Beer growlers are the new black
The New York Times (maybe you’ve heard of it) recently ran an article on the renewed interest in growlers as a means of purchasing beer. This is a concept that might be foreign to many Georgians, so let me break it down. A growler is a refillable 64-oz glass jug that you can take to a place with taps (such as a brewery or a Piggly Wiggly) and pay to have it filled up with beer. It’s cheaper than buying bottles because you’re not paying for the packaging. And you also have access to beers you wouldn’t normally be able to consume in your own home, such as cask ales. It’s usually a safe bet that the beer you purchase in growlers is fresher, especially if you’re purchasing from a brewery. The largest downside is that you have to drink the beer soon after opening. THE HORROR!
Interviewed in the Times story were the owners of Bierkraft in Brooklyn, NY. I was actually at Bierkraft in late January. And while I didn’t purchase a growler (I didn’t think Delta would like me trying to sneak back 64 oz of beer), I was impressed with their selection. Three cask ales to choose from and a bevy of other hard-to-find, delicious options.
The moral of the story? There’s a reason why growlers are gaining in popularity. They’re cheaper and more eco-friendly. And sometimes I shed a single tear when I think about Georgia’s lack of them.
Let’s all join hands and do a Growler dance. Hat tip to infrequent commenter West for the link.
Image source: mariachen
What the WHAT?!
We’re not brewing tonight. If you’re a diligent Monday Night reader (I think there are three of you, including my mom), you may have noticed that we’ve been brewing approximately twice a month. This is not some sinister plot to deprive you of beer.
We have intentionally scaled back brewing to focus our energies on the business side of things, which have been taking up more of our time as we move closer to launch. It’s exciting for us, but there are potential terrible short-term consequences, such as not brewing every week. Please bear with us as we attempt to take Monday to the streets in 2010!
Late edit: As Garey astutely pointed out in the comments, this is actually Joel‘s fault. He drank all of our beer, thinking the fridge was a giant juice box.
A field trip to JailHouse Brewing in Hampton, GA
A few weeks ago I took a field trip to Hampton, GA to visit with Glenn Golden, the man behind JailHouse Brewing, Georgia’s 4th distributing craft brewery. Glenn visited us back in the summer and officially started selling beer in late 2009. First, a little housekeeping. John, the man behind the @AtlantaBeer Twitter account accompanied me. I will say no more about this because John is a rogue and a thief and he turned the volume down on my music as we were driving. Forcing me to have conversation with him. But again, I will say no more about this.
Glenn was a gracious host. Despite the rain, he opened up the brewery just for us. The picture above is actually a fairly accurate “full tour.” There’s a small little tasting room and entryway through the window. Grain and kegs are stored in the room behind you if you’re facing this way. Here’s the cool part. Are you ready? JailHouse is built in an old jail. A lot of the bricks and bars are original. And it felt pretty authentic. There were times I even thought that John was an escaped convict. Glenn did most of the build-out himself and with the help of friends.
So that’s the downstairs. And then there’s the upstairs…
The upstairs is currently nothing but sub floor and a breeding ground for male deer heads. Glenn’s long-term goal is to build it out for concerts and other events. Which would be pretty sweet. But I bet John would drive down there and turn the volume down on the concerts, now that he knows where Hampton, GA is. Buzzkill.
Currently JailHouse is selling two beers, Slammer Wheat and Mugshot IPA. Both are American, in that they use primarily American yeast, malts and hops. Both are also unique derivatives of the style, in my opinion.
Glenn also shared a high gravity stout that he’s been working on. There aren’t any current plans for production, which is unfortunate because it was my personal favorite of the three beers we shared. Check out those sweet tap handles! I was glad to hear they were done by the same guys we’re using for our tap handles, Tap Handles Inc.
Thanks to Glenn for opening up his doors (and his heart) to us! For those of you who DON’T live in Hampton, you can also buy JailHouse beers on draft in East Atlanta Village at establishments such as Gravity Pub and Grant Central Pizza.
Monday Night recap: “To boil or not to boil” edition
Greetings, fair ones. Last night we brewed up what could possibly be the final recipe for our Eye Patch Ale. We’ve been tweaking this recipe for over 3 years. It’s very close to where we want it, but we added just a skosh of wheat to give that little bit of mouthfeel we want to take it to the next level. For those keeping track, yes we DID use “skosh” and “mouthfeel” in the same sentence. The Pretentious Police will be knocking down our doors soon.
Overall things went very smoothly last night. Not surprising, considering Joel wasn’t in attendance. He gave us some excuse about “bathing his pet fish.” We did have an unusual amount of boilovers, so we kept ice handy. We also had some mysterious burner problems. Half of them were caused by Jeff not realizing that we were out of propane. But still… weird stuff. Here’s Jeff attempting to fix the empty propane tank by adjusting the regulator. Totally LOL.
In other news, Jeanine brought some delicious foreign cookies which tasted pretty American to me. I’m on board with this recent trend of people bringing dessert to brewing. Let’s keep it up, folks! Jonathan needs to keep his blood sugar elevated!
Wake up, wake up, wake up…
IT’S THE FIRST OF THE MOOONTH…
Ah, nothing like the soothing sounds of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to usher in a fun-filled night of brewing. We’re going to rustle up another slightly revised batch of the Eye Patch Ale tonight, so come join us at Jeff’s house at 8pm. The Eye Patch is our first priority now that we’ve finalized the launch recipe for our Drafty Kilt. You want to be a part of history in the making, don’t you? Good. Then cash your checks and come on.