Brewtopia,
www.ClassicCityBrew.com, the
Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting and Classic City Brew Fest are operated by
Owen Ogletree
of Athens, GA. Owen is a BJCP National Beer Judge,
beer traveler, award-winning homebrewer, and beer columnist for Southern Brew News and Athens Magazine.
Since 1994 our events have raised thousands of dollars for Georgia
charities and educated multitudes of people in regard to responsible
appreciation of flavorful craft beers. No
guarantees are made regarding the accuracy of information
on our webpages, and details are always subject to change without
notice. Unless noted, all text, photos and video on this web
collection are by Owen Ogletree. Owen
always welcomes youre-mail and
input.
-The word Brewtopia is an
exclusive, registered servicemark with the US Patent
& TM Office
(reg. 3,006,029) -
"A fine beer may be judged with only one
sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure." - Czech
Proverb
Owen Ogletree's Featured Flash Beer Video
Play
the video to the right to hear Brick Store owners Dave Blanchard and
Mike
Gallagher discuss their new beer cellaring and aging program at the pub
in Decatur, Georgia.
Many in the south
look at Brick Store as one of the most impressive beer bars in the
entire country. Dave Blanchard, Mike Gallagher and Tom Moore
started the pub in 1997 in a beautiful, historic building on the main
courthouse square in Decatur, Georgia. The best craft beers available
from the nation and world are served in proper glassware by friendly,
well-trained staff with an emphasis on beer education. The pub also
hosts regular beer tastings and dinners.
Report from Ayinger Brewery in Bavaria
Don Beistle (Dr. Brewski columnist for
Southern Brew News) and I were invited by Merchant du Vin Importers to
attend a special tour and dinner at Ayinger Brewery in early
2008. It has always been my opinion that the craft beers produced
by this brewery (located just 15 miles from Munich) are among the very
best in flavor and quality of any German beers. Our Ayinger travel report and photo album
contain detailed information about the Ayinger Brewery and guesthouse /
restaurant.
Don Beistle, Owen
Ogletree, Rich Hamilton (of Merchant du Vin) and Franz Inselkammer
(Ayinger Brewery owner) toast the great beers of Ayinger.
Copper Creek Brewing - Athens, GA
Copper Creek Brewing Company (140 E.
Washington Street, Athens) looks to serve its one-millionth pint of
house beer late in the summer of 2008. Brewer Matt Buley's craft beers
and monthly cask-conditioned ale creations are much-loved by Athens
beer drinkers, and to celebrate the one million milestone, pints at the
brewpub will go for only $2.50 each until the one million mark is
achieved. Sounds like a great reason to have a beer. Visitors to the
brewpub should be sure to check out the bar top that's made of
thousands of pennies.
Click the video to the right to hear from Matt Buley and witness a
recent cask ale tapping at Copper Creek. Copper Creek serves up a
fresh cask conditioned ale on the first Wednesday of each month.
Kona Brewing
Company, Hawaii
The islands of Hawaii are fortunate to
have Kona Brewing Company that provides personable, flavorful ales and
lagers to one of the world's most isolated land masses. Kona's main
brewery is on the "Big Island" in the city of Kailua-Kona and has a
delightful brewpub attached. The brewery has also added a new,
non-brewing pub/restaurant on the island of Oahu located in the Koko
Marina just a short drive from Honolulu and Waikiki.
Thanks to agreements between Kona / Anheuser-Busch / Widmer in
Portland, OR and Redhook in NH, the Kona beers are being brewed on the
two coasts of the U.S. and distributed to several states by the
extensive A/B network. Rich Tucciarone says, "The opportunity to join
the best beer distribution system in the world was a no-brainer." Kona
beers have already made their way to Georgia and were premiered to beer
fans in the state at the 2008 Classic City Brew Fest in Athens,
Georgia. Click here for more
information and photos regarding our enjoyable visits to the Kona
brewery and brewpubs.
Play the video for a brief introduction of
Kona Brewing from
Rich Tucciarone, VP of Brewery Operations. Video by Owen Ogletree.
In January of 2008 Owen Ogletree and Don Beistle flew
into Bavaria and
Franconia for a quick visit in search of the best beers in the
regions. Don Beistle writes the Ask Dr. Brewski Q&A column
for Southern Brew News, knows most everything about Bavaria and
Germany, speaks quite a bit of German, but had never been to Europe
until this trip. It was a fantastic visit filled with scrumptious
German beers. Old Town Bamberg is very walkable and is a
beautiful bit of medieval Germany that was spared during the wars of
the last century. The beer specialty of the town is the famed
Rauchbier that includes malt dried over a smoky beechwood fire.
The smoke soaks into the malt and gives the Rauchbier its predominate
flavor - one that you will either love or hate after the first
sip. Don and I both think the Rauchbiers are wonderful works of
brewing art.
Matthias Trum - 6th Generation Owner / Brewmaster of
Heller-Trum/Schlenkerla Brewery in Bamberg.
Owen's 2007 London Pub Notes
I visited
London earlier this month to cover the Great
British Beer Festival for Athens Magazine. On the following days,
I had time to experience six of the pub walks outlined in Bob Steel's
valuable London Pub Walks book from CAMRA (Campaign for Real
Ale). London Pub Walks is an extremely useful tool for persons
looking for the best cask-conditioned, real ale pubs in the city.
Because of its clear maps (with tube stops), easy walking directions
and pub information sidebars, no beer aficionado should visit London
without a copy. To see Owen's pub photos, read his notes, and
find out more about the book click here.
2008 Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting Summary
The 2008 Atlanta Cask
Ale Tasting showcased 20 traditional cask-conditioned ales. After
a morning judging panel, the free public sampling session was held 4-7
PM. Everyone was impressed with the flavors and excellent quality
of these sample cask homebrews. The energetic Celtic music from
Póg was also a hit. It was a special evening
centered around unique, flavorful beer. Thanks to Sweetwater
Brewery and all our attendees and volunteers for making this special
event possible!
Click here to see the photos and
read about the
beers.
The Beer Wench's Kitchen
Click here to access all the past Southern Brew News articles from
Kerri "Beer Wench" Allen on beer and food. Delicious pairings and
recipes are featured. The Beer Wench says "Remember to always eat
well and drink good beer!" Delicious articles include:
German Pizza
Belgian Witbier & Citrus Tilapia
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Wake-N-Bake Imperial
Stout
Highland Tandoori Chicken
Spring Pea and Lobster Risotto
Belgian Delights
Blackstone Cheese Soup
Onion Soup with Hard Cider
Raspberry Chili BBQ Chicken
London Broil Stewed in Black Forest Stout
Beer and Wine from the 2007 GABF
Kerri Allen is a
beer traveler, BJCP Certified Beer Judge and Food & Beer Columnist
for Southern Brew News.
Hops grace almost every beer made today, and 98% of
all hops are grown
in five countries – England, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic and the
United States. These nations produce hops with characteristic
sets of notable flavors and aromas. Hops from the U.K. impart a
woody, tea-like note to English ales. Belgian, German and Czech
varieties bless their brews with delicate flavors and aromas of
flowers. Most American hops are raised in the states of Oregon
and Washington and confer distinctive overtones of pine and citrus to
American ales. Click here to
read more of Owen's hop information that every beer drinker should know.
Owen's Report from the 2007 Great British Beer Festival
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)
celebrated 30 years of its
flagship Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) last August 7-11 at Earls
Court exhibition center in London. More than 280 breweries from
across
the UK showcased almost 700 outstanding real ales -- that's 340,000
pints of beer under one roof. Attendance came close to 70,000 and
was
up almost 40% -- highlighting the fact that flavorful, personable,
traditional ales are making great gains in popularity in Britain.
Owen was there to experience the traditional, cask-conditioned
ales. Click here to see his photos and
read the report.
A server at the 2007 Great British Beer Festival
Trappeze
is Athens' New Gourmet Beer Pub
Business partners
Eric Johnson and Mike Vernelson were told over and over by Athens bar
owners that any Athens pub not offering light beer and trendy shot
specials would lose money. Eric and Mike held fast to their
vision of a gourmet beer bar in the university town of Athens,
Georgia. Late last December they opened Trappeze Pub at 269 W.
Washington Street in downtown Athens, and the response has been
tremendous. Click here to read Owen's
article.
Trappeze's Mike Vernelson and Eric Johnson
Beer
& Cheese Combinations!
Owen
Ogletree (director of Brewtopia Events LLC)
gathered together fellow beer lovers Radi Nabulsi, Martha DeHart, Jeff
Rapp, Dean Graves, Thel Melton, and Lari Cowgill on March 21, 2004 to
sample and comment on several pairings of beers
and cheeses from around the world. The carbonation and elegant
maltiness of a fine beer go well with the creamy texture and thick
mouthfeel of cheese. Beer nurtures the flavors of the cheese in
the mouth, thus producing quite an interesting array of remarkable
combinations. Click here to read
about all the beers and cheeses!
Cabrales
cheese and Bigfoot Barleywine
make for an intense combination!
Not for the faint of heart!
Rogue Ales - Newport, Oregon
Located in the scenic coastal town of Newport,
Oregon, Rogue Ales is a pioneering northwestern craft brewery loaded
with personality, vitality and great beer recipes. I've enjoyed the
wide variety of Rogue beers since the early 1990s and wanted to visit
the brewery since my first sip, but it took me until 2008 to finally
make the pilgrimage. I gathered together a group of six beer
aficionados from Athens, Georgia, made the flight to Portland, loaded
up a mini-van, and trekked down the lovely Oregon coastline toward
Newport. Rogue President (and son of the founder), Brett Joyce met us
at the brewery and gave us a quick walk through.
The allure of flavorful craft brewed beer is finally
casting its seductive influence on a large contingent of suitors in the
southeastern states. New breweries, brewpubs and beer-focused
bars and restaurants are dotting the landscape in cities that 10 to 15
years ago only offered standard American lagers. It's finally
cool in the South to come out of the closet and admit undying love and
devotion to craft beer. Click here to
read the report.
Sweetwater's Kevin McNerney
Oskar Blues - Mayberry Meets the Rockies
Oskar Blues Brewery opened in 1997
in the small, sleepy town of Lyons, Colorado (population: 1500) and
evolved into a brewpub in 1999. Today the popular spot plays host
to some of the nation's best beers, live Blues, and southern and
Cajun-inspired foods that reflect owner Dale Katechis' southern
roots. The owners and almost every department head of the brewery
hail from the South. Dale Katechis, his brother Chris and their
office manager (and mother) Ya Ya are all from Alabama. Sales manager
Wayne Anderson grew up in LaGrange, Georgia. Publicity director,
idea man and lead singer, Marty Jones comes from Virginia. Click here to read the entire article.
Oskar Blues Canning Line - Lyons, CO
Blind
Beer Evaluations
Check
out the comments
from our recent blind tasting of some outstanding Barleywines, Meads, Strong Beers (including Old Ales,
Strong Scotch Ales, Imperial Stouts, and Barleywines), Herb, Spice,
Fruit, Experimentals, Hard Ciders and Strong
Belgian Ales. A popular feature of this website is
our series of blind tastings of some commercial beers. Read
useful comments and unbiased reviews of all types of beer/cider/mead
before you buy them!
See the full
list
of links to all our blind tastings of commercial beers!
Our 50th Blind Tasting!
Lari and Kerri were present at our first blind tasting back in 1999!
Brewpub of
the Month!
Pelican Pub & Brewery 33180 Cape Kiwanda Drive
Pacific City, OR
ph: 503-965-7007
If you are making the drive from Portland down to
the Rogue brewery in Newport, be certain to plan a lunch stop at the
Pelican brewpub. The owners purchased an old brick building on the
Pacific City oceanfront back in 1995 and decided to open a
microbrewery. They attended the Craft Brewers conference in Portland to
learn more about the beer business and opened their brewpub in May of
1996. Since this time, Pelican has won numerous awards for their
flavorful beers and has even been awarded "Small Brewpub of the Year"
by the Brewers Association. Top awards have gone to Pelican's Tsunami
Stout, Doryman's Dark Ale, Kiwanda Cream Ale, India Pelican Ale, and
Surfer's Summer Ale. In 2005 the Pelican Pub was expanded to double the
size of the brewery and kitchen and add a banquet room on the
oceanfront. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily.
Jason Schoneman - Pelican's Asst. Head Brewer
Real
Ale Pub Photo Album - Herefordshire, UK
"Herefordshire is God's own country - really the last bit of
England that is still England." - Tim Webb, author of
CAMRA's Good Beer Guide to Belgium
Click here to see
Owen's photos and read about his Herefordshire pub picks.
Pictured above is Steve Dunn, brewer and
owner of the wonderful Dunn Plowman Brewery.
Owen's 2007
Great American Beer Festival Report
Kerri "The Beer
Wench" Allen and I were honored to be included in the panel of judges
at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.
Held October 11-13, the 2007 GABF was the first time that all four
public sessions sold out (in advance, no less). More than 46,000
people attended, and this magnificent event really demonstrates the
popularity of craft beers in today's market.
Cabrales
cheese and Bigfoot Barleywine 
E-mail us with SUBSCRIBE
in the subject field!