If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter (or if you actually, ya know, know me), you know that one of my passions in life is trying new beers. Delving into local brews is one of my favorite ways to get to know any city I get the chance to visit in this country, and I enjoy supporting the local breweries around Atlanta. I know a lot of the brewers, and I really appreciate the community aspect of how breweries tend to become neighborhood gathering spots with fiercely local mindsets. Oh, and the tasty beer. There’s that too.
So, when the opportunity presented itself to combine one of my passions (craft beer) with another (writing), I figured it was too good to pass up. On Feb. 13, I’ll be speaking at Reformation Brewery in Woodstock as part of their monthly Books & Brews event from 7-9 p.m. For the event, they generally assign a classic book for people to read before they arrive, and then they discuss it. Admission is free to anyone who just wants to show up and talk about the book, but it’s a regular tour night otherwise. That’s the kind of book club I can get behind. I don’t know exactly the format of what part I’ll play, but I think I’ll be reading an excerpt from “Killing the Immortals,” and offering some signed books for pretty cheap to those who would like to purchase it.
It doesn’t get much better for me than getting a chance to talk books and beer. Maybe toss in baseball, and I’d get the 3 Bs (NOTICE: If anyone knows of a baseball team that would like me to show up and do a reading before one of their games, drop me a line). This will be the third public event where I’ve done a reading from my first novel, and it’s undoubtedly the coolest of the three.
As far as Reformation Brewery goes, I’ve heard great things about their tasting room, which they call The Keeping Room. I’ve been following their website and social media from the beginning, because it looked like a cool spot with professional branding. I’ve been meaning to stop by for awhile, and I’m glad this will give me a good excuse to make a little trip up that way. I’ve only had a few of their beers, but what I’ve had as been somewhere between solid and very good. Atlas is a nice, moderately strong/hoppy American IPA, and Stark is a particularly roasty and chocolatey porter that’d be good to sip in front of a fire on a cold night. Their best beer I’ve had is Declaration, a nearly double-digit-ABV Imperial Stout that isn’t for the faint of palate. It’ll knock you on your butt if you’re not ready for it, but I love big stouts. It’s a good one.
I’m definitely excited about this one. The folks up there have been really welcoming, and I’m looking forward to sitting in with them next month. I’ll probably make a trip up ahead of time to get the lay of the land a bit — and, well, drink a couple of beers. It’s great that they’re not only embracing classic literature (which is awesome in its own right), but also supporting a local nobody like me, showing that fierce local nature that I talked about earlier. Breweries really are terrific. Can’t wait to see you guys, Reformation. Cheers.
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