Gavin McKenna Red Brick
Gavin McKenna, Red Brick’s new Director of Brewing Operations, displays a bottle of their Vanilla Gorilla Imperial Porter. 

Under new Director of Brewing Operations, Red Brick announces three beer releases

As Atlanta’s oldest brewery, Red Brick Brewing Co. helped to introduce many locals to the world of craft beer.  By their own admittance, they’ve had some ups and downs over the years.  Under the direction of Garrett Lockhart and Steve Anderson the brewery produced some excellent beers, and revamped some old recipes.  Gavin McKenna, who joined the team in June 2017 as Director of Brewing Operations, plans to build on that and  bring even more people back to Red Brick.

McKenna started by refining the brewing process while reworking water chemistry and recipe development. “It’s very hard to know what a beer tastes like until you have the right water to support the flavor it expresses. So that was the first thing I did,” says McKenna “After that there was a lot of work with recipe development. There has been a learning curve with how to best use the system to create quality beers.”  The focus has become beer quality control and always bringing the best product to the consumer.

Recently, the brewery shared on social media when they had to dump 100 barrels (3,100 gallons) of their Hoplanta IPA due to a faulty seal on their centrifuge.  McKenna joined the conversation on Reddit ATLbeer saying, “…The only thing worse than dumping that much beer would be to have that much bad beer in the market.”  The conversation continued with McKenna sharing more about what happened and encouraging those that haven’t tried Red Brick in a while to give them another shot.

McKenna’s first beer (that he fully developed) with Red Brick was Penguin Pale Ale, a collaboration with the Georgia Aquarium.  It was very well received with many recommendations on social media and great reviews.  It was a great beer, one of the best Pale Ales I’ve had, and I was pleasantly surprised the first time I tried it.

Red Brick Sea Otter Stout

Get hyped about these upcoming beer releases

Hype Whale Imperial Stout is set as the next release with an event at the brewery on Black Friday, November 24th.  The latest batch was aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels.  The event will feature live music, food from local chef Chip English, and the Drawn and Disorderly Art Market. Hype Whale Event Info

Sea Otter Stout, a roasty and full-bodied stout, will release on December 1st.  The beer is the third release in a collaborative effort with the Georgia Aquarium with all proceeds going to research and conservation efforts.  “We are proud to be in partnership with Red Brick Brewing Co. for a third craft beer to bring awareness to another endangered species in our care, the sea otter,” said Gina Fisher, Georgia Aquarium’s Associate Curator, Mammals and Birds. “This collaboration is so unique and a great way to bring awareness to this animal and to inspire others to help.”

The Dec. 1st event is a “Holiday Morning” themed party.  Wear your Christmas pajamas and enjoy holiday variants of Sea Otter Stout.  Guests are encouraged to bring a gift to donate to Toys for Tots, and will receive a $5.00 gift card in exchange for their donation. Sea Otter Event Info

Journey Without Maps DIPA is the final release from Red Brick in 2017, a new direction for the brewery.  Five pounds per barrel of Eukanot, Citra, and Denali hops lend huge tropical and citrus notes to the beer.  The release is set for Thursday, December 7th at Red Brick and will be available in 16 oz cans only at the brewery. Journey Without Maps Event Info

Red Brick shared, “As the brewery moves into their 25th year it is committed to continually releasing new, fresh and innovative styles, with a constant commitment to quality control. Red Brick Brewing Co is excited to see what 2018 will bring for the Atlanta craft beer scene.”

Red Brick Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

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