Tag: beer

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The South’s Greatest Beer Snack

There is a Southern specialty that for some reason has not found the popularity and omnipresence that is so surely deserves. It is found most often in rural gas stations, across Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama. But it deserves a place at the bar. At every bar that serves beer, in fact. For there is no greater friend to beer than this delicious, salty, crunchy snack. As much as we regret to say this, it is NOT the pork rind or cracklins. It is… the peanut… but not just any peanut! Yes, the roasted peanut is a rich and grand thing, the boiled peanut is beautiful and bewitching, but the deep fried peanut, “shell-n-all”? THAT is the South’s greatest beer snack.

Fried Peanuts

The first time one encounters a deep fried peanut, the initial temptation is to crack the shell open and free the peanuts from bondage. That would be a mistake. Once you’ve overcome your fears of the shell, accepted that maybe you should try just one since the bag proclaims “so good… you can eat ’em SHELL-N-ALL,” your mouth will soon tell you that you’ve made a wise choice. The crisp crunch of the shell and the saltiness and spice that have infused it hit your tastebuds first. Then the toasty, nutty goodness of the peanuts themselves layer on another wave of joy. And what could possibly follow that wave of joy other than a sip (or a gulp) of a cold beer? Like peanut butter and jelly, moon pies and RC cola, deep fried peanuts and beer are a match made in Southern heaven.

So, next time you’re off on a rural highway and stop for gas, be sure to check inside for the presence of this delicacy, then buy as many bags as your car will hold. You can thank “Uncle Bud” of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee for producing these wonders, or his rivals, Jerry of Polkville, North Carolina, or Bobby Salter of the one and only Plains, Georgia. And ask your favorite barkeeps to do the world a favor and bring some deep fried peanut goodness into the lives of their patrons. And they will thank you.

By the way, the basic salted, deep fried peanuts can also act as a blank canvas of sorts for adding your own spices. Simply heat up some oil and the spice mixture of your choice in a skillet and toss in some deep fried peanuts, mix well, drain on a paper towel, and you’re set. Here’s a not-so-Southern batch with chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorns, equally good with an IPA or a good German Riesling!
Chili Peanuts

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A Witch Hunt & More in Decatur, GA

Leon's Full Service

Decatur and the Westside seem to be battling it out for food and drink supremacy in Atlanta these days, and Decatur’s lineup is enough to make you rethink your decision to live anywhere other than within walking distance to the heart of Decatur. Visits to some stalwarts of the Decatur scene revealed all that is great about the onset of Autumn – seasonal ales, creative cocktails shifting to spices and fall fruits, and food to match.

Let’s start with Leon’s Full Service, where Miles and team man the bar and turn out some of Atlanta’s best cocktails. They’ve already made the turn out of the relatively light and refreshing summer drinks and are now in the land of apples and honey – richer, spicier, darker. With names like Death & Company, Witch Hunt, and the Whitehall Mystery, surely Halloween is right around the corner. The Witch Hunt is a perfect drink for easing into the cooler weather, a mix of house-made apple-cardamom syrup, Dry Fly gin, Liquore Strega (Italian for witch), a bit of lemon and an absinthe rinse (full recipe below, under Comments). It manages to be bright and balanced, warming and refreshing, and Miles’ tricks with the shaker make a perfect treat when you feel the fabulous texture, the “mouthfeel,” of this drink. Here’s a little video to whet your appetite for going on a Witch Hunt of your own:

Leon’s Full Service: Miles & the Witch Hunt from Thirsty South on Vimeo.

Down the street a few blocks, Cakes & Ale matches their stellar, seasonal food with some equally stellar, seasonal drinks. Corina behind the bar is now featuring a cocktail called East of Eden (recipe here). Apples and pomegranates mix together with Corsair Wry Moon unaged whiskey, a beautiful sight in a dark vintage martini glass. Corina has been seeking the right pairing for the Corsair unaged whiskey, and the freshly pressed apple juice and muddled pomegranate seem to be the perfect match. Look for some interesting Hot Toddy-inspired cocktails coming soon to counteract the cooler weather.

Cakes & Ale

Back on the square, the Iberian Pig has been turning out a signature drink for some time now, but it seems especially well suited to the weather these days – their Iberian Old Fashioned gets smokey and rich with house bacon-infused rye whiskey, brown sugar and molasses, and a mix of bitters and citrus oil to top it off. Other bars are playing with bacon, but Iberian Pig gets it right, not too heavy, not too salty, simply right.

Iberian Pig
Iberian Pig
Iberian Pig

Of course, The Brick Store Pub is constantly offering seasonal beer specials from keg or cask or bottle, and the current crop is keeping the crowds happy. A current rare treat is the Founder’s Black Biscuit, a barrel-aged black ale that brings serious complexity and depth.

Brick Store

As if the cocktails and beer weren’t enough to get you over to the Decatur side of town, there’s also a new wine shop down the street in quaint Avondale Estates. The Little Wine Shop just held their grand opening and is a great stop for good and interesting value wines. Their monthly six pack special is an especially good way to try some compelling wines at a very compelling price.
Little Wine Shop

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Beer or Wine? Four Excellent Events Battle It Out In October

Beer or wine?

Atlanta beer and wine lovers have much to rejoice over, as the first two weeks of October bring one whale of a wine celebration at the Georgia Aquarium, two hopped up beer celebrations in Decatur and Glenwood Park, AND one intimate event pitting wine vs. beer for pairing prowess. Yes, there are many other events happening in Atlanta in October, but these four will be shining a very bright spotlight on some stellar beers and wines.

Firmly on the wine side of things, AQUA VINO on October 14 is one of the city’s major wine events, benefitting the Georgia Aquarium’s Correll Center for Aquatic Animal Health. Your ticket will indeed save the whales. Guaranteed. Well, maybe we shouldn’t go that far, but this is a great cause, and a great excuse to sample hundreds of wines from around the world, with more than 30 of Atlanta’s best restaurants providing the food, in one of Atlanta’s most amazing settings – next to the swimming seas of the aquarium itself. More info and tickets here.

Moving over to the beer side of life, things are getting crazy, with HOTOBERFEST on October 2 (this weekend folks!) and the Decatur Craft Beer Festival just two weeks later on October 16. Both of these events are best described as “beyond awesome” – the quality and variety of beer available will be astounding, the music will be rockin, hopefully the weather will be as stunning as it has been the past few days as the cool, crisp air of Fall finally settles over Atlanta. HOTOBERFEST offers three ways of partaking in the fun, from free entry to the main festival area and a la carte beer purchases to the (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) “Firkin VIP Ticket” that gets you tastes of an incredible lineup of crazy casks, seasonal beers, and more from the likes of Allagash, Sweetwater, Terrapin and Atlanta Brewing (with a special 15 year anniversary vintage brown ale aged in Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels!!). Meanwhile, the Decatur Craft Beer Festival again sold out in something like seventeen seconds or so, so you’ll have to pray for a ticket to fall from the heavens or peruse Craigslist for unsavory characters scalping their way to profit.

And, finally, a showdown between our two featured beverages, BEER vs. WINE at 5 Seasons Westside on October 6. The wine hails from heralded Lioco Winery of California, who is pairing two of their stellar chardonnays, two of their pinot noirs, and their truly unique “Indica” blend with five courses prepared by 5 Seasons Chef David Larkworthy. And the beer, of course, comes from 5 Seasons themselves, with a killer lineup of unique aged brews (the “Burgundian” for example is a saison aged in a pinot noir barrel). Does 5 Seasons have the home field advantage? Maybe so, but being able to taste this lineup of Lioco wines will surely have the crowd cheering for the visiting team as well. All this for $55 per person, reservations required – call 5 Seasons at 404-875-3232.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and support these great Atlanta events! No matter who the victor, beer or wine, it will surely be a good game.

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Drinking Locally, Cheers to Cypress St. Pint & Plate

Right on the heels of our post In Praise of Drinking Locally, the fine folks at Cypress Street Pint & Plate in midtown Atlanta hosted a “local tap takeover” Beer Geek Tuesday, that brought together some great Georgia brewers – Jailhouse Brewing, Sweetwater, Terrapin, Red Brick, and the most recent newcomers to the local beer scene, Wild Heaven and O’Dempseys. This was probably the first ever event to feature all of these Georgia beers in one place (not to mention having the actual brewers or brewery reps on hand to participate), and Wes and the Cypress crew did a great job pushing forward the cause of drinking local beer. Here’s to more events in the future that celebrate our great local products and the people behind them.

At Cypress, we had the pleasure of meeting a few of the gentlemen behind Hotoberfest – DO NOT MISS this big event on October 2, which will feature a number of great Georgia beers (including special casks – Sweetwater Cask IPA with black pepper, anyone?) among the hundreds of stellar beers “on tap.” Oh, and the one and only Ale Sharpton was in the house that night, too – please check out his new blog for unbridled beer enthusiasm.

Georgia Beer

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In Praise of Drinking Locally

Eat Drink Local

When we travel to distant cities, foreign countries, faraway places, the compulsion to “do what the locals do” is strong. When we see Anthony Bourdain on TV sipping the local drink of choice while digging into the culinary history of a certain place, we understand that to truly experience that place, one must take some small part in the local eating and drinking scene. If I’m in Portland, you better believe I’m drinking Stumptown coffee, trying local microbrews, and scanning the wine list for Oregon pinot noir and pinot gris. It’s all about experiencing what is unique to that place, what is shaped by and in turn shapes that place.

Back home in the South, here in Atlanta, Georgia, we have a burgeoning “eat local” movement fueled by weekly farmers markets, by Whole Foods trumpeting which produce is grown in the region, by so many restaurants who are now subscribing to a Southern “farm to table” philosophy. Eat local. Support local growers and food artisans. Keep Southern food traditions alive (and evolving). For the good of the local economy and environment, for the good of the food itself. Amen.

And, now, trailing in the wake of the “eat local” movement, the “drink local” notion is also taking hold. Not that it hasn’t existed in some form for many years – we love our locally brewed beer, our Sweetwater, our Terrapin. Octane in Atlanta even offers a discount on the Georgia-brewed beers on its small but excellent beer list on Saturday nights. The number of coffee houses that feature locally roasted beans has blossomed. It feels good to know your cup was crafted in the hands of Southern roasters rather than in some far-off mega-corporate warehouse. This, of course, assumes that the local product is good and worthy of our choice, worthy of spending our local dollars on. Does it deliver the joy and satisfaction that an “imported” alternative could? That’s the cost of entry – if our local brewers/ roasters/ growers don’t produce a great beer, roast a mean bean, or grow a great tomato for that matter, they are not going to win a lot of support from the “eat/drink local” crowd.

Georgia and the South in general is definitely there on the beer front, definitely there on the coffee front. Georgia wine is well on its way, and craft distilleries are starting to pop up around the state as well, making vodka, gin and other spirits. So after you’re done picking out some local okra at the farmstand or choosing a selection of Southern cheeses, stop and think about picking up a six pack of good Georgia beer, a bottle of good Georgia wine, or some coffee beans that are at least roasted here in the South that will make for a great cup of coffee. It won’t always be the best choice, but now, often enough, it’s at least a very good choice, a choice worth making.

Georgia Peaches
Photo: Georgia Peaches
Top Photo, clockwise from top left: Piedmont Park Green Market. Terrapin Rye Pale Ale from Athens, GA. Westside Creamery Truck at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Montaluce Viognier from North Georgia. Sweet Auburn Curb Market in Atlanta, GA.