wild heaven beer

A little break from the norm this week... instead of just reviewing one beer I'm reviewing an entire brewery! To be more specific I'm going to review the experience at that brewery, as we had many beers and it was already a while ago.

I was given as a christmas gift a night of brewery tours in the Atlanta area, and the first one I chose ended up being my favorite. After spending a few hours mapping everything out on a Google map and taking into consideration hours and what you get for your money, I chose to start the night at Wild Heaven Beer in Decatur.

The brewery is on a side street down by the train tracks. That's where all the best breweries are - in that almost sketchy spot on the out of the way street where you're not sure you're going to see another car... Or maybe it's just this one. They've got a good sized building and a large parking lot (which would be fun in summer if they wanted to have an outdoor concert or something... not like they'd bother any neighbors). But who cares what the outside looks like, it's what inside that counts (haven't we all heard that before?).

Once you start looking for breweries to visit in Georgia, you will discover that there is a (very silly) law on the books there about drinking at breweries. As it turns out they can't operate tap rooms where they can charge individually for each beer. Instead, they have to charge you for a tour and offer samples as part of that tour. Sample sizes are small yet there are six of them, so the fee for the 'tour' is also relatively small. We paid $12 each, though I opted for the $15 variety that comes with a souvenir glass.

Just in case anyone isn't clear - you don't actually get a tour of the brewery. It's just called a tour, which I'm sure you could ask for if you really wanted, but really you're just there to drink, right?

The tasting room at Wild Heaven is nice enough and has only what it needs. There were four or five high tables and a bar, as well as plenty of standing room. I imagine when the weather is nice they open their roll up door as well. There are some displays to read which is nice - I discovered that the process tanks they currently have were originally made for Sweetwater and also made Terrapin for a while before moving there.

I have to admit that I'm having to look back at my Untapp'd for a little help with a few of these - because that bartender did not even try to stop at 3oz. pours. He was pouring closer to 8 or 9oz. pours and was totally fine with that. We were too, until we realized that we wanted to make more than one stop over the night. Here's what I had:

Ode to Mercy 'Nitrode' Imperial Brown Ale - I gave it 3.25. I had tried it in a can a few nights before and it wasn't any better at the source. It's just a strong brown ale on nitro.
Wise Blood IPA - I gave it 4.25. This is the best thing that they make IMO. Drink this in ATL.
Ode to Mercy Special Winter Brown Ale (2016) - I gave it 4. It's the regular Ode To Mercy that's been adjuncted with coffee and aged in bourbon barrels. Better than the original.
White Blackbird Farmhouse Ale - I gave it 3.5. It's a Belgian saison, good peppery quality, solid without being super memorable.
Let There Be Light Pale Ale - I gave this 3.75. It wasn't bad at all, and I would drink this when visiting if they weren't discontinuing it for good. Sad, because I bet it was easily crushed.
Eschaton Belgian Quad - I gave this a 3.5. I don't normally go in for quads; I find them a little too much like wine for my taste. This falls into that category and is good at it, it's just not for me.
Invocation Blonde Ale - I gave this a 3.75. It's a Belgian blonde, and let's face it, I'm amazed I tasted much of anything at this point. 

I finished the trip by finishing Amy's glass of Emergency Drinking Beer, which is their flagship pils. It's got a great can design, and you can drink a ton of them. Turns out that's what they're banking on. If you find yourself in Georgia, keep your eyes out for Wild Heaven's beers.