This is so subjective, there’s no doubt, but news today that the Atlanta Braves were partnering with Terrapin Ale at their new ballpark next spring got me to thinking: how about a Top Five list of my favorite craft beers? You want to delight me at a tailgate when you pop open a cooler? Have these bottles jutting up out of the ice (or a keg of this tapped.) Give me a honey wheat (sch’weat!) or pale ale from one of these beermakers and I’ll be sticking around for another one. Lucky you!
No. 5 Olde Mecklenburg. This list is going to give away my regional biases – and my move back to my hometown of Charlotte, N.C. – but the local brew ain’t bad. I’ll say that.
No. 4 Fat Tire – It was one of the choices guests were served at my wedding, if that tells you something. And yes, we had bottleneck beer (and a barn) at my wedding.
No. 3 Terrapin Ale – The proud product of Athens, Ga. and it’s hard to argue with the quality. So when Terrapin opens its taproom and microbrewery just outside of SunTrust Park next April, it’s sure to be a hit with Georgia folks – and everybody else in Braves Country.
No. 2 Blue Moon – What other beer can you say tastes great when you slip a slice of orange down the long neck? Goes great with baseball games, I might add.
No. 1 SweetWater. Secretly bummed the Braves didn’t reach agreement with these guys, who make beer right in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. I’m a fan. And SweetWater 420 is a staple at any tailgate of mine.