Yesterday, take two.

Life has been a little off the wall lately here on this side of the the blog. It's like every day has something new that demands effort and attention. Hopefully things will damper out over the next few days and weeks, because I've got some really really delicious brews to feature.

Over the last two day's I got the chance to have one local brew that is a collaboration with a charity, and one from a brewery that is highly regarded and brand new to Georgia package store shelves. Mentioned yesterday, the SweetWater Crank Tank Rye'd Ale and Cigar City Jai Alai India Pale Ale are two excellent beers that could very well find regular rotation in my fridge.

The Crank Tank is a Rye ale that was brewed up to benefit [Camp Twin Lakes], which is "a nonprofit organization offering recreational, therapeutic, and educational programs for children & young adults facing serious illnesses, disabilities & other life challenges." A good friend of mine had the opportunity to work with this group and had nothing but amazing things to say about what they do. When I heard that SweetWater was doing a 'collab' with them I couldn't help but be intrigued. The event they put on is called [Spin For Kids] and is a series of bike rides of 5, 27, 47, 62, and 100-mile distances. Take the time to check out their page because this is a great cause that really does a lot for the community. Not only that but the beer is really good. Deep golden color, with a bold rye flavor. Ever had rye bread? This is the beer equivalent. Although it is a less common style among most beers, this is a great change of pace from the norm.

In addition I got the chance to have a beer that I've only heard about until recently. And everything I heard was good. Cigar City Brewing comes up regularly on [ratebeer] when you look up the top brews by style. Only problem for me was that they were almost exclusively in Florida. (Also in Philly and NY). The brewery is located in Tampa, FL and has a great theme that runs through their branding efforts. Tampa has a history rich with Spanish exploration that eventually led to a prominent cigar industry. The close proximity to Cuba had a big roll in this as well. You can find a brief history of beer brewing in Florida on the [Cigar City site] which proves to be an interesting read.

The beer itself is actually very good. You get a ton of different fruity flavors from the types of hops they use. They do a great job of balancing things out with a caramel malt profile and some grains that give you a hint of sweet bread. I'm very excited that they have been able to branch out of Florida to a place that I can get their beers. For sure I'll be taking the opportunity to see what else they bring to the table.


As promised yesterday I will be still doing a post for 'today'. Got some things to attend to first but when I get back later this evening it's on. Stay tuned!