Big, BIG Beer Event Announcement!

To kick off the October Beer Of The Month with SweetWater, we have cooked up a very special event that will take place on Tuesday, October 1st in Peachtree City. Why is it in Peachtree City? Because those folks down there are overdue for something big, and it was the idea of one of the managers there. So why should you be interested in this event if you don't live on the south side? Here's why: SweetWater opened up their beer stash for us and filled two firkins on top of that. Plus, it is a fundraiser for Camp Twin Lakes in preparation for their annual Spin For Kids bike ride. Here is the line-up:

• Low RYEder cask (rare)
• Brown IPA cask (a blend of GA Brown and IPA--first time ever!)
• Festive '12 bottles (first time)
• Happy Ending '12 draft  (first time)
• The Gimp (special Peachtree City Tap Takeover credit--one time only!)
• Sweet 16 (special Peachtree City Tap Takeover credit--one time only!))
• Special credit for a pint of Low RYEDer listed as "SweetWater Take Over PTC" (one time only!)
• The usual suspects: 420, IPA, Blue, Motorboat, etc.

Not enough for you? How about a raffle with all kinds of kick-ass prizes. Like what? Man, you ask a lot of questions. Like this kind of stuff: Two tickets to an upcoming beer dinner in PTC, a pair of tickets to "Crank It Up" (a SweetWater event), a giant 420 road sign, a SweetWater jacket, a Julio Jones signed football, a Spin For Kids jersey, and a free Spin For Kids registration.  Raffle tickets are $5.00 and you get a Brewniversity credit when you purchase one. You can also get five tickets for $20.00 and save $5.00.

Still not impressed? What if I told you that SweetWater Brew Master Nick Nock and other brewery notables will be on site too? I'll be there of course, but I think you pretty much could have figured out that on your own. Hope to see you there!

PS-- Anyone want to guess what time it starts? Let's just say that if you show up at 4:25 pm it will have already started. But we will go for a few hours, so just stop in when you can. Raffles will be at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 pm.

On another note, I survived the trip to Colorado and the goings-on at Red Rocks. Here is where my seats were every night. Not too shabby. And the beer was good too!

Pretty much as soon as I got back from Colorado I headed to Charlotte for business. Today was the groundbreaking for the new Olde Mecklenburg Brewing Co. site. Those guys are great, and they make terrific, authentic German-style beers, which I love. Tomorrow is the big Charlotte Oktoberfest, and then, hopefully...some much needed rest. My birthday is right around the corner, but you still have a few more shopping days left. I like foamy, hoppy liquids, preferably in a refrigerated format. Other than that, I am not too picky. 

Have a great weekend everyone. Hope to see you on Tuesday. Bye!  

Moa Better Brews

You know you want it.

OK, if anyone gets that reference in the title of this blog, please let me know. No fair Googling. You either know it or you don't.

But if you want beer events, I got 'em. Here is the line-up for next week and beyond:

• Tuesday, September 24th at The Fred Bar you can be the first folks in Taco Mac Land to taste two beers from New Zealand. Oooh...that's exotic. I know. The toilets swirl the other way down there when you flush them. That must be interesting for about one second. But from what I have heard, it is a beautiful country with a rapidly growing, high-quality craft beer scene. Moa is one of the heavy hitters of that scene, and we will be tapping Moa Imperial Stout and Moa St. Joseph's Triple when we open at 5:00 pm. There will be plenty, so no need to road rage over there if you work or live across town. We will have a guy from the brewery--a real life, honest-to-goodness Kiwi--there to answer questions and be cooler than everyone else because he has an accent and says things like, "Brilliant".
• Same night in Woodstock you can taste a cask of Burnt Hickory Thrilla in The 'Nilla, which is their Big Shanty stout with vanilla beans, coffee and cinnamon. Wow, that sounds good. Scott, the brew master behind those wacky Burnt Hickory creations, will be there to meet and greet with you. He is an interesting dude that you will not forget right away.
• Who loves SweetWater? You do! Well then you need to be in Peachtree City on Tuesday, October 1st as we kick off the SweetWater Beer Of The Month with a huge draft selection, fund-raising raffle, and the general craziness that you get when you take a bunch of fun-loving people and you fill them full of great beer. The brewery let us raid their cellar for some past Dank Tanks, Happy Ending, Festive and the like.There will be lots of special, one-day-only credits for those Dank Tanks (3), vintage dates for the Happy Ending ('12) and Festive ('12 bottles), and even a special credit for the event just for drinking a Low RYEder. During the month of October Taco Mac and SweetWater are helping each other raise money for Camp Twin Lakes. We rounded up a ton of stuff to raffle off throughout the evening, so we really hope you come out and help make this first-ever event a huge success. Notable people from the brewery will be there to show their support as well. Like who? Um, just the brew master, Mr. Nick Nock. Like that. 

So there you have it. That is the September wrap-up, plus one. Don't forget about the Atlanta Beer Week events I have been telling you about. We are working hard at Taco Mac HQ to make this year's ABW the best ever. But it's time for me to check out kids. I need to pack for a trip to Colorado that starts tomorrow night. Be back on Monday. If you need me, I will be at a place called Red Rocks Amphitheater outside and above Denver. Go find your bucket list, put Red Rocks on it, and thank me later. Bye!

And then people show up an play loud music on stage.

  

Atlanta Beer Week Reminder

Well I survived my trip to the mountains of northern Virginia for a music festival. It felt good once I got back to civilization, but I'm not going to lie; four days with no cell phone service was kind of nice. The first day you feel helpless, but after that it's quite liberating. About the only thing I missed was being able to use the internet at a moment's notice to settle disputes, check scores, and answer the questions that come up in everyday conversation. I have never been the most avid camper, but I must say that the fresh air and rustic surroundings treated me quite well. Thankfully there were showers there, or I would be telling you a drastically different story.

I prepped you last week for Atlanta Beer Week by telling you to clear your calendars. I hope you were paying attention. As the entire slew of events come into better focus, I will give you all of the details. But what follows is a primer.

Right now we are looking at doing a Boulevard Trailblazer night at four stores on Monday, October 21st. It will consist of some special beers, special Brewniversity credits, and some information about the history of the brewery. Go look in your fridge and tell me if the beer in there is a from a brewery founded in the 80's. Many of you out there were born in the 80's. Boulevard was helping to create the American craft brewery movement. I'll tell you the exact stores when it gets a little closer. On Tuesday the 22nd we are going to feature a selection of never-seen-around-here-before beers from Boulder Beer. This will also take place at four different stores, and probably one not too far from you. (We are not calling these a "tap take-over" because we have too many taps to accomplish that, and that term is getting a little tired anyway.)

Now I will tell you about Wednesday, October 23rd, and then I am going to stop. The rest of the week is still getting finalized, and your attention span...well, it leaves a little bit to be desired sometimes. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but it hurts my feelings when someone tells me--in the same sentence--that they read my blog "all the time", but did not know about certain special events. There is only one way that adds up: Reads blog + doesn't know about events = short attention span. So did you already forget about the Wednesday ABW event I was going to tell you about? Stay with me people! This is important. We have a guy named Dougal Sharp coming to The Fred Bar. He is the founder, owner and brew master of Innis & Gunn in Scotland. If you are unfamiliar with this brewery, click here. Dougal is going to give us a visual and oral history of Innis & Gunn, highlighting some of the beauty of Scotland and Edinburgh along the way. During that time, you will get to enjoy a glass of Innis & Gunn Original. Once that part is over, Dougal will walk you through a tasting flight of his Rum Barrel, Canadian Cherrywood Barrel, Scottish Porter, and Oloroso Sherry Barrel. That last one is new, and I had a sample bottle of it a few weeks ago that was superb. The event is designed to cater more to the beer drinker in need of a little education. If you are Joe Super-Beer-Nerd, then maybe this isn't for you. But if you love beer and would like an expert to explain the nuances of complex beer flavors, then sign up today. The cost is only $25.00, and if you are familiar with these beers, then you will instantly understand the value of this event. Click here to reserve your spots now. There will only be 50 people admitted to this event. Hope to see you there.

Have a great weekend everyone. Bye.

Hooray For September!

Why is September so great? Well, it seems pretty obvious on the surface, but let's break it down for those of you who recently came out of a coma, or have finally found the right blend of meds to stop the voices in your head:

• September begins with a long Labor Day weekend. 
• Football starts. Finally.
• Fall beers arrive. 
• Baseball becomes increasingly more meaningful each day.
• The temperature in the south becomes tolerable. (Yes, this year was an exception. So in the case of this year, September is great because the sun finally came out.)
• More fall beers arrive.
• And just when you thought September could not get any better, it wraps up on my birthday.

So as you can tell, I love September, and have for as long as I can remember. What's your favorite month, and why? No, don't tell me. I can't hear you. That is just a little conversation starter for you the next time you find yourself with really boring people, or maybe just in a weird awkward lull in an otherwise stimulating conversation. Another one you can try is, "What five living people would you currently want to meet?". You can learn a lot about someone when they tell you who they really want to meet, and why. Try it some time. Make your own list first or you will look like an idiot when it's your turn and you got nothin'.

Another thing you can try is Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA at The Fred Bar on Tuesday. It will eventually make it to other locations, but we are going to get together Tuesday and try this new seasonal beer for the first time. The brewery folks say that they have struck gold with this one, so I am doubly excited to taste it. Considering that both of my Beer Camp beers at Sierra Nevada were red IPA's, you might deduce that I am fond of that style. And there is no better brewery at making hoppy beers than Sierra Nevada. That is not an opinion, it is a fact. Look it up.

Other than that, you might want to make your way to the Dallas Hwy location on Friday the 13th. We have an individual getting his 2000th beer on his Brewniversity list, and we have a special cask for the occasion. This is an O'Dempsey's Big Red cask, and we made a special Brewniversity credit for this one. If you have not met Mr. Mighty Fine yet, I suggest you drop by to do so. He is a colorful character, as are most people who have had 2000 different beers. We will tap it around 6:00 pm.

Last thing I have for you for today is a "Save The Dates". Atlanta Beer Week is October 19th-26th, and we have been hard at work at the Taco Mac HQ planning events all over Taco Mac Land for the week. I will have a full calendar for you once everything is finalized, but for now, just clear your calendar. All of it. And start looking around for you best 80's get-up. Don't ask questions. Just be prepared to go all-out 80's-style on October 25th to close out ABW.

I gotta run. I am taking a long weekend in the mountains of northern Virginia. I guess some brewery up there is sponsoring some outdoor music festival, and they need me there to drink beer with them. Talk to you next week, and maybe even in person if you come out for the Flipside launch. Bye.