Brett Matthews, General Manager and Mat Schultz, Assistant General Manager hosted the evening’s Drink Local Support Local event for Savannah Riverkeepers.
World of Beer had a soft opening Sunday night, holding a “Drink Local Support Local” event to support the Savannah Riverkeepers. It was a great chance to sample their brews and their food menu, which I have to say is pretty darn good and affordably priced.
If you are ready to try some of their 50 rotating taps and 500 different bottles of beer then stop by tomorrow as World of Beer opens Monday the 23rd at 11AM, with a tap takeover by Southbound Brewing at 6PM. The evening will double as a “keep the pint night” with a brewery rep handing out Southbound glassware to the first to arrive at 6.
They are located at 2819 Washington Rd, in front of the Kroger shopping center at the new light. (if you need more direction they are next to Tin Lizzy’s and across from Publix).
I took Mrs. Dan to the event where we started with 2 “curated” flights of 4 x 4 oz. pours. WOB features four themed flights: Intro to Hops, Summer Seasonal, Drink Local and Tour of Belgium. I selected the Drink Local and Mrs. Dan selected the Tour of Belgium. As these were “curated” we didn’t get to select the beers. But it wasn’t a complete surprise, our waiter Jonathon told which brews where in the flights.
I really wanted to try the Red Brick Hype Whale but it wasn’t on the flight…. as least not yet. My flight was to be Riverwatch Scenic Overlook Blonde Ale, Sweetwater Blue, Terrapin Hi-5 and Red Brick Laughing Skull. But when it arrived the often rotating taps yielded me a Hype Whale. The Laughing Skull had already been rotated out.
The Hype Whale is an Imperial Stout weighing in at 10%ABV. Not too creamy, dark, rich, chocolate and expresso. But the great part is it spent some extended time aging in bourbon barrel chips. Hmmm. I actually had a second glass later (that’s my pour in the bartender’s hand in the photo below).
Serving up a Red Brick Hype Whale
Mrs. Dan had selected the Tour of Belgium but after a few sips I found my Local Tour becoming hers and the Tour of Belgium on my side of the table. I was okay with that because I got in a sip of each. I always like Riverwatch’s Scenic Overlook and the Sweetwater Blue is the only fruit infused brew I can tolerate. The Hype Whale she liked so I found myself getting another one later.
I was impressed with the Tour of Belgium which is the most expensive at $14. Two of these were Belgians I like to buy but don’t like pulling out my wallet for: Delirium Tremens, Reformation Cadence, Chimay Cinq Cents and St. Bernardus ABT 12.
The Reformation Cadence is a local brew out of Woodstock GA. I had it at the recent beer festival. I really like its dark fruit flavors and slight sweetness (has figs and Belgian candy sugar in it). But it isn’t so dark and heavy that you can’t enjoy more than one. The Chimay Tripel Cinq Cents, is much lighter and more mellow than the Chimay that I usually find in the blue and red labeled bottles. It is only slightly darker than the Delirium, which is a very light golden brew. The St. Barnardus ABT 12 is what I think of when I want a true dark Belgian. This is one of the great session beers.
The food we ordered didn’t exactly pair with our brews according to their recommendations but I had no problem enjoying both. I had three Street Tacos (there’s a choice of three type: Beer-Battered Shrimp plus Sriracha Lime Aioli; Crispy Beer-Brined Chicken with House-made Ranch and Ahi Tuna (raw) with Sriracha Lime Aioli). I had the Chicken. I really like it. I wish I had gotten one of each instead of three of the chicken.
Mrs. Dan had the Flat Iron Steak Sandwich. We naturally shared and I liked hers as well. I want to come back and try the Beer Can Chicken.
Before I forget Sunday night’s crowd was entertained by Phillip Lee Jr, who sang and played the guitar for most of the evening.
I spoke briefly with General Manager Brett Matthews who said the evening was a special soft opening to thank the many vendors and friends who helped open the World of Beer. It was also a good way to help out the Savannah Riverkeepers. They sold raffle tickets for beer related paraphernalia that was given out during the evening and the proceeds going to the Riverkeeps.
After the evening we had I think WOB will have a strong and loyal following. I gonna drop by Monday night and try their new infusion tower. It wasn’t part of the evening’s festivities but I was promised it would be in full swing Monday. My congratulations to Brett and his crew.
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