Laying the foundations for beer enjoyment

I am in Atlanta with Melissa during her last week of rotation here. I was hoping to check out a little bit of the beer scene, maybe stop by a beer store someplace around the apartment. Since Melissa is 6 month pregnant, and obviously isn't drinking, I didn't figure we would get to go to any of the really neat beer attractions. However, last night, Melissa comes home and SHE suggest going to The Brick Store! Check out the reviews, this place gets an A+ for good reason. Heck ya I want to go to the Brick Store.


Unfortunately I forgot my camera in Augusta (stupid me), so this is the best I got with melissa's point and shoot. It is a great little camera, but I can't really adjust most of the setting manually, and even if I could, its highest ISO is 400. So without a tripod I didn't have much hope at a decent shot here. But at least I remembered to try this time.

Alright, so, it took us a little over an hour to drive there (and about 20 minutes to drive back- I hate you Atlanta traffic), but once we got there, it was worth it. The place is a very cozy local establishment, and even on a tuesday night it was packed out. We had to wait about 20 minutes to get a table. No problem tho- we headed up the stairs in the back, and tucked away around the corner is their famous Belgian bar! There were a number of free bar seats located along the walls and pillars. Melissa and I grabbed a pair and I looked over the beer menu for the first time. To make my selection slightly easier I decided not to even look at the bottled beers. I went to get stuff on draught, I can get the bottles and drink them at home cheaper. They had a number of 750ml bottles of specialty Christmas beers running about $20 or more a peice. Out of my price range anyway!

But not to worry, the draught menu is extensive, and ever changing. You can check out their current list on their website. They had a number of winter beers and some really good looking Belgians. One that caught my eye was an apparently new Sweetwater brew called "Creeper." This Belgian boasted around 10% alcohol (as all the Belgians did), and was only $6 for a 16oz glass.

I have not really liked the Belgian beers in the past. Over thanksgiving I started to develope a taste for some of the Unibroue dark Belgians. The Creeper is a light Belgian, but boy was it good! I certanly did not taste the 10% alcohol. It was very smooth a creamy, and had the typical belgian flavor. It did not have much of the aftertaste that has turned me off of the Bengals in the past. Or maybe I am just becoming accustom to it. This was definitely an acceptable way to spend 20 minutes waiting for a table!


Note the St. Bernardus coaster. They also had abt. 12 on tap as well for $6.



I had not gotten to far into this beer when they got our table ready. We were seated down stairs at one of the round tables that use a large oak barrel for a base, and are surrounded by bar stools. This was actually one of the few things I didn't like. I never really felt comfortable at the table. The bar stool had no back, was not real comfortable to sit on, and didn't have a place for my feet. Plus, I kept hitting me knees on the barrel. In the future I may ask to wait until a regular table or booth opens up. I certainly wouldn't have minded waiting a while longer with my Belgian.

Melissa and I both ordered the burger. Interesting side note to this whole event: This is not the first time I have been to the brick store. Agnes Scott is within walking distance of the brick store, and Melissa and I have been there because "they have great burgers." Never heard anything about their beer. And at the time I equated beer with bud light, and didn't really have a desire to spend my limited funds on such things. Boy did I miss an opportunity then!



Anyhow, the burgers came, and were at least on par with the quality of beer. My burger with bacon and grilled onions was just fantastic. About half way through I ordered another beer, the Great Divide Hibernation Ale. If you will look to your left you will notice that it is one of the beers on my beer wish list! This was a really good winter brew. It was actually very similar in taste and texture to the great divide st. bridget's porter. It was lighter in color and slightly lighter in body, but in general it sported the same basic flavors. I think that the hibernation ale is more complex in taste. This may simply be due to it being on draught tho. Either way, it did not disappoint.



All in all this was a really special treat getting to go here. Thanks Melissa for a wonderful time! And if any of you guys are ever in the Decatur area, you need to make a point of stopping in.