Czech style beers, IPA’s, Stouts, Porters, sours and barrel aged beers.  If you can’t find something there you like, you’re just too picky!  

One sidebar, the movie Avengers Endgame was filmed in Georgia.  The cast and crew discovered Creature Comforts’ Tropicalia IPA while on location and went crazy for it.  After the film’s directors tried and loved it, they decided to place it and Athena Berliner Weisse in a couple of scenes with Chris Hemsworth in the movie.  Read more about it in Craftbeer.com’s piece “Thor and Craft Beer:  How an IPA caught Mavel’s Attention”. 

Year Around/Core Beers: Athena Berliner Weisse, Classic City Lager, Bibo Pilsner (Czech), Tropicalia IPA, Reclaimed Rye (Amber Ale)
Recommended Beers: Tropicalia IPA and Reclaimed Rye
Personal Favorite: Reclaimed Rye

Vital Stats
Flights: Yes, choice of 4 oz. tasters for $2 – $3 each
16 oz. pour: Starts at $6
Beer Available To Go: Yes
Hours: Mon – Closed, Tues – Thur: 5 – 10pm, Fri: 3 – 10pm, Sat: 1 – 10pm, Sun: 1 – 6pm
Location: 271 W. Hancock Ave., Athens, GA 30601

New Realm Brewing Company – Atlanta, GA 

One of Atlanta’s more recognizable breweries is New Realm Brewing Company.  Established in 2016 by co-founders, Carey Falcone, Bob Powers and Mitch Steele, New Realm is a craft brewery with a restaurant on site.  Brewmaster Mitch Steele is one of the most respected brewers in the industry, having established his reputation during his stint at Stone Brewing in California.   

Situated on the Beltline Inside the Perimeter (ITP), New Realm has a beautiful indoor bar, outdoor beer garden and rooftop bar with gorgeous view of the Atlanta skyline.  All that is just icing on the cake, because they have one of the best varieties of craft beer in Atlanta.  You’ll find American Lager, New England IPA, Dunkel, Stouts, Porters and more throughout the year.  The remarkable thing is they do all of these styles very well. 

Year Around/Core Beers: United Craft Lager, Hazy Like A Fox IPA, Hoptropolis IPA, Hoplanta IPA, Euphonia Pilsner, Perun Pale Ale, Kikimora Imperial IPA
Recommended Beers: Hoptropolis IPA, United Craft Lager, New Realm Dunkel (seasonal)
Personal Favorite: New Realm Dunkel

Vital Stats
Flights: Yes, choice of 4 oz. tasters for $2 – $3 each
16 oz. pour: Starts at $6
Beer Available To Go: Yes
Hours: Mon – Wed: 4 – 10pm; Thur: 11am – 11pm, Fri & Sat: 11am – 12am; Sun: 11am – 10pm
Location: 550 Somerset Terrace NE, Unit 101, Atlanta, GA 30306

Reformation Brewing – Woodstock & Canton, GA 

Reformation Brewing is another fast-growing craft brewery to burst on the scene.  Originally opened in Woodstock in 2013, they have already opened a new tap room in downtown Woodstock and second larger taproom and beer garden in Canton.  Originally focused on Belgian and other ale styles; they have quickly branched out into lager, barrel aged and sour beers.  Sure, Woodstock and Canton are located a good 30 – 45 minutes northwest of downtown Atlanta; however, if you find yourself in any of the surrounding suburbs of Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta, Alpharetta, and Roswell, it’s worth the drive over. 

Year Around/Core Beers: Cadence Belgian Ale, Jude Belgian Triple, Oren Pale Ale, Nolan IPA (rotating seasonal), Jogger Lager, Stark Porter, Declaration Imperial Stout, Haddy Belgian Wheat
Recommended Beers: Haddy Belgian Wheat, Declaration Imperial Stout
Personal Favorite: Declaration Imperial Stout

Vital Stats
Flights: Yes, choice of six 4 oz. pours $12 – $14
16 oz. pour: Starts at $6 (4 oz $2.50; 8 oz $4; 12 oz $5)
Beer Available To Go: Yes
Hours: 
Woodstock – 105 Elm Street, 30188
Mon: Closed, Tues – Wed: 8:30am-10pm, Thur: 8:30am-11pm, Fri: 8:30am-12am, Sat: 8:30am-12am; Sun: 8:30am-9pm
Canton – 141 Railroad St., Ste 500 30114
Mon: Closed, Tue: 6 – 10pm, Wed – Thur: 5 – 9pm, Fri: 4 – 11pm, Sat: 12 – 11pm, Sun: 12 – 8pm

Tucker Brewing Company – Tucker, GA 

I’ll admit, this brewery is another personal favorite of mine for three reasons – a nice spacious taproom, large outdoor beer garden and great lagers.  Founded in 2017, Tucker Brewing Company focuses on German style beers.  When you first arrive and go straight to the bar and inquire about the beer, you’ll immediately get “we don’t make IPA’s here”.  It’s not that they hate IPA, it’s just that you can get a multitude of IPA’s at almost every brewery; but it’s hard to find breweries doing a variety of German style beers well.   

You’ll find a friendly, knowledgeable staff, plenty of beer on tap and entertainment set up frequently in the outdoor beer garden dubbed “Georgia’s Largest Outdoor Beer Garden”. 

Year Around/Core Beers: Tucker Lager (Helles), Tucker Pilsner (German), Southern Heaven (Hefeweizen), Georgia Red Lager, Tucker Maibock
Recommended Beers: Tucker Pilsner, Tucktoberfest Marzen (Fall seasonal)
Personal Favorite: Tucker Pilsner

Vital Stats
Flights: Yes, choice of four 5 oz pours $10
16 oz. pour: Starts at $6
Beer Available To Go: Yes
Hours: Mon – Tues: Closed; Weds-Th: 4-9pm; Fri: 4-10pm, Sat: 12-10pm,
Sun: 12:30-7pm
Location: 2003 South Bibb Dr., Tucker, GA 30084

Now you’re up to speed on some of Atlanta’s best breweries. Come visit us soon!

Thanks for reading, until next time…Let Us Drink Beer!