Highest rated beer in New Jersey

Chad on August 26, 2023

If you drink beer—any beer—you’ve likely heard of the craft … in New Jersey using ratings from BeerAdvocate. A maximum of 5 beers per brewery were included. – Rating: 4.29 (16 ratings) – Type: …

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Wild Heaven Crab Fest brought a little bit of Maryland to Atlanta

Chad on August 26, 2023

Wild Heaven Crab Fest 2023, Sarah Young

Wild Heaven held their first Maryland-style Crab Fest in late July.

Have you ever befriended someone because of a body of water? In my case, it’s the Chesapeake Bay. Let me explain.

I grew up in Delaware. For those of you who are terrible with geography, Delaware is a state. It is actually the first state to ratify the Constitution. They’re pretty proud of that. Sarah Young, the VP, and co-owner of Wild Heaven Brewery in Atlanta, grew up in Maryland. (7th to ratify.) We’ve always talked about growing up in the mid-Atlantic over beers, which actually prompted us to make a Chesapeake Bay-themed beer (aka Old Bae), a saison with Old Bay seasoning. Folks loved it, McCormicks told us to stop. Oh well.

With that over, Sarah wasn’t ready to pack up the seasoning just yet, as it were. Sarah loves beer and crabs and Long John Silver’s drive-through wasn’t going to cut it. We were talking full-on “Bay-Style” crab boil. She brought Maryland to Atlanta in the purest form she could and did it up right.

Young sourced over 800 fresh Maryland Blue Crabs from Harbour House Crabs, which were overnighted to Wild Heaven’s Garden Room at their West End location. Tables were lined up end to end, covered in brown paper, and stacked eye level with Old Bay, crab seasonings, and wood hammers for a cracking good time. Live music started when the first crab hit the table and didn’t stop until the last one was shredded. Beers were cold and plentiful. There was enough low country boil to serve half of Maryland. By the end of it all, couples were dancing along with the band.

All Young wanted was a true-to-life Maryland crabfest in Atlanta and she freaking killed it. ATL’s finest crab-eating pros lined up before noon and when the doors opened, did what came naturally. Hopefully, this will become an annual event for the brewery.

Check out the day below

[See image gallery at beerstreetjournal.com]

The post Wild Heaven Crab Fest brought a little bit of Maryland to Atlanta appeared first on Beer Street Journal.

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Garçon, un Picon! — The Past and Future Success of Amer Bière in French Drinking Culture

Chad on August 24, 2023

Their drink earned a lot of attention at French beer festivals last year.After years of taking inspiration from North American brewing, mainly by focusing on really hoppy styles, it now seems like French brewers—and drinkers—are looking to embrace their own traditions, whether it’s by taking influences from French wine or by paying homage to institutions like Picon-Bière.Kévin Coudette, manager of the Lille craft beer bar La Capsule, believes Amer Bière conveys the sense of familiarity and conviviality that he wants to create at his venue—by throwing “Soirée Picon,” a recurring “Picon Evening” event where you can choose from various amer brands and flavors to blend with a craft beer.That’s also what led two breweries, Hôpi and La Débauche, to brew Homologué, a collaborative spiced beer with orange zest and gentian that attempts to recreate the taste of a Picon-Bière cocktail. Ludovic Hörlin, Hôpi’s founder, took it as a challenge to make a Picon-Bière without actually using Picon, but one that fits in with how he often finds inspiration “As a brewer, I don’t restrict myself to beer when it comes to creating new recipes I get lots of ideas through food, herbs I tasted in a meal, or our terroir,” he says

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