Brewing Master

Question:

:Regarding John Harvard’s: I haven’t gotten over there to taste their brews, :but talked to them to find out what’s on tap. They’re currently serving 6 :brews: porter, nut brown, raspberry red, pale ale, golden ale, and light :lager. They have capacity for two more brews so will have 8 on tap :eventually, which will vary once they see what the regulars should be and :which will be seasonal. I stopped in this past weekend to check things out. Unfortunately, they had been painting in the back so I had problems with my sense of smell ("ahh! A nice clean latex aroma, with just a hint of volatiles …") My general impressions were as follows: Old Ivy Pale – Nothing outstanding. Cascade hops, they want to compare                this to Sierra Nevada but there is no hint of the                necessary dry hop tang in the finish. Georgia Brown – Not to be confused with Marthasville Sweet Georgia Brown.                This had the most unique character of the beers. Well                balanced maltiness, lightly hopped. My pick of the litter. Centennial Ale – A strong ale, hoppier than the Old Ivy but still no nose                to speak of (of course, see above environmental statement.                I may need to retest on a non-paint day). Porter – My wife’s favorite. Use of chocolate malt is clear in the finish,                not overpowering but a pleasant change. Of course, I make                a killer chocolate stout so my wife is rather partial to                that chocolate malt finish … Rasberry Wheat – Go ahead and beat me with a copy of the Guide to Beer, but                I’ve managed to forget whether it’s the Berlin or Munich                wheat beer that has the clove and banana overtones. Whichever                it is, this isn’t. The rasberry is barely perceptible. A                fairly average example of (whichever kind of wheat it is). This is an entirely uninformed and untrained opinion. The beers are pleasant but not outstanding (except for the brown ale, which I felt would be worth a return visit). The food is New England style, moderately priced for the part of Atlanta (Buckhead). As part of a chain (they intend to open two more brewpubs in Atlanta metro area), they should survive but I don’t expect them to take the kind of recipe chances that will make an exceptional brew. – Bill — Bill & Brenda Sutton                "Making each other crazy

Response:

Well, the brewpub scene in Atlanta just got a little weirder U.S. Border Brewery Cantina is now open, but due to licensing problems cannot serve their in-house beer yet. Meanwhile, John Harvard’s in Buckhead opened on Dec. 13 and is serving their in-house brew. So, it seems the first brewpub in GA ma be U.S. Border, but the first one to actually serve their brew is John Harvard’s. They’ll be arguing this one for years! Regarding John Harvard’s: I haven’t gotten over there to taste their brews, but talked to them to find out what’s on tap. They’re currently serving 6 brews: porter, nut brown, raspberry red, pale ale, golden ale, and light lager. They have capacity for two more brews so will have 8 on tap eventually, which will vary once they see what the regulars should be and which will be seasonal. Cheers! John Lock The Beer InfoNet <URL:http://www.beerinfo/com/~jlock

Response: