Bob Townsend’s beer pick

> Red Brick Helles Bock Lager

Atlanta Brewing Co., Atlanta

> $4.25/pint at Taco Mac locations; also available at other metro restaurants and beer bars, including the Porter, Holy Taco and Charlie Mopps.

> Profile: This year’s model of Atlanta Brewing Co.’s draft-only, spring seasonal is a crisp but robust brew, which makes it ideal for this time of year, when winter is still in the air but warmer temperatures are on the way. Atlanta brewer Dave McClure changed his recipe for Red Brick Helles Bock Lager, with 50 percent German pilsner malt and 50 percent Vienna malt, to create a straw- colored malty beer that’s closer to a Munich helles than a traditional bock. German lager yeast gives it a clean palate, Crystal hops impart a spicy aroma and flavor, while the moderately dry finish reveals a surprising hint of smoke.

> Pair with: Think of Red Brick Helles Bock Lager as falling somewhere between a pilsner and a bock and pair it with dishes that will make the most of its crisp, clean presence and bready malt flavors. Good matches might include grilled shrimp, sushi or seafood pasta. It would also make an easy companion for German sausages or classic Bavarian-style roast pork or chicken.

—- btowns@bellsouth.net

Bob Townsend is editor of Southern Brew News, a bimonthly beer publication distributed throughout the Southeast.