The Brick Store Pub in Decatur, GA, just outside of Atlanta. 

The BrewDog Show on DrinkTV just named them the best place for beer in Atlanta.

We talk about how the bar came to be and how the industry has changed. They have an absolutely amazing beer cellar. Check out my blog to see some pictures.

This place wins in every way. You can find them all over the place. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, & Untappd

Want to be a guest?

doug@douginapub.com

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In November of 2016 I was a guest on the now defunct Life in a Kilt podcast. 

Life in a Kilt was created and hosted by Rick Baldwin and Cheri. Rick has led an interesting life and is still an active artist. (buy his art) When he turned 50, he decided to wear a kilt everyday for a year. That led to Year in a Kilt then Life in a Kilt. 

The podcast was recorded on site at Mac McGee’s in Decatur GA just outside of Atlanta, where Rick lives. It is a great place for food and drink. One of the best places to go when in Atlanta.

Being on this episode started me thinking about starting my own. It is also recorded where I first met Rick, his wife and Cheri and was dubbed “Doug in a Pub”

Since then, Rick and Cheri have started a new podcast, This Epic Disaster. It can be found all over the internet. 

Hope you enjoy this episode. 

Keep your ears open for new episodes of my podcast and send me some questions.

The post Doug in a Pub on Life in a Kilt first appeared on Doug In A Pub.

History

The Nutshell held the record for the smallest pub in Britain for a long time. It started serving beer in 1867 and is still going strong. It became part of King’s Brewery in 1874 and then Greene’s in 1887 after Greene merged with King.

Being a Greene King Pub, that is what they like to serve. It only has 6 tap heads, but two were for cask ales. The cask ales were pretty tasty. They also had a selection of spirits and wines behind the bars, but this is not where you go for variety.

Our Visit to Bury St. Edmunds & The Nutshell Pub

The city itself was pretty amazing. So very old. his place was our first pub when we got to Bury St. Edmunds. There is an abbey from 1020 here. The Magna Carta got started here. But, you’re here for the pub. Like we were.

Although it is no longer the smallest pub in Britain (that is the Signal Box), it is a wonderful place. On our first visit is was just us. on our second visit there were locals trading jabs with the bar tender and let us join in. The staff and the locals were fun and friendly. Well worth a visit if you are ever in the area. The beer is served right, they sell crisps and fridge magnets.

And where else can you find a jackalope and a 400 year old desiccated cat hanging from the ceiling?

Short review for a tiny pub.

The post The Nutshell Pub – A Review first appeared on Doug In A Pub.

The beer

The have an impressive selection of house made beers. Lots of styles and flavors. Most of which were to be found on a self serve beer wall. This lets you pick what you want and how much. It also lets you go back for your favorites again and again.

While every beer I had was above average in my book, there are a few of the stand outs.

Larkness Monster – Dark and silky, packed with rich complexity. – Stout

Paper Stacks – Hoppy and drinkable. Great juiciness. – NEIPA

Oatis Redding – Super hop & malt balance. – Red Ale

The Food

I had a bowl of the house made portabella mushroom soup. It was so good I almost ordered a second bowl. I followed this up with deep fried German meatloaf chunks covered in a brown mushroom gravy. I wish I were hungrier when I was there.

Etc….

I spent some time talking to the bartender and the brewmaster. Both friendly and knowledgeable. Sean makes great beer because he loves beer. this is a place I will pin on my map as a must stop when in the area.

You can find Lark Brewing on Facebook.

The post Lark Brewing – A Review first appeared on Doug In A Pub.

The Malt House in Madison, WI is a local treasure.  It has been named on the top 100 beer bars list twice in the last five years. A small cozy place that is television free and a great place to share a beer with friends. A beautiful civil war era bar (Madison’s oldest) is like an old friend as it holds up your beverages. Try to visit in the warmer months so you can enjoy the patio!

The staff is friendly and well versed in all things beer and whisky. You can order one of the 12 rotating beer taps or choose from over 150 bottles in a wall cooler. They have over 75 whiskeys to pick from and they will help you build a flight. They host regular tasting sessions with distillers and brewers.  Live music is a regular event at the Malt House.  There are  small snacks available from the bar but if you want a meal, you need to bring it in or have it delivered. The also have food truck from time to time.

The Beers and Beverages

To say they have a excellent beer selection would not do it justice. On our most recent visit we had some Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Classic on tap!  To find a beer this rare and special on tap so close to home was awesome. I might have done a little happy dance as I declared my intent to get some. Up to this point, I have only had it in bottles. We followed that up with a Duchesse De Bourgogne. Heaven! The twelve rotating taps cover the globe, from local to rare. The cooler has more than 150 beers, biers and ciders to choose from; small bottles to drink yourself or larger 750ml bottles to share with friends. 

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I want to tell you a little about another one of my favorite breweries.

I was there the first time in November of 2104 and have been trying to get back since. I finally made it there last night.

The first time they had six house brewed beers on cask! On cask! Normally, you might get lucky and find one or two, maybe three. But 6!

I was a very happy man by the time I finished that flight of beer.  Last night they had three on cask, but only one seemed to be a house brew. Still very good.

They have a mug club where $100 gives you a life time membership and $5 refills.

No food served.

Fun staff and friendly regulars.

This one will always be on my list to visit. Union Brewing

The post Union Brewing Company first appeared on Doug In A Pub.

Located near the heart of downtown Decatur, GA, in an area full of bars and restaurants, about 20 minutes from Atlanta. I was surprised to have not heard of this gem since it opened June 27 1997. It was started by three friends who love beer, and it shows in the carefully selected beer cellar they have on site. This cellar contains somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 beers. The “oldest” beer I have had there was a 2007  Samichlaus Hell from Schloss Eggenberg. The Samichlaus Classic is my #1 beer (but that’s another post).

When Georgia changed their beer laws allowing up to 14% ABV beers to be served, they opened an upstairs Belgian Beer bar (“upstairs to the left”) with 8 beers on draft and over 120 bottled Belgian beers.  In the main bar, they always have a great list of beers on tap. Another really cool thing is the “cellar flight,” where they pick four beers from the massive selection they have on hand and present them as a flight. This feature alone makes it worth a visit. You will get some very rare and unique beers.

To complement the beer, they also serve well-crafted food.

These guys do such a good job with Belgian beers, they have been knighted!!!

Check out their website here. You can also find them on various social media platforms.

Go there and drink more beer.

The post Brick Store Pub – Belgian beer bar – a review first appeared on Doug In A Pub.

Besides the food, the thing I love about HopCat is the fact they have 130 rotating taps. 30 of which are always dedicated to local beers. So, while it is a chain, they are local friendly.

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