heading to atlanta

[studentofbeer]

going to be in downtown atlanta at the hilton to cover a conference march 4-5 (missing the chicago real ale festival dammit) and was wondering if there was anywhere decent nearby for beer. ive already got dinner plans thurs. night, but might be able to escape either during the afternoon or friday night.

anyhow, if there's anywhere reasonably near downtown atlanta that serves up good and/or local brew, id love to hear about it.

[threecb]

There's a couple of places right in Downtown Atlanta.
The best place to check into the ATL beer scene is this site:

The Beer Cellar (http://www.thebeercellar.com/)

I've only been to Max Lager's, and that was a couple of years ago. Their Black Lager was pretty good, if memory serves.

[studentofbeer]

thanks for the advice on max lager's, it was right around the corner from my hotel. unfortunately my only chance to drop in was lunch so i could only sample a bit.

the black lager was awesome--ive always been a fan of schwarzbier and this just confirmed my taste for it-- great roasted bitterness followed by a sweet finish and aftertast. i found it very nice.

their scottish, a seasonal brew for them (which i had a half pint of, and the half pint cost 3.25 while the pint of schwarzbier cost 3.75....) was passable but nothing to write home about. i think the 6% georgia law limits what you can do. it was rather mild with some sweetness and a bit too carbonated for my taste.

i guess going to max lager's i should stick with the lagers. also, i was glad they didn't refrigerate the beer to death. it was cold but not ridiculous.

finally, id like to thank atlanta, the nation's pork producers and secretary of agriculture ann veneman for making me miss the chicago real ale festival.