Nothing goes better with aged beef than an American IPA. Tonight, I chose to pick up a beer that straddles the Mason Dixon line. The Heavy Seas Loose Cannon forever solidifies Maryland as a Southern state in my mind. Loose Cannon is an easy going beer. It's exceptionally smooth. The citrus notes mellow out the bitter hops taste, which makes it a very drinkable beer. The spices, hops, and citrus notes are extremely well blended. It is well balanced, and can be enjoyed during any season … [Read more...]
Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 – The Rum for Whiskey Drinkers
When most people think of rum they think of beaches, little umbrellas and possibly Jack Sparrow. Rum has been pigeonholed as a girly drink for years, but has recently been making a comeback. I have noticed premium rum drinks showing up on drink menus and even some of my most hardcore whiskey-drinking friends have started stocking it at home. As a person who loves bourbon and scotch, I always thought rum was liquor that needed to be mixed with something. I wrote it off as a spirit that … [Read more...]
Atlanta Beer Week 2011
If you thought that the Atlanta beer festivals this summer were fun, wait till you experience an entire week of craft beer! Atlanta Beer Week is an entire week devoted to craft beer... in Atlanta. The week long hoppy extravaganza begins on October 1 and ends on October 8, 2011. This year is supposed to be bigger and better than last years. The line up of bars, taps, casks, and events have not been completely finalized (or at least released,) so there is a lot of anticipation on our end for … [Read more...]
Natty Greene’s Buckshot Amber Ale by the Growler
We shuffled our way into the car, half asleep, eyes barely open, coffee deprived, but anxious for what the Memorial Day weekend had in store for us. Originally when we had plotted our course, we had made plans to stop by Greensboro, North Carolina on our way to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. Those plans were made using Google Maps the night before, which the TomTom GPS clearly did not agree with, because we were about 30 miles West of the city by the time we realized that we would be … [Read more...]
Tapping the Terrapin “Indiana Krunkles”
This past Wednesday, I was scanning over The Trot Line Twitter feed, and I noticed an interesting post by Terrapin Beer Company. They had announced that they would be tapping one of the first casks of their side project beer, "Indiana Krunkles" at The Fred. After the initial excitement of a new Terrapin beer getting tapped (and me knowing where,) I was brought back to reality after remembering that I had already made plans that night. Like a responsible adult, I decided to head on over to … [Read more...]
Atlanta Summer 2011 Beer Festivals
It's past time to shake off those winter blues and welcome summer time with open arms. One of the best parts about this time of year is that there is a festival going on around the city just about every weekend. We love to celebrate in the South, and thankfully we know how to cool off during a festival too. We have beer festivals! There are a few stragglers that kick off the beer fest season early or later, but for the majority of these celebrations, you will find yourself in hop heaven from … [Read more...]
The Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale Hop and Waddle
When I was first introduced to beer, my tastes immediately gravitated towards typical Brown Ales like Newcastle. There was something about all of those complex flavors that I loved. Soon after my love for Newcastle developed, I began exploring the world of dark ales altogether, including high gravity brews. At the time, I'm not sure if I enjoyed most of the high gravity beers I had drank because of their flavor, or because of the buzz they gave me. Slowly but surely, I grew up a little … [Read more...]
Red Brick’s Laughing Skull and the Local Hot Spot Behind It
Atlanta is moving up on the list in terms of beer cities, partially due to the overwhelming success of beer tap giant, Taco Mac (The Trot Line thanks you, again and again.) Though our brewing scene and palate are very young, our food scene is a bit more developed. We have had a few standout restaurants make their dent not only in the local market, but also nationwide. One of these dents has been made by The Vortex. If you have ever driven through Little Five Points, you cannot miss the giant … [Read more...]