The Decatur Beer Festival was earlier this month and as usual it did not fail. The beers were magnificent but the organizers also arranged for a flawless fall day to set the mood. A brilliant blue sky and find amber ale go together beautifully.

This continues to be one of my favorite beer festivals for the amount of Georgia Brewers who attend and the small amount of tickets that they sell. There is nothing worse than standing in long lines. You aren’t able to talk to reps about their take on the brews that they offer  and feeling claustrophobic and beer buzzed is never a good combo. If you like to have a bit of breathing room with your beer, be sure to come to this festival next fall.

I flat out refuse to drink pumpkin beers in August or for most of September so I look forward to tasting them here.  I got to try the Harpoon UFO Pumpkin  and I found it flavorful, well balanced with a true pumpkin flavor. Often fall beers taste like someone poured pumpkin extract into a Sam Adams…blech! Congrats Harpoon, you guys got it right. While it can’t hold a candle to my favorite, its pretty freaking tasty.

My favorite of the festival was the Lonerider Tombstone Reserve Oak Aged Rye  Stout. They succeeded in making a malty, chocolatey Bourbon aged drink that does not overload you with the smoke. This was originally released in 2014 but they realized how great it was and did it again.

Creature Comforts came with  their Tropicalia, but what I am really looking forward to is their Koko Buni Milk Porter with toasted coconut- Yes you read that correctly. How pretty does that sound? They have impressed me in the past with their Cucumber and Lime Tritonia and Bibo pilsner. I’m sure the Koko will not disappoint.

Reformation Brewery’s Cadence makes driving outside of the perimeter (if you aren’t a Georgian and don’t know what that means look here) to visit them not seem so bad. That being said, I think I will still just find them at one of our local beer shops. The color, flavor, and aroma of this beer is makes for a cozy drinking experience.

Service Brewing Company – The only thing better than a good beer is a good beer with a great story. Service Brewing is from Savannah, Georgia and they are owned and operated by veterans. They do great Pale and India Pale Ales but their Teufel Hunden was the winner for me! I will be on the look out for this Savannah beer closer to home.

Florida Beer Company’s  Swamp Ape American Double IPA was another favorite of mine. This was my first time trying beer from the Melbourne Florida brewery and I loved it. A big 10% with big hop flavor.

After so many samples it was time to eat. We finished off the day with too many grit tots, Ahi tuna poke, and chicken and waffles from the Pinewood Tippling Room. I slept well that night my friends. I slept very well.

What are you drinking this fall?