Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting Beer List: 1/21/2023

Scroll Down for the FULL LIST OF CASK ALES, winners, and photos from the fest:

Important Festival Notes:

• WEAR YOUR BEADS. These are required for entry and for being served.
• ALLERGENS: Some beers contain nuts and other allergens. Check descriptions below.
• Ribbons for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place Avant-Garde and Classic-Style casks will be posted on casks at 4 PM. Festival attendees can use the link below to vote for People's Choice cask. 
• Floors are wet - please use constant caution. 
• Don't drink and drive! Use Uber and Lyft.
• Attendees get 10% off delicious food items at Bold Monk today!
• Beers are subject to change without notice.
• ACAT code of conduct is posted below. 

CLICK HERE to vote for your favorite cask before 5 PM on festival day. Use the unique six-digit passcode from your green ticket to vote. 

THESE 20 CASKS LOCATED IN THE FOEDER ROOM NEAR THE BREWERY:

01. 6S Brewing Oil Change Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. An oil change is recommended every 5000 miles, but this Oil Change is great anytime! Our 7.5% ABV American Imperial Stout is bubbly, black and silky with notes of coffee, chocolate, toasted coconut and caramel. Aging for five months in Stranahan’s whiskey barrels helped create this smooth, aromatic, rich and creamy ale that offers whiskey on the nose and a warming finish.

02. Akademia Phobia Imperial Stout contains a powerful 13.0% ABV with additions of Nutter Butter cookies, Madagascar vanilla beans and chipotle peppers.

03. Arches Brewing Lost the Plot. This 7% ABV British-Style Strong Ale is reminiscent of decadent, rich English toffee and fruitcake with a firm, appealing bitterness for balance. Hop aromas offer subtle lavender and earth notes.

04. Athentic Bold Faced Rye is a 5.8% ABV Roggenbier. The mix of 60% rye in the grain bill and the Hefeweizen yeast creates rich and complex flavors of caramel, toffee, clove and pumpernickel bread. The mouthfeel is delightfully smooth and pillowy.

05. No Cask in This Slot

06. Bold Monk Dark Angel is a blend of ASW Resurgens Rye barrel-aged Sir Isaac Quad re-fermented with mission figs and two-year-old foeder fermented Angels in the Architecture. Bright notes of citrus and acid meld harmoniously with rich caramel and dark fruit - all brought together by spicy barrel rye notes and well-aged funk. 8% ABV.

07. Braselton Brewing Handshake IPA - A subdued West Coast-Style IPA with Columbus, Loral, Azacca and Veterans Blend hops throughout. This delicious IPA starts floral and transitions to a piney finish.

08. Burnt Hickory Withered Cherry Blackberry Cobbler Berliner premiers as a 4.5% ABV fruit-forward tart wheat ale. Soured with proprietary bacteria and cleaned up in the kettle pre-fermentation, this beer has the sweet and tart flavors of pie and is named for Atlanta Doom/Black Metal legends Withered.

09. Cherry Street Brewing BananACAT is a 10% ABV bourbon barrel-aged Belgian-Style Quad aged for 12 months in a Four Roses 10-Year Select barrel with ripe bananas and toasted walnuts with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, dates and vanilla.

10. PEOPLE'S CHOICE CASK WINNER -- Lincoln Fill Station / Cherry Street The Buffalo Rider. An 11% ABV German chocolate Imperial Stout aged in a Buffalo Trace barrel with toasted coconut, dates, vanilla and Ghirardelli chocolate. Buffalo Trace barrel-aged maple syrup was used as the primer for cask-conditioning.

11. Cøntrast Artisan Ales Mammy's Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Stout. We hope you're wearing a sweater, because it's about to get super cozy in here with this 5.3% ABV dreamy, silky Oatmeal Stout that embodies a favorite classic breakfast bowl. It's smooth, comfy goodness in a glass.

12. Creature Comforts Vuja De: London Porter. Vuja De is an exploratory series with historical influence that looks at classic beer brands in a new, yet familiar, way. With this 5.0% ABV addition to the series, we honor the legendary Fuller's London Porter. This special cask offers a creamy roast flavor with a touch of salinity.

13. THIRD PLACE CLASSIC STYLE -- Cultivation Brewing Simple Habits. This 5.8% ABV nod to traditional Farmhouse Ales was fermented with French Saison yeast and brewed with Pilsner and Vienna malts balanced by Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin hops.

14. Elsewhere Brewing Vaunted East Coast IPA. For this hazy IPA, we blended juicy and citrusy aspects. Additions of 2022 harvested Mt. Hood whole cone hops to this special cask help accentuate a warm spice character and create a unique and approachable 6.5% ABV offering with 20 IBUs.

15. Eventide Brewing Cup of Excellence is a 6.7% ABV coffee Milk Stout aged on Madagascar vanilla beans and oak spirals. Expect a sweet, malty profile with a creamy coffee finish.

16. Good Word Brewing Analog Life is a 3.6% ABV English-Style Dark Mild Ale that's loaded with elegant, subtle complexity and immense drinkability.

17. Halfway Crooks 10˚P Černé Pivo. This Czech-Style Black Lager with 4.2% ABV was done in collaboration with Cohesion Brewing in Denver, and the elegant beer uses Epiphany base and specialty dark malts. The hop bill is 100% Saaz. This Czech dark lager offers a touch more roasted character and dark color than a Tmavý. This exclusive version was krausened in the cask and cold lagered.

18. Hop Atomica Sweater Weather is an American Strong Ale with 9.3% ABV and 51 IBUs. It's hopped with Magnum, Goldings, Willamette and Saaz. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, grains of paradise, orange peel and vanilla beans were added to the cask to spice up this rich "winter warmer" ale.

19. Hopstix GMT is our 5.7% ABV take on a contemporary English IPA. We started with a foundation of Maris Otter and UK crystal malts, along with multiple hop additions in the kettle and a healthy dry-hopping with Olacana and Jester. These elements combine to form toasted bread and toffee notes highlighted with bright citrus and tea nuances.

20. Khonso Brewing Long Tall Sally. Just like one of our favorite songs by Little Richard Penniman, this 11.5% ABV Barleywine is fun. Our Barleywine offers a deep amber color, smooth body, caramel maltiness, and notes of raisin. This one is like Sally - built for speed!

THESE 17 CASKS LOCATED UPSTAIRS IN THE LIBRARY ROOM:

21. Liquid Nation Brewing Lick The Wrapper. This 5.5% ABV peanut butter and chocolate milk porter will make you question whether you’re drinking a glass of suds or munching a peanut butter cup. We start with a generous use of roasted and chocolate malts, sprinkle in just the right amount of hops, mix in some peanut butter and let it “bake” until ready. Expect a sweet porter with big notes of chocolate and peanut butter.

22. Little Cottage Beyond the Edge of Existence. This 4.8% ESB was brewed with Maris Otter and a touch of crystal malt for the grain bill, along with Nugget and East Kent Goldings for the hop additions. A toasted, bread-like character with a little caramel comes through in this full-bodied UK-style bitter. A medium hop bitterness rounds things out.

23. Lost Druid Menai British-Style Golden Ale is a 5% ABV rounded and smooth cask that features a unique blend of hops that showcases a highly-desired orange marmalade note while providing a balanced, hop-forward, subtle bready malt backbone. Golden straw in color, this style is a thirst quencher. Once produced solely as a refreshing summer beer, British-Style Golden Ales are now enjoyed year-round in the UK.

24. Magnanimous Brewing Sorath is a 6% ABV Czech-Style Dark Lager constructed with elegant European malts and Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. Expect a clean fermentation profile highlighted by impressive malt and noble hop character.

25. Mandatory Fun Beer Works Blood Stripe. This Irish Red Ale Braggot from Smyrna was aged in a rye barrel with additions of orange blossom honey. 

26. Max Lager's Fooler's ESB makes for a truly classic cask. Look for a full-bodied, amber-colored ale with medium bitterness and pleasant fruity notes. East Kent Goldings hops were used for an earthy, herbal English hop character.  ABV: 5.4%.

27. Monday Night Prague Fog Czech Dark Lager is brewed with noble hops and floor-malted dark Bohemian pilsner malt. Its character is balanced by roasty/toasty notes. With this 3.7% ABV ultra-drinkable beer, you’ll find yourself ensconced in Prague Fog all winter long.

28. Monkey Wrench Brewing Coconuts & Bolts is a 6.3% ABV English-Style Porter constructed with six different malts. Look for upfront notes of espresso balanced with coconut and cacao nibs.

29. Moon River Apparition Ale is an English-Style Pale Ale that sits at 5% ABV. Brewed with Maris Otter malt and traditional Timothy Taylor ale yeast, this beer begs to be cask-conditioned. A special dry-hopping of East Kent Goldings in the firkin accentuates the honey-like caramel qualities of the malt.

30. New Realm Yankee Invasion ESB is what we are calling an "International ESB." Brewed in the English style with all English malts, this cask also features German Mandarina Bavaria hops and American Amarillo hops. It's amber in color with impressive biscuit and caramel malt character, along with fruit-forward hop flavors. 6.4% ABV, 49 IBUs.

31. Normaltown "A Proper Mountie Breakfast." We sought to create a strong breakfast stout that could stand up to a cold Canadian winter. With flaked oats, maple bacon extract, oak spirals and a hint of cinnamon, this dark ale won’t fail to warm you up and remind you why breakfast is the most important meal. 10.5% ABV, (Note: Contains soy and dairy from the maple bacon extract.)

32. Orpheus Ultramega Imperial Stout - A silky rye strong stout with layers of dark chocolate, molasses and baking spices. No adjuncts were harmed in the making of this powerful brew that comes in at 11.4% ABV.

33. Piedmont Brewery If I Could Quit - A clean 5.0% ABV lager brewed with a heavy-handed amount of honey malt balanced with Hersbrucker hops. A subtle sweetness and lingering honey flavor on the back end make this an appealing winter lager.

34. Pontoon Brewing AquaChronic Double IPA is 8% ABV and dry-hopped with Galaxy, Enigma and Citra. This is a bigger brother of our AquaTronic Double IPA with beefier hops. 

35. Gate City Dunkles Bock with Spices is a malty German-Style amber lager with tasty additions of cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg. 6.5% ABV. 

36. Red Hare The Last Big Beer in a Small Town is an 8.5% ABV barrel-aged Milk Stout brewed with Ecuadorian cocoa nibs and aged in a bourbon barrel that previously held our award-winning rum. Part of our ongoing “double barrel” projects, this sweet stout provides notes of chocolate, vanilla, plum and warming rum. 

37. Reformation Brewery English Barleywine pays tribute to the rich, complex and intense Barleywine style that is now making a thankful comeback. This 11.2% ABV cask version is brewed with additions of blackstrap molasses and Tahitian vanilla.

THESE 9 CASKS LOCATED IN COVERED BREEZEWAY OUTSIDE BOLD MONK'S MAIN DOOR:

38. Rock Solid Brewing Not My Gumdrop Buttons! is a flavorful American Stout that comes in at 7.3% ABV with cinnamon, ginger and clove added to this exclusive cask.

39. Round Trip Brewing Decocted & Concocted is a decocted Czech Amber Lager made with Weyermann floor-malted Bohemian Pilsner and Carared malts. A dose of cold brew coffee from Docent Coffee Roasters was added to this special cask.

40. Sabbath Brewing Three Bedrooms on Beech Creek Orchards - Our oak-fermented wild sour ale base was re-fermented on carbonic macerated wild foraged muscadines from Beech Creek Orchards. 6.9% ABV.

41. Sceptre Brewing Arts Hexproof is a 4.3% ABV double dry-hopped Pale Ale brewed with Riverbend Southern Craft Malt and oats with heaps of Zappa and Loral Lupulin hops, along with a dose of Hopzoil Hazy.

42. Schoolhouse Brewing Cran Piano. This 6.0% ABV kettle-soured Berliner Weisse was loaded with cranberries, resulting in a beer that is both tart and invigorating.  Sophisticated and classy, yet intense, it'll have your taste buds humming along in contentment. 

43. Shiner Candy Cane Porter is crafted with two-row malt accompanied by a duo of dark malts for color and toasty flavors, as well as flaked oats which impart a smooth mouthfeel. In addition, we infused this 10% ABV sipper with a vast amount of cocoa to give it a comforting chocolate note to partner with the fresh mint that was added near the end of fermentation in the same vein that one would dry-hop an IPA. The complex porter in this firkin was marinated on wood that was soaked with Garrison Brother’s Bourbon.

44. Six Bridges Innit Bruv Ordinary Bitter. This 4.6% ABV session ale contains Maris Otter, crystal 45, biscuit and Victory malts, along with Fuggle hops and London yeast. Like the older bloke at the pub used to say, "Need that balance in your life and your beer, mate. That malty character is a real delight innit. But mind the bitter finish - it's cracking skulls, bruv! Look at that color too, mate, blimey! Pour this one in the glass, and then Bob’s your uncle, innit?"

45. Southbound Brewing Hot'lin IPA uses our popular Hop'lin West Coast-Style IPA as a base, with additions of jalapeno and pineapple cranking up the complexity in this mouth-watering cask that holds 6.3% ABV and 40 IBUs.

46. STATS Brewpub Albatross is a 6.4% ABV American IPA conditioned in the cask on mangos and serrano peppers. Expect an appealing hop profile backed by wonderful fruit and chili notes.

THESE 11 CASKS LOCATED IN THE BEER GARDEN OUTSIDE THE UPSTAIRS LIBRARY ROOM:

47. FIRST PLACE CLASSIC STYLE -- StillFire Brewing Withershin Walter's Old English Ale. This delectable, malty ale comes in at 9% ABV. Enjoy this classic English-Style Old Ale that was aged tenderly for maximum flavour and complexity.

48. Terrapin Athens Cask Perception Imperial IPA starts with our base beer Depth Perception, and finishes with additions of CTZ, Centennial and Simcoe dry-hops in the cask. Our 9.1% ABV red ale base is aggressively hopped with CTZ, Chinook and Crystal hops, while backed by CaraMalt and crystal 45 for a pleasant sweetness and full mouthfeel. 

49. Terrapin Atlanta Walk & Balk is a twist on a complex classic beer style. Our Golden Weizenbock has been combined with chocolate, paying homage to a ballpark favorite combination of bananas and chocolate.

50. SECOND PLACE CLASSIC STYLE -- Three Taverns Double Dry-Hopped Night on Ponce IPA. We took our base IPA and dry-hopped in the cask with an additional charge of Galaxy and Simcoe hops. Expect an extra layer of tropical fruit, grapefruit and pine notes, along with the prevalent citrus character of A Night on Ponce IPA.

51. Torched Hop Wai Wai Express IPA. This 7.9% IPA was heavily hopped with New Zealand-grown Nelson Sauvin and US-grown Citra. Phantasm powder from New Zealand grape skins was added to the kettle, and the beer was fermented with a thiolized yeast strain. Look for notes of Pinot Gris grapes, mango and tropical fruits.

52. Twain's Brewpub & Billiards Brux Ambré is a 6% ABV Biere de Garde that was aged for four years on Brettanomyces bruxellensis yeast in a red wine barrel. Look for rich barrel elements and notes of red wine with deep, funky Brett character. Sip slowly, as this ale develops over time in your glass.

53. THIRD PLACE AVANT-GARDE STYLE -- Two Tides How Much Cheese is too Much Cheese? Check out our mint chocolate cheesecake Imperial Stout that's made with Andes mints, cheesecake, graham crackers and vanilla. 9.9% ABV.

54. Variant Brewing Broken Mind is a 13.5% ABV imperial pastry stout with additions of macadamia nuts, white chocolate, sea salt and a blend of Tahitian, Papua New Guinea and Peruvian vanilla beans.

55. SECOND PLACE AVANT-GARDE STYLE -- Viking Alchemist The Raven Mead. Don't miss this luscious dark cherry mead made with additions of blackberry, black currant, blueberry, clove, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and orange.

56. FIRST PLACE AVANT-GARDE STYLE -- Wild Heaven 5 Points German-Style Doppelbock ranks as our fifth collaboration with Bulleit Frontier Whiskey. This traditional strong dark lager was aged in Bulleit 95 Rye barrels. Expect notes of rich, toasty buttered toffee, raisins and rye bourbon. 9.25% ABV.

57. Wrecking Bar Wreckinator Dopplebock. A rich and robust Bavarian-style strong lager with notes of gooey caramel, burnt sugar and dark fruit. There are no adjuncts here - just beer! 6.8% ABV. 

CLICK HERE to vote for your favorite cask before 5 PM on festival day. Use the unique six-digit passcode from your green ticket to vote.

ACAT CODE OF CONDUCT: ACAT is dedicated to a harassment-free festival experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race or religion. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. All communication should be kind, appropriate and inclusive for all audiences, including people of diverse backgrounds, sexual orientations and cultures. Sexual language, harassment and imagery are never appropriate. All festival participants are expected to conduct themselves with responsibility, integrity, courtesy and respect for others. Participants violating these rules will be asked to leave at the sole discretion of the festival host and/or organizers. Thank you for respecting these important rules.

IMAGES FROM OUR 2023 ATLANTA CASK ALE TASTING:

Photos by Mary Fiorello, Patricia Watt and Ashton Smith.