Beer lovers can fill up in Statesboro

Last weekend, shortly before my wife Shelly and I drove to Statesboro to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of her Aunt Faye and Uncle Leon, I Googled the restaurant’s address and found its location on U.S. Hwy. 301. I’ve got an iPhone, but I prefer to get to most destinations by Google and/or road maps, partly because of habit, but also because it represents a still-tangible connection to my parents who each summer drove us on long journeys that were mapped out by AAA. Thanks to that little quirk, we took the second Statesboro exit off I-16, and came in on 301 North, a fortuitous choice because it led us to the Beer Filling Station at 514 S. Main St. Operated by Southern Growlers, the Filling Station has 20 taps, and emphasizes beers brewed in Georgia. After enjoying a couple of samples, I went home with 32-ounce growlers of Let There Be Light, a pale ale from Wild Heaven in Decatur and Strawn Amber, a flavorful new find from Strawn Brewing Company in Fairburn, a small town in Fulton County. Let There Be Light is a saintly addition to a rapidly growing congregation, session beers. At 4.7 percent ABV, it’s still got strong characteristics, including a pleasing balance between malt and hops and a tangy twist of orange peel. The folks at Beer Advocate have given it a grade of 85. The Strawn Amber stands out in that oft-bland style because its brewers, Will Strawn and Doug Evans, have hopped it up with 44 IBUs. That near-IPA level of bitterness and citrus gives it a pleasing, smartly tangible bite that accents the usual amber tones of malt and biscuit. It’s also been well received at Beer Advocate, earning an 83 from its reviewers. For more information on Southern Growlers, go to www.southerngrowlers.com.

The shandy offers cyclists a refreshing choice for post-ride conviviality

A low-alcohol, high-taste blend of beer, lemonade and honey, the shandy has been around for 80-some years. Its origin dates back to 1922 when a Bavarian innkeeper, faced with an onslaught of several thousand thirsty cyclists on a summer afternoon, stretched out his beer supply, and satisfied the cyclists in the process, by mixing it with lemon soda. Known as a radler in Germany, and as a shandy in England, this concoction has a much shorter history in the U.S. It burst onto the beer scene in the United States just last year with the introduction of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, an unlikely but immense success story for this old-line Chippewa Falls, Wisc. brewery, which is owned by MillerCoors. The Traveler Beer Company has also jumped into the shandy market, and its Curious Traveler, which blends in lemon and lime, is also widely obtainable. Of the two, I prefer the Curious Traveler. The presence of lime gives it a little more bite than the Leinenkugel version. But, if you want to broaden the choices, you can always make your own style of shandy. Earlier this week, I blended Coastal Empire Beer Company’s Tybee Island Blonde, a crisp, light Kolsch, with Savannah’s Heavenly Honey from Asbury Methodist Church, the juice of a half-dozen lemons and water to produce a shandy that was a big hit at our book-club gathering. Kolsch is a popular choice for a shandy mix, but wheat beers, ales and lagers are also options, as is even India Pale Ale. For a complete look at the shandy’s history, and the possible ways to make it, go to the wonderfully named site BeerDorks.com.

Drayton Tower Beer Growler has Georgia on its mind

Chris Haborak, director of sales for the Coastal Empire Beer Co., took the time Wednesday evening to operate the taps and praise his company’s products as part of the Drayton Tower Beer Growler’s Pour Some Local Love extravaganza. Three of the company’s beers – Savannah Brown Ale, Barrel Aged Savannah Brown Ale and Tybee Island Blonde – were among the 43 choices on the Beer Growler’s blackboard. The Brown Ale is a hoppier-than-usual version of that style. It has 55 IBUs, putting it in the range of an India Pale Ale, yet it retains the expected malt characteristics of a Brown Ale, said Chris. The folks at beeradvocate.com agree: They have given the Brown Ale a very respectable rating of 83. The Barrel Aged Savannah Brown Ale has also garnered beer industry attention: It won a bronze medal at the 2013 U.S. Open Beer Championship. As for the Tybee Island Blonde, it’s a refreshing, crisp Kolsch, a 4.7-ABV session beer that goes well with warm summer afternoons. The company, which opened in 2011, is building a new facility, and will soon quadruple its production, said Chris. Coastal Empire Beer Co. was the second of three Georgia breweries to be spotlighted at the Beer Growler during Pour Some Local Love. Southbound had its wares on display on Tuesday, and representatives of Eagle Creek will be on hand tonight. In all, 38 Georgia beers from 14 Georgia breweries will be on tap. For more information on the Coastal Empire Beer Co., go to www.CoastalEmpireBeer.com. For more information on the Drayton Tower Beer Growler, and what it’s pouring on any particular day, go to www.thebeergrowler.net/savannah.