BEER STYLES BINGO May 18, 2008 / 4-6 PM / $15 5 Seasons Brewing, Atlanta (Sandy Springs), GA Sample 9 Amazing Beers - Win Prizes - Only 20 Seats Hosted by Owen Ogletree & Kerri 'The Beer Wench' Allen BEER STYLES BINGO June 1, 2008 / 4-6 PM / $15 Aromas in Five Points area of Athens, GA Sample 9 Amazing Beers - Win Prizes - Only 20 Seats Hosted by Owen Ogletree & Kerri 'The Beer Wench' Allen

www.ClassicCityBrew.com Beer Information Beer Travel Beer Evaluations Classic City Brew Fest Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting Homebrewing Tips Click here to order a '08 Classic City Brew Fest collectible t-shirt!

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.  Information on our webpages is always subject to change without notice.  Owen always welcomes your e-mail and input.
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The World of Brewtopia Classic City Brew Fest - Athens, GA Owen Ogletree's Beer 101 2005 Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting Report 2006 Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting Report 2007 Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting Report 2008 Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting Report Tips on Conditioning and Serving a Cask Ale GA Craft Brew Challenge 2003 Winners GA Craft Brew Challenge 2004 Winners GA Craft Brew Challenge 2005 Winners Classic City Pub Crawl 2002 Athens, GA Classic City Pub Crawl 2003 Athens, GA Beer and Cheese Ideas Beer and Cheese Tasting 2003 Popular Strong Beer Styles Owen's Beer Pet Peeves Beer Gastronomy Beer and Food Trappeze Pub - Athens, GA Brewpubs of NE GA 2005 Wheat Beers for Summer Lambic Primer Basic Hop Hoopla Beer Wench Food & Beer 2005 Nominees for "Most Awesome Microbrewery" Our Top Ten Beer Bars and Brewpubs! Run your banner ad with us. Let us build and host your beer-related website here for a minimal cost.   Cool Beer Links All About Beer Magazine Bramwell, WV Oktoberfest Georgians for World Class Beer  BeerSouth.com St. Louis Festival & Pubs - 2007 Subscribe to our informative e-mail Brewsletter. Terrapin Beer Company Terrapin's New Brewery - 2007 Twain's Brewpub - Decatur, GA Copper Creek Brewing Company  The Globe The Story of Summits Wayside Beer Hunter Trivia Party 5 Seasons Brewing Co. Oktoberfest Celebration 2002 Max Lager's Mall of Georgia Grand Opening 2003 Guinness Believer Event 2004 - Special Message from 777.com - Grab a beer, take some time off and dive into the exciting world of gaming at 777.com, the gaming guide. Choose from the best online casinos in the world and play your favorite casino games, like blackjack, roulette, slots and many more. - Special Message from www.poker505.com - Get a beer and learn how to play poker like a pro. Homebrewing Tips! How to make 3 gallons of easy all-grain homebrew without extra equipment or trouble!   Recipes for the above procedure.   Bottling Tips.   Commercial Beers Blind Tasting Results American Lagers American Microbrews Anheuser-Busch Specialties 2006 Barleywines Beer & Cheese 3-21-04 Belgian Ales I Belgian Ales II Belgian Ales III Belgian Ales IV Belgian White Beers Canadian Beers Dubbels and Tripels English Ales English Strong Ales English Style Ales Full-Flavored Mixed Styles German Beers Herb, Spice, Fruit, Experimental Imperial Stouts 2007 India Pale Ales Lambics Meads, Ciders, Beer 2001 Meads 2003 Meads & Strong Ciders 2003 Meads 2005 Mixed Styles I Mixed Styles II Mixed Styles III Mixed Styles IV Mixed Styles V  Mixed Styles VI Mixed Styles VII Mixed Styles VIII Mixed Style IX - Our 50th Tasting! Mystery Styles Oktoberfests 1999 Oktoberfests 2000 Pilseners 1999 Pilseners 2004 Stouts 1999 Stouts 2002 Strong Beers I Strong Beers II Strong Beers III Strong Beers IV Strong Beers V Strong Beers VI Strong Beers VII Strong Beers VIII Strong US Microbrews Wheat / Golden Beers - Special Message from www.gameofonlinepoker.com - Do what feels good! Play a good poker game online. Brewtopia Events Beer Travel Pages Alaska - Anchorage to Fairbanks Alpharetta and Cumming, GA Amsterdam, Netherlands Asheville, NC Athens, GA Classic Pubs Athens, GA Nouveau Pubs Atlanta, GA Austin, TX Baltimore, MD Bamberg, Germany 2008 Belgian Beer Tour 1998 Belgian Beer Tour 2000 Belgian Beer Tour 2001 Belgian Beer Travelogue 2005 Boston, MA Cardiff, Wales, UK 2007 Chicago, IL Cleveland, OH 2002 Craft Brewers Conf. Columbia, SC Decatur, GA Denver, CO Denver, CO 2003 GABF Derbyshire, UK Ft. Collins, CO Germany 2003: Munich, Kelheim, & Regensburg Great American Beer Festival 2007 Great British Beer Festival 2007 Greenville, SC Liverpool, UK Louisville, KY London, UK 2002 London, UK Pubs 2007 Manchester & Sheffield, UK 2006 Milwaukee, WI Minneapolis/St. Paul Montreal, Canada Munich, Germany 2008 Nashville, TN New England - RI, ME, NH New Orleans, LA Beer Tour 1999 New Orleans, LA Beer Tour Photos 2001 New Orleans, LA 2003 Craft Brewers Conf. New Orleans Post-Katrina Guide to the Best Beer in the City New Orleans 2007 Beer Trip New York, NY   Germany: Munich, Bamberg, Kulmbach, and Berlin Paris, France Philadelphia, PA Pilsen, Czech Republic Pittsburgh, PA Portland, OR Prague, Czech Republic St. Louis, MO Salt Lake City, UT Savannah, GA Tampa, FL   Chimay Trappist   Orval Trappist   Rochefort Trappist   Westmalle Trappist   Westvleteren Trappist   Owen's famous Halloween HOP costume. Check out those yellow lupulin glands!   The Beer Wench Oskar Blues Brewing

BEER QUOTE OF THE MONTH "A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure." - Czech Proverb 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. Farewell to John White (1945-2007) Beer travelers who have utilized the exceptional whitebeertravels.com resource will be saddened to note the sudden passing on July 2 of the site's founder, John White.  John was an extraordinarily dedicated beer lover who made his home in England.  He led popular beer excursions to Belgium and other European beer hubs, was a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers, and contributed to Tim Webb's CAMRA Good Beer Guide to Belgium. John White and I became great friends through email and corresponded on a regular basis -- sharing exciting tales of our most recent beer journeys.  I was very pleased to finally have the opportunity to meet John and his wife Joyce in person last April in Liverpool.  John and Joyce made a two-hour train jaunt to share a day of pubcrawling with Kerri Allen and me.  We followed him and his notepad through the streets of Liverpool and saw joy on this face each time we entered a pub.  My wife announced to the group that John and I had to be long lost twins separated by the Atlantic.  Happy Journeys, John.  You will be dearly missed.  - Owen Ogletree Owen Ogletree, Joyce White and John White in front of a magnificent mural in Peter Kavanagh's pub in Liverpool.  Photo by Kerri Allen. Report from Bamberg, Germany 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. Owen's HOPS BASICS 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 Brand New 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! Athens, GA Nouveau Beer Bars Many beer fans who make the annual trek to Athens for the Classic City Brew Fest ask us for updates on the new bars in town.  Our new website lists some of the best new beer pubs, bars and restaurants that have popped up in the last couple of years.  These bars don't really have the wide range of microbrews and craft beers that can be found in the pubs on our main Athens page, but they do offer fun atmosphere and an interesting change of pace for Athens beer loving residents and visitors. Click here to check out the information and photos on the new beer spots. Terrapin Beer's John Cochran, Spike Buckowski and Dustin Watts  (in dark brown shirts) help Owen Ogletree tap a cask of Wake-N-Bake Stout at Allgood Lounge near the end of the first annual Terrapin Athens Pub Crawl. Where to find great beer in New York and Brooklyn!  The "Big Apple" has a multitude of fine establishments that offer good beer, and the only problem is finding enough time to visit all these places.  Our updated New York beer page will help you make the most of your beer journey to New York by listing all the top beer spots in the city, and breaking them down into zones.  You can reach each location in a zone easily by foot, taxi, and/or subway.  To see all the details, click here. 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, and Strong Belgian Ales (all of which have just gone on sale in Georgia thanks to passage of House Bill 645).  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! Babe's Bar-B-Que & Brewhouse 71800 Hwy. 111 Rancho Mirage, CA ph: 760-346-8738 This beautiful brewpub features terrific BBQ and grilled food items alongside some really fine house made beers.  The beer sampler will include: Honey Blonde (golden ale with real California orange blossom honey, 29 Palms Pale Ale (deep copper with a spicy/floral hop aroma, flavor and nice bitterness), Three Drunk Monks Belgian Tripel (very spicy with candi sugar and alcohol notes), and Blackfin Lager (a light, slightly malty brew).  The large Rancho Mirage location is situated in the corner of a big shopping mall and has dark wood, stone, a patio fireplace, wicker chairs and a waitstaff in cowboy hats.  The small brewhouse is located in a corner of the dining room right next to the smoker.  The food menu highlights brisket, pulled pork, chicken, tenderloin, ribs, steaks, homemade tamales and chicken, pork or goat cheese pizzas.  Be sure to try the gourmet cole slaw that has rice wine vinegar, grapes and nuts.  A hot, wet towel is presented to each customer after finishing your BBQ! Michael Jackson "Beer Hunter" Trivia!  On the night of December 19, 2004 Owen Ogletree gathered together some beer-loving friends for a party to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the release of the BBC/Discovery Channel Michael Jackson "Beer Hunter" video series.  UK-native Michael Jackson is the world's most famous beer critic.  We watched all six episodes of his series and sampled some of the beers that were mentioned (see the beer list).  We also took part in a trivia contest that followed each episode (see the questions).  Don Beistle won the trivia contest and was awarded a special, giant bottle of Belgian ale that was graciously donated by Five Points Bottle Shop in Athens, GA. Read about the event and take the BEER HUNTER TRIVIA QUIZ! Jeff Rapp and Don and Diane Beistle take part in our BEER HUNTER TRIVIA! 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. Click here to read the full story and see the photos! Stay Beer-Informed with our E-mail Brewsletter! E-mail us with SUBSCRIBE in the subject field!