Beering in Atlanta: Return of the Mac

You guessed it, I am back at Taco Mac, this time with a guy from the training course and some of his crew. I regailed them with stories of the cougars the first time I came here, and actually ordered the beers for everybody. There was one sistuh at the table and I got her the Lindmen Frambroise, and she loved it of course. One of the dudes claimed he like Blue Moon, so I ordered him an Allagash Dubbel to step up your Belgian game. He loved it and ordered two more.

I decided to try the ultra hot hotwings again, but decided to stay down in the Pale Ales rather than go to IPAs. Last time I was here I joined the Passport Club, which I guess is the equivalent of the Flying Saucer UFO Club. That marks four spots (3 bars and 1 movie theater) whose beer club I am a part. I can just imagine my having a slew of mugs in the trunk of my car for a specific bar that I can fill up for a discount. Maybe I should put together a suitcase.

Anyway, today I'm still mourning the bad day in the Don Taylor Sports Association. My three NFL teams all LOST yesterday: the Browns just plain blew it, the Texans got jacked up, and the Panthers had a chance and lost in overtime. I sure could use a drink, but I won't be home until Thursday. Oh well. What happened at the Mac.

Beer Log 12/11/08; after I left Max's Lager
State: partying it up, lots of laughs, eating haberno hot wings

RJ Rockers Patriot Pale
I am the American Don, so why not the Patriot stuff. Dark straw with a strong white fluffy head (everybody in the crew is staring at me like I'm crazy as I'm writing in my book). Citrus hops smell and apricot. My adjunct flavor of the year: Apricot. The taste is toasty with a slight hoppiness. Kinda citrusy and pretty icky. Maybe there is a subtle apricot in there, but it could be just the scent messing with my tongue. It does a lot better as I keep drinking it but is no match for the hot wings. It just tastes more bready and toasty. 3 Stars.

I knew I should have gone with IPAs.

Boulder Hazed and Infused
Going to Colorado for this one. Straw color with an uber big white head. Light citrus and pine hops on the nose. The beer feels rather creamy on the first sip and sour with a biting hop. Did not write down a rating, probably just got distracted. Then again, I had three beers at Max's and I was feeling it a touch by then. I could have just been hazed and infused...I got a million of em... don't forget to tip your waitress.

I think I sampled a couple beers other folks got before we broke out. From there, me and one of the guys took to the streets to find a good cigar bar. We found one in Highland Village that is part snazzy cigar bar, and part Chicago Bears club. Now THAT's a business plan. It is noteworthy that with my Montecristo that I think was loosely packed, the Hoegaarden I had with it went very well. For the end of year awards, I am thinking of which beer will get the Best Beer with a Cigar award. I was thinking an Imperial beer would do the trick, but the Hoegaarden went well with this lighter cigar. Nice night overall.

Beering in Atlanta: Taco Mac

Back at the Mac here in the ATL. I got a few of my friends from undergrad and grad school together to enjoy some brews with the Brotha. No better place to hang out and watch the Panthers game than Taco Mac. The place we not too packed, and the waitress knew her beer. Only problem is, I ordered the tacos. How is it that the tacos at TACO Mac suck so much? Their paraphanelia and whatnot suggest that they are all about Buffalo Wings, but why did the tacos have to taste like Taco Bell? I wouldn't be surprised if the girl took my order, walked out the back door, ran by the drive through at Taco Bell, and brought it back on my plate. Damn shame.

Anyway, the restaurant and bar has lots of open space, conducive for large groups. You have to love what has to be 2 dozen big screen HD TVs. They even have about 5 TVs facing the window, so I guess the folks walking by on Peachtree St can check the score of the Thrashers game. There are no bad angles for watching any game. The menu is pretty simple barfood and features its buffalo wings. Unlike other wing joints, these wings don't come in 30 different sauces. There are just 5 levels of HOT. Last time I got the sauce called "Death" and had to chug down some IPAs just to keep up. But with my tacos this time I decided to make a run on their local and winter beers. On to the beer...

Red Brick Ale

Started out with this one on the full 16 oz from the Atlanta Brewing Company. It has a nice amber color but not much of a head. The smell and taste is malty and toasty, with a nice hop balance. This one goes down great as an ale and has a nice touch of syrup and medium bread. Nothing to knock you out of your seat and I imagine that is by design. 3 Stars.

My homegirl from grad school showed up first, and I ordered her a Sweetwater Blue. Got myself a couple of sips as well.

Sweetwater Blue

Straw colored with a low white head. It has nice not too powerful blueberry nose. The taste is basically a light blueberry and makes for a very drinkable blonde ale. Just plain nice fruit beer. I can see the Sweetwater boys did not go overboard with the blueberry like others have done with other blond fruit beers. 3 Stars.

At this point more of the crew is showing up and it is time to revive the Winter/Christmas beer tastings. I'll go outside the state for the first one...

Lagunitas Brown Sugga

Can certainly appreciate the spelling. Amber colored with a smell of sugar, malt and alcohol. The taste reminds me of saaz hops (that piney citrus hop) with some malt. This one is very smooth and I can tell that even in a 2 oz sampler. I gets high on ya love. High 3 Star.

Sweetwater Festive

Back to the local boys with this sampler of their winter beer. Dark brown and opaque. Roast and toffee smell. This thing has a high brown sugar thing going on at first. Then it hit me, this tastes like Absinthe. Someone break out the Anne Rice novels and Italian style New Orleans paste. The malt is strong in this one and I will rate it a high 3 star for now. I got another bottle of this one that I will smuggle into Texas, so I may have to review it again.

Terrapin Oaked Hoppy Monster

What's the good word? To Hell with Georgia! Of course that's the University (sic) of Georgia to be precise. But they do have a good brewery in Athens, GA, and this is their winter seasonal. Ruby color. Very nice look. Smells of moderate hops and strong malt. The taste is also a moderately hopped caramelly beverage, with a residual MALT on the aftertaste. I like the way they put this one together in that the malt is the aftertaste. It should do really well in Georgia, where it seems I cannot find a truly hoppy beer. But this is an excellent winter beer interpretation with the hops they added, I'm thinking Centennial. Maybe it's because I have nightmares of the unnatural ass whoopin I got at grad school in Georgia Tech every time I visit Atlanta, but I'm giving 4 Stars for the Dawgs.

Lefthand Snowbound Ale

At this point in the night my notebook notes were getting pretty scratchy and all the women started looking really good. This Lefthander Wowed me with the cinnamon and nutmeg. I actually wrote down in my book "Ho Ho Ho Motherf8cker". Malty beverage. Oh yeah, the color is black with a white head. Did not get a rating written down. Certainly a wow beer as this hits you hard with the sweet spice flavor, even after I had all those winter beers already.

I can certainly say I've got some strong candidates for top winter and Christmas beers out of this trip to the ATL. Kind of surprising as I figured the warm weather beers (wheat beers and ambers) would be their better ones. I've got reviews for Park Tavern and Five Seasons coming up. The night at Taco Mac was excellent as usual, and I may slide by there again as I joined their beer passport club. I officially had 6 beers, the samplers count, so all I need are 7 more and I get a T-shirt or something. I think I ordered the shirt size as "extra medium". As long as they don't try to push anymore tacos on me it should be straight.

Beering in Atlanta: Taco Mac

I'm sitting here drinking a Corona and watching Unbeatable Banzuke. Clear bottle with the funky smell and flavor. Maybe some malt and corn in there, but I'm not feeling it. Even in my tall pilsner glass, this stuff ain't the ticket. But I wanted something light. Should probably keep some Heineken on keg in the house. But I just wanted to say a bit about Taco Mac in Atlanta: Come for the Taco, stay for the Cougars.

August 28, 2008
We were only in the ATL for what was no more than 36 hours, but we dragged ourselves out on the streets to hit Taco Mac. This is one AWESOME beer bar. Right on Peachtree at the bottom the Metroplis Loft, it is perfectly positioned to be a premier ATL bar. Even more so as Buckhead has gone rather hood as they shut down the hip hop clubs in Bankhead. It's a damn shame, as I saw Buckhead go downhill all within the two years I was in Grad School.

We got in there and we noticed the other attraction about Taco Mac, the Cougaring. A few seasoned sistas that went to my undergrad were hollering at my boy, so he struck up convo with them and we joined them at their table. They told me that I was suspect as I was wearing an extra-medium Affliction shirt. In Houston, brothas with some muscle on their frames can wear extra mediums with no big deal, but in Atlanta, they'll think you're batting for the other side.

But we did try Sweetwater's Hummer and 420 IPA. The waitress knew what she was doing as I asked her for something hoppier than the 420 and she brought me the Dogfish Head 60 Minute. I did not have my journal, and so I didn't write them down, but they were excellent beers. Certainly the best I had in the ATL. If you go to Atlanta, please take yourself to Taco Mac. And if you don't try some Sweetwater, just stay home.

To finish out the story, I think my friend could have hooked up with one of the Cougars, but I mentioned how I may be the only black man not voting for Obama and the conversation turned political. Too bad about that one. I didn't help that the cute one started getting all emotional with some random rant about how she won't talk with guy who have not had tragedies in his life. Probably not the way to attract a man. Waitress, Check Please!