Rouge 66, the Beer Camp red ale we did at the Sierra pilot brewery in December, will be pouring at Brick Store Pub in Decatur starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Adam Tolsma from Green’s, who also attended the camp, and I will both be at BSP for the tasting. And there’s a Left Hand Milk Stout tasting at Leon’s later, so it looks like a long evening of fun.

Here are the final Rouge 66 numbers from the pilot brewery:

ABV: 7.5 %

Original Gravity: 18.1 ˚P

Final Gravity: 4.0 ˚P

Bitterness Units: 56 IBU

Color: Mahogany

Bitter Hops: Bravo & Chinook

Aroma Hops: Chinook, Amarillo & Simcoe

Dry Hops: Simcoe, Chinook, Citra & Amarillo

Malts: Pale two-row, Patagonia, Caramel (45L) & Chocolate

Yeast: Belgian Yeast

Sierra will be doing at least one more tasting in the next week or so. Stay tuned for more details.

I’m excited!

— Bob Townsend, AJC Drink Blog

Continue reading Beer Town: Sierra Nevada Rouge 66 at BSP »

• 

  2010 Domaine Pichot, Le Peu de la Moriette, Vouvray, France 2010 Domaine Pichot, Le Peu de la Moriette, Vouvray, France

  

  By Gil Kulers, CWE, Kulers Uncorked

  $17

• Two Thumbs Way Up
• Amazingly aromatic with abundant floral, citrus and honey notes. It has rich flavors of apricot and ripe tangerine firmly supported by bright acidity. It also has a subtle herbal earthiness with notes of ginger and cinnamon.

Starting at about North Druid Hills Road and heading northeast for about 15 or so miles on Buford Highway, you can see restaurant signs in Spanish, Malay, Korean, Vietnamese and Bengali. This may be a bit intimidating for the casual diner, but it’s downright terrifying for wine lovers.

It’s not the language barrier or items such as tacos de lengua (cow tongue) that give diners and winers pause. It’s not really even the fact that these multifarious cuisines don’t boast a wine culture. Whether it’s Korean barbecue or chiles rellenos or southeast Asian vindaloo, the one trait …

Continue reading Kulers Uncorked: Domaine Pichot Vouvray »

On a warm, windy 60-degree afternoon in early February, Freddy Bensch was basking on the new rooftop deck at Sweetwater Brewing dressed in his executive uniform — an open-collared short-sleeved shirt, shorts and flip-flops.

The Big Kahuna

“What a day,” Bensch said, taking a sip of his beer and gazing toward the Midtown skyline. “It’s fantastic, really.”

The 40-year-old Sweetwater owner/president and self-styled Big Kahuna may look and talk like a veteran surfer. But Bensch just landed on the 2012 Georgia Trend list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians, alongside the likes of Governor Nathan Deal, U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

“I think that was partly because we are a catalyst for people to become involved in important things like the environment,” said Bensch, who is an avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman. “We can bring those ideas to market.”

Asked about his outfit for the January ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, Bensch smiled and …

Continue reading Beer Town: The Big Kahuna celebrates 15 years of Sweetwater »

Gil Kulers, CWE

As anyone who has ever experienced a masterful food and wine pairing, the sum is greater than its parts. Great food and wine matches can happen by chance, but more often they come from seasoned pros who have a higher batting average in such matters. These heavy hitters, otherwise known as sommeliers, roam the dining rooms at your better, wine savvy restaurants.

But what if you want killer wine and food at your next dinner party? You could hire a caterer with a wine guy or gal who will work with the chef and choose spectacular wines for each course. While effective, this route may not fit in everyone’s budget. Further, what if you really want to do it yourself?

This was exactly the question Matt and Marie Fromme had when they walked into the wine shop a few weeks before Christmas. Midtown residents, the Frommes love to cook. As part of their dining club, they wanted to prepare multi-course dinner party for 14.They also wanted unexpected, playful and harmonious …

Continue reading Kulers Uncorked: Set Up A Wine Registry »

For someone who hadn’t quite tapped his first commercial beer, Twain’s new brewer David Stein had created quite a buzz.

David Stein. Photo by Dennis Malcolm Boyd aka Ale Sharpton

In early December, 28-year-old Stein took over from longtime Twain’s brewer Jordan Fleetwood, publicly announcing his plans to “make the best damn beer Atlanta has to offer.”

Some people may have found those comments a tad cocky, Stein admitted during a conversation at the Decatur brew pub.

“Partly, I’m young and inexperienced,” Stein said. “But I’m excited, too. If people know me, they’ll read those comments and laugh rather than think I’m being cocky. When I made the comment that I want to make the best damn beer in Atlanta, I was thinking that every other brewer in Atlanta was striving to do that, too.”

In late January, Stein hosted a small preview event at Twain’s, where he showcased seven new beers that will be part of the regular rotation, plus a pair of one-off beers made to highlight his …

Continue reading Beer Town: New brews at Twain’s »