The Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta just released a high gravity (9%) imperial stout called “Happy Ending”
Usually high gravity beers are too rich for me to sip on, but this stuff very light and smooth considering how dark it is. I hope they keep it around for a while, but I think it’s just for a limited time. One way or the other there’s just no way I can say “Hey Tanya, give me a happy ending” with a straight face
Anyway, personally I think it’s everyone’s civic duty to support their local brewery- in Atlanta that means The Sweetwater Brewery, and in New Orleans it’s The Abita Brewery; what are the good breweries near you?
I’m glad you like the Happy Ending. I’ve mostly seen mixed reviews of it. Is it still a little over the top when it comes to hop presence?
But yeah, I tend to be the Bullshido “Drink Local Beer” guy. California has a ton of really good breweries, but only a few of them make it to Monterey. As far as completely local goes, Peter B’s is the only local brewpub. It’s not bad, but if you sit anywhere besides the bar area, you’re going to get terrible service. Peter B’s doesn’t go very crazy with its brews, but it does what it does fairly well. They brew a solid Porter, a decent IPA, and a surprisingly good Pilsener. Normally, I don’t go for the Pils style, but theirs is excellent. Hoppy, light, bright, fresh . . . pretty much perfect for the style.
Back home in Louisville, my old haunt was Bluegrass Brewing Company. They are so established that they can do whatever they want, so they tend to have at least 5-6 boundary pushing beers on tap, along with the regular lineup of safer beers.
I didn’t think they over did it with the hops, but then again I tend to like hops a lot so it might just be my preference. What really stood out for me was that I could drink it the way I would a standard beer, which I usually can’t with the high gravity. I’ll keep an eye out for stuff from Bluegrass; do they export anything out of state or can you only get it in Louisville?
They bottle a few of their beers, and sell them regionally. I’m not sure how far out of Kentucky they make it, though. Last I checked, their regularly bottled lineup included their Dark Star Porter, their APA, their Altbier, and their Nut Brown Ale. The Altbier is pretty mediocre, but the other three were solid. Also, they have rotating limited releases of bottled offerings of Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout, Professor Guesser’s Mind Numbing IPA, Hell for Certain, and maybe one or two others.
Their real gem has always been their Schwarzbier, though. It’s a fairly unknown style, but it’s one of my favorites, and their is excellent.
