On Saturday afternoon, Max Lager's in downtown Atlanta, the oldest brewpub in Georgia, hosts its second annual Old 320 Beer Fest .
Billed as “celebrating the independent and innovative culture of craft brewing,” the event features more than 30 craft breweries from Georgia and around the country. Bites from Max Lager’s, live music, and raffle tickets to win a journey to Germany with Brewtopia Beer Trips, round out the festivities.
Among the beers on tap, I’m looking forward to Max Lager’s barrel-aged Prichard's Excommunication, a Flanders-style red ale which recently won a silver medal at the U.S. Open Beer Championship.
And with that, Prichard’s Excommunication is this week’s Beer Pick.
Max Lager’s Old 320 Beer Fest, noon-4 p.m. July 22. $60 advance/$75 at the door, includes unlimited beer sampling, commemorative sampler glass, appetizers provided by Max Lagers, an edible pretzel lanyard and one raffle ticket. 320 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-525-4400, freshtix.com/events/max-lagers-the-old-320-beer-fest-2017.
Beer Pick
Prichard's Excommunication
Max Lager’s, Atlanta
Available on draft and cask at Max Lager's.
Profile
Max Lager’s Excommunication Flanders-style red ale won a bronze medal in the American fruited sour category at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. The newest iteration of Excommunication was aged in a Prichard’s rum barrel for 8 months, and recently won a silver medal at the U.S. Open Beer Championship.
Excommunication is part of an ongoing barrel project that employs mixed fermentation and is macerated with Balaton cherries and dried Mission figs. All together, the process produces a tart, complex Flanders-style red ale — and the rum barrel-aging adds even more complex notes of vanilla, oak and spice.
Pair with
Sometimes touted as the “Burgundy of Belgium,” Flanders red ale has many of the bright, fruity characteristics of wine. And that goes for the original Excommunication, which makes a great match for Belgian-style mussels and frites. But I might try the rum barrel version with desserts, such as cherry cheesecake or fresh fig tart.
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