Red Brick's 21st Anniversary

During the week of September 21st, Red Brick Brewing (formerly Atlanta Brewing Company) celebrated it's 21st anniversary.  Yes, the Spore was there to help them celebrate.

Red Brick has always been a bit of a puzzle to me.  They might not make the best beers in Atlanta, but their beers have always been solid, and they've been around a lot longer than some of the others.  Now, more and more new breweries are popping up and taking the taps and refrigerator space that Red Brick never was able to claim anyway.  This seems to be a combination of Georgia's ridiculous alcohol distribution laws and some past quality issues, as discussed in an interesting Creative Loafing article which reviewed Red Brick's history.  However, we were surprised to stop at a store in Florida and see seven different Red Brick offerings, more than you would find in most stores in Atlanta.

At Red Brick, you can get a pint glass, six "decent" tasting-room pours and a tour for $10.  You should also try looking at sites such as Groupon and Living Social, since they often have specials.  For instance, we were able to get 2 tastings + koozies for $15 via Living Social; I've seen better deals where you can also get t-shirts for just a little bit more.  Although, no matter what you pay, you should be sure to tip your bartenders...you just might get a little better pour that way.  I can't speak about the quality of the tour.  Every brewery has a similar tour; some are better than others, but I'm the Spore...what could they teach me?

To celebrate their anniversary, Red Brick included a line-up of special beers, along with their usual options.  On Friday night, they had about a dozen beers, including their 20th Anniversary Imperial Stout and 21st Anniversary Dark Saison.  Some of the options were better than others.  The 20th Anniversary Imperial Stout definitely had the alcohol, but the flavor seemed a little off.  The A-Town Brown really wasn't much to talk about; it had very little flavor, even for a brown.  On the other hand, the Matcha Super Green Yuzu IPA was a very nicely balanced and hoppy IPA.  The Nitro Thick Silky Double Chocolate Porter was creamy (as you'd expect from a nitrogenated beer) and chocolaty, although I could have use a little more chocolate and bitterness.  We were disappointed because we really wanted to try the Cherry Bourbon Aged Laughing Skull that was supposed to be on Friday night, but they must have changed the menu as it never appeared.  Also, we missed out on the Vanilla Gorilla (my favorite Red Brick beer, a vanilla imperial porter), because they ran out while we were trying to go through some of the "one-time" beers.  Overall, we were happy to try the offerings, but were a little disappointed in the "special" beers.

If you're in Atlanta and haven't visited Red Brick yet, I would make sure to stop in on one of the evenings that they have tastings.  They have tours & tastings Wednesday-Sunday (see their website for times & details).  Special events include team trivia on Thursdays, and live music on Fridays.  They get quite a crowd for trivia, even though the prizes aren't that great.  (Gee, do you think it could be the beer?)  They don't serve food, but often will have a food truck outside.