The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four craft beers to enjoy right now
From new releases to rereleases, here are four seasonal craft beers to enjoy with everything from breakfast to backyard burgers.
Mas Macho Double IPA
New Realm Brewing, Atlanta Available in 16-ounce fourpack cans
Profile: One of my favorite new releases is New Realm’s Mas Macho Double IPA. According to brewmaster Mitch Steele, the 9.3% double IPA was primarily hopped with American Centennial, Simcoe and Australian Vic Secret hops. (In case you’ve missed it, Steele has been broadcasting “NRBC TV” chats from his home office, using Facebook Live to introduce new beers and take questions from viewers, while sipping and offering details and tasting notes.)
Mas Macho is a wonderfully clear, yellow-gold beer, with a sturdy off-white head. As you might imagine, it’s very hop-forward, with tropical fruit, floral and citrus notes, and some dank aromas and flavors in the mix. It finishes with a balanced bitterness, and some warming alcohol sweetness.
Pair with: For a beer this big, it’s dangerously drinkable, and therefore more food-friendly than you might expect. If you’re ordering from the New Realm menu, you might try it with the Asian loaded fries, the blackened shrimp roll, or the Pine Street Market beer bratwurst.
Stepdad Made Breakfast
Second Self Beer Co., Atlanta Available on draft at the brewery and in 16-ounce cans for a limited time
Profile: Another addition to Second Self’s Breakfast Stout series, Stepdad Made Breakfast is brewed with oats and coffee, and flavored with a crazy combination of blueberries, strawberries, vanilla and maple syrup.
The result is a dark, toasty beer, with coffee flavors and aromas, along with some tart notes, and a touch of sugary sweetness. Overall, it’s not a beer I could imagine drinking a lot of, especially at 9% alcohol. But, it’s certainly a beer you could gift your stepdad.
Pair with: Pair Stepdad with breakfast, of course — maybe pancakes, or a Belgian waffle with berries and a side of bacon, or a clean-out-the-fridge frittata.
Galactic Space Circus Hazy IPA
Creature Comforts Brewingv Co., Athens
Available on draft and in fourpacks of 16-ounce cans
Profile: I’m not the biggest fan of hazy IPAs, but Creature Comforts often makes examples of the style that I really enjoy. A big part of that is the freshness quotient, I’m sure. The brewery’s newest seasonal offering, Galactic Space Circus, is no exception.
It’s a 6.6%-alcohol, single-hopped hazy IPA brewed to highlight the bright notes of Australian Galaxy hops, including citrus, peach and passion fruit. It employs a tried-and-true formula of lactose sugar and oats to create the suspended particles that give it a hazy appearance and smooth mouthfeel.
But, best of all, Galactic Space Circus is named after the George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic tour that included singers, dancers, circus clowns, roller girls and galactic space travelers. Now, that’s really cool!
Pair with: Try Galactic Space Circus with soft cheeses, especially young goat cheese, summer salads with peaches, and desserts, such as peach cobbler or shortcake.
Dogfish 60 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Delaware
Available in six-pack 12-ounce bottles and cans, and on draft
Profile: Over the years, Dogfish Head has rereleased at lot of off-centered beers, but 60 Minute IPA remains the bestseller, and with good reason. Dogfish says it is brewed using a boatload of intense Northwest hops, and they boil this continually hopped IPA for a full 60 minutes, adding more than 60 hop additions, “to create a bold and timeless flavor.”
At 6% percent alcohol, with an amber-gold color and bubbly white head, it’s crisp and clean, and very well-balanced, with juicy citrus and soft grassy notes, and an easygoing bittersweet finish.
Pair with: Dogfish Head recommends pairing 60 Minute IPA with spicy foods, pesto, grilled salmon, soy-based dishes and pizza. It certainly would go well with backyard burgers this weekend, too, whether beef, turkey or plant-based.