I've seen to occasional reference to Straight to Ale in the South-Atlantic forum, but I think this brewery deserves its own thread. We've officially had Straight to Ale's beer in the Atlanta area for about a month or so, with a couple kegged offerings such as Lilly Flag leading the way. Having now tried four of their large format bottles--Unobtainium, Illudium, Hellfire, and Laika--I've quickly come to the conclusion that they may be one of the best kept secrets in Southern craft beer. I'm amazed that there hasn't been more love shown to this brewery. I'm weary of barrel-aged beers, but Illudium, in particular, makes an outstanding case for more of them. It rivals, if not slightly betters, Clown Shoes Billionaire as a cognac barrel offering. (And I'm a bit of a Clown Shoes fanboy). Unobtainium is no slouch, either. A bit less "showy," but a solid offering in terms of both the base old ale and the bourbon barrel aging. As for their other offerings, Hellfire deserves a mention, too. Quads are a style in which Atlanta brewers seem to be excelling these days, including Three Taverns Quasimodo and Wild Heaven Eschaton. Hellfire stands right next to them as a fine example of an American brewed quad. Surely a few of you are hip to Straight to Ale, but in case you're not--you're really missing out on something great. (I also love their retro sci-fi artwork, which must be inspired by Huntsville's designation as Rocket City.)
I live ten minutes from the brewery and have tried a whole bunch of their stuff. In my opinion the one thing they do fairly well is the barrel aging. The different laikas were delicious as well as Unobtanium and illudium like you said. I have found though that most all of their barrel aged beers need some months for he heat to subside. I feel like monkeynaught is over rated locally but gets the proper recognition nationally. Gorillanaught is very good and the Lilly flag milk stout is as well, They are headed in the right direction as a brewery and are constantly experimenting with barrel aging. I'm glad you guys finally get some STA love.
I had two of their beers last year on a trip to Florida and was happy with them. I grabbed a sixer of the Sand Island Lighthouse by mistake. I meant to grab the IPA but both cans were blue and right next to each other, so while I looked at the IPA I grabbed the Lighthouse. Nothing really special, but it made for a decent beach beer. The other beer I tried was the Cabernet Laika, which I may have bought because of the dog on the bottle. That one was impressive and has kept the brewery memorable for me. I didn't know we get them in GA now so I'll keep an eye out. I'd certainly like to try more of their offerings.
Agreed. I've blown through two cases of Illidium and everyone has loved it, several returned for more. It's approaching Bruery Fruet/Bois/Sucre levels of greatness at half the price. The Vern's Wheatwine is exceptional too. I'm damn impressed with these guys and anxious to try more.
Definitely a good brewery for our state! Their barrel aging program is top notch, and they always have a great setup at the beer festivals. I really like Monkey and Liky Flag as far as their core beers go. Can't go wrong with any of their barrel aged beers in 22oz format.
I grabbed a few of their bottles in Nashville this past winter and must say I was thoroughly impressed. They are definitely flying a bit under the radar considering the quality of the beers they brew
It's available in Florida? Guessing North Florida because I have not seen it down here in the Ft Lauderdale-Miami area.
Glad to see some love for this brewery. (I actually came to the regional forum to make sure they were getting some recognition!) In the month they've been in GA I've tried most of their offerings and none are bad. As mentioned, the barrel aged old ales (Illudium, Unobtanium) are the highlights. Vern's Wheatwine is a fantastic representation of the style but not nearly as available as the others. Laika and Hellfire were also great and I'd love to see barreled versions of them. I'm going to enjoy the ease of finding such excellent beers on the shelves while I can because I expect they'll be much harder to find once people realize just how excellent Straight To Ale's brews are!
I have only had their Lilly flag milk stout in a six pack which the first 2 were pretty good, then the other 4 cans semi-exploded in my fridge after sitting a few weeks. The top and bottom of the remaining cans bulged up and the seal where you open the can was barely hanging on for dear life. When I took one outside to open it, it gushed its contents. I poured the rest of them. This has been about a year ago, but I have not decided to revisit any of their offerings.
Had a chance to try several of their offerings and will gladly try anything else in the future. I look forward to seeing them distribute to far off corners of the country.
Hate that you had a problem with an AL trader, I just want to make it right. It is not a hard to find beer, just sitting on shelves now and it is GOOD! Send me your address, be glad to send some out to ya.
