Get On Your Bikes And Ride!

"Why is Fred quoting Freddie Mercury in the title here?"
Apparently he is going to try to somehow tie a Queen song into a beer posting.

"That hardly sounds plausible."

No kidding.

"I don't think I'm going to like this post."

How can you say that now?

"I don't like Queen."

I think that's irrelevant.

"I think it's very relevant."

You would.

"What's that supposed to mean."

Your mom is irrelevant.

"All right, that's enough. Let's just shut up and see what 'Fat Bottomed Girls' has to do with beer."

Is he wearing a leotard?

"Freddie Mercury was a colorful dresser, sure. The 70's were rough on a lot of people."

Or is it a uni-tard?

"I don't know the difference."

Is there one?

"What do I look like, Google? Get a dictionary or something."

Ssssh! I want to find out about the beer.

"Right the beer! OK, now be quiet."

I told you to be quiet first.

"Go stand over there before I punch you. I clearly suggested that we both be quiet, just look up there, like 10 lines ago. See?"

You win.

"Thank you."

You win the Jerk Of The Year. How does it feel to be the biggest jerk in the world?

"It feels great. Maybe I can make some new friends now. Ones that don't TALK SO MUCH!"

Ssssshhhhh! There's a picture coming! Ooooh, I can't wait!

"It looks like a...bike?"

That's right people, Fat Tire (and believe it or not, the New Belgium Brewing Co. does make other beers besides this-I swear to god, I've seen them!) is about to be available in GA. Starting Monday, May 11th, it will be in 22 oz. bottles only. Draft and 12 oz. bottles will come around in a few months. Why? What do I look like, Google? No, seriously, it is the way they rollout in a new state. They did the same in TN about 6-7 months ago. It is a package size that works in all types of retail outlets, and gives their wholesalers 1 unit to focus on, instead of multiple units for the same beer. Speaking of focus, if you look closely, the banner at the top of the label has a special notation for the state of GA. This label will be on a few thousand introductory cases, and that's it. Nice gesture on their part. The wholsalers are going to try to deliver cold beer to all of our GA stores (except Philips Arena) on the 11th so that we can sell it soon after it arrives.


But before all of that goes on, don't forget about Ellard's Cellards. On Monday the Ellard Village store will have 5 cellared items for sale all at once. Draft will be: Allagash Black, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, He' Brew Jewbelation 12 and North Coast Old Stock-all from early 2008. In addition, they are breaking out their Stone Russian Imperial Stout bottles from '08. These beers all have a vintage designation, so if you are a Passport member looking for odd credits, this is for you. If you are a beer freak who can't seem to be satisfied these days, this is also for you. If you just like great beer, this is for you as much as anyone else. If you are single and want to meet other like minded singles in your area, try http://www.eharmony.com/. I think that is more up your alley.


Also don't forget the launch of the next 30th anniversary beer, Terrapin 30 Strong. It is made with 30 different-oh hell, if you don't know this by now, you must live in a cave. Get out next weekend and find out what all of the hooplah is about. Technical details will be available. You could also read any of the last 4-6 posting on this blog. I have not exactly been keeping this thing a secret.


Like Stone beers? May 13th we have a (sold-out) beer dinner in Duluth. Three of the beers are unusual drafts from Stone, and we will not need it all for the dinner. We will be releasing each of those beers to the public as soon as we pull off what we need for the beer dinner customers. The rest will be for sale to whoever shows up. Starting around 7:30, you can get a Cali-Belgique draft, followed by Sublimely Self-Righteous (1 of 2 kegs in GA), and then a cask-conditioned firkin of Smoked Porter with chipotle peppers added. That last one you will probably never see again. These are musts for beer lovers and ALL Passport members who like some unique items on their lists. Plus the owner of the brewery is going to be there.


And now, the weekly beer report!

• Boulder Mojo IPA draft is popping up these days. G Mall, Cumming, Decatur and Crabapple have it now.
• Magic Hat Lucky Kat IPA kegs got shipped to GA ny mistake. Look to Taco Macs on the west side of 400, and inside the Perimeter stores in Fulton Co. Only 1 distributor got them, and the territories are loosley based on that formula.
• Remember the Ft. Collins Barrel Licked Bock I told you about last week? I just tried it at EWC (East-West Connector), and it was awesome. Get over to EWC, Canton, Newnan, Old Milton or Metropolis to get one soon. Those are the only 5 kegs we get.
• There are some unusual Rogue specialty kegs coming around these days. including a Russian Imperial Stout, and Imperial YSB (no typo, it's YSB), and Morimoto Imperial Pilsner. Please ask at your local store to see which ones they are brining in. I see more requests for them than actual kegs in existence, and I am not sure where they will land at this point. The same is true with Great Divide Dunkle Weiss, Belgica and Saison. I see many stores requesting buttons for their computers, and I know the supply is limited. More are allegedly on the way.
• Look for the French Broad beers I mentioned last week as well. Duluth, Perimeter, Canton, Cumming and Newnan have them for sure.
• Pennichuck is a new line of fireman-themed beers coming from NH. Canton and Windward have them now. Try them before I do and tell me how they are.
• Suwanee is pouring a '08 Victory Storm King right now to help kick off the Hop Devil beer of the month. If you don't try this year-old imperial stout before it's gone, go cry to someone else. I warned you.
• Last but not least, if you are either A.) ready for summer or; B.) in love with wheat beers or; C.) think hefe-weizens are not your cup of tea, then you need to be in Buford ASAP. G Mall is pouring Ayinger Hefe-Weizen right now, which is the best (no, I don't want anyone else's opinion, my mind is made up) hefe that you can get.

That is all for now. Stay tuned for more exciting developments as May gets deeper. I will be somewhere for the 30 Strong rollout, but not sure where yet. There are only 64 of these kegs, so if each store sells 2 in the first 4 days, that means that there will only be 20 left city-wide by Tuesday morning 5/12. If you miss it, I did my part. If any man, woman or childish acting person over 21 years of age that you know, have known, or could potentially know in the future, misses out on this beer, it is your fault.

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on the island of Zanzibar, of the coast of Tanzania, on 9/5/46. His parents were of Indian lineage, and moved to Zanzibar due to his father's work with the British government. Turns out the guy had a pretty interesting life before he became a rock star. My favorite story about him, however, involves a party during Queen's heyday where he hired dwarves to walk around with mirrors full of cocaine strapped to their heads. That way, any time a guest needed a little lift, they just had to ask the dwarf to stop for a second. Like I said earlier, the 70's were rough on a lot of people. Little people too. I don't advocate cocaine use, but what a totally crazy idea. "Hey, you. Go find me 6 dwarves, 6 mirrors-and they have to have straps about this long on them-and we're going to need about half a kilo." And what did his friends say when they came over? "What's up Freddie? Great place you got here man. Whoa, a midget! Wait. Does he have a giant pile of blow strapped to his head? Awesome!" He died in 1991. Surpisingly, not from an amphetamine-related heart attack.

Leotard- A one-piece, tight-fitting, sleeved or sleeveless garment that covers the torso: it is worn by acrobats, dancers, etc.

Unitard- A leotard that also covers the legs and, sometimes, the feet

Thank you Webster's. No mention of coked-up rock singers in there, but you get the picture.