Atlanta Brewing Company - Hoplanta

This IPA has been a staple offering at Atlanta Brewing Company pretty much since they opened, but this current version is a new recipe that debuted in 2018, and we're big fans. Hoplanta pours a coppery golden color that's a shade darker than its Hartsfield sibling, but capped by a similarly stout head of foam that sticks to our glass as it settles to a persistent collar. On the nose, look for bright citrus zest, spice, and some dank, resinous pine to jump right out at you, underpinned by a dollop of caramel malt. In the flavor, this delivers a classic West Coast-style hop profile that's boldly citrusy, offering impressions of citrus flesh, juice, and zest with that resinous pine character playing a classic complementary role. Hop bitterness is quite firm, nicely supported by plenty of malt bringing a dash of caramel. But make no mistake, the hops dominate here, and for us hop-heads, that lingering resinous note in the finish just beckons another sip. For food pairings, boldly spiced Indian dishes should stand up to and complement this IPA nicely, along with spicy and cheesy Mexican dishes. Cheers!

The Atlanta Brewing Company (ABC) is the oldest operational craft brewery in the state of Georgia, having been founded by former Guinness executive Greg Kelly in 1993 in an old brick warehouse that he transformed into a brewery. English brewing equipment was brought in, including a grain mill – still used by the brewery – which was found lying abandoned in an English meadow.

In 2006, the Atlanta Brewing Company was named one of "10 great places to see what's brewing in beer" by USA Today. We agree—especially amidst the awakening of craft-brewed beer's collective consciousness that's currently happening in the South. In 2013, Garett Lockhart and Steve Anderson took over brewing operations as brewmaster and head brewer, respectively, and the duo began brewing a new array of award-winning beers. In 2015, Garett was promoted to brewery president as the brewery began the transition to packaging in cans – a smart move as cans have quickly overtaken bottles to become the preferred method of packaging craft beers. Today, ABC offers four core, year-round beers along with a wide variety of seasonals and limited-production beers. For our friends living in the ATL, as well as visitors to the city, a stop at ABC's brewery Taproom is recommended, as they offer a wide selection of beers on tap as well as available to-go. For more information, call them up at 404-355-5558, or visit atlantabrewing.com.